I'm not so sure. There was a show on about Sunderland the other week where it showed families living in truely horrible conditions. There was one family who had a meal (Some food, not a real meal) once every three days on average. They didn't mention how they got into that mess, but it was something about losing their job then house but not qualifying for benefits because they weren't out of work long enough yet.

If you're in that situation, season tickets and play-off games are the very least of your worries.

And on the other hand I read something where they asked some apparently poor English kids what poverty meant to them, one answered

"Only having a Playstation 2"

Weekly rounds attended fairly well - play-off games attended badly...The only difference is that people have season tickets in the weekly rounds, so a possible solution is obvious. I'm not saying that this is the answer, but it's the most logical reason for the poor attendances and would make the biggest difference.

The RFL take a portion of ticket sales don't they? If clubs add on £30-50 to season tickets (roughly, of course) then a percentage of that will go to the RFL. The only way that fans would get on board with this increase would be to include away tickets too

Regardless of how we define poverty, there are a lot of people, poor or not, who can't afford the outlay that the playoff series in its entirety represents. Take the Wigan v Catalans game. Whether Wigan won or not, their fans knew they would be playing again in the following couple of weeks in a knock out match, and in all probability the following weekend as well, in an expensive fixture at Old Trafford. If you've got a family to take along that is a lot of money to part with in the space of one month - a modest estimate for a family with two kids would be about £200 to attend all games. Even if you're going alone you're looking at £60-£100.

In those circumstances I can totally understand why a large number of fans will choose instead to watch a preliminary match with a predictable outcome at home on the telly.

The play offs would work better for me if it was the Top 4 and there were 3 round robin weeks before the top 2 played the GF in the 4th week

1st and 2nd would get two home ties and one away as a reward for their finishing position with 3rd and 4th having 1 home tie and two away ones

Every week would be competitive, it would bring points difference into the mix too so every minute would count

Based on this years finishing positions it would look something like this. The equivalent weekly round versions of these fixtures these were some of the very best games

Week One
1st v 2nd
Wigan Warrington
3rd v 4th
St Helens Catalans

Week Two
2nd vs 3rd
Warrington St Helens
4th vs 1st
Catalans Wigan

Week Three
1st vs 3rd
Wigan St Helens
2nd vs 4th
Warrington Catalans

Not really linked to attendances but RFL hit back at Tony Smith over his moaning about the playoff system. www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... um=twitter

Not really linked to attendances but RFL hit back at Tony Smith over his moaning about the playoff system. www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... um=twitter

If saints ticket office is anything to go by, I can see why!

I spent all day ringing the ticket office to be put in a queue, 15 mins later the phone goes dead, I ring back, same happens for about 4 hours!

My mate had same problem, he spoke to someone at saints who told him they are extremely busy. He got his mrs to go Langtree and nobody there.

I went this afternoon and three people buying tickets.

Only two girls working on the ticket office in "extremely busy" circumstances is a total joke!

No wonder the crowds are down if it's the same at other clubs.

Complaint

The Rugby Football League have moved to defend the Super League play-off system following criticism from Warrington coach Tony Smith.

On Tuesday the former England supremo called for a re-think of the top-eight system after two one-sided play-offs encounters in the opening round and claimed that the views of the Super League coaches were being ignored by the governing body.


response......

"There were some one-sided scores last weekend but how do you mitigate against form or individual performances in specific fixtures?

"For example, Tony's own club Warrington were [sizesoundly beaten [/sizeby St Helens on Saturday and they finished the competition in second place. Nobody could have predicted that result."



Classic



You set em up Tony and I'll supply the punchline

If they have children then that wouldn't happen. The only way an adult doesn't get full benefits straight away is if they have given up their job voluntarily but even then they get something.

Back in yer box, tony.

On related news, Westwood missing for the Hull game.
C'mon Hull! I can see now, they knock off warrington and then Wigan go for them if the club call, only to be smached by Willie Manu,we get them in the final and withdraw their goal kicker for the big night.

Maybe.........

Live the dream.. I am!!!!

There's too many teams in the Play Offs, i'd go back to top 6, it's bonkers that a team can have more loses than wins & still win Super League, doesn't help the current Play Off system can be confusing[i've only just worked it out]. I would reintroduce the discount that St holders got.

Bend it like Beckham’s got nothin’ on this baby! who's Willie Manu anyway? some no-mark I bet.

I like this new word, did you come up with it?

Like a cross between smacked and smashed

How is it pronounced though? I expect it would be [ism-aysh-ed[/i