Couldn't agree more. The play offs are fantastic and capture the imagination of even the casual sports observer.

And this years set to be best yet!

ignoring the trolling as a leeds Fan, The 07 and 08 GF wins meant no less than the 09 and 04(well the 04 being the first in such a long time did, but not because we finished top)

in 04 we won the league by a record margin, with a record points total, with a record points difference, and it would have all been meaningless had we not been able to win the final.

To be the best, you have to beat the best, and thats what the play-offs mean.

You've already beat them - that's why you came top.

Saints in 05 for example. Best team all season by a country mile. Few injuries at the end and they end up with nothing. Whilst I laughed my t*ts off at the time. Shouldn't happen.

I agree but the RFL has to do something about the poor crowds relative to the regular season games - the playoffs are meant to be the pinacle and the crowds need to reflect that.

As for someone winning it from 8th I don't see how it can ever happen. You would need a team to win 4 successive away games against superior teams (as evidenced by the league table over 27 rounds). The odds are so huge it can't happen.

except it doesnt, you just need to be consistent. The league then play-off system is definately the best way of judging the best side. You can argue about the level of benefit finishing top deserves but the principle is correct,


Very few major sports outside European Football use a straight league system to decide their champs

Nobody's saying it should be changed this year, but I do think it needs to change in future (whoever finishes top) - as a certain Jon Wilkin said on Boots'n'all last night, there isn't enough of an advantage for the top team.

Well it's managed to happen 5 times out of 12.

I can understand it in countries like America where they play in regions to start with, but over here when you play each other home and away that should be it.

If you want a playoff system then it should reward your league place more than the current top 8 (top 8 - don't forget 8th is in the bottom half btw)

It doesn't have to be one or the other there are only two domestic competitions when there used to be loads. I'm not demanding scrapping the playoffs or grand final or even saying the GF winners shouldn't be called champs under the system we've got. I don't even disagree with the points people have made in favour of the grand final but why the hell can't the top team be called Super League winners and be presented with a cup and a cash prize? It would make each regular season game far more meaningful and still have all the benefits of the playoff system such as giving lower teams something to play for. No brainer as far as I'm concerned it would end all arguments, you don't even need to justify not giving the top team more of advantage just recognition.

what has happened 5 times out of 12?

and in 2007 and 2008, with an uneven fixture list saints won the league by only 1 point hardly showing they were the best team in the comp, all it shows is Leeds and Saints were very very close

as I said, you can argue about how much reward your league place gets you, but this new system has lasted 1 year in which the LLS and GF winners were Leeds, there isnt much evidence it doesnt give you enough

#

It's even more simple.

The best side eminates from beating it's closest comp rivals in a high pressure environment.

To continue a thread that "it isn't fair because" is futile since
a) them's the rules baby, everyone knows and signs up to them
b) the best side over a year 99.9% of the time wins the GF. That they win it illustrates so.
c) Get rid of the Challenge Cup then and base it on some other tenuous basis.

Changing a thought process to suit the narrative that a team is top is pish weak. Even Saints fans, God love em, rarely chelped about not being "recognised" as champions after finishing top. Means jack. Simple as that.

The only gripe I can see is that the system now doesnt give the table toppers and possibly 2nd as much advantage as finish top win a game and your in Grand final if not you get another go at home or finished 2nd get 2 goes and reach grand final!!
Last year it didnt get highlighted as Catalans and us to an extent werent really upto the task of toppling the top 2 at their own pitch! This year the 3rd and 4th teams are more than capable of winning a one off game away to the 1st and 2nd!!
For me its fair enough as yu know the rules and should we win it we will by right be crowned the best cheats sorry I mean team in the league. If not I think finishing top shows an improvement beyond what I expected and hopefully more next year will see more improvement all be it with our 13 aussies!

All the points are good on this thread, the team thats top is best team, we all know the rules at start and all the other points.

For me, the play off concept has been great for the game, every team has something to play for in last month of the year, that means better rugby, bigger crowds and a high intense game.

The play offs then take the game to another level, every team in top 8 knowing a good run can crown them champs with high intense rugby in packed out grounds with everyone on the edge of there seats or glued to tele.

Then is the grand final at a packed out old trafford, fans from all super league clubs pack in to the stadium to see who has what it takes to be champs.

We've had some great moments in finals, did withers touch the ball, chris joynt tackle, last min drop goals, big calls by vid ref!

It has took the game to another level.

I can live with the Play Off system but have long thought that the title MINOR premiership is an insult, why the adjective MINOR as if it means nothing. Keep the shield, keep the play off but give the shield its correct title. League Leaders Shield

Semantics.

It is called the league leaders shield.

It's the aussies that use the minor premiership phrase.

Is that Saints fan being serious? Playoffs mean packed out stadiums and intense RL? When was the last time we had a full house at a playoff game? Seriously?
And intense? How many intense games did we have last season? One maybe two?
The playoffs are nearly always a let down.

I can only speak for myself when i say if the league was decided by the team finishing top, i would go to every single away game- because every game would matter. Because it 'doesn't matter' it takes off the edge and gives a 'is it worth it?' attitude. There can't only be me, and its gonna grow and grow should teams from mid table win the Championship. It'll start affecting attendances.

That saints fan!





You can honestly say the play off and grand final concept hasn't been good?

I seem to recall you lot every year getting giddy every year that you can win it from lower league place.

So you would go every away game if the format changed to who finishes top is champs ?

For nearly most of super league wigan ain't been anywhere saints and leeds for top spot with aprox 7 games of the season remaining, would you travel to say cas for a dead rubber? A game that wouldn't mean anything to both teams!

The play off system gives every team something to play for, not just the top 2.

I would hate to go back to the way it was, so many games that mean nothing, lower teams season over by june.

which is exactly why me and others are saying it shouldn't be one or the other but both. League leaders get cup, a meaningful title and prize money. Grand final winners get called champs, get cup and prize money as they do now. Top position would clearly be worth playing for as would top 8 as it is now but teams would be more inclined not to take any games lightly and the quality would improve. Can't see any problem with this at all to be honest, traditionalists and people who like the new format would both be happy and you wouldn't have the situation where over a full year the only truly crucial games are top 8 deciders cup games and playoff games.

For example i obviously haven't gone to Headingley tonight. But if the title was at stake i would do.
Would i go the the Cas game in your example? If it was Sunday, not on tv, i would almost certainly go. If it was on tv on a Friday, then probably not because nothing is at stake. Would depend on if the Premiership playoffs were at stake. For eg. if Wigan were 9th and top 8 qualified for the Premiership I would go, if 3rd or 4th, no, but then we might be in touch for the title, so then I would go.

gutted we won think we might have peaked tonight and be burnt out for rest of season

So if say saints was top of the league and couldn't be caught and under the old system would now be champs with 3 games to go, would you have still gone to Leeds tonight?

We can happily stay burned out if this is the net result and the performances being given.

Hope you watched the game tonight, sweetheart.

HTH.