-------------that may be true,but saying it dont make it right does it?i mean,what other sport can boast *champions* who finished runners up in a cup final then went on to finish 5th,yup,5th in the league ,then put together a run of 4,yup,4 wins and be hailed as champions? not many im sure,and its not sour grapes,it seems to make rugby league a joke sport,which makes me very angry,as i think its the best game it the world to watch,but the format of late is a joke,im sick of trying to explain it to all my non rugby league mates ,who keep asking me ,why wire are not champions if they actually won superleague,and yes,we all know the format at the start of the season and its the same for all teams blah blah blah,but like i say,saying it dont make it right,especially when your team has blown away the opposition week in and week out and a regular basis by playing fantastic entertaining rugby,in my mind,wire are the true champions of 2011

,and hopefully,20012

and im not taking anything away from leeds by saying this--( the lucky barstewards



) its just my opinion

This is the format everyone knew about at the beginning of the season so knowone can say leeds dont deserve it they played fantastic rugby at the business end of the season. I just think this is a realy good advert for our game this season at least in the top 8 has beenone of the most competitive i have seen since super league started proven by the fact that silverware has been shared amongst the 3 clubs and even more proven by the clubs that won the league leaders shield and the challenge cup werent contesting in the final . Super season heres to many more like it competitive rugby is what we all want to see im sure ??

I'm a Leeds fan.

In my opinion, the team that wins the league should be the champions and that was Warrington, end of story.

There then should be a play off grand final but if you win this should not mean you are champions. This way, there would be three major trophy to go at, the Challenge Cup, The league and the Play off Grand Final.

Unfortunatly, it will be Leeds who go down in the history books as as winners, champions, it will be Leeds who are playing in the WCC and nobody will remember who came first, second, third or fourth in the league.

I am ecstatic that we won but there needs to be a change in the current format for me but that's the way it is unfortunatly, everyone knows that that at the start of the season, maybe in the comming seasons, there maybe should be an emphasis on not winning the league, resting some players during the year, keeping people fresh and aiming to peak around the play offs so it would be irrelevent whoever finished first, second, third, fourth, fith etc, just get in the play offs and anything can happen.

I am sure most teams would waifer a few games during the season but come good in the play offs.

All in all Wire fans, you've had a great season, you have been the best team, the league table does not lie and this bodes well for the comming years, all the best for next seaon!!!

Which other sport can see teams that don't top their league become Champions?

NFL, NBA, Baseball, Champions League Football, World Cup Football, Aussie Rules, Ice Hockey, Rugby Union...

--raelly? i dont watch any of those sports

so i will take your word for it,but im only really concered about rugby league and i stand by what i said

--really? i dont watch any of those sports

so i will take your word for it,but im only really concerned about rugby league and i stand by what i said

double post to correct spelling mistakes

I think the tiltle of champions should go to the league leaders. It is the most difficult to win and is a true indicator, given that each team plays each other home and away, plus Cardiff.

The Play-offs are more like the old premiership. Its format gives greater advantage to those who finish the highest, and we as top team had everything in our favour. But if you have a bad game against a team like Leeds who have found form, you will go out.

I have nothing but praise for the Rhinos, but I feel a more apt title would be Grand final winners rather than champions.

No other LEAGUE has a redundant and purely money making playoff system at the end.

Have you ever heard of the NRL?. Besides Wigan played 2 extra fixtures more than you and if you take into account you beat them the week after Wembley which had a very large bearing on who finished top. I wouldn't call that fair.

the History books also shows Dewsbury as champions in 1973 and they finished 8th Wire topped the League that year but you got nowt for that then....could it be worse than that.............. yes the following year 1974 Wire won the end of season play offs .....great Wire must be champions....??? No... they changed the format and the league leaders (Salford FFS!!!) were crowned Champions. So lets take this one on the chin and glad we werent on Tinternet in 1974...


We can leave the History Book to the Wigan Fans they love it, and Apparantly Wires arent in it anyway...

Ask yourself whose season you would have prefered to watch as money-paying spectator?

Wire, whose stylish and free flowing rugby and mainly consistant performances, saw them finish top of a 27 match league, with the highest points scored and lowest conceded, and even opposing fans proclaiming how good you are?

Or Leeds??.....Dismal for most of the season, fans wanting the coaching staff out, due to just how poor they truly were, and taking regular hammerings off your main rivals (and even some not-so-main rivals!!)??

Yes, they came good in the last month to take a trophy, but as somebody who pays good money to be entertained, I'm more happy to have followed Wire this season than any other side.....We Wire fans have been royally spoilt this year.... Yes, there was no trophy, but we got to see some of the best rugby league served up, by any side, in recent history.

they won the grand final, champions end of, rob burrow said it right in his interview, its not how ya start its how ya finish, all in all, grand final was an absalout corker to watch imo, good to see a lot of footballers on twitter praising the game.
hopefully wire will perform the same again next season and just go that little bit further.

Really?! Who has said what? I'm not on Twitter.

I was'nt going to comment on this subject,but here goes ,why wait till you look like a decent team before you complain about the play off system?I mean not so long ago when both Wire and wigan were aspiring to be mediocre and trying to get into the playoffs, sure you wont going into the play offs as sacrificial lambs..You wanted to get to GF and if you won you would have been called Champions.A couple of years someone wrote the salary cap is working now it wont be long before we have a team winning the title from....6TH well there you are.Leeds may have been in a false position this season,maybe not ,but I'll tell you one thing that is what the RFL are aiming for more than 2 teams having a chance of winning SL.

Absolutely spot on! Leeds were by far the best team over the playoff game period, again.

Interestingly, would this discussion be happening on this section of the forum if Wire hadn't won the league this year?

In my opinion, which I have held for several years, is that there are three major trophies to be played for each season. Each should hold equal importance for the reason that each competition has a unique quality about it and deserves recognition for that very fact.

Joey Barton:







Wayne Rooney:





Tim Lovejoy:

On Rob Burrow's try









Always nice to see people from other sports impressed by RL. I don't expect them to suddenly become supporters week in week out, but it is good to see.

Great post we've had a great season.... after watching the Wire for 30 years..... I've been blown away by the passion and skill provided by the team this year... did we get the big prize... No... is there something to build on.... absolutely!!!

2 challenge Cup wins, then league leaders shield... it's all about building momentum.... We will be much stronger next season for this year

"oh the history books tell it ,they tell it so well.
the cavalry charged ,the Indians fell,and the names of the heroe's we were made to memorise.
with guns in our hands and god on our side."
DYLAN

there are 3 trophies to play for in a season and 3 DIFFERENTcompetitions.Why tag play-off champs with league champs?

These sort of 'friends' are going to call RL a joke anyway. Do they watch Wendyball? How is the Champion team of Europe decided?

The SL champions are the ones who win the Grand Final - everyone knows that and plans their season accordingly. The playoffs and the final are a great way to finish the season. I really enjoyed the Saints Wigan games and whilst we got the wrong result our match against Leeds must have been great for the neutral. Then the Final on Saturday was excellent too. Had the SL Champions crown not been riding on these games, then they wouldn't have been half as exciting and Old Trafford would have probably had half the crowd too.

So why do we need to change the format? Only problem this year was there was that half the teams in the playoffs didn't offer a credible challenge. Therefore those teams need to strengthen next year to do better. That is what needs addressing - more teams able to compete at top level - not the competition format.

uh? championship of what? i have no0o0 idea as i detest football ,bunch of overpaid ,publicity seeking morons with egos the size of there weekly wage

Yes, but I bet lots of your 'non RL friends' like it. As they feel free to comment on the game you know and love, fire that one back at them.

how vey true, we all knew the format before the season started. as you stated and i have to agree blowing huddersfield away did us no favours, better opposition may have conditioned us enough th beat leeds. i hope the other teams come out stronger in superleague 17