Hello, I am looking into writing a book about the idea of play-offs deciding the Champions in sport. I was wondering what the opinions are of fellow Rugby League fans on the play-offs. Do you think play-offs are the best way to decide the champions or do you prefer whoever finishes top being champions? And what do you think of the current format?
Personally I think play-offs are a great concept, sport is about peaking on the big occasion and beating your biggest rivals head to head when it matters.

Personally I've never liked the play-off concept. It's been mentioned earlier that if you finish top of the league i.e. been the best and most consistant team over the course of the season, then you deserve all the praise that should come your way. If you win the play-offs you've been good for a few games.

I would like to see the play-offs scrapped and reintroduce the Regal Trophy (or any other KO competition) to replace them. Play-offs are a great marketing and money making scheme but for me take away from the achievements over the course of a season.

I think the RFL have to have a playoff system, think how boring SL will be without it. In football you play for Europe, teams need somthing to play for

It is a difficult one, I would naturally side with the idea that the Champions are the team that tops the table at the end of the season but it just seems to work in Rugby League. I don't think as a sport we can afford to abandon something that gives us a game with a 70,000 attendance. Plus the play off system has given us some of the greatest moments in our sport. We should alter the current system so a team finishing in the bottom half of the table doesn't get a chance to become Champions. Make it the top 4 and you still create excitement in the season and add intensity to all the League games, unlike now when some teams just chuck the towel when they start getting beat by a large score. The best years of play off Rugby League, roughly 15 years either side of the war, were done on a top 4 basis and it would make sense to go back to that set up now.

Incidentally the play offs were only introduced because Leigh fiddled their fixtures in the days when percentages decided who won the Championship by avoiding playing any good Yorkshire sides. Another reason to hate them!

[iTHE PLAY-OFFS ARE GREAT.

But it's no bloody good if your not in the top eight come this time of the year..

[/i

I do enjoy watching the elimination play-off games on TV but I have been disappointed with most of the finals. (Usually dull affairs that rarely live up to expectations)

If you think back pre Superleague days you had the following competitions:

Wigan Summer 7's
County Cup
Floodlight Trophy (70's)
John Player/Regal Trophy
Challenge Cup
League Championship
Premiership Trophy

I think the previous format gave clubs and their supporters a greater opportunity for a share of the games honors. From a fans perspective if you weren't strong enough to win the league you had some hope that your team may have a good cup run, get to a semi or a final or possibly win it. For me these extra cup competitions added real interest and excitement for the supporters. A good cup run would generally help clubs attract more support and I can't understand why the RL have taken so many comps away considering so much emphasis is made about increasing attendances. A good cup run was a sure-fire way of generating local public interest and attracting new or lapsed support, significantly helping to improve league game attendances.

Further to this just how much sponsorship money has the game lost since ditching all these cup competitions? This sponsorship money (Prize money) filtered its way down to the clubs, the further you went the more your club got!

Personally I feel the current format has been influenced by our failure at International level and our obsession of copying the Aussie system. The 'Too many games brigade' are ruining our sport and it hasn't made a fig of difference at International level. Surely if there are more matches then the young British kids will get a lot more game time experience? Are we shooting ourselves in the foot?

I think back to the mid 1980's . . Night match v Wigan at the Willows in the Lancashire Cup under floodlights with a huge crowd, great atmosphere, shaking with excitement at the prospect of big cup scalp. It really is a great pity that these extra cup games don't exist anymore.