but thats putting the play offs, back into the position of the older post season premiership comp, that was dying on its and poorly attended cos it was worthless in the grand scheme of things.

You are correct is saying that their has always been a play off format. However from 1973, the year of me attending my first game, until the birth of Super League the Champions were deemed those that came top of the league. At that time their was the end of Season top 8 play offs to determine the Premiership winners (last won by Wire in 1986).

So if you finished top you still had to compete in a top 8 play off to win the prem? so how we're the top champions if they still had to compete in a play off?

The Premiership was a different competition to the Championship

How often do you hear commentators when some biff is on saying "this is the unacceptable face of the sport, and not what the fans want to see" when the crowd are clearly loving it and the atmosphere electric. It's the big lie told by those with the loudest voice.

RL used to be the roughest, toughest ball sport there was with true physical confrontations that were relished in the week ahead and remembered for years afterwards. Not now we have players feigning injury (repeat set) and appealing for a penalty (every tackle), forwards who fall to the ground on purpose (e.g Sims), forwards to threaten a lot and never throw a punch (eg all our pack bar Westwood)

It was something that stopped players going on holiday, it wasn't held in high regard, it was in fourth place behind the league champions/challenge cup holders, and regal tropy winners.

In it's latter years anyway.

I was thinking of it being called something else tbh & including all the teams in the division,a straight knockout competition with teams drawn out of the hat for each round ,the final at Old Trafford if necessary for the sky knockout trophy.

Yes they have had a play off system but they also had whoever won the league were champions..the play off system in the 80s was an end of season comp for the top 8 which we won in 86 and lost in the final to Wigan a year later..wonder how this will affect the league next season will we have a top 8 playoff

The RFL don't half like to tinker, when it's not needed.
This Super8s and middle 8s was working (on the whole) imo.
You have more competitive games than the extra games in the past , where top played 2,4,6,8,10 and 12 from the previous season. For me, it's change for change's sake. Leave it alone.

On Wires71's point about the game being more boring. SPOT ON.
We've become sterile, as a sport, in the last decade.
Eddie and Stevo screaming like banshees, whenever even a low grade skirmish breaks out "there's kids watching this. They don't want to see this" WRONG. Kids love stuff like that. Why do you think WWF is so popular?
Umpteen on reports/referrals for Tuesdays at RFL HQ
Teams playing drab "low risk" NRL style rugby
Endless kicking
Bang average half backs throughout the competition.

We need a few clubs to play more "off the cuff" rugby, rather than the robotics we've been fed for the last few years

This tinkering is nothing to do with the RFL - the SL clubs (or most of them) have decided the Super 8s format presents too much of a risk to their ongoing presence at the top table. Without consulting the RFL or the rest of the sport.

All of this. Starts with the coverage for me. Eddie constantly bringing the slightest thing to the attention of the viewer. Cummings constantly highlighting what the ref has done wrong. Barry and Terry constantly telling Eddie that the tackle he's screaming to be given a red card is just part of the game. Clarke reeling off stats like:

=#0080FF[i"4 years ago Warrington played this fixture with a 78.765% completion rate and if we go of these first 3 sets of the game, then they're on course to match that, which will be create a 3:1 chance that they will win this game by 14 points. This is due to the fact that Wakefield took 1 hour to get here, which going off last years fuel prices, has cost hem an extra £20. It'll be interesting to see if they can keep up with that kind of inflation whilst dealing with this Warrington attack."[/i

NO ONE CARES PHIL. No one cares what you think you saw Eddie or what the gravy is like this week in your local. just say what happening on the pitch FFS.


After that the next thing is the reffing. They're too pally with the players for me. scrap the squad numbers, get given the shirt number on the day and refs start calling players by their number. Arguing, moaning, diving to the floor whilst getting up and complaining earns a penalty againsts you. Players need to accept the decision and get on with it.

This too. The focus on the refereeing decisions is boring. Waiting an eternity for the video ref is boring. Commentate on the game, skills, tactics.


The the ref coaching "Benny get on side", "Kev get off him". WTF?

Trouble is the game is run by people such as Brian Barwick. He is probably good at negotiating TV deals from his experience but doesn't have the Rugby League soul. He's probably only heard of RL since 2013.


The game isn't about sanitised viewing from a comfy seat enjoying a costa. It's being packed like sardines in the the old Knowsley Road on a Friday night, with the cracking excitement, local rivalry, palpable tension, crude language, air of menace, blind loyalty, thinking that this is the time we will end the hoodoo and your voice ho from singing.