Yes. They have proven it time and time again when it comes to the important part of the season.

No.

That should only happen if the aim is mediocrity.

No individual or team can peak all season or all year round, neither mentally nor physically. Chase that dream and you pretty soon become flat and fail when it comes to the crunch.

The champion side or individual is the one that does enough to be able to compete for the final prize and be in the best shape to be successful when they're there. That means sacrifices in terms of performance at other times of the year and accepting limited chances of wining the lesser prizes, in RL terms Challenge Cup and league leaders shield.

In recent years the ones that have proven able to do that are Leeds. No other team seems to have the structure in place to achieve that goal.

Best team and consistent team is league shield winners.Leeds won playoffs and just knock out cup rugby to be honest.In my opinion Wigan should be Champions and Warrington last year.I can not stand Warrington but they are the most consistent throughout the year.Not taking anything away from Leeds but you only won 60% of games compared to over 80% Wigan and Warrington.Just my opinion.

Your numbers are meaningless - and as soon as you include playoffs, cup games etc those numbers close up. Leeds have a 69% win ration in all games this season which is very impressive. Oh and an 89.5% record in knockout games over the last two years...

Disagree Champions top of the league in my opinion.

Champions are whatever the rules of the competition say they are at the start of the season I'm afraid

You're a complete idiot and your ''opinion'' is wrong. Wigan shouldn't be champions because finishing top wasn't the parameter for being called champions at the start of the season, ditto warrington last year. How hard is that for you to comprehend? league position is rendered invalid in determining champions because everyone knew at the start of the season you didn't win the title by finishing top. The games are not equal as some teams play each other 3 times.

[i''Leeds won playoffs and just knock out cup rugby to be honest.''[/i Ok, well that's all anyone has done since 98. Where have you and your ''opinions'' been the last 15 years?

You know what's f*cking mental? from 98 to 2004 top 2 win the grand final without fail, and people moan that the playoffs are pointless because no one outside the top 2 ever wins.

Then bradford win from 3rd in 2005 after breaking the salary cap with top spot st helens being struck down by injuries to key players just a week before the playoffs and people talk about what an achievment from the bulls. (who had 2 homes to get there and 1 away games unlike leeds).

Leeds win it from 5th and all hell breaks loose, suddenly it's all wrong because the most consistent teams aren't winning the title.

Whatever system, whatever outcome, whatever scenario people on here will b*tch and moan.

In conclusion your ''opinion'' is stupid.

Which is fine. You want to do away with the grand final (crazy son b*tch), hey whatever.

But top spot isn't the current paramter to decide champions so don't bleat on about how warrington and wigan should have been champions because it's nonsense.

Not nonsense you bellend.Man City won the Premier League winning most points in a season.In my eyes the playoff system is a joke and the attendances showed in the early rounds where boring.If you think just over mid table is Champions you are bonkers.Yes i know the system but i am saying it should be top of the table.

I am saying top of the table should be Champions you idiot.

Best ever team been 5th in the leage twice in a row.

Bet the great Liverpool,Man Utd,Real Madrid and Barcelona thought like this?

Go follow Wendyball then!! It's a load of rubbish, you're welcome to it.

RL needs the big occasion of the grand final for many reasons, everyone has known what's required for the last 15 years, get over it! As has been pointed out many leagues and sports follow a similar system.

The sport needs play offs because unlike football, we dont have a higher level ( European comp ) to keep teams and fans interested, other sports ( NFL ) have them because the teams dont play even games against all the opposition

It is also a money maker, that football doesnt need, we have no choice in the matter, it has to stay unfortunatly

Nobody would complain if the team finishing top were champions. If Leeds had to finish top to be champions could they do it? Are they good enough? Probably not as you have to be the best over 27 weeks, not 4 weeks. They are too old to compete for the entire season but are good enough to keep energy in reserve and work hard for 4 weeks in knockout games when the playing field is a lot more even.

BTW i don't blame Leeds, i blame the RFL for cheating the fans and season tickets holders of knowing who the real champions are over the entire season and letting the top teams rip into each other all year instead of one month.

If RLFans had been around between 1906 to 1973 (with a gap in 1962-4) I wonder if they'd have been having the same debate? We have play-offs to decide the title, they aren't going anywhere, get on with it. Why is it so hard for people to understand any concept that isn't what English football does?

there was a genuine reason for playoffs from 1906 to 1973. There isn't now.

When did they enter 0s0l?

Any didn't Liverpool finish 5th the season before they won the CL?

Yes I am a Liverpool fan and admit it is stupid as we where crap in the league and where not Champions.At least I can admit it except the idiots on here.As dougy said 4 games to be Champions?Wigan did well over 28 games not 4.I found the play off system boring except t semi and final.Well I don't think a team who wins just over half t games in a season should be Champions.It is stupid.

Get over it I found the playoffs boring just t final and one semi decent games.

At the most you're 12 years old and weren't around for the first grand final, that much is clear.

Exactly.

People are also tending to glorify the old league system as well. If you want a 'dud' end to the season, just have a look back at the 'good' old days of top equals champions. More often than not the competition was over well before the end of the regular rounds, and avoiding relegation was the only thing keeping some clubs going.

What saved the season from being a complete fizzer at the end was the Challenge Cup Final (again usually a month or so before the end of the season) and then the hopelessly contrived 'Premiership', which was a knockout trophy for the top 8, and certainly in my lifetime was won either by the team that really wanted it, or in later years Wigan if they could be bothered.

Now, we have TWO massive finals each season (as opposed to county cups, john player and all the other second-rate cup comps we used to have). Both are big events, and generate a lot of interest for the sport. I can just see the massive news interest in Team X managing to win the title because Team Y lost against Team Z three games before the end of the season - NOT (which again believe it or not was the sort of way the league title was settled in some seasons).

The Grand Final is a huge plus for the sport. The Play Off format could be improved on, but suggesting we get rid of it for the sake of some fictional purity is ridiculous.

You talk bollox.Rugby fans on here are stupid.Playoffs is knock out rugby the best teams are consistent for 28 games.Wigan and Warrington won more games than Leeds in t season.

Just have a separate competition at t end of t season, as Champions should be top of the league.