Quote RL13="RL13"Entertainment? In the name of entertainment, let's twiddle our thumbs till September when the play-offs begin then. I'd rather one boring month of fixtures (though not always a given, since the stats have proven that 42% of first post the post RL seasons have gone to the final weekend) - than 7 months of pretty much inconsequential fixtures under the top 8 system, as present.'"
That may well be the case for two teams but for at least half of the league (often more) the contest is pretty much over after two months which then lends itself to far more inconsequential fixtures than we have now. When teams still have something to play for they play harder. When they're out of it, as it was under the FPTP system it means that they don't play hard every week. This begs the question just how true an assessment the FPTP league format is when you end up playing more matches against teams with nothing to play for than you do under the current system where every game is a jostling match on the playoff ladder.
Quote RL13="RL13"Although, this may not make much economic sense, but for a play-off culmination - the regular season is way too long. 27 rounds [ijust to see who qualifies[/i doesn't justify the end. Even in the NRL, they have 16 teams and 24 fixtures - the regular season with a play off ending should not give the overriding feeling that any team was sufficiently better than anyone else. The play-offs should have that anticipation that there's something [ileft to be decided[/i, something to be concluded, and finished off. The regular season here just drags and drags, and when the play-offs do come around - there is a sense that all intensity has long since peaked.'"
I agree with you on the length of the competition but for me this is a twelve team competition and that's where the problem lies not with the playoffs. A twelve team league would also mean we could go back to a top five or six play off too which was far more effective than the current top eight.
