Which one?

I'm gonna start a campaign to bring the Top 6 format back

Say we play a 4th place Leeds and win, who are we most likely to play in the semi? And how does finishing top give you an advantage over the 2nd placed team?? im confused.

Top 16 ?

Hope we don't get Leyth in't Semi.

I genuinley have no idea whats going on in these play offs, I still dont fully understand with the top 8 system how finishing top gives us a real advantage, and I dont understand our route to the final if we get beat in our first game.

Answer 1 - Whoever we pick in ClubCall.

Answer 2 - There isn't much of an advantage other than the fact that you play 4th instead of 3rd and that if you win in the first week, you would get the ClubCall.

I'm still not sure how advantageous ClubCall is anyhow.

If wire win there first game then, do they play whoever we dont pick???

We need a top 8 play off system with a 14 team SL otherwise some games will become none events with teams knowing 4/5 games left that they have nothing to play for where as now 12 teams have a realistic chance of making the GF

Depends who finishes 1st & 2nd!

If your assuming that the League table finishes as it is now i.e Wigan 1st & Wolfs 2ns then Yes, "IF" we both win in week1!

Why is that a problem?

I personally think its a disgrace that you get rewarded with a play off place for finishing more than half way down the table!!! Hence why a top 6 is better IMO. More rewarding and a better format.

Come on you can't be serious?! the Top 8 is a joke, the teams that will finish 7th and 8th this year will be poor to average. The playoffs should be about the elite. Even 5th and 6th shouldn't be really classed as elite. An average team should not be allowed to be in the playoffs. It even takes away the 'kudos' of the playoffs with so many teams in it.

Also the top 8 does not suffieciently reward the better teams like the top 5/top 6 used to. Do you realise Wigan only need to lose the opening playoff game to be forced to play away from home in the final eliminator?? What idiot came up with that grand plan?

Do you really think 12 teams have a realistic chance of making the GF? If you cut that number by half you are still being generous.

Top 5 format was the best.

Sadly there are only 5 decent teams in SL so the whole season would become a joke.

Still at least we are all on a "level playing field" eh?

I must admit that out of worry for the integrity of the sport, I don't like the fact that a team in the bottom half of the table can qualify for the end of season playoffs.

Having said that, its surely an impossible task for those finishing in the lowest playoff places to go on and win at Old Trafford. Having to win 4 away games against superior teams in knock out games is nigh on impossible. For that reason and the fact that mid to low table sides have something to fight for - the top 8 as a number isn't a major issue for me.

The format of the playoffs in my opinion could be a lot better however.

We're too busy trying to make poor teams seem better than what they are.

True but we can't start moaning now because we are in a strong position. Fact is if we had a top 5 play off we wouldn't have qualified last year and in 2007 when we had that great comeback in Bradford. I'd have been gutted to have missed out on the play offs (and those games) in both those years whether we had a chance of the Grand Final or not.

Personally I'm not against the top 8 as such but I think the current system is poor because their is really little difference between finishing 1st or 2nd when under top 6 and top 5, finishing first was of massive benefit.

The only reward for finsihing top now, as long as you win your first play off game, is that you are the team choosing who to play.

I actually like the top 8 format, however, the League needs to be 16 teams for this to work without the arguments of teams in the bottom half of the table.

Can anyone tell me, are all 4 play off matches in the first weekend live on sky?

They were last year so I would assume they will be.

We didn't deserve playoff football to be honest. We could easily have made the playoff final for the past 2 years with a bit of luck and it would have been a joke. Their defo needs to be a change in structure cos there is hardly any point in the 27 league games.