I think Mal is right. After the first split into 8s, it's the 4 and 5th on that split that duke it out for a place in SL.
The fixtures just highlight what a tough season it's going to be - hopefully if we get off the mark against Haven we'll have the confidence to have a real crack at it. Got to be honest it's just what the league needed, it must be tough for the BOD to galvanise some momentum against the same old teams year after year.