Sucks bad this system - whatever was wrong with the top six system?

Simple yet effective unlike this trite.

A lot of assumptions yes, but I'm fairly sure that it boils down to:

Finish 4th + win at Wigan: We'd have to beat Wigan at home in week 3 then Saints in the GF
Finish 4th + lose at Wigan / finish 5th or 6th: We'd have to win at Saints in Week 3 then play Wigan in the GF

This only really relies on one major assumption that Warrington won't do in the play offs what they've been incapable of doing for the past few years, i.e. beat St Helens. I can't see any of the teams (with the exception of Leeds if that happens) finishing 5th - 8th beating a top 4 side.

Just a thought anyway..... time will tell.

I'd much rather Leeds finished fourth even if that results in two visits to Wigan although I still think that case exposes the biggest weakness in the current system. If the opening 6 play off games follow home advantage there's an almighty danger that Week 3 just ends up a repeat of Week 1 with the possibility that both teams contesting the final could have lost in Week 1.

I totally agree - if things were to work out that way and week 3 is a repeat of week 1 (with the only difference being the venue of the Leeds v Wigan match) it would completely expose the major flaw in this system. The biggest issue for me is that, if Wigan lose their first match, they lose home advantage in week 3, hugely devaluing the benefit of finishing top of the league. Compare this with the previous system, where, for example in 2004, Leeds lost their first match, but (crucially in my opinion), still had home advantage against Wigan a couple of weeks later. I think that, at the very least, home advantage should always go to the team finishing the highest.

Essentially we are going to have to win away at either Saints or Wigan to get to the Grand Final, neither of which we have done this season.

True, but in both cases we haven't needed to..... If I were affiliated with Wigan and Saints, I wouldn't mind playing Leeds during the regular season. I'd feel a lot different about it during the play offs.

Just go with the flow people, what will be will be and you all having sleepless nights worrying about endless "what if's" and "but on the other hand" will not alter anything, not even by one jot.

Go out for a long walk, drink coffee eat cake, enjoy your life...

Oh.

if leeds win against hull theres a very good chance huddersfield will pip hull to 5th so that leaves a hull derby in the play offs

lmao at these scenario's as all seem to think we will deffo lose to saints,just because we have some issue's beating them doesnt mean it will last forever.

Its not fooking rocket science is it? Not beaten them in SL, Including twice already this season. As we are making predictions on the outcome I think its more or less common sense.