Quote: G1 "Fans who have been around since before 1998 need to try and let go of the importance of league placings. The league campaign is a qualifying campaign. Is it unfair if a formula 1 driver doesn't win a race having qualified from pole position?
Before season start everyone knows that to acheive the goal of a championship they will need to defeat the other teams who qualify for the playoffs in a pre-determined format.
Goal 1 is to qualify as high as possible to garner the rewards that come from that. Goal 2 and, perhaps, more important, is to hit your straps at the right time of the season.
Wigan and Huddersfield are sufficiently rewarded with a 2nd bite of the cherry and a home tie against a lower placed team. That is sufficient reward. If they want to earn the right to be champions they should be able to overcome the teams around them. If they can't find form when it matters why find alternate playoff formulae to accomadate them?
If a team ever does win it from outside the top 3 or from within the lower half of the top 8 they will be fully deserved champions having timed their run perfectly and overcome the odds that finishing in the bottom half throws up against them.
In the NFL wild card teams (lowest placed playoff qualifiers) have won the Superbowl and it's not even a topic for discussion. They appreciate the season is merely to qualify for the playoffs.'"
Look no further than Dewsbury in 1973 .... RFL Champions from 8th in the final league table.
