Everyone is refusing to point out the elephant in the room, for reasons of political correctness that are all too present nowadays.

The best way by far would be for a player from the side losing the game to be executed by firing squad on the pitch after the game, the player to be chosen by the winning coach. Clearly, this would stop the current rewarding of mediocrity and ensure that the most consistent side over the season ends up in the strongest position going into the playoffs.

'scuse me, browny, but Ryan Bailey's got his own thread

This is getting worrying. I've now agreed with Padders twice in 5 minutes. A decent amount of prize money for the team finishing top would sort the problem out.

Without having to go back through didnt someone say earlier that the SL winners go straight to GF.
3 plays 4 quite quickly after last game.
winner plays 2 quick quickly after that.

Winner of that to GF. All in the space of say 12 days.

That way it is not too long for the SL winners to wait, coming 3 or 4 means you have to play twice and coming second only once to get to the GF.

Surely each spot in SL would have a big bonus then?

Only down side is play offs down to 4 but shouldnt it be the elite?

Any system which, in theory, would allow one team to win 29 games on the run and then lose the 30th and get nothing, whereas another team can lose over half of their regular season games, win their last 4 games and be declared champions is clearly devalued.

Dump the playoffs. Reduce the league to 12 teams. Dump the farce of an extra fixture.

Play everyone home and away (22 games) then split the league into top and bottom six. Teams then keep the points already gained and complete the season with 10 more fixtures (everyone else in their half home and away). The season is then 32 games long. The Champions will be the best team over the course of the season and nobody will be able to argue otherwise. Sky get their big end to the season with 3 huge games every weekend. The bottom six teams may have nothing to play for at the back end of the season, but that's pretty much the case now, plus at least they can budget for 32 games before the season even starts.

It should be the losing coach that chooses the player to be executed otherwise you will get wrong incentives.....first time we lost, Briers would go...first time Wigan lost, Sam Tomkins would go. It would just remove all the best players, so players would hold back, so as not to look too good and be chosen by a rival.

What you want instead is the losing coach choosing the one who they think is most expendable, that would get players to pull their fingers out and would root out the young players that aren't up to the job.

Sky won't get rid of the GF though.

Got back a couple of hours ago from a great weekend in London, I have to say I am shocked by some of the things I have read on here. In competitive sport there is always a winner and a loser. To suggest that the club should refund tickets is a joke. If they ever did such a thing, I would accept the money.

It was a bit of a strange atmposphere at the game, it felt like it didn't really matter what happened. Hats off to London, they also had a number of players missing and put in a brilliant performance. I think it is quite insulting to their players and fans not to recognise that it wasn't just a case of us losing- they convincingly won and that should be recognised. It was my first trip to the Stoop and I was impressed at the set up, great idea to have a band after the game in the Kings Bar, everyone seemed to be enjoying a few beers and a chat in the true spirit of the game. Shame that whilst we were enjoying that, people were sat at their computer desks dishing out the vitriol.

One highlight was a gentleman sat near us... "SH*T KICK MYLER, USELESS!" Seconds later Stef scores. Leave it to the pros eh pal! I think my views on the game have already been shared by others on here, so I won't repeat ad nauseum. However I will say that calling for the competition to be completely changed because we lost a game is something I would expect from that lot on the Wigan forum who now think the Challenge Cup is a meaningless contest.

To imply it is after we lost one game is ridiculous.
Anyone with decent glasses can see SL has a problem.

My opinion on the structure of SL and the playoff system has nothing to do with whether or not we won what, in the grand scheme of things, was a meaningless fixture.

If we win at Old Trafford this season and then again and again for the next few years I will still feel the same way. The current system is simply unfair.

To start with, the farcical extra fixture makes the league a joke, why should we get to play Widnes three times when our closest rival gets to play their extra fixture against Saints (or should that be our closest rival gets to play their extra fixture against Wigan)? Hardly fair, and could well make the difference between 2nd and 3rd place! Equally, a team could win 27 league games, finish top by a country mile and then for whatever reason lose the next two games and not even make the Grand Final let alone be regarded as the best side in the competition. I understand the playoff system and relucatntly accept it on the basis that everyone knows beforehand how the system works, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it.

Good Lord!!...........How I long for the good old days!!
The play off/league structure didn't concern us apart from relegation issues, 2nd in the league was but a pipedream, never mind the hubcap which was something Saint Helens always won. Resting players for Wembley? Yeah right! And our strongest team used to get battered on a regular basis!
Tony you're a disgrace!!
John Dorahay, Steve Anderson, David Plange...........where are you? Please come and save us from this terrible whingeing about anything we can think of along with this thing us Warrington supporters are not sure how to deal with called success!!

Which players to pick for Wembley.
Should we be Settling for second in the league.
Resting players for the playoffs.
Which hotel should we use in London
How are we going to get down there fly or drive.
Should I wear my new Wembley top or the lucky one.
Should the wife get her hair done for the final.
Beer is 25 quid a pint down in the smoke.
Watch out for them prossies in Soho !


Oh what awful problems we have !

LOL you are right. We should get on and enjoy it.

Even so............... I am wondering whether to wear my red truss or my primrose and blue one. And I have still not decided about the train or my personal Lear jet. Decisions, decisions..

So because we were for a while there is nothing wrong with the current SL system... right you are.

One way to resolve this would be to have the World club challenge contested between the winners of the two minor premiers. This would provide more incentive rather than a trophy that nobody remembers who won it.

If those players on Friday night thought that they might get chance to face say Melbourne Storm in front of 20-25 thousand and get a decent little bonus out of it the story might have been different.
Giving it to the minor premiers also gives more chance to have it at the end of the season - A week after each Grand Final so that will give each club a month to prepare travel arrangements etc. I know that might impact on international fixtures.