THINK of a number, multiply it by eight, subtract a few and take away the number you first started with and the answer leads to Old Trafford.

Well, maybe not, but if anyone can think of a concise and simple way to explain the format of the new eight-team Super League play-off system I would love to hear it.

While there is no substitute for the drama of knockout sport, the end of season play-offs in both codes of rugby to decide the league season has often been frowned upon.

Now because of the Rugby Football League’s twisted logic it is set to become a whole lot more puzzling.

Super League prides itself on growth and innovation.

Signs of the former are evident - expansion to 14 teams from next season with the co-option of Salford Reds and Celtic Crusaders should create renewed interest in the league.

As for innovation, the new play-off system offers exactly that, but in doing so makes a mockery of the competition.

Being a St Helens follower, you might say ridiculing the play-offs is sour grapes, having seen them lose the last two Grand Finals to Leeds Rhinos despite finishing top of the league on both occasions.

Including the Challenge Cup semi-final, the Saints defeated Leeds four times last season before finally coming unstuck at Old Trafford.

But whoever finishes top of the pile in 2009 could end up feeling even more short changed.

The Saints finished 2008’s regular 27-game season 21 points ahead of eighth-placed Wakefield, who under the revised format would qualify for the play-offs.

Of course, the play-offs are structured to reward the teams who finish higher and the odds are stacked against those in seventh and eighth reaching the Grand Final anyway.

But in tense, one-off encounters, who knows what might happen?

Even more startling is the fact that more teams will qualify for the play-offs than not, with one team from the bottom half of the table participating in the end of season lottery.

And what kind of a team in any league from any sport would deem a bottom half finish as success under normal circumstances?

For anyone who is slightly puzzled so far and is left wondering “what has this bumbling sports hack got a bee in his bonnet about?”, I am afraid I’m not even going to attempt explaining chapter and verse how the new structure works.

I might just lose you along the way.

But in a nutshell, the top eight are all handed quarter-final ties in play-off week one based on their league finish.

By the time we are left with four teams in the third week, the complications really begin and another major twist comes into play - the highest remaining team gets to choose their semi-final opponent.

After all that it’s off to the Theatre of Dreams for a climax of mouth-watering proportions for rugby league fans.

Let’s just hope the changes don’t dilute a competition which has come on leaps and bounds since it’s inception in 1996.

So here’s to next September and the four-week finale to another exciting Super League campaign.

Only this time make sure you’ve got a pen and notepad to accompany your tipple of choice when tuning in to watch it.

You might just need it to comprehend exactly what is going on.

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FRANK Warren’s influence over British boxing looked to be waning slightly over the last couple of years.

Two of the nation’s biggest draws, Ricky Hatton and David Haye, have refused to work with Warren, while Joe Calzaghe has opted follow many of the sweet science’s aging legends down the self-promotion route.

Amir Khan’s “next big thing” tag was emphatically shot down when he suffered a first round knockout by Briedis Prescott and Warren has failed in several attempts to push Matt Skelton and Audley Harrison into the world heavyweight title picture.

The shrewd Sports Network boss has come up trumps this week though, with the triple swoop on Team GB’s Olympic amateur squad.

Gold medalist James Degale, Billy Jo Saunders and world champion Frankie Gavin have all agreed to join the paid ranks under Warren’s tutelage.

Liverpool’s Stephen Smith, who narrowly failed to qualify for Beijing, is also on Sports Network’s books and is making waves with four knockouts in his first four bouts.

As Degale, Saunders and Gavin prepare to cut their teeth in the professional game, they are tipped to make similar if not greater impacts - in which case the future of British boxing rests very much in Warren’s hands.

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JUST as television couldn’t get any worse, Sky One has inflicted another reality show on us - ‘Wayne Rooney’s Street Striker’.

I’ve yet to watch this latest “ratings-buster” and won’t be pressing that button on my Sky Plus remote any time soon to make sure a minute is not missed.

The show apparently sees the Manchester United striker visiting council estates and car parks to run the rule over contestants taking part in activities such as the tower block challenge.

Sound like compulsive viewing? Didn’t think so.

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A NEWSPAPER blog wouldn’t be right without the occasional shameless plug and this week the shortlist for the Bromsgrove and Droitwich Spa Advertiser Sports Personality of the Year 2008 award - a must for every mantlepiece - was revealed.

We launched the award last year for a bit of festive fun, if nothing else, and thanks to our readers and local sports fans it went into overdrive.

On that basis we made the decision to run this year’s poll for even longer, as well as inviting your nominations.

Putting together the shortlist was a humbling reminder that there is a wealth of national and international class talent in our patch for which we have the privilege of writing about.

So let’s get voting and celebrate the area’s sporting talent (CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE).