Belfast get to host low spending Dundee, Fife and Edinburgh 4 times which is bad for their attendances whilst low spending Hull get to play high spending teams in Nottingham, Sheffield and Cardiff more often which will affect their competitiveness. But where this plan gets really ugly is that the league winner will be the side with the most points at the end of season regardless of the conferences and the uneven parity of games each club plays against every other club. This is despite the fact there is a playoff structure that could sort out that discrepancy. Just when you were hoping it was safe to look in the mirror there is more ugliness lurking in the form of the Challenge Cup. Smith let slip that the groups for the Cup will be the same as the conferences. This means clubs will play each other at least 10 times before the playoffs and knockout rounds are added on. Those knockout rounds and playoffs are rather a contradiction as they will be interconference and so goes against the cost cutting travel ethos of the league competition. Ugly it may be now but the conference system could work. There will be many more meaningful games and the level of intensity and competitiveness should also be higher. Many fans have spoken about not needing a conference system unless there is expansion but at least there is now a system that allows that to happen. The Sheffield owner summed it up by saying