Why not do away with meaningless fixtures thus....

At the start of the season put all the SL teams names in a hat & draw them out for league positions ,come the 3rd week in September the top 8 teams can go straight to the play offs with injury free teams. The bottom four or six wouldn't need to play all season.

I know it sounds a great idea but i would miss my six months fix of rugby.

Is the most consistent side necessarily the best? Saints have been dire at some points this year and would well win the shield by default.

We are about to go into a play off series which could be wide open with the season culminating at one of the most famous stadiums in the world. Sport at it's best!

so if saints have been dire at certain points this season and still head the league ladder by 2 points with a game to go what does that make the rest..if you win the league then you must be the best.or are teams holding back for the play offs,if so that makes a mockery out of the league

I don't know whether you watched us on Thursday or Leeds and Wigan on Friday but I certainly haven't seen anyone holding back!

leeds at london maybe..wire at home to wakey wire at widnes,the list goes on,,sts are top so therefore must be the best atm..if they avoid defeat next week they are worthy champs and not a team that has won the league by default...

Clubs are always going to rest players prior to a cup final, regardless of the competition structure. Wakefield and Widnes were simply better than us on the day.

What about Wigan they had no such Cup distractions and have had more than the odd off day just look at the Wane thread "not the Wigan way" or whatever it's called on their board? Saints have been unlucky with injuries/their squad was thin depending upon your POV but I'm with SAM and others if they win it then they are better than an team that has won it by default.

BTW if Cas overhaul them will they have won it by default also, or will attitudes change? Will they be feted as a team that has come from nowhere got to a cup final and became a champion team?

Lets assume that for the next three years the RFL really gets behind the league winners...... A nice big silver cup is designed, a very big cheque is presented to the winners and each team member, there is a massive presentation with fireworks and dancing girls, Sky endlessly prattle on about who is going to finish top and who is getting close etc etc. And what happens ? as with any advertising, the consumer (RL fan) starts to come around to the view that this is an important cup and they want their team to win it. After five years, the league leaders cup is the 'one to win'. Surprisingly though, attendances have been falling for the playoffs. Old Trafford is cancelled and the final moved to Swinton. Fans talk about a meaningless knock out competition at the end of the season .... 'why bother with it ?, the best team has just won the league trophy, we don't really need a playoff series do we ?'

..... and club revenue falls because nobody is interested in the playoffs. And club revenue also falls because in some years one club wins the competition with 5-6 games still to play, thereby extinguishing any further interest in the cup.


Nobody in the RFL / Sky / club management are ever going to promote the league leaders trophy, it will always be a hubcap. Ergo teams will always field weakened sides at times to save their best players for the playoffs.

I think it is fair to say that Wakey especially beat us by playing straight forward, no frills rugby.

On the other hand ,would it benefit SL to have 26 weeks of meaningful games throughout than just a few weeks as in the play offs? It may actually produce more bums on seats.

well said that man

Well more fool them Chaz in my opinion. they could have actually promoted both parts of the competition if they upped the ante for the League Championship and then particularly with the expanded WCC Competition, offered a best of the best series to challenge the Aussies and a big pot of money for the Play Off Final akin to the way The Premiership treats top 4 and Champions League in Association Football

Yes I know that it will never happen but I happen to think that it's a bit short sighted. BTW Let's hope Widnes haven't been saving themselves for the Play Offs we'd never hear the end of it.

I would be more than happy to see the league champions recognised and celebrated, ( after all I'm an old fart pre-dating SL by decades) my point is that the marketeers have taken a cynical view on this issue and looked to maximise revenue by extending the season (via the playoffs). Doesn't anybody find it rather strange that the 'league leaders' are given a plate (not a cup) and that there is virtually zero razamataz at the presentation ? Sky don't want any distraction from their end of season GF. Club chairmen need the extra revenue from the knockout element of SL, as do the RFL.

So there is a problem. Either the league leaders trophy is important, or it isn't. If it is important then you celebrate, throw publicity at it, it and award a proper trophy. If its not, you adopt our current approach of giving the leaders a plate behind the stadium toilets at the end of season. If it's not important, then you sacrifice some games to ensure you get to the playoffs in the best possible shape - because the only real prize is the GF. Which brings us back to why a significant number of fans will say that some games are 'meaningless'.

Whether or not the new structure will answer some of these problems will be interesting to see. Certainly the RFL have placed additional value behind finishing close to the top of the regular season, so that is a step in the right direction.

I like the shield, it is a bit different and I like the fact that a new one is made each year. In the past I have suggested using the old Championship trophy, if it makes people happier. Perhaps use that and also continue with the shield which is something a club will always be able to have in their trophy cabinet.

Chaz, you are nearly old enough to pre date a break from the Union (only kidding) never mind SL. It's not what we've got that generally cause debate and disagreement, it's what we want/need that seems to cause a stir.

The new system might help and I'm certainly in favour of opening up 'SL' to all rather than a closed shop approach despite accusations of a 'race to the bottom' whenever P&R are discussed. Spike Milligan's book on Natural Selection should be the order of the day we might as a sport be stronger for it