Yup it's annoying.

It's like the bottom four, some teams were just a game off being top eight. Do we give them extra points for artistic impression? No they have to slog it out with teams who have clearly been far worse than them all season. Never seen Powell or Radford complain about that.

Look at the Grand Final Trophy as "Sky's" cup. I'd love to win it as it's perceived as the pinnacle of the our sport but that is all it is - another hoop to jump through designed to thrill the TV audiences by our paymasters.

who are you trying to kid. None of this nonsense would be coming out if you'd have won a GF from outside 1st place.

Maybe they should get rid of the NRL GF, the Super Bowl and other American playoff series, the playoffs in league football, only allow Chanpions actually play in the Champions League and not 4th placed team, only allow teams that finish top of the group qualify to the knockout stages of World Cups and Euros.

In RU only once in the last 5 years has the team finishing 1st been crowned champions after the playoffs. They manage it just fine without all this whinging and apparent damage it does to the sport.

If Cas don't win the Grand final they can take comfort in being remarkably consistent throughout the season and having been rewarded for it.

If one of the usual suspects wins it could you argue their players have taken things easy at some parts of the season?, not a problem with me but after the euphoria of winning the whole thing could fans ask "why didn't we play like that more often"?

You would feel short changed.

Deary me that's poor - maybe Cas should notify the RFL that they don't rate the GF and don't want to be involved next year. Give those who do a chance

It a flaw with a play off system that's true - personally I'm not a fan.

My argument though is that's what we all signed up for which like it or not makes the LLS no more than a footnote.

Nobody wants to see the smug smile knocked off the faces of Wigan, Leeds and Saints fans and I don't really care who does it - but trying to shift the goal posts fools nobody IMHO.

I didn't state getting rid of the GF - it's here to stay and I would love us to win it. I just think the hardest part is finishing top after 30 rounds.

Question - After the Stones Bitter Championship, you were champions for finishing top, then we had a 8 team play-off for Old Trafford. Win that and you were Premiership winners. Other than the wording, what has changed ?

What's changed is who are considered to be champions for that season. Back then it was whoever finished top. Now it's who wins the Grand Final.

Also it's not really Sky's trophy. We of course had a playoff system to decide the champions well before TV even existed never mind Sky.

No one cares about the hubcap. Even the players looked embarrassed celebrating.

Regards

King James

rlrl

And the rest were total fodder

I don't know! Hardaker was pretty chuffed about chugging champers on the pitch

Let's see how you feel when you don't win it! You will be completely gutted and in a year or 2 nobody will give a $hit how good you were, just like Wire and Hudds before you?

Correct lm afraid. You can't just change the importance of the two trophies to suit. Cas like everyone else started the season wanting to get to the GF. This LLS thing only became a priority for Cas fans when they looked certain to win it, how odd.

How anyone can say finishing top after the regular season is more difficult than beating the top sides to win what in effect is an elite mini league beggars belief.

The latter is far harder especially if you did it from say 8th certainly IMO

Yet again fans of opposition clubs trying to talk down the achievements of others; so much for the rugby league family eh?!
As for this "no one remembers of cares in a year or two" argument well that's the same whatever trophy you win! Sport is about the here & now; no one outside of Leeds cares if/when they did the treble anymore, or alternatively if the last piece of silverware a club won was some "tin pot" regional trophy when Noah was a lad (sarcasm spoiler)!
Thanks for keeping my club relevant chaps & feel free to keep the anti-Cas circle jerk going while we're all enjoying the moment & sleeping off hangovers! That's what it's all about as fans, not trying to make yourself feel better by belittling the achievements of others.
What ever happens you'll be hard pushed to find a Cas fan who hasn't enjoyed this year!