Christ - why can't people accept that SUPER LEAGUE is not the Wendyball Premiership. The competition has a league and play off element, the ultimate winners of which are the champions.

Even though there are eight teams in the playoffs, realistically, it's only one of the top two - three at a push - who can win it. It is FAR better to have a champion side who has a good regular season, but also shows they don't bottle the big games. Under the first past the post system, you can grind out a load of dour wins and draws and still be crowned champions, and you don't necessarily have to hold your nerve, or finish the season by beating the best teams. A playoff system ensures you do.

Why does the NFL, RU Premiership, NRL and virtually every other sports competition in the world not come in for the same criticism?

It's a tiny likelihood that it will actually happen though, isnt it?

it's like the joke where a man asks his wife if she would sleep with Brad Pitt for £1m, and she says yes, then asks his daughter if she would sleep with Justin Bieber for £1m and also says yes. Potentially, he's sitting on £2m, but in reality he lives with a pair of slags.

I'm not sure how you know they don't but a possible reason is that for the previous 90 or so years we always had our champion team selected according to league position, just like football. Re the NFL I don't think all teams play each other, re RU they have not got our long tradition of league tables. The NRL I will grant you because I don't know if they have always had play offs or not. As for virtually every other sport in the world I take it this was a flippant comment?

The current play off format does nothing to aid the argument for playoffs deciding the champions IMO.

No team losing 13 games should be given the chance to be champions (that is HKR's record this season) and saying there is next to no chance that will happen anyway is no argument because if that is true the games that they play are simply pointless and a just rip the fans off as they pay to support a team simply too far of the pace to stand a chance.

Some fixture combinations are not possible. We could end up playing Saints twice. There is little significant difference if you finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th. No team in the top 4 goes out in week one but if 1st or 2nd loses then the entire season's work which is supposed to get them an a significant advantage is wiped out meaning the current format further devalues the league.

For the bottom 4 then the 5th team faces sudden death just like the 8th placed side so again league position only gets a home tie which in a cup type competition isn't as significant as in the league.

Then you have the stupid club call idea no doubt dreamt up by than man Wood which is just pointless.

How on earth did we get lumbered with this system?

The regular rounds SHOULD decide the champions, but they dont just like 99% of sports. Get used to it. The champions/premiers/league winners or whatever you want to call them, will be crowned on October 8th

Oh, and I preferred the top 5

We're used to being smothered by the media with football. The rest of the biggest sportsn in the world all use a play off system, the rest of the biggest sports in the world all use technology. The two biggest countries in the world laugh at football. The play off system is brilliant, possibly a look at the system is all that's needed.

I don't like the format of the playoffs. It should be top 6 and back to the old format.

Top 8 is too many and you end up with the farcical situation where, in all likelihood, it's 1v4 and 2v3 twice in two weeks. At the very least it should be 1v3 and 2v4.

No we haven't, we have had mostly play offs to decide the champions.

I hate to have to say this, but..........................................................I agree with Conroy !!!!

Woah!! Im in absolute shock. You may need to buy me a pint on Thursday to help revive me