Quote ="tvoc"Don't get me wrong I am 100% behind the play-off concept which has served the sport for the overwhelming majority of it's existence, it's just that I want to see the title earned and go to a team that deserves it from a season long campaign not just from a burst of form at the end. The play-offs need to be weighted in favour of the two teams finishing highest on the ladder and I'm not sure that is the case with the present format. '"
I agree that there isn't quite enough weighting towards the top team now. I wouldn't mind that being tweaked. In my ideal world I would say that the weighting should be such that you feel a team coming from outside the top 2 has such a lot to do that you'd feel they had earned their title. At the moment I think the only reason it's a herculean task is that they evidently weren't as good as teams above them, who therefore beat them. If teams were closer together in quality and the top 8 was very much bunched up I think it would be very possible.
Quote ="tvoc"If it hasn't dawned on supporters by now it probably never will but the reality is there has yet to be a winner from below 3rd (and even that was a one-off (from 13 finals) attributable as much to the antics of one Wigan player as it was to Bradford busting the salary cap and bringing in a ringer in order to win it. '"
Are you suggesting that 13 or 14 years is long enough for an average RL fan to learn anything?
In all seriousness though, I think it's already happening, as evidenced by the fact that nobody believes Leeds or Hull have even the slightest chance of winning the title.
Quote ="tvoc"It has looked like a two horse race all season, still does. The only potential fly in that ointment remains the ridiculous placing of the Challenge Cup in the season. It's about as predictable an outcome as you will find in sport (outside of wrestling, cricket and snooker obviously) but there's always a chance of a genuine upset to cling onto even if deep down you know it's not going to happen.'"
I still think Saints could involve themselves in the final shake-up. At one stage I really thought Huddersfield might last the pace this year. I think it's 2 favourites with one very close outsider. Below that, I suppose Hudds could get one result to reach Old Trafford at a push, but even that's unlikely. Would you really bet any serious money against Saints turning Wire over in the play-offs though?
In all seriousness though, I think it's already happening, as evidenced by the fact that nobody believes Leeds or Hull have even the slightest chance of winning the title.
