It isn't the play offs that are the problem, whatever the format - top 4, 6 or 8 - or who wins and from what position in the table. If you've qualified to play in them then you have every right to win.

The problem is with the preceeding 27 rounds and how to make them more competitively contested and therefore of greater interest.

A radical, but easily implimented solution would be to simply change the points awarded for each game played in the weekly rounds.

For example; 1 point for a draw, 2 points for a home win, but 4 points for an away win.

Now that would liven things up.

Charlie Winslade is blob on IMO with his recollections of yesteryear but what you must also consider apart from Dewsbury winning from 8th is that they were 8th in a league of 30 teams yet only played 34 league games to reach that 'lofty' perch. They didn't play everyone twice /home and away and it clearly favoured teams based on County lines.

Following this nonsense, 8th beating 3rd and we got nowt, the division was split into two so that everyone could play teams home and away obviously a fairer season and the Champions were first place in the regular rounds on merit, League Champions if you like.

The next 'moan' was one particular team sweeping up because they were the only professional team, (not their fault or a crime) but we now have an era where we are all professional and operate a financial constraint to even up the field

How hard can it be?

The fact that people have realised you can now quite cheerfully lose weekly games and it doesn't really matter is at the root of this.

--- your right,i mean, a team that has has been beaten wembley finalists for three years running ,then go on to finish 5th in the regular season for the last two seasons,( like you stated-10 ten points behind the true winners of superleague - wigan) then go on to win a few *knockout games and be crowned the * worthy*champions of sl? then play in the wcc as champions of a knock out comp ,opps,,sorry i mean sl champs-, ( not sour grapes-just facts) so basically,whats the point of even having a hub cap award

what was the point of the world club challenge then ....? you did realise Melbourne storm werent "worthy"winners of their league either?

Im struggling to find any threads titled "The NRL system is a joke they should have a first past the post like the English premier league and Scottish premier league which is vastly more entertaining" otherwise i'd be right on it...

What the hell has Leeds losing three CC finals got to do with anything? Leeds have been in 7 of the last 9 finals, and won 6 of those, regardless of where they finished in the league or whether they got to Wembley or not. No matter the format of the play-offs, Leeds seem to do well in them every year. Just saying.