You know the rules of the competition at the start of the season. Finish top of the pile and you win a hub cap. Peak at the end of the season and you get to the Grand Final.

Wane coached to win the hub cap. I hope you enjoy it.

Well said SS -

Completely agree from a Wigan fan. McDermott obviously learned a lot from Brian Noble that its not a sprint it's a marathon.

Fact is you are playing in a competition that only matters over a three/four week period. Are you all serious that you enjoy playoff rugby to decide the "Champions" in my eyes the team who ends top of the pile are the best team and should be recognised as champions. But you all enjoy the closed shop you now play in so you have to abide by the rules which you all knew at the start. Super League I'd rather not.

Get over it nobber

I love the play offs. It's an exciting way to bring the season to an end. Full credit to those that understand it and shame on those that think winning by cricket scores in feb/march/April means anything. From a Wigan fan.

Yep agreed, it does kind of make a mockery of the notion of our Super 'League'.
The current playoff system is completely disconnected from deciding who is the best team in the league.......And the Whino's are living proof of that.
Its about money for the RFL and thats it.
Anyone who would seriously suggest Leeds deserve to be champs, in comparison to Wire last year and us this year, is just a wee bit delusional IMHO.
Most non-RL people think the playoff sytem is just plain bizarre. And its hard to justify it when a distinctly average team (over a full regular season) can end-up as league champions via 3 one-off games.
BUT, try to argue against it....Especially after losing a semi final......And you're cast as being just plain bitter.
Methinks some people really need to unplug from the Sky/RFL matrix b@llox thats being fed to us these days.
Done nothing for our game, cept make it even more of a laughing stock to non-RL people.

Moan over - That is all.

What if fans started picking and choosing games like the teams do?
If fans only bothered for the last 3 games of the year, you would soon see clubs voting against a playoff system as their main source of income, the season ticket drains away.

It's a catch 22 though as fans will never turn their backs on the clubs and will still turn up week in and week out even if the coaches and the players do not.

It's a dangerous game though that RL is playing. But if it pays off then it does mean more money overall for the game, but fans have to live with the best not nessasarily being champions. The CC is a knockout competition but includes all teams not just the top 8 of SL. If the playoffs are valid to justify a champion team, then the CC is more so as it includes all teams from all divisions, so is a better measure of a team.

If this gamble does not payoff, fans could become disallusioned with the regular season and then clubs would really feel the pain.

Never forget though the entire system is voted for by the clubs right down to club call that most people deride, yet when the clubs voted on it only one club voted against.

Sorry for the spelling but it's late.

It's hardly SW's fault that being the most consistent team over an entire season counts for nothing. He did his job during the regular season to the best of his ability, just failed in losing two semi-finals.

Repeat sets! I'd like to see us try this at least once. Last tackle options were shocking throughout the whole game!

What you're all saying is nonsense, 2 years ago we won the league and the grand final, not like it's some unwritten rule that you only play for one, we just weren't good enough on the night, nothing to do with us 'peaking' at different points, Leeds won by a last minute penalty! Farrell doesn't run into the bloke and we're celebrating getting to the grand final, it's the tiniest of margins that wins and loses games, get over it, the 'reasons' some people come up with is total garbage

Once again in English please!

We haven't played well for weeks.

We don't deserve to win trophies at the moment.

Wigan has been built with cup wins.

The team that finishes top of the league are the CHAMPIONS, nothing less. The Champions should then enter the grand final of the playoffs automatically with the other teams playing each other to see who gets to meet them, the winners are then crowned playoff winners not the Champions. Scrap the hub cap and give the champions of the league a proper trophy, Wigan are this seasons CHAMPIONS and nothing should take that acolade from them.

Well not getting to the Grand Final and becoming Champions sorta does!

Correct. Agree with the playoffs or not, we all knew the rules.

Shaun wane is not, and never will be a "Wigan coach" because he has no class. He talks complete rubbish to the press, gives it the whole "I'm from Wigan" cr@p that everybody is bored of, and then gets out coached time after time in big games.

No intelligence, no class, and he"ll take us backwards in the next 5 years. Watch this space

Jesus! Wigan finished top of the league under wane and made it to the challenge cup final, I think some need to chill!

If you was crowned champions for finishing top them maybe Warrington wotldnt have rested players in a number of games but at the end if the day Wigan was the most consistsnt team and that's not bad for his first year.

However, he mad a massive mistake in picking young murphy in such a high pressure game.

That's a bit harsh on Shaun Wane. Yes he has made some mistakes this season in the eyes of the fans. But when he and his chairman sat down at the start of the season they probably agreed that to end up top of the league was number one priority. Shaun Wane says that he wants to win every game - so he always fielded his strongest team (but only on paper). I think that it is clear that no one team has the strength in depth to win everything under the present salary cap. Shaun just needs to understand that and coach accordingly. Given our present roster changes I believe that we will see what he is really capable of come this time next year.

Did we?

I presume you are of vintage years ?

I share your historical memories too, for thats how it used to be.

Its not like that now though, your achievement at finishing top of the league has been greatly devalued by Sky, and ironically, it was your old chairman who brokered the deal all those years ago.

Absolutely correct.

Dont make me laugh, no coach sits down at the start of the year and says "I want to finish top", they want to win the Grand final, the showpiece event that matters. Quite frankly, like many others, im just sick of his constant bu1l that he comes out with in the press.

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Without SKY money RL would be bancrupt at least Super League has improved the facilities at grounds with ground improvements etc .