Saints v Salford

[josie andrews]

To be honest I’m not even sure I can be bothered watching rugby league next season at this point

We are 25 seasons into super league or something like that only 4 teams won it - in the last 17 years only 3 teams have won it - again it will be one of those 3 teams

The fact Leeds are in it just makes me want to give up on the sport they barely got over a 50% win record this year in the league and yet could be champions what’s the point of even watching the league games

i said to one of my Saints friends yesterday that it wouldnt shock me if Leeds and Salford both made the final. On paper it would be Saints v Wigan, but both Leeds and Salford were carrying form and momentum into the play offs. Unfortunately, and i think we are both on the same page in regards to the play-offs, i would prefer finish top and you are champions, but the current system can reward mediocrity all season, and then put together 2-3 good games and you are champions

Exactly this.

[Wiganer Ted]

Finishing top and being Champions is an obvious logic. Trouble is our paymaster want a play off system.

After seeing top four, top five, top six it's perhaps time to try a top three. Sorry about the Oxford commas.
Team who finishes top straight through to the GF with a week off.
Teams two and three play off the winner going to the GF.

We nearly had a GF with teams that finished 5th and 6th in the Final.
If anything would have made the sport a laughing stock that would have been it.

[josie andrews]

Finishing top and being Champions is an obvious logic. Trouble is our paymaster want a play off system.

After seeing top four, top five, top six it's perhaps time to try a top three. Sorry about the Oxford commas.
Team who finishes top straight through to the GF with a week off.
Teams two and three play off the winner going to the GF.

We nearly had a GF with teams that finished 5th and 6th in the Final.
If anything would have made the sport a laughing stock that would have been it.

You you forgot the top 8 Ted!!

Said this so many times if they want a playoff, top 3 should be sufficient. The game over here is being killed off gradually.

Do Sky have the same input as to how the football is run as they do with RL?? Genuine question.

[fozzieskem]

To be honest I’m not even sure I can be bothered watching rugby league next season at this point

We are 25 seasons into super league or something like that only 4 teams won it - in the last 17 years only 3 teams have won it - again it will be one of those 3 teams

The fact Leeds are in it just makes me want to give up on the sport they barely got over a 50% win record this year in the league and yet could be champions what’s the point of even watching the league games

Have to agree with you,Leeds are the pinnacle of a team choc full of journeymen and throwbacks quite how they got to the point of being in the play offs staggers belief,the glory bores on sky seem to think this is a wonderful achievement not to me it doesn’t,it celebrates mediocrity time and again.

[jaws1]

Just hope Saints win the GF they finished top so deserve it.

[fozzieskem]

Just hope Saints win the GF they finished top so deserve it.

Yes I agree I think they will to be fair.

[eaststandspy]

+1

Never thought I would say this, but come on you s*****. I can't say it but I hope they win it.

I'm just not a fan of the play off system, it isn't a fair reward for a teams efforts over a season. Finish first you are champions simple. Too many games are lost by teams fielding week teams to avoid injuries once they make the top six which devalues the league for me.. We did it, Saints did it, it's just not right. We are robbing the supporters of watching the best players available. We need to make sure that winning a league game is the ultimate objective. Teams should be rewarded for finishing as high as possible.

Scrap the playoffs, ain't gonna happen I know, play 22 meaningful league games +1 at magic, Then to make the season a bit more interesting make the Challenge Cup a bit more of a competition involving lower league teams. Super league teams join the comp at the last 32 stage and give the lesser clubs a chance of a big money home game. I think this would add a bit of glamour instead of the boring 12 super league teams + 4 others which in effect is the current system.

[widdenoldboy]

Fair play to Salford, excellent effort especially when they lost Ackers early on (and no Croft).

Also, Saints played like the wanted the win and had to be on form to win.

Kendall always refs one side only - doesn't seem to harm his standing with the RFL.

Knowles should have seen red for his nasty and deliberate arm twist.

[moto748]

We have the play-off system that we have. You may not like it, but everyone goes into the season knowing the rules. I think it's a bit rich to bleat about Leeds getting to the GF from fifth, but you can't pick and choose the results; under the system we have, Leeds have (rightly) had a tougher route to OT than, say, Wigan. But they've done it, so fair play to them. Yes, we could go to a different system, like top three only, with the champs going straight to the GF as suggested, for example. I wouldn't be opposed to that, but every system has advantages and drawbacks. The smaller you make the pool of possible winners, the more 'dead' games you will see in the regular season, with teams in fifth and sixth having nothing to play for. That's not ideal either.

And of course, the arguments that

a) Only a handful of teams have won it in SL history, and

b) It's a joke that a team could win from fifth or sixth

are, of course, pulling in opposite directions. One works against the other!

In the NRL you can win it (in theory) from eighth, and nobody complains that that's daft.

[moto748]

Finishing top and being Champions is an obvious logic. Trouble is our paymaster want a play off system.

By "paymaster", I assume you are referring to Sky. Let's not forget that the clubs would not be in favour of abolishing play-offs, cos fewer games is less income. If SL chairmen were generally opposed to a play-off system, then that would be one thing, and we would be fair in complaining about Sky's influence. But I don't believe that actually is the case.