HUNSLET coach Dean Muir accepts a change to the way relegation is decided could benefit his team as they continue to adapt to the challenges of the Championship after climbing out of League One.
Last year, two second-tier sides (Dewsbury and Whitehaven) fell through the trapdoor at the end of the regular season, while third-bottom Swinton went into a one-off decider at home to third-tier play-off winners Hunslet, who won 22-20 to go up alongside automatically-promoted champions Oldham.
That was as the Championship was slimmed down from 14 to 13 clubs, and as part of a further reduction to twelve for 2026, there will be a super eights-style competition involving the bottom four and the top quartet in League One.
Each of the eight teams play the four from the other division – two at home and two away – over four weekends from September 20/21 to October 11/12.
The top two in the final super-eights table will secure places in the Championship while the bottom four will be in League One next year with the twelfth and final place in the second section decided by a one-off meeting of third and fourth, with the former having home advantage.
Hunslet, who have had a glut of injury problems and lost loanee back Noah Booth, gained their first league win at the seventh attempt in beating Batley 28-24 on Good Friday, and coach Muir has been seeing signs of progress.
“We knew that because of the late timing of our promotion (mid-October), we were behind in putting a squad together and that it would take time to gel,” he said.
“No way are we giving up a climb up to mid-table, because a couple more wins would put a new complexion on things.
“But if we do end up in the bottom four, we know that there is still everything to play for in the super eights, and we have the experience of being in the League One play-offs and coming good at the right time.”
