hudds away last game of season lol...

Think you might want to re-read the post. He's talking about Leeds' mid-season slump which then meant that in the run in they could barely afford to lose a game in order to ensure a play-off spot.

Leeds peaked 3 times in the season - a true achievement...now if only we could win that bloody Challenge Cup Final

Ideally RL would not need play offs, they tend to be used by sports that dont have an ' even ' regular season of games , but like most things in our sport whatever we do has a negative effect on something else

A play off system devalues the regular season, no play off means the season could be over for most clubs after a few weeks, licencing financially secures clubs at the lower end of SL, but also removes meaning to their games

There is no simple answer, and I doubt things are going to change any time soon, the sport is between a rock and a hard place with nowhere to go

The system is contrived to finish the season on a high note.
However the weekly rounds are the best attended games compared to the abysmal gates in the challenge cup and play-offs.
Winning the league (finishing top) should have, at least, equal status to winning the GF otherwise league games will become increasingly meaningless and the game will wither as a result.

Leeds dont go into any game wanting to lose, but they play at about 75% throughout the regular season to avoid burnout. Then when September comes around they turn it up a notch. It's called knowing the rules and playing to the system. What is the point of having a playoff system and then moaning afterwards when the "top" team doesnt win. Oh, and if say the playoffs did get changed to say top 4, I am almost certain Leeds would be pushing top 2 every year because as shown, when the big games come around at the end of the season, they are as good as everyone.

We need Leeds to play half a team in the 27 game regular season and finish 8th. They can bring in there big gun players for the play offs and win the Grand Final from 8th. This would show up the weakness of the play off process.

From 2000 to 2005 there were quite a high percentage of intensive games at all levels in Superleague. Over the last 3 years intensive games have been replaced by momentum games, so there is a margin of acceptable loss with a top 8 play off.

Also, I don,t think the RFL have control of the play offs and challenge cup. Sky own the Play Offs and the BBC own the Challenge Cup schedules.

Ah, my bad. Still, the point re the playoff setup still stands.

I imagine that most people accept the playoffs as necessary and also find them (or at the very least the GF) an entertaining and spectacular way of ending the season. However, I also imagine most people would be happier if the playoffs had a clear sliding-scale of difficulty based on your team's finishing position. If nothing else, teams in the bottom half of the top 8--if we must stick with a top 8--shouldn't be playing home fixtures against teams lower down the table than them, whilst teams that finish higher than them play tougher opposition away.

On the subject of the playoffs being a necessary spectacle with which to end the season, in that respect we must simplify this convoluted and contrived format which can see repeat fixtures and losing teams advancing to the next stage and instead make every round a knockout round.

Don't remember Catalans busting a gut in the game at Wigan. Leeds on the other hand had a tough game against Wakefield who were the form team at the time. Leeds then also had to travel to the South of France and back before facing Wigan. Not saying the system is perfect but lets not try and belittle Leeds' achievement.

Typical of RLFANS (I say that as people on here are the minority), what a great spectacle last night showcasing our sport at it's best, the toughest athletes playing the tougest game, no other sport can match even poorer performances yet people continue to do the game down.

Finishing top has got to be recognised better and rewarded more generously.Perhaps the top club should qualify straight to the final with the also rans fighting it out between them for the other spot.There doesn't seem to be much incentive now and soon teams will be spelling their players even more throughout the regular season happy with a 3rd or 4th place finish.Home advantage as well counts for very little now as this seasons play off has once again shown.

Well said Seth,I too cannot believe that after such a great spectacle, so called fans come on here demonstrating such negativity.
They are the problem.
I always talk up the game, not down , particularly when in the company of RU followers who very rarely criticise their game.

So you don't pay attention to the game being played? The skills, the tackles, the drama?

If you're not happy with that why don't you go and buy a set of top trumps and play with them till September?

The top 8 is unlikely to be altered because it means more games and more money. Who do you think pushed for that to happen? Sky, they control the game becase they pump all the money in.

Maybe the existing top 8 can be tweaked so it's weighted more in favour of the top 2, if that will appease people.

But those going on about first past the post and getting rid of the playoffs - Firstly, are you crazy? The grand final is a fantastic, money spinning showpiece event, i look forward to 'grand final day' every year. It gives the game great coverage and exposure.

All the big names turn up or tune in, the rooneys the ferdinands, they love it, and sing it's praises to their millions of followers.

Also, the majority of the sports history has seen the champions decided by playoffs. Learn your rugby league history, first past the post has been the exception not the rule. Pretty much all major sports apart from football decide champions with some form of playoff. So stop going on like rugby league is some wierd outcast sport doing something ridiculous.

Does anyone remember what first past the post was like? After about a quarter, the season would be over for all but 6 teams (most likely 3 with realistic chance of top spot, and 3 battling bottom place), or should i change that to 3 with no relegation?

So we'd still have a bunch of nothing games. The grass isn't always greener. The current system gives the greatest incentive to the highest % of teams.

In conclusion, people are living in cloud cuckoo land. The best thing that can happen is the top 8 system is tweaked so that it's weighted better in favour of the highest placed teams. But it's not going away because of the extra games and thus extra money it generates.

And doing away with the grand final to decide champions altogether? The grand final is fantastic, it is well and truly here to stay.

Yeah it's a novel idea isn't it?

Going to the game because you actually just enjoy the sport, the experience and the bonus of watching your team win?

Who'd a thunk it.

Maybe they should impose a system where, in the team that loses one of the players get's executed. Would that put enough ''meaning'' and ''importance'' on every single game?

Exactly as they did between 1895 and 1973. The game was absolutely dead, with no supporters attending games at all until we abolished the traditional play-offs to decide the champions and adopted the experiment of giving the title to the team who topped the table at the end of the regular season (or even five games before the end)

... On the other hand, what Leeds' two victories from fifth, and Bradford's from fourth, actually mean is that every team (or at least the majority of teams in the league) has something to play for - a real chance of winning the comp - right up to round 27 of the weekly rounds, and beyond

Or perhaps winning the Champions League and reaching a Champions League final despite never being champions in 22 years and often scraping into the top 4.

If the RFL decided to change the play off system to top 3, Leeds would finish in that 3, if they scrapped the play offs all together they would be fighting for 1st 2nd, the rules at the start of the season give an opportunity for 8 teams to be champions, like it or not, the best team come play off time will be champions, Leeds have got the job done yet again, People say that they were just putting in mediocre performances all season just to end up in the 8, Yes i agree, and thats all it takes, come good at the right time and you will win. dont hate on the team - blame the system

Couldn't agree more about last night...but that's the point, the people on here, like me, that you think are "doing the sport down" love the game as much as anyone. All I want to see is a way to bring a bit of last night to the rest of the season and to have a better shot of converting what we're capable of creating on the field into commercial success. We're totally screwed if we just say "OK, that was good, game must be in great shape". One year, it'll be Catalans vs Huddersfield and we might wake up.

Same post every year! the same sad people, the same drivel spouted. We have play offs to decide the champions you have had 15 years to get used to it. Wigan did not finish top Leeds did as they won last night while 12 teams were already on their hollidays. The top 4 have all the advantage they get a second go if they lose or a week off if they win. thats what the effort in the 27 regular rounds are about. 5 to 8 have it hard all the way & have to win every game away from home. If not for the play offs my team season would have been over months ago & would you rob the Wakefield fans the excitement of the last month?
Another point, the greatest sports competition's on earth use regular games & play offs, NFL, European Champions league, World cup & European cup soccer. The other thing to realise is that if we ever spread the game we can add teams without increasing on the 27 rounds & the new people we would attract wont care how we used to run the game for a few short years in our history.
Almost forgot, well done Leeds & Warrington a great game I enjoyed every second of it & I am sorry I could not be there as I love League at every level & will watch every game I can (reguardless of my teams position or form)

RL is a minority sport, we need everything the playoffs bring, certain elements may need tweaking and some lessons learnt, I'm not saying it doesn't. My point is the negativity towards the sport by it's own fans on here far outweighs the positive, my point is that even an inferior RL match to last night still displays more athleticism, sportsmanship and determination than the countries national sport.

If its Catalan v Hudds one year, great itll mean they've earnt it and that the depth of the competition is greater.

Pretty much agree. The "play-offs", don't take away the intensity of the season, it's the number of teams that qualify for it. Having 6 or 5 would gives the regular season much more intensity as teams know a couple of losses and they could be out. One of the biggest problems is there been no advantage between 1st and 4th which is ridiculous, the crunch games like "Wire v.s Wigan" don't really matter to an extent as they know there is no advantage finishing 1st or 4th. Change it to 6 and the top two get a chance at the GF from week 1, Wigan and Warrington would be desperate to beat each other in the regular season to get this opportunity. If the RFL reduce it to 6 there would be no problem,.

Thought the GF was a great contest last night and well done Leeds!

Top 8 is too big for our league. We don't have enough good sides, therefore a team in 5th has the easiest start to the series. Would Leeds have won it the last two seasons if we had a top 6? I don't think so... The old system would have secured 1 of the top 2 in the final, this system doesn't.

In 2011, leeds would of had to beat:

Saints away
Hudds away
Wigan away
Wire OT


This year it would have been:

Catalans away
Saints away
Wire away
Wigan OT


I don't think a team would have enough in the tank for all that. The old system favoured the top 2 and rightly so. This system gives the 5th place and easier first game than the top 4 get.....

Saying all that, I am amazed that this Leeds team has done this two years running, nut for me it is a sign that it needs changing.