What I'd do is perform half heartedly most of the year then put all my effort into peaking for the assesment.

No one ever really kicked off about it when we had a different playoff format and the winner was pretty much always 1st and 2nd because it basically struck the best of both worlds because the structure was far harder to come from lower down which was punishment for not being consistent enough.

The grand final is fine and here to stay, what needs to change (for the billionth time and every rl fan knows) is the playoff format.

The top 5 was the best system we've had but we'll never return to anything like that because it would mean less games for SKY. SKY are the ones lurking in the shadows pulling all the strings with the RFL as mere puppets. Everytime theres been a major change in the structure of the league it has resulted in more games. Who do you think orchestrated the latest shift? The new structure will once again result in more games overall. The game as a whole pretty much has no control over the direction it takes because without SKY there would be no game, it would go bust.

I can see where you are coming from but the bottom line is the Grand final has grown to a stage where RL simply couldn't afford to go without it. It's the biggest day in the rl calender and draws more attention from the media and floating supporters than any other RL game. It's what the CC final used to be. No other RL game get's as much attention from other top sportsmen/women and high profile people in general, you only have to circulate twitter on grand final day.

Great post FlexWheeler

And while all of the changes keep happening, the fans of the spot are expected to smile and nod their heads, like a certain insurance company's give away toy,
oh yes.

I agree the GF is the top game and we need the exposure. But financially we need a league system the fans can follow as without it the game is a basket case.

Yup, agreed. Which is why the top 5 system was good because in reality if you didn't finish high up the table your chances were alot slimmer, so the week in week out games carried alot more weight but you still had the big end of season show piece.

Also, if you finished 5th you were not rewarded with a home fixture in week one to ease you in.You had to play 4th away, followed by 3rd away then the loser of 1st vs 2nd away. A much harder route, which is why it was probably never done but if it had been, would have been seriously earned.

if your top after 27 games youve earned it. i'd say a lot of you are forgetting how good saints were before they lost key players. many teams in the past have won the league but been poor in end of season games(the old premiership and old challenge cup finals) due to decimated squads

Not under the current system.

they'll have earned the league leaders shield

Which means nothing under the current system.

QED: don't bother going to watch RL, as it means nothing.

Talking about jokes and the top of the league, I never get bored of reading Phil Clarke's predictions for this year:

SALFORD RED DEVILS
Dr Marwan Koukash is about to find out if his financial clout can help bring Salford back to life after a turbulent 2013. Coach Brian Noble's squad, led by local lad Adrian Morley, will be expected to challenge for honours this year, a far cry from the situation they found themselves in 12 months ago.
Phil Clarke predicts: 1st

CASTLEFORD TIGERS
Castleford have added plenty of new faces during the winter months as head coach Daryl Powell, who took over midway through last season, looks to get the Tigers roaring again. A big season lies ahead as they aim to retain their top-flight status beyond 2014.
Phil Clarke predicts: 11th