First thing Stevo has said right in many a year after last nights game is the playoffs should be if you lose get out.

Next year should be much better thankfully. Shame its taken so long for them to get rid of this playoff format.

More reason to revert back to League Champions system. It seems to work for the most popular sport in this country. Here are all the blow out scores from the history of the playoffs. 2003 was the only time the series was blow out free. This is not to say all the matches not included were "close", they were just not ridiculously one sided.

Leeds 44-16 St Helens (199icon_cool.gif
St Helens 38-14 Leeds (1999)
Bradford 40-4 St Helens (1999)
St Helens 36-6 Castleford (1999)
Wigan 16-54 St Helens (2000)
Bradford 46-12 Leeds (2000)
Wigan 40-12 Bradford (2000)
Wigan 44-10 St Helens (2001)
Wigan 41-18 Leeds (2002)
Leeds 40-12 Wigan (2004)
Warrington 6-40 Hull FC (2005)
Bradford 71-0 Hull FC (2005)
Bradford 52-6 Salford (2006)
Leeds 36–6 Wigan (2007)
Catalan 46-8 Warrington (200icon_cool.gif
St Helens 38-10 Leeds (200icon_cool.gif
Leeds 44-8 HKR (2009)
Wigan 42-18 HKR (2010)
Warrington 47-0 Huddersfield (2011)
Leeds 42-10 Hull (2011)
Catalans 56-6 (2011)
Wigan 44-0 Catalans (2011)
Wigan 46-6 Catalans (2012)
Hull 46-10 Huddersfield (2012)
St Helens 46-10 HKR (2013)
Huddersfield 76-18 Hull (2013)

Just think how entertaining the season ending would have been if those finishing top were the true champions.

Maybe, they'll definitely be of a higher standard than any other 'RUGBY' played anywhere this weekend.

Couldn't believe how poor Huddersfield were. Wigan controlled every aspect of the game.

Most shocking for me was how first choice England centre Leroy Cudjoe was so easily left for dead by Joe Burgess.

Which were elimination/qualifying games?

Next year the same fixture will be a knockout semi final, rather than a warmup for a quarter final.

On first reflection you'd suppose improvement. But what if teams haven't been tossing it off during the regular season and we end up with say 3 of the usual suspects when it comes to play off shaftings making the top 4?

Turned off at half time, as I suspect quite a few people did. Which would be a worry for Sky given the size of the contract they've just agreed to (and I don't think that the new structure will make a scrap of difference to attendances or the pecking order in SL).

The whole idea of using the "maintain interest" argument as a justification for having 8 teams in the playoffs has always been spurious, but I think what is being overlooked by many is that the biggest reason for the embarrassing debacle was how abysmally Huddersfield contrived to play, for a full 80 minutes.

No cunning plan by Nigel Wood nor anyone else can offer a solution to that, the score would have been the same even if it was the GF, Huddersfield just didn't play on the day and to make excuses for them by citing the format or whatever is just hot air, they were unmitigatedly crap.

It also brings more disgrace on the current playoff system, as a part of its obituary, that a team as bad as Huddersfield were aren't now away on a beach somewhere, instead they are bizarrely still as much in the playoffs as their Wigan tormentors. How can you be annihilated in a playoff game, not only by such a score but so emphatically thrashed in every department, yet still have the cheek to carry on? If they had any self-respect Huddersfield would resign from the competition after that.

The new system will be better imo as teams wont be able to put their feet up in the regular season anymore.

For me the best 4 teams in the league are easily Wigan, Leeds, Wire, Saints. If you had to make the top 4 to win the championship them four teams would have been in it this season imo.

Being allowed to lose if the playoffs and still be champions is a farce just as much as finishing outside the top 4 and winning it is. We need a higher intensity competition more often rather than teams skipping through a season not being too concerned by losing games here and there etc.

Hopefully next season's new format is a step in the right direction, it wont happen overnight but lets hope it improves.

Which is correct,and was going to be my response although i would have thought it was obvious really.

A one sided playoff game in front of a -poor crowd would never happen in the NRL !

Ordinary looking crowd this morning for the Roosters V Cowboys play-off (in stark contrast to the Sydney Swans V North Melbourne play-off in Aussie Rules) and the Roosters leading 30-0 after 30 minutes!

Having said that, it's now 30-24 after 52 minutes.

Make that 30-30

I don't think I've ever seen a game where it's 30-0 after 30 and 30-30 after 60.

Similar to Bradford Wigan

Roosters benefit from penalty when SBW lost the ball clean. Should have been a scrum to Cowboys on halfway. Instead, Roosters get field position and the DG to lead 31-30. Three years in a row Cowboys have been shafted in favour of Sydney teams. Utter bollox.

Just started watching that game, recorded.

Didn't expect a spolier in a completly unrelated thread.

Cheers bro.

The jt try was deffo a knock on though! Agree the sbw decision was a disgrace.

As was the Shaun Kenny-Dowell obstruction incident leading up to SBW's knock on.

I don't usually cry foul at officialdom but 3 years in a row the Cowboys have been shafted in Sydney, at the same stadium, and in favour of Sydney clubs? The only surprise is that it wasn't as blatant as last season's 7th tackle try.

Then there's the huge opportunistic benefits associated with a Souths/Roosters Semi Final match-up (drool, drool) as TV ratings and enhanced advertising revenues on Channel Nine go into overdrive next week.

Merely coincidental, I'm sure.

F*cking way she goes man, way she goes.

Just finished watching. Don't really see the huge injustice. RE SBW, when the tacklers are peeling away and the ball comes free it's always 50/50.

RE: the thurston try at the end, I thought the number 8 did get a touch and as his hands were facing the roosters line, it was a knock on, but a very marginal one.

Melbourne were screwed over worse in the 2006 grand final against brisbane.

Felt so bad for thurston in the interview. He was dying to launch into a foul mouthed tirade.

Cowboys lost because they let 30 points in in 30mins! Oh and Thurston was dumb and didnt take a FG with 7 mins to go!!