I've read every page of this thread and it has been a brilliant read, not often that you can say that about this site lately! I pretty much agree with all of it. I think the top 6 system that was used a few years ago would be best. Doesn't alienate quite so many teams as a top 5 would yet it still rewards teams for finishing higher up the table. I think the standard would be good enough too, if Huddersfield don't fall downhill now and Hull can fulfil their potential!

1999 just called...it wants it's crap idea back.

what a bunch of boring e, it has been a great season and i can't wait for next season and i suspect as soon as withdrawal kicks in some of you moaners will as well.

are you being serious its been the worst standard for a decade!

I have just sent the following email to the RFL

"I have been a season ticket holder at Wigan for almost thirty years. For the first time ever I am contemplating not renewing my season ticket.

The reason for this is as follows:

Rugby league is run as a minority sport and is now light years behind rugby union in its profile.

The officiating and disciplinary process has become so incompetent and inconsistent as to make the competition a lottery.

The salary cap has achieved the lowering of playing standards whilst still allowing for lesser clubs to constantly flirt with administration.

The youth system (academy teams) are now being dismantled for reasons i do not understand. This initiative will weaken our sport in the long term.

I do not understand the strategy and direction of the RFL at a time when the whole world is facing austere financial measures.

I do not expect a response to my points as I expect little from an organisation who exhibits no leadership, strategy or vision for the future. "

I'm prepared to watch my team win, lose or draw. I'm not prepared to pay out to watch 2 teams play without that 'competitive edge' because victory doesn't matter.

and yes, i would complain about the system if Wigan won it from 5th. No team deserves to be champions if they do not finish top, or at a push 2nd. As long as the fixtures are even etc etc

You're the muppet for purposely coming onto another forum and looking for an argument. We are all trying to have a good discussion about RL.

The only good thing about the playoffs is the GF itself. In that it does get coverage that we don't normally get, and its a 70k crowd.

The intensity in week 3 of the playoffs is good too but we would get that during the regular season when Wigan/Wire/Saints/Leeds played each other if we DIDN'T have the playoffs because finshing higher up the league would MATTER.

I've proposed elsewhere that we keep the GF, but scrapped the rest of the playoffs. The top 2 play each other in the GF every season. Then...

1)every game would matter, intensity throughout the season would increase.
2)You'd have to be super consistent to qualify, an inconsistent team could never be champions.
3) you'd have to be top 2 to be champions, no team lower than 2nd would ever be champions.
4) we keep GF, a 70k crowd and a great game and great occasion
5) no weeks 1,2,3 in the playoffs in front of half empty stadiums and total lack of atmosphere.
6) people would be encouraged to buy season tickets as you wouldn't feel like you was watching friendlies all season with nothing at stake.

Then week after GF, top 8 Prem trophy would start, 1v8, 2v7 etc with straight knockout and final at Elland Rd.

What Leeds have done this past 2 years is no doubt deserving of a trophy, but IMO opinion, not of the Championship because of thier inconsistency.


thoughts?

Nah, that's just silly and we all know that would never happen Dougy, if Wigan finished 5th and won it i wouldn't give a monkeys toss whether it devalued the season or not. But the fact someone else done it kind of gives us a platform to shout that it is a crap setup which in all honesty it really is!!
This might seem unusual, actually really weird.... but how about whoever wins the league becomes champions..?

Then i may have an appetite for renewing my season ticket.

We already have the big occasion match of the season in the challenge cup final. RL is a great sport but its run by a group of dummies having a laugh and it dosent look like it's gonna change too soon

I like the playoffs idea. In fact I love it but if it continues in it's current format Wigan have to be smarter about it.

I do think there should be more reward and incentive to finishing top though. Warrington new that finishing second gave them no real disadvantage from finishing top so they cruised through the season.

I've said it before, probably on this thread, but I'd like to see a top 5 playoff with the league winners going straight to Old Trafford and 2nd to 5th knocking seven bells out of each other to be the other finalist. It gives a real incentive to finish top and stacks the deck in the league winners favour, as it should.

The season we nearly went down we was still in the top 6 format and finished 8th. If we had the top 8 system then, we'd have been one of the favourites on our form but did not deserve any sort of chance to be crowned champions.

Another point that's been missed. We finished top while having to play our extra game (magic weekend) against saints. Wire only had to play Widnes and Leeds Bradford. This means that even with an unfair advantage they only finished 5th and Wire 2nd. The league in general is a joke in many ways.

I'm a Wire fan but I agree that the Magic Weekend needing to contrive derbies does lead to this unfair outcome. And I'm guessing you guys and Saints wouldn't swap the Good Friday game for anything but it does mean that you also have a very hard game automatically booked in over the Easter weekend as one of your two matches.

Unfortunately, we currently have the only competitive derby in sl but i wouldnt want to see the good Friday game swapped for anything

the humberside derby is still a decent derby.

however the point about MM is still valid. it makes a mockery of the league and would become even more of an issue is a top 8 was reduced to a top 5 end of season.

However, it is no way near as bad as having a smaller league and playing half the teams 3 times a season !

Serious question, do you actually know what the RFL's strategy is? You must have some knowledge of it as you claim to not understand it. What are they doing/not doing that they shouldn't/should?

Finishing fifth, in this present system, is better than finshing first.
Play-0ffs:
week one: Fifth plays home against 8th who are poor because they finished in the bottom half of the table.
First plays home against 4th who are obviously one of the best teams in superleague.

week two: It is expected that fifth will now play at 4th team which is probably tired or demoralised after playing top team away. After week one this is a steady build up for fifth.
First is expected to get a week off, which will rest any niggles but not serious knocks. Not playing means that their momentum is stopped unlike the fifth team.

week three: Fifth will now go to 1st. Another step up but let's not forget momentum is gathering. In a semi final home advantage doesn't matter. 1st team have lost their momentum and therefore either can win.

Let's hope Wigan finsih 5th next season and rest players during the season so they will be fresh for Wembley and the play-offs.

From a very early age i had it drilled into me that coming 1st meant you were a winner ,coming second was for losers.So what about fifth?

As Wigan fans the system seems unfairly weighted against us as we finished top and got (relatively speaking) bugger all for it. However, we seem to be the only ones in this position. Wire fans will no doubt say the system works as they got to the GF. Similarly, the Leeds fans will say it works as they've won it twice now ffrom 5th. The teams lower down will say it works as it gives them something to aim for, as without P&R, there's nothing else for the teams around 6th-12th to play for post-July.

Unfortunately, as we all know, the tail wags the dog in British RL and it looks like we'll be stuck with this joke of a system for some time yet.

No wonder we can't attract new fans. When I try to explain the playoffs to my non-rugby mates, I just the same perplexed look and mutterings of "That's f-ing stupid"

League winners should go straight to the final then 2nd-5th play off for the other spot.

No one would complain if the team finishing top where the champions. We wouldn't have page after page on these forums saying does the system need changing?

just like they don't on football forums.

Then have a top 8 Prem Trophy playoff. Its not rocket science. Oh and non-rl fans might just jump on the bandwagon.

Ok we lose a 70k GF attendance but what people save on money not going to that may mean they go to internationals instead. GB v Australia at Old Trafford with 70K on instead is probably better. We could market that all season instead of marketing the GF.

To be fair thats what the playoffs are basically meant to be but Sky would just change it to how it is now so it wouldnt work sadly.

Its basically the same as it is now except we would be trying to rebrand and it would just end up like it is now.

someone in the PoundBakery today was saying to me that finishing 8th in a top 8 system gives you a better chance of winning the GF then finishing 5th in a top 5 playoff. Think about it. It actually does!!!!

If the only reason non-rl fans don't follow the greatest game on earth is because we have a complicated but fantastic end of season play-off then there is no hope. We used to have a top 8 Premiership, it wasn't a patch on the GF.

Are we basing our play offs on the ozzie game? The ozzie have a play off system because they dont have a wembley challenge cup final. We do. So why copy the ozzie system who are trying to make up for not having a wembley final?
The old top 8 premier was best, it was still drawing in large crowds at old trafford in 1997.
3 decent trophys in a season, SL Challenge cup, SL premier cup, sl championship
Winning all 3 would create a SL grand slam.
Funny how people still mention the SL double, not the treble, its obvious the league leaders trophy is nonsense.

The best way to get it changed would be for us to win the GF from 5th. Would soon be changed