Now you're one home win in the play-offs away from this, how areyou lot feeling about what is a potential banana skin - effectively forced to signal relative disrespect for your opponents the week before a semi-final with them?

What do you reckon, call a press conference and flip a coin? Or just go 'You look rubbish, we'll play you.'

That would be my call but sadly you lot wont be in the last 4

The most ridiculous, preposterous idea the senile old fools at The RFL have ever come up with.

Next year, instead of the play off system they're going to use a 'Wheel of Fortune' style selection process. It will be televised on the BBC at the end of the regular season and hosted by Michael Barrymore.

In fact your "call a press conference and flip a coin" is the best idea I've heard so far, that way it would send out the message that we are not bothered who we play and also sends a big "fekk off" message to Red Hall.

The scene at Red Hall earlier this year...

"Next item on the agenda, the end of season play-offs, hands up all of those who need it explaining again"

<All hands go up>

"OK, I have the format here somewhere, damn, I put it in my briefcase, where the hell is it, look I know its here somewhere, unless the kids crayoned all over it, bugger, I bet thats whats happened - OK gentlemen, erm I think it went like, first plays sixth, second plays fifth..."

"Fourth, second plays fourth"
"No, second plays fifth"
"No, we played Warrington last year, they were fourth"
"No, they can't have been, they must have been fifth"
"I think they were fourth weren't they ?"
"I think we were third actually"
"You bloody weren't third, we were third"
"Well how come we played Saints in the second round then"
"Because, erm, I don't fooking know, but you weren't third"
"I thought we were, we paid out bonuses anyway"
"Well thats your stupid fault, you were fifth"
"I'm sure the League Express had us down as thrid"
"No we were third"
"You weren't bloody third, you didn't even make the play offs"
"Oh yes, thats right, it was the year before that"

"Gentlemen, Gentlemen, can we agree that fifth plays second ?"
"Second plays fifth actually"
"Whatever"

"I've got an idea sir"
"But you're just the tea lady, you're not in this quorum"
"I think we should listen to her actually, she suggested the Millennium Weekend, remember ?"
"Oh yes, go on then"

"You could let the teams pick their own opponents"
"What, no format then"
"No-one understands the format anyway, just let the supporters choose their own opponents"

<long pause>

"It could work"
"Her Millennium Weekend idea worked"
"We'd need someone who can bull to try and explain this to the press"

"Muriel, can you get Mr Howes on the phone please ?"

While i agree it's a bit stupid, it will be interesting to see who we choose at this stage.

Personally if it was out of Wigan, Kr and saints i'd quite like to play Wigan at home - it's worked for us the past 2 seasons

It's an interesting idea for one year. I doubt it will be in place next year though.

You don't get a choice out of three, just out of two I believe - the two qualifiers from week 2, not your fellow qualifier from week 1.

Now if it was a choice between, say Huddersfield and Bradford (purely hypothetial of course), that's where you get the level of interest raised. Either choice provokes comment.

I always prefer to side with the innovation and give it a shot. I suspect it will garner column inches and may at some point contribute to the integrity of the competition by preventing the higher placed qualifier being locked in to a semi-final with a side that is stronger than its league position would suggest.

very funny and probably not too far from the truth!! hope the mispelling of third in league express was intentional too ... quality

Do you know what, I am even getting bored of this now!

It is no benefit whatsoever to the side finishing top.

It hands motivation to the team you select.

Also, should boost the confidence of the team you choose to avoid should you meet them in the final.

I stand to be corrected but the ONLY difference between finishing top and second (aside from a nice dinner plate) is the choice of opponent in the qualifier. In which case I think its' far better to finish 2nd.

Yep, agree wi that. I'd toss a coin in front of the cameras if i was Leeds.. leave it up to 'fate'.. which should take away any motivation from either sides chosen..

Agree 100% with that

Thing is, even if we do finish 2nd (which is now very unlikely of course), with a Saints loss in week 1 of the play-offs (and a win for us) we'd have had to pick anyway. So we may as well take the nice dinner plate

I'd go with that idea...

Unless Bradford are an option in which case it's a no brainer

Always strive to finish top.... always.

There should be an upset somewhere, there always has been at least one every season of the SL play off era .