I think the top teams used to care, but not quite so much since the Top 8 was introduced. The benefits applied to the higher placed finishers no longer apply to the same degree they once did under the Top 5 or Top 6 system. Leeds two 5th placed titles in 2011 and 2012 merely reinforced the meaningless nature of the regular season to the degree that all the top clubs no longer give a toss about their regular season placement, and in some cases it's deemed advantageous to finish in a lower position on purpose.

League leader's shield when other teams not really trying - poisoned chalice
Grand Final winners from 4th/5th - poisoned chalice

Sydney Roosters, top of the ladder and GF winners - no problem

Win it from first in the table and shut the other feckers up!!

What we need to aim for . . . . . . .

Yes, after the successful "you can't win from 4th" line we've heard for the last 2 years, next year's line will be you can't win the GF if you finish 1st and get the LLS.

At least it will be for those with short memories who don't remember Leeds 2009 & Wigan 2010.

Wane has learnt his lesson from going all out to win the League leader shield and being the 'best team' in SL in the year, just to see them knackered for the playoffs.

Hudds won it this year by default.

Probably the only way to make winning the League leader shield worth anything is to have automatic GF qualification and hence 50.50 chance of being champions.

trouble is, would lead to a several week layoff for that team, could be as much a hindrance?

Top 5 and winners of 1st and 2nd go through to GF

Automatic entry into an expanded 4-club WCC would be my preferred option. Automatic qualification for the GF would do little to enhance the regular season IMO, in so far as once a club pulled away slightly the others would proceed to toss it off in exactly the same way they're alleged to do already as they geared up to compete in the play off for the other finalist's place. So, in many seasons, the LLS winners still wouldn't have prevailed against clubs striving week in week out to displace them at the top.

we changed our minds now that we won

What would have happened if Warrington came top instead of Huddersfield?
Makes a litle bit harder for Wigan finishing 4th ?
Whilst Wigan may well have constructed a 4th place finish ( which I doubt)
I am not sure how they could have guaranteed a top place finish for Huddersfield.
Just a thought!

Hudds were nailled on to win it several weeks before it was confirmed. 3rd / 4th was only decided on the last game. It would have been easy-ish to create

Didn`t Huddersfield only win the league by 1 point?
I think the theory that you can choose which position you finish and who you will play in the first round is a little optimistic IMO.
Next year should be fun.
There`s a good chance HKR and the Bulls will be fighting for top spot.

Since when have the Pie's been known as "the mighty reds"??

Are you being deliberately obtuse? Huddersfield had 1st place nailed on after beating an uninterested Wigan at the DW in Round 24. The LLS was secured in Round 26.

Round 27 saw Wigan V Leeds with 3rd and 4th spot up for grabs. Anyone unsure about Wigan's intentions only need to reference their academy selection at home to Hull KR in Round 26. That's how interested they were in 3rd place as a win at home that round would have secured it for them.

Round 27 also saw Huddersfield select an academy side as the result didn't matter, otherwise they'd have finished 1st by a larger margin.

Don`t be such a tw&t.
Right then mystic meg who will the top 5 be next year.
To think for one minute teams can predict where to finish and who will finish all around them is laughable.
Whilst it might benefit clubs finishing in certain positions I really do not think for one minute it can be that easy otherwise we would have conjured up another 5th place finish.
Saying that if 5th is such a great position to be in why didn`t Wigan finish 5th or Leeds for that matter?
It certainly didn`t help Saints.
I think you are reading a bit too much into all this.

I must admit that I was disappointed last year when Wigan came first but didn't qualify for the final as i still think that finishing first should count for more.

No doubt that Wigan learnt from Leeds last year and conserved energy for the playoffs and I suppose that beating those placed 1,2 and 3 means that we can claim to be the best just as you claimed to be so last year.

As I always reckon that home advantage is no real advantage fo Wigan then any top 4 finish would be equally advantageous in the playoffs, so it proved.

I must say I was rather surprised that Leeds played the full strength team in Round 27 as I was given to believe that it was all about the playoffs and that particular game was meaningless. Especially given that Leeds 'excuse' against Wigan last week is that they were knackerred. (A case of not following your own blueprint surely?)

The problem for our clubs is - how do you sell season tickets given that reaching the top 6 gives a decent chance of reaching the Grand final, thus making the regular season pretty much over by June?

Of course it doesn't mean that Huddersfield are the top club as no-one was too bothered about topping the ladder - 2,3 and 4 didn't really try too hard to come top. Wigan concentrated on Wembley from July onwards.

Happy to bask in the glory of Super League Champs but the points made last season are probably still valid.