SL as it stands

[cpwigan]

The cliche re Wembley and the Challenge Cup pre SL; was that it took a pack of forwards to get you to Wembley and a set of backs to win the final. The reasoning being the early rounds were played on mud wallows and the final in the blazing sun on a bowling green.

Hence, I question the timing of the SL season. Early season in the wet, Leeds were awesome. When we finally got some decent weather, Saints became dominant and Leeds stuttered. The SL season approaches its climax and we return to wet weather RL. As we know Saints cannot master wet conditions, Leeds can. Leeds win.

You could rightly argue that is what sets the great Wigan RLFC team of the 80's, 90's. They played in all conditions. However, to be fair the key matches were played in better conditions and it provided a real spectacle. Should the SL GF be played so late that it is effectively a summer competition with a winter GF?

Would it not be better to shift the season so it starts earlier and finished earlier? If we did shift it maybe then we could have real tours again too.

[medlocke]

Whats the point in a top 6 play off system when 3rd will never get to play 6th in the final?, either get rid of the play offs and just have 1st play 2nd (like it really should be) or bring in a top 8 and have knock out rugby all the way to the final, no going straight to the final for winning one game, no second bite of the cherry because you where shite and lost, a challenge cup style play off system is what is needed, at least lets make it fair for 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th place

[DaveO]

I can see your point,but at leastit stops the last month of the season being a non event if one side runs away with it.Not fair? maybe,but more exciting.Anyway,who do you fancy this morning storm or sea eagles?

That didn't used to be a problem though because the Challenge Cup was always an end of season thing (and IMO it has lost prestige getting played when it does now).

There was also the Premiership finals as well. That used to be considered a lesser trophy than the League and quite right too but there were still two trophies up for grabs at the end of the season.

And lets face it even with the GF & play-offs some teams are out if it long before the end of the season.

That said it is still important to try an finish in the top 2. Only one team has won it form outside the top 2 in 10 years, Bradford when the won it form third and they were helped by both Leeds and Saints who finished above them getting more than one injury to key players when Bradford had players return at the business end (Hape being one I think). I still regret not having a flutter on them because at the time I thought due to injured tjhey were best placed to win it.

Anyway the point is you still need to have a good league season to get to the GF IMO. Ours finished 13 and 14 points league points behind Leeds and Saints and despite Wire doing us a favour I believe our league form was the true measure of our capabilities and it proved not good enough to master Leeds when it mattered.

Dave

[DaveO]

Whats the point in a top 6 play off system when 3rd will never get to play 6th in the final?, either get rid of the play offs and just have 1st play 2nd (like it really should be) or bring in a top 8 and have knock out rugby all the way to the final, no going straight to the final for winning one game, no second bite of the cherry because you where shite and lost, a challenge cup style play off system is what is needed, at least lets make it fair for 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th place

I think that is even more pointless than what we have now. If you had knock out rugby all the way to the final four teams would be out in the first week and its possible they could be the top four! Deciding the champions from the teams that finished 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th would have no credibility.

The whole idea with a properly constructed play off series is to reward the teams who finished higher up the league and make it harder for the ones who finished lower to get there.

The reason for this is to give some value to the league season as it encourages teams to strive for a high finish.

If there are to be play-offs (I don't like them by the way) the best system was the top 5 IMO. In that system only one team went out each week until the final and each team got a bigger reward the further up the league they finsihed.

The Aussie top 8 is different in that two teams go out each week (but no team gets the first week off - that comes in the second week as they all play for the chance of a bye in week 1).

I think we will follow the Aussies and introduce a top 8 system. The one they use means there is only one combination of positions that can't possibly play each other in the final but is daft in that it's possible for the 8th placed side to get home advantage in the next two rounds after the first!

I think the top 6 system we have now is rubbish. I don't think it conforms to one of the devised play-off systems (and there are quite a few). By this I mean most play off systems are not simple knock outs but that they all manipulate the fixtures in some way to some end. The top 8 one tries to leave as many permutations open as possible, the top 5 gives increasing reward for each position for example.

No surprise the RFL were too thick to understand this when they added an extra team to the top 5 system!

Dave