THE SILLY SEASON

Rhinos boss Agar calls for a shorter regular campaign and extended play-offs as Covid wreaks havoc on Super League

Betfred Super League, 7.45pm RICHARD AGAR believes Super League should consider shortening the regular season and extending the play-offs, as Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc.

Catalans’ home game against Warrington today is the latest to be cancelled with two more positive cases in the Dragons camp, taking their total number to nine.

The French club are now four matches behind some rivals and still three short of the 15 required to be eligible for the play-offs.

Super League changed its system to win percentage this year when it became clear all games might not be fulfilled. But Catalans’ fixture backlog and the fact they postponed matches against top four rivals has called that into question.

Agar – whose Leeds side play the second of six matches in 17 days today when they take on Castleford – believes one solution could be to open up the play-offs to more clubs rather than have a straight top four knockout.

He explained: “We’ve been having talks internally and think a good way to look at the competition now would perhaps be looking at starting the play-offs earlier with more teams in it.

“We’re in a position where if we can navigate our way through to the play-offs it will leave us in a fair old state a t the end of it.

The who le win percentage stuff is getting called into question.

“If we play 21, 22 games and Catalans finish with 15 and have dodged all the top five or six on the way in - and that’s not their fault - then the fairness and integrity… but if that’s the way it ends up we all knew that and there’s some difficulties in it.

“We’ll just do our best to try to win our next game - it’s not for us to decide.”

Agar (above) insists his Wembley-winning squad are relishing the huge challenge they have been thrust into.

He added: “They’re on the back of a Challenge Cup win so at the moment they’re full of beans and saying, ‘Bring it on, let’s get through it’.

“They understand we will have a bit less preview and review and less training time.

“We’ll have to move our squad and loading minutes to get our freshest bodies out there. But our boys are up for it. It’s tough but we’re not looking at it like that.

“We’re looking at it as a massive challenge and a potential ly massive achievement to make another final.”