Not as some may expect a sour grapes moan about Leeds getting to the grand final after last night - Leeds were the better team and deserved to beat us.

What is a joke with the current p/o system though is in hindsight, we would have actually been better to lose in week one, and had we done this, we would probably be in the grand final now, and perversely would have also made it harder for our perceived closest rivals wire!!!

Had we lost week one the play offs would have looked like this;

Wk 1 winners
Saints - Club Call
Catalans

Wk 2
Wigan v Hull
Wire v Leeds

Wigan and Wire or Leeds winners (last one too tough to call - Leeds in current form would probably have edged)

Wk 3
Saints (with club call would never have picked us!) v Wire or Leeds
Catalans v Wigan

Therefore, Saints would have been battling it out with either Wire or Leeds - but one of our main rivals (Wire or Leeds) would have already been elimintated. We would have faced a tricky game in france, but with Catalans playing as they were - Even playing as poorly as last night I expect we would have won!

Need to go back to a top 5 ASAP.

A system where you get nearly as good a chance of winning the league from 5th or 6th (simply lose home advantage for a semi), as you do from 1st makes it untenable imo, as does a system where you are possibly better throwing the first game to get an easier run in the play offs!

Also from a Leeds POV - Winning from 5th also then has more credibility as you have to beat every team above you - Top 5 is the only play off system imo which is credible!

Playing like you did last night Catalans would have had the game sewn up by half time in France .

No, they definitely wouldn't have.

It doesnt need changing, simply be the best team and you will win it !! I believe sour grapes are on offer at Sainsbury's in the Wigan area!!

I don't agree.
At the beginning of the season if you would have offered me a home tie against the 4th placed team, a week off to allow players to rest, then a home tie against the 5th placed team, then i would have snatched your hand off.
We were not good enough to cash in on the advantage of finishing top whereas Leeds have had to do it tough playing two away games. They deserve to be in Grand Final.
Leave the play offs the way they are for me.

YAWN

The truth is you lost on the day and it was your own club call.

when I saw Tompkins was out I knew you would loose!!

Top 5

Wk 1 (GF Qualifier)
1 V 2, Winner to GF

Wk2(Elimination rd)
3 v 4, loser out
1 or 2 v 5, loser out

wk 3(GF Qualifier)
Highest placed team v Lowest placed team
winner to GF

WK 4
GF
i know it means the winner in week 1 gets 2 weeks off, but surely that may be seen as a reward for finishing in top 2 and winning play off match(although some may argue that to keep playing is better) and the loser gets a 2nd chance

translated into English

When I saw that Tomkins was out, I knew you would lose!!

Until they re-incentivise finishing higher up the table, as per the previous play-off systems, the league season will continue to rot. And a lot of people have been saying this all season.

Nothing wrong with the play off system, just got beat by a better team on the night, we had the advantage finishing first in the weekly rounds, had a week off but again when it mattered didnt turn up for the first 40 minutes. We never looked like breaking down their defence, their backs were sprinting out of defence causing an umbrella effect thus closing down the first and second phase attack, we were also attacking very flat with forwards not knowing where to be. It has happened 4 times this season, Leeds twice and Warrington twice. They only seem to wake up when it is too late, you just cant afford to play catch up against these kind of teams.

To be fair, Leeds beat us by 1, the way we played last night, if we had played Warrington we would have lost by 20+

You lost to the 5th placed team in the competition, normally that would be a team who won't really be a major threat to winning the comp. This Leeds team is a 'freak' in that sense that they can play crap all year but as I'm sure everyone knows by now are the best team in play-off football. This won't happen in years to come, as the leeds team won't be as dominant in the play-offs or be more consistent and finish higher up, or just drop out completely. The only reason why the play-offs look like a joke is because one of the most successful sides in superleague is winning yet again when it counts.

Has the league rot though? The fans turned out in numbers this year and I think it was the most watched season.

The play off crowds have been shocking!