Tbh is does make you wonder if the week off during the play offs for the qualifying team does more harm than good for match intensity.

After the CC rounds the Giants play the Pies and we play Wakey away.
If we beat Wakey then we will be 2nd, the following week Wigan play Saints & we play Widnes. We could go top that week.

Nuff said.

Funny just made a similar point on another thread before i saw this one, Being that i haven't been to the last 2 home league fixtures as i find them a bit pointless. If we were to slip around the 7th league position then games would have more meaning. The system is flawed, as people have said, plod along, save players and hope you are playing well for a few one off games at the end of the season.

It was all so much more exciting when we had the thrill of vainly chasing ( and failing to achieve ) a play-off spot.

Some folk are never happy.

Ahhh..... The good old days.

Happy times

Let them play/watch the 'home grown' players now at the highest level - WE WON'T NEED AUSSIES in the future

didnt a team down the road try to buy the best and forgot about our own kids?
some of them come over here for experience then clear off first chance to go back - unless its a pensioner.
Doesn't matter how pc anyone is - the aussies only get to be good by playing at a higher level - let our lads do it AND support them

I have an idea. Lets move back to Wilderspool, sign some second rate / ageing Aussies, sign some journeymen British players, recruit an unknown coach, lower expectations, go out of the cup prior to the semi final stage and avoid the play offs each year

You can give the world on a plate to some people and they will complain about the plate.

Think you are missing the point. I'm very happy with the team, I'm sure we have better form on the way. But the system itself is flawed. The weekly rounds are just not that important. we will make top 8 (good) But if we had lost to salford, so what! and that's just not right. I for one am less inclined to go along to league fixtures than i used to be and i don't ever remember feeling like that before.

Go the Wolfs

One way to avoid the weekly round games being treated (By some teams) as warm up games for the play offs is to reduce the number of teams eligible to become 'Champions'. Top 4, 3 or even just the top 2. Would we have put the same team out against Salford if we had to finish so high?

I think you are right Tin Soldier. Unfortunately I think 'the powers that be' set the cut off deliberately low such that lower mid table teams still have a chance of getting into the playoffs - it keeps the interest going for their fans at the end of the season.

Sorry if that sounds rather cynical

Memories Eh.
Been there and done that. It was horrid.

In the NRL last season Melbourne were the top team throughout the season, won the minor Premiership then lost to NZ Warriors in the preliminary final (sound familiar?).

They currently stand unbeaten at the top of the ladder after 9 rounds. No suggestions from the NRL that the sport is dead until September!

Quote from McNamara ... "The NRL is neither better nor worse than Superleague". He mustn't watch much RL!

Good post.
I'm with you.
Weekly rounds missing intensity & have friendly feeling.
Highlight of the week becomong NRL fulltime 1/2 hour on SKY - Can't be right!!!!!!!!!
Think the RL has big problems coming.
For me scrap the GF go back to 1st past the post, relegation, & Premiership comp,

At least we'd have a better atmosphere. Apparently.

I think the playoffs should become a cup competition at the begining of the season, sort of similar to the Northern Rail Cup. Finish in the top 8 to qualify and the other 6 teams go in the NRC. Rewards the longest, hardest slog as it should be and provides lower league teams with a bit of cash. Also stops most games becoming not much more than friendly matches, we do appear to be just ing around a bit until the real deal in September/October.

The Eddie & Stevo Cup ,the pride of any clubs trophy cabinet.

The NRL where the minor premiership means even less than the League Leaders here?

If we lose this Sunday, finish up third in the league and only win one play off match, then it'll all start again.

Never waver!

I think a lot are missing the point by a mile. It's nothing to do with the current fortunes of Warrington. It's about having a system where players are more regularly pushed to improve themselves and the team to getting better. Also a competition where winning on a weekly basis counts for something other than a home draw in a knockout that most teams are part of.

Couldn't agree more. The playoffs should be something to strive for, the elite of the competion. Any competition that rewards a team that finishes half way down the ladder beggars belief.

It really should be a top five playoff, no more, no less.

Confirmation of TS's approach to reaching the playoff's can now be seen on his latest interview on our website;

"Whereas, as probably shown last week, we were prepared to possibly drop two league points if necessary, fortunately that wasn't the case. There are no second chances in the cup, that is the beauty of it and we will do our best. If we don't get it right this weekend and perform at our best, you can get knocked out, so we thought it worth the risk to change our team around last week, using some players with experience but at the same time putting some players in cotton wool and keeping them from injury."