Teams will be scared to finish top from now on. The super league may end up like the eliminator race in the olympic cycling, where its a disadvantage finishing 1st and an advantage sneaking in 8th in the last week. Wiggins could give us a some strategies on that

Ok so i'm sad and did a basic maths equation on the current system and i was surprised by the result. I'll show later what i based it on but this was the conclusion.
5th is the second most advantageous position behind 1st

In order of most advantageous
1st
5th
2nd & 6th joint
3rd & 7th joint
4th & 8th joint

This is based on the worst possible outcome for each team.
Giving 1st place a score of 10 working down and giving 8th a score of 3.
Adding the points up, and lower the tally the easier, 5th came out second.

Any team that plays against 1st gets 10 points.

So opening round
Wigan 7 points
Wire 8 points
Saints 9 points
Catalan 10 points
Leeds 3 points
you can work out the rest.
Then you work it as though you may play all the rounds.

Crowds, Saints V Wigan finals at Old Trafford.
1992 33157
1993 36598
1996 35013
1997 33385

This could all be sorted so easily all they need is 2 titles "League Champions" instead of leaders and "Playoff Champions".

You'd think it was rocket science but it really isn't.

Sure a Hull v Widnes final got a 40-odd thousand sell out. Think it was when OT was being redeveloped and capacity was restricted.

I still maintain that the GF impacts on the Test attendances. Since the GF was introduced we've barely had a Test crowd over 25k. Prior to the GF we had an Ashes in 1994 with crowds of 40k, 50k, and 70k.

Getting rid of GB and the Ashes - another RFL brainwave!

We need a 26 game league season intermittent with the Challenge Cup games. Top of league is Champions, the top 8 then playoff for the Premiership trophy. Then have an Ashes, a Tri Nations or a World Cup.

crowds at Wembley
1985 99K
1987 91K
1988 94K

by your logic the challenge cup is now officially a failure

i've said that before, we have 4 champions in golf per year, 4 champions in tennis. Why not 2 in RL?

Only problem is, which Championship would be continuous from the last 115 years?

Would the 'League Championship' be our 20th title or the 'Playoff Championship'? Or if we win both are we on 21 titles????

Just being Devils Advocate

I would say that the League Championship would be the one that counted towards that record and the Playoffs would be a new competition. I mean pre-summer rugby we had loads of competitions we had the league, Regal Trophy, Challenge Cup, Lancashire Cup etc.

So I really dont see why theyre worried about dilution or anything and the playoffs would still be a big thing so Sky wouldnt lose anything and they could make a big thing about the "Race for the League Championship" too which they dont make about the race for 1st place. Plus they could keep their crappy "race for the final playoff place" or whatever they called the thing for 8th place.

I did not imply anything, just stated facts.

Yeah I would go for that, or just Champions, and Grand Final winners, like we have with Challenge Cup winners / holders, and you’re right it’s not rocket science but they’ll never see the blindingly obvious with their heads buried in the Sahara desert.

The first thing the RFL could do is simply revert back to a top 6. that would be one step closer to sanity.

Its simply means if you finish top you have to lose 2 home games to not make the GF, which is a lot more unlikely than losing 1 home game. It immediatley gives advantage back to the team finishing top and give competition back to the regular season.

That's the problem. There is nothing wrong with having a playoff system to decide the Champions, what is wrong is having a regular season format that matters little when the playoffs roll around. Each and every regular season game should have the same intensity of the playoffs because one slip up and one drop of position in the league and you're GF chances go down the swanny.

And as soon as your chances of making the 6 disappear you give up trying? Ergo.

Try harder then.

Don't blame the good teams for your own teams lack of ambition or self respect

Quite. It should make no difference what end of season system there is if you have self respect.

Exactly. I'm sick of the RFL and fans using that as an excuse for a top 8 or for having relegation or what ever other stupid notion they cock up. If you aren't good enough. Tough. If you want to BE good enough then do something about it. Go out and get sponsorship from big names instead of "Fred and Wilma's Sandwich Bar" and "Jim's Skips".

RL will stay in the dark ages and may even die completely because half the people in the game have absolutely no ambition and don't possess the balls to tell the little clubs to shape up.

Harsh, but true!

Magners have sponsored a load of teams this season and would be my option to sponsor the league. Change the design of a Magners box to one for each individual team like the Stobart lorries and after the adverts on TV have something that says 'Sponsors of Super League' on the screen and really push the thing. They obviously have an interest in the game. Heinz are the same, but don't just restrict it to tins of Big Soup. Stick the SL logo on bottles of Ketchup and baby food.

We'll end up with some soup kitchen in Wakefield, a bloke from Castleford and an hairdresser in Batley sticking their names on the only bit of spare shirt available and making about £3.20.

Winner of the league are Champions and gets the SL Trophy, Challenge Cup moved back to how it was, 12 team SL with each team playing home and away and no Magic Weekend, end of the league to coicide with the NRL to have a proper World Club Challenge between top 3 teams from each then proper Ashes Tours, NZ Tours and World Cups every 4 years.

Agree with this but back to GB for the tours!

Do you not think that it makes to much sense?

Agreed in principal but the powers that be still want 2 major club finals thus the GF will stay as we know it.

The problem with a 12 team super league would be only 11 home games for each club, i believe most club chairman wanted the guarantee of 13 games for revenue reasons

The CC rounds need to be closer together (no pre season games)with a June final,i.e
4th rd 1st wk in April
5th rd 3rd wk in April
6th rd 1st wk in May
SF 3rd wk in May
Final in June.

Therefore break of 10-12 weeks to play offs

No Magic Weekend

Play Offs
The league leaders to be given credibility (cash incentive and direct access to the GF) 2nd place to 5th place straight knockout, downside the LL will have a 2 week break to the GF.
All challenge cup & play off games ..£10 for adults - £5 for juniors.

The world cup challenge at the end of the season between the top two clubs from either side
LL & GF winners if same the CC winners, the Aussies will choose their own.

Return of the tours if room can be accommodated in the schedule

I still think the club would gain support if they offered cup ans play off games at 10 quid per adult and 5 quid per concession

Too cheap. You're trying to devalue the spectacle .

Salford given a winding up petition: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/ It's about time we moved to a 10 team competition and quick.

Salford given a winding up petition: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/ It's about time we moved to a 10 team competition and quick.