Thanks GW.
I tend not to respond to posts once their banter turns personal.

Rubbish
What about next year if you're 10 points in front of 3rd at the split and the rfl use that system and you lose the first 2 games and you're in 3rd/4th after 2 games off super 8's.
You'd be whinging how the system didn't reward you over the whole season etc and more importantly 18/19 rounds in you'd switch off for the last 4/5 games if you were 10 points clear etc as it wouldn't be worth playing your guts out for the remainder of first part of season so they would be dead rubbers.
Listen, as others have said, if you look at the headline/advertising and then feel peeved off at what you get then I suggest you stop watching adverts and reading newspapers.
For the first time in nearly 10 years I've genuinely wanted us to win every game and felt rotten when we haven't,that's a big step forward for the competition.

Very few games will mean nothing to both teams as 1 of them will have something to play for.

Buckley street wire summed it up Very well.

Off to Leeds shortly desperate for 2 points, win and go joint top, lose and could be in 3rd.
Lose next week at your place and cas/hudds breathing down our necks.
Desperate for a top 2 finish for a home tie in semis, still worried about dropping out the 4 and not getting into semis.
It Matters.

The system isn't the issue, it's the team's that haven't played well enough to still be involved (and don't forget your not 100% out of it although realistically its a very long shot) that need to look at themselves.

If I'd have come on here 3/4 months ago and said wire would be 6 points behind cas & hudds at this point you'd have laughed me off the board.
I didn't expect it you to be so far off the pace at this stage, but to be honest it's where you deserve to be as do all clubs pretty much in relation to their league placings.
I think that's about all we can hope for out of a system?
If your not good enough then your not good enough?

Cas have got Catalan, Huddersfield, Leeds, Saints and Wigan left to play. If they only win two of those (which I'd argue isn't that unlikely) then you would overtake them if you win your last five games, so I hardly see how they are dead rubbers, more like every game is now a 'must-win' game for you. That is totally in keeping with the 'every minute matters' slogan

It's better than the old Top 8 system, but I'm not sure it should be the system giving 5th-8th a chance, it should be themselves? We need to reward performance over the longest period, rather than just over the final 7 games. Overcomplicating it like that could also see occurances where 5th are level on points with 3rd for example and are pushed back by it.

I think next season will see an improvement over this season, once teams see who misses the cut. Teams like Warrington/Cas/Huddersfield/Saints (2 of whom won't be in the semis) won't like to miss out and it'll be even more intense next season.

You explained it perfectly enough to cement my view. The problem you seemed to have over looked is the result of Hudds v Cas. However they finish, it would be of no slight benefit unless both of them could lose! The mathematical view is we would want Cas to win that game and ideally lose all the others, and Hudds to lose every game and with a big score too, plus us to win every game.

I think having a group of 8 Sadd is so the season has a respectable number of games. But by having this present system success in the previous games of the season is rewarded. Leeds have certainly led from the front all season.

Is the league leaders shield decided at the end of these 7 games by the way ?

I think you may have kept this system in your pocket had we been 6 points clear at the top !!!
For me every minute still matters in the last 5 games as I have paid good money to watch and therefore I expect the team to turn out and play as if there future depends on it and for some it will.

What if a team is miles in front of fourth after a blistering start. They could even be ten points safe in the top four or even at the top. But have a bad run of injuries for a few weeks at the start of the Super 8s and then find themselves or even eventually finishing outside the four because they had all those points taken off them from the first phase. Imagine if it was us Duckie mate, we'd be fuming!

Those remaining games do matter, unfortunately for you they only matter to your opposition, but they still matter. But if you think any game against saints or Wigan etc doesn't matter unless there's a trophy involved that's a poor approach.

Your right BSW, but it's an idea she gave and I won't dismiss it. I can see the flaws in it but at least she has recognised the rift the concept created and has given it thought to try and address it.

Our games also matter to other teams. Imagine how Cas would feel if we give Hudds a beating in a few weeks, and imagine how we'll feel if the King brothers and Sandow have good games because they feel a bit less pressure and start to settle into the side after that.

FTV your post takes me back to the 80's 90's & 00's when I considered beating the Pies a good season. oh! Yes Pies and Saints in the 00's. After when the Gypies were pretty Shaat, without Meninga.
I'll call it a good season then when we beat Pies on Friday, if we don't.....SMITH OUT!

spot on mate..its our own fault we are in this mess,not just because we lost last night but losing at home to cas hull hudds. losig away to hudds kr widnes..hopefully next year some of the players that are still here may realise this..

Sky may ultimately sort something out. They call the shots and all they want is marketable games that attract viewers and advertising revenue. This year it's us, Hull and Cats to be cast adrift, next season there will again be 3 possibly 4 clubs in the same boat.

Our home games against Cats and Hull will look very poor on TV.

I would favour, League Leaders Shield awarded to table toppers after regular season. Then teams start with top on 8 points, 2nd on 6, 3rd on 4 and 4th on 2. 5th -8th on 0 points.

Every minute will matter to Saints when we play you at the end of the year.

So the minutes matter. It was not specific who too, for the pedantic posters.

A lot of this debate seems to be a reflection of years of clubs being rewarded for mediocrity and fans getting used to teams who have coasted, being in the mix with all conquering teams, 3 weeks before the grand final.