Think you mean the first 2 games Chris. The second 2 definately meant something as they were eliminators.

Cannot remember which poster said it but they should go with

1v2 for 1st final place

3-8 play till down to one team and they play loser of the 1st match.

This stacks the odds in favour of the top 2 reaching the final.

Yep - Monday lunchtime

How do you end up with one team to play the losers of the first game.If its 3v8 4v7 5v6 you end up with 3 teams through to the next round

Round 1

Match 1 5th vs 8th
Match 2 6th vs 7th

Round 2

Match 3 1st vs 2nd (winner to final)
Match 4 3rd vs lowest placed winner
Match 5 4th Vs highest placed winner

Round 3
Match 6 Match 4 winner v Match 5 winner (or highest placed winner at home)

Round 4
Loser of final eliminator vs Winner match 6 )winner to final)

seems the most sensible format for the playoffs.

Sensible is sometimes a euphemism for boring though. I think you have to embrace the excitement of the play-offs or the fairness of 'table-toppers are champions', or you can end up with the the worst of both worlds.

FWIW, I prefer the more open new system. The old system just felt like a mechanism for ensuring the table toppers contested the grand final, as if we were a bit embarrased to decide our champions via a knockout competition.

You never played in the old system so how can you have a prefrence



Booooooooooooooooooooooo

I've never played under any system SL - Neasden Junior High and Malet Lambert inter-form (champions!) was the peak of my achievement. I did [isee[/i it though, or some of it, at least. tbf, I'd probably be less keen on openess if we were regularly in the top 2.

We should be embarrassed to choose our champions by way of a knockout competition. We may as well just draw names out of the hat and play a big cup at the beginning of the season and get it over with.

How would it look if Catalans became champions when they lost more games than they won throughout the season along with a negative points difference.

A league provides you with the best team throughout a season rather than the best team over a period of 4/5 weeks.

That is a big chunk of RL history to be embarrased by. I think I'm correct in saying that Hull won 5 of their 6 championships in Finals. I am, I just checked. You were table toppers as well as champions in '35-'36 - the other 4 finals you won from 2nd (3 times) and 4th. In '23 you topped the League, but we were champions. The reverse had been the case '21.

Play-offs were generally top 4 (of a ~thirty team league), straight knock-out, so your point about Catalans is valid, I admit.
Things were further complicated by teams playing different numbers of fixtures (Leigh played 32, Leeds 38 in 1922-3 as one example of many) and the use of a win percentage co-efficient thingy.

Good rugby set up there..

True, although I think I'm right in saying that pre 1973 not every team played each other home and away. With that system having a play off series is perhaps fairer than the league leaders being champions.

i think the attendances on the weekend say it all. wakey 4000, saints 6000 and leeds 11000 wigan 8000. i think the've watered it down to much. bring back the top 6 please (even if this means we don't make it next year).

This is a very interesting point ! but does it make it fare ?
they would be seen as super league champions but they cant be classed as the best team of the season.

I heard the pundits on sky mention that the RFL have to come up with something to try and attract new followers to the game but just dont think this is the answer!

It's better that we're not in the play-offs because they are THE most boring and disappointing let down ever !!



Can anyone actually be ar$ed to watch the rest of this Hudds v Cats crap ???

It is the most negative, boring play-off game that I've ever seen. Talk about intensity, there just isn't any.

Agreed. I'm only watching it to see Hodgson (Brett, not David). Can't believe how dire the games are this season.

what score is it?

has been poor this year, leeds and saints have been rubbish most the year but still battled it out at top

At least tempers are spilling over now - the only entertaining aspect of the game tonight.

Even the handbags are pretty dire.

fantastic try by pelo


shame about the rest of the game, absolute e!, hudds make us look half decent tonight

currently 6-16 to the Cats (could they do the same as the Eels from 8th??)

Comedy moment of the night

Steve "The fans are leaving the stadium"



What bloody fans.

Not heard what the crowd is but it looks mickey poor.

4263

thats awful for a play off elimination game.
We beat that for a cup game against Salford (doubled it)