If there must be another 8 team reperchage for allowing lower placed teams to have a crack at silverware, why not run it as a separate cup competition ala the Regal Trophy with qualification from the previous years finishing positions? You want knock out rugby, let's have it. Pick weekends where some randomly picked squad of top players are playing a meaningless international against some team that won't hurt you too much. Play then. You want strength in depth, you want more players playing intense matches here you go. Then at the seasons end have the Champions of the regular season named such, and if you need your October fix play the final of said knockout then.

We have season tickets in the North Stand, It only cost £ 5.00 per junior to sit. For the Juniors it was £ 5.00 any where in the ground, to me that is good value.

Maybe the question to ask should be why are the regular rounds so well attended?

Plenty of people like routine. Maybe that's a big factor?

What's all this about adding play-off games to your season ticket price nonsense?

How PO'd would you be if:

A) Your team didn't make the Play-Offs

B) You'd already paid for the first 1 or 2 Play-Off games in your season ticket price?

Aren't the play offs technically RFL events, and would therefore not be part of the season ticket. Just like CC Semis & Final.

To answer the OP, I would say that whilst extra cost is a factor, the biggest factor to me would be the late notice of the games, and uncertainty over whether a game will be at a certain venue, or on a certain day.

Lets get back to top 5 play offs where all the games are intense and are mostly straight knockout games.

These first couple of weeks are quite tedious with all top four getting a second chance if they lose and then end up playing each other again anyway down the line.We havn't got enough strength in depth for top 8 and going back to a top 5 play off system would put an end to teams coasting through the regular rounds.

People will turn round and say that means the lower teams will have nothing to play for half way through the year when they know they cant get in the 5, but whatabout pre Super League and Wigan were marching to title after title and nobody else having a look in?

Something has to be done quick because this system isnt working.The early games in the most part are poor quality and mostly the results are not in doubt or if you are top four, meaningless and the fans know this.hence,poor crowds.

Play-off winning margins in Week 1 last year = +47, +50, +32, +8 = Average +34.25
Play-off winning margins in Week 1 this year = +40, +22, +22, +36 = Average +30.00

Play-off winning margins in Week 2 last year = +44, +6 = Average = +25.00
Play-off winning margins in Week 2 this year = ????? TBC

Play-off attendances in Week 1 last year = 40,386 = Average 10,096
Play-off attendances in Week 1 this year = 35,128 = Average 8,782

Play-off attendances in Week 2 last year = 14,662 = Average 7,331
Play-off attendances in Week 2 this year = ????? TBC

Some suggestions i've heard is to have it as a straight knock out without any 2nd chances, but just wait for the first time 1st place loses to 8th place or 2nd vs 7th in the first week and they'll be calls for that system to go straight away.

Also, even going back to 5 or 6 teams playoffs, still some one sided wins took place
Catalans beat Warrington 46-8
Wigan beat Catalans 50-26
Leeds beat Wigan 36-6
Bradford beat Salford 52-6
Hull beat Wire 40-6
Bradford beat Hull 71-0
Saints beat Wigan 54-16
Wigan beat Bradford 40-12
Wigan beat Saints 44-10
Bradford beat Wigan 37-6 in a GF
Wigan beat Leeds 41-18
Leeds beat Wigan 40-12
Bradford beat Leeds 46-12

So lets not pretend it was all rosey and it was always full of close intense matches when we had less teams in the playoffs, especially when a few of them one sided scorelines took place between some of the bigger names playing each other. Any playoff structure that has been used has had its flaws and this one isn't any different and if teams like Huddersfield didn't just roll over and be content with making it then half of the problem would disappear. Wakefield's performance and reaction to defeat on Saturday was so refreshing to see, they were genuinely gutted about losing and wanted to keep going in the playoffs and already talking about coming back next year and improving still, none of this 'just happy to make 8' attitude from some other clubs.

Slightly OT but I did wonder what depths a game between yesterday's Huddersfield and Friday's Catalans might have plumbed. Honestly, a shudder went down my spine at the thought of it!

Catalans probably would of turned up better because of the oppostion. Last year they put a cricket score on Hull KR at home in the first week before rolling over at the DW the week after. It's as if you put certain teams in front of other certain teams come playoff time and they admit defeat before the first whistle has blown.

Why?

The old Premiership Trophy ran on that format and it probably happened a couple of times out of 46 such match-ups. There were twenty-three Premiership finals in total (1974/75 to 1997) and it was won from 1st (7), 2nd (6), 3rd (5), 4th (4) and 5th (1)

The Premiership's top 8 format also produced eleven different finalists and eight different winners (albeit not to decide the Champions.)

Because times are different now. If Leeds winning from 5th just the once after years of the top 2 usually winning can cause such a stir imagine the outcry if Wakey had gone to the DW last weekend and somehow managed to pick up the win. The 1st placed team out of the running for the title after the first night of the playoffs to a team with more losses than wins this year. Wakey wouldn't even have to go on to win the GF for these boards to go into mega meltdown about how it makes the sport look stupid.

Whilst I don't agree with the idea of a straight knockout system (the old top 5 or top 6 should be reinstated), your post does highlight why there is good reason not to run the sport based on exclamations of outrage as posted on rlfans.

I totaly agree with that.If i think about it i reckon i would be pushed to pick out a handful of games, outside the final elimanators and the Grand final itself, from down the years that stand out as real contests with what you would call play off intensity.i remember the final qualifying match against Saints at KR in i think 2008(?) and that is the type of game i want to be seeing throughout the play off series, not the one side drivel we got for most of the weekend.(Special mention for Wakey, who did have a good go but you never felt the result was in doubt.)

Im not saying a top 5 playoff would cure everything, its not perfect, but its better than this top 8 system which is a clear failure IMO.