The most fair system is undoubtedly first past the post, with round robin home and away fixtures. So in purely sporting terms, that is the right way to do it.

In terms of spectacle, however, I think the playoffs are great. You get some wonderfully intense matches when each side knows their whole season is on the line. Sometimes the outcome doesn't quite seem fair, but then that's part of the theatre of the whole thing. Thinking pragmatically, the Grand Final has also gone a long way, I suspect, to making the sport financially viable again. So the playoff system has got plenty going for it.

However, as people have already noted, the top eight system is an absolute farce. Besides rewarding mediocrity (over half of the clubs involved, FFS), the system doesn't provide sufficient incentive for finishing in as high a position as possible. In all reality, it made little or no difference to Wigan or Warrington whether they finished 1st or 2nd, and, similarly, while it was nice for us to secure 3rd, 4th would have been of pretty much equal value.

A top 5 (top 6 at a stretch) playoff is the way forward for me. Finishing 1st was a big deal when we had this system, as you only had to win one home game (and home advantage really mattered, as you would be playing your closest competitor) to get to OT. It was a better system, and it gave the league fixtures more meaning, as there was some genuine competition to see who was good enough to get into the top 5. Contrast that with the current situation, where we have a 7-month experiment to see who is sh*t enough not to make it into the top 8.

Anyone want to change their vote.

The same thread on the Cherry and white has now hit 14 pages.

I love the play off system but the 6 team format is the way to go with winner of top two playoff straight into the grand final.

The 8th team in SL had a final total of 13 wins, 1 draw and 13 losses.

The 8th team in the NRL (the best RL competition in the world) had a final total of 12 wins and 12 losses.

I don't hear complaints of that competition being a waste of time, lacking credibility, etc, etc.

I would however change the set up of the 8, I don't see how it is fair that Wigan who finished 2nd should have a harder play off series than Leeds who finished 5th.

Now this surprises me to see the poll so close. Play offs are a very good idea just the top 8 system is a bit of a farce. There are not enough exciting games to justify a top 8 system in SL. Think i rather see good quality games rather than some of the blow outs we had in the first 2 weeks of the playoffs. SL outside the top 5 is awful where the NRL outside the top 5 is more competative.

Grand final must be kept its a great occasion. Not only does it give RL some decent publicity but its usually a good game and RL is starved of mainstream media publicity.

The playoffs can decide the title next week. Any other time and they're an utter travesty and reduce the whole season to a never ending slog through tedious, meaningless, pointless friendly games until finally getting to the just 4 or 5 games a year whose results actually matter even a little bit. The Americans and Aussies might love it but I think the whole concept is essentially anathema to the soul of a UK sports fan - certainly an old git like me.

Hear Hear...

Top at the end of the weekly rounds are Champions, then have a separate top 6 playoff, knock out rugby, for a different trophy.

McClennan wrote a rather dramatic post about proving your might in the arena against the best, and how in ye olden times to become the champion at something you would have to seek out the current holder and beat them.

Whilst the league format seems a comprehensive examination, how many sports actually use it to decide trophies?
The American sports all use playoffs, but we know those guys are a bit zazzy, so perhaps we shouldn't look to closely. However, tennis, golf (i think), boxing, athletics and other olympic type events, hell - even snooker, their trophies are all decided by knockouts. Sure, there's seeding and ranking systems, but that could be deemed as the role of our league.

I'm not a fan of our playoff format, as too much dross got let in and to allow over half the league in seems to belittle the acheivemnt of qualifying, but doing it on GF night, on the biggest stage, against the best opposition is the mark of a real champion. The playoffs are a must.

Question, did any of you guys [ifeel[/i like champions the years we topped the league and then got bumped by Leeds when we had the chance to show who was the better team over 80 mins?

When the mighty Saints finished first, Certain club supporters (W) said we had only won the Hubcap, now they claim they are champions as they finished first

Like the Grand Final format and have done since their inception, however there is the contingent of fans that believe top spot should be champions... Why play in the Super League when you know that to be champions you have to be at Old Trafford in Early October?

Thank you sir, although I don't know where you get the dramatic from hererl.



Superbly put.