Can someone please explain how they work this year? I've been on the super league website but their explaination makes no sense to me

I always think it's better if you do a walkthrough with examples. So taking the table as it is now and presuming the home team always win -

Week 1 -
1st vs 4th, (Leeds Vs Giants)
2nd vs 3rd, (Saints vs Hull KR)

5th vs 8th, (Wigan vs Catalan)
6th vs 7th (Wakefield vs Cas)

Winners of the games in bold get a week off, losers stay in the comp. From 5th down the losers are always eliminated

Week 2 -

In this instance would be Hull KR vs Wakefield and Huddersfield vs Wigan. Here the highest ranked team left in the comp will play the lowest team left in the comp. Losers knocked out

Week 3 -

It's the "pick your own" round, and this is where it gets complicated. The team who finished highest in the table and won their opening match to get the week off get to chose one of the winners of Week 2 to qualify for the Grand Final (they can't chose the other team who got straight to week 3). So in this instance Leeds would choose to play either Hull KR or Huddersfield. They couldn't chose Saints and they'd have to play the one Leeds don't pick. Winners go through to the GF, losers out.

So the results would be -

Week 1 -
Leeds/Giants - Leeds win get week off, Giants still in play next week
Saints/Hull KR - Saints win/week off - Hull KR in play next week
Wigan/Catalan - Wigan win - Catalan out
Wakey/Cas - Wakey win - Cas out

Week 2
Hull KR/Wakey - KR win Wakey out
Hudds/Wigan - Hudds win Wigan out

Week 3 -
Leeds chose one of KR and Hudds. Saints play the others. Winner through to -

Week 4
Grand Final

that makes a bit more sense

Just edited it slightly above to show what the results would be if the home team always won, without the guff

Further edit - it seems that if you win week 1 in position 1 to 4 then you'll be at home in week 3 no matter who you play which is fair enough

Does that mean that if Leeds or Saints lost their opening game and then won their second game they would get a home game in the 3rd round despite having lost in the first round?

Just edited above before you posted. I was a little confused (ie I didn't read all the rules!) - if you win in win week 1 in position 1 to 4 then you'll be at home in week 3 no matter who you play

That sounds more like it. Thanks for that.

That's not right the winners from week 1 are at home in round 3 so it's possible for Hull KR/Huddersfield to host Leeds/Saints at home.

Which is pretty much what that edit is acknowledging!

In my example the home team always wins for simplicities sake - so in my example that is correct.

Can you update with every permutation of home and away wins so that everybody understands.

Well in Weeks 1 and 2 the highest ranked team in the final SL table are at home. In week 3 the winners of 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 (in week 1) are at home regardless of where the opposition were in the table.

Should be it now! (I think - I might be confusing myself). Basically if we get in the playoffs we'll never be at home!

you remember that scene from scanners where the guy's head explodes?

All that you need to know is that if you win all your games you are champs!

We are the form side momentum is with us and thats all we need to know!!!!!

I fear Wigan first round in the play-offs.

Some people are getting carried away...

We are 9th. Only the top 8 get to play in the play-offs!!!!

It's just about as high in the table as we've been this season.

It's years since we won five in a row

Two big results sit between us and the play-offs

[size=200IF[/size they happen, then start talking about who is most to fear in the play-offs!!!

I just took a massive bet at work on your play-off credentials.

I manage a Support and Data Centre team of about 40 people, I swan about in my sy office all day and work weekdays only.
In my team I have a few big Bulls fans and one of them said that you guys were in form and could shake the play-off's up if you make it......

This guy works 4 on 4 off continentals in our ops team - so before I could stop myself the words "If you get to the GF I will swap jobs with you for a month" were out of my mouth.....

Stranger things have happened, sport throws these things up sometimes, logic tells me it can't happen - but there were witnesses and I am a little bit twitchy about it now.
Either way I will be happy, I am a Cas fan we've exceeded our own expectations this year.... not sure how my Mrs will react if I have to work days and nights for a month!

Take a dive on friday and miss out, far less stressful

I don't like the way the playoffs work now.
You can argue that it is probably more lenient on the top two teams, but basically they can both get to the GF without playing each other again.

I always thought the way it used to work, where they played each other for the first place in the GF, always resulted in a really intense playoff match and also added a little extra to the GF if they ended up playing each other again.

It's more daft that 7th could play 8th in the Grand Final.

True!
I hadn't even considered that

Thats why the NRL top 8 should have been used.

So, Friday night at the KC. Where are we, `Half Way to Paradise` or on the `Eve of Destruction`? Does the dream go on or does reality bite us on the bum?
Macca keeps saying it isn`t in our own hands. Maybe this is just to keep the pressure off`, `cos to be honest, I think it [iis[/i in our hands; I don`t think les Cats have a prayer at Knowsley Rd and it really is about us taking on a less than impressive FC side and coming up with the goods (and yes I do know that we`ve been less than impressive for most of the season so don`t tell me!)
Here`s hoping!!

I'm hoping too but I'm also aware that if it doesn't happen then the trolls will be on here ready to pick the bones of threads like this one clean.

The place would be like night of the living dead before we even get back to Bradford!

Well i would have done but we can hardly criticise can we



Didnt realise until now that its the first time you lot have failed to make the playoffs