i look back on the season and just think it was unequivocally lame. very few matches that were actual competitions, some entertainment resulting from low skill, low intensity games going to the wire (figure of speech, not warrington) and very few real highlights. from the whole league.

teams are resting players who are not injured knowing they can do so and still quite easily have a shot at winning the grand final. you might follow your team in any type of game they play, but most fans will wise up and start to pick and chose.

I only missed 4 of the 36 games that Wigan played this year and next year will be no different.

The key statistic though is that whereas I barely missed a TV game regardless of who was playing, I've only bothered to watch about 6 games this year that didn't involve Wigan (pre playoffs) and two of them bored me to death.

What a depressing thread, not that I disagree with most of the comments (I don't agree with the unwelcome visitors to the board who seem to think this is all because we lost).

I said on another board recently that Wigan fans have a tendency to think more about the game as a whole than simply our own club and that other clubs' fans tend to think more about their own club first. That sounds arrogant but threads like this and others over the years (like the stupid SC comments from Saints fans in particular) prove it is true.

I despair for RL at the moment.

The management and structures of the sport are just not fit for purpose.

The treatment of Tomkins shows the sport for what it is, petty, parochial and self-defeating. We waited c20 years for another player of similar gifts to Hanley to come along and then when he does the sport gives him the MoS a year late, after the greatest player of his generation suffered abuse from so-called RL fans. Instead of praising him we have stupid threads on rlfans.com in which Tomkins is said to be worse than just about any NRL full back. This stuff is just hate-filled nonsense, but it tells us a lot about the mindset of many RL fans.

What's even worse is that in 20 years' time we simply won't have sublimely talented players like Tomkins in Sooopah Doooopah League or even players who are very good. We will have very mediocre players playing for poor pay in front of small crowds at empty stadiums. The standard has dropped noticeably in the last few years and we can expect things to get worse.

The same people will moan and have a go at him should he leave for the NRL or indeed RU.

I was too young to remember, but were Edwards, Hanley, Gregory or anyone else ever booed by Great Britain fans whilst playing for Great Britain? (I know Longy was when the teams were read out but he wasn't during the game IIRC)

I've been holding off commenting on this thread as I didn't want it to seem like a dummy spit after our exit but I do agree with most comments on here.

Ive been a Wigan fan since I was 11, I was a season ticket holder for 14 years until I started a job 4 years ago that heavily involves shift work; as such I missed more games than I could get to. This was gutting at first as I loved going to every game and watching some great encounters.

However, even if I could still get a season ticket I wouldn't. This year I would have actually been able to get a to a few games that I didnt bother with. The quality of most of the opposition is a joke, am I really expected to pay £20 (£30 including travel) to watch Salford or Widnes or Cas make a game out of it for 5mins especially when the results dont matter??

Prior to this year I'd book the evening/day/night off for the bigger games but again this year I've come to realise the games are meaningless. I dont usually go to friendlies because I dont like friendlies, I want games to mean something and I want the players to play like it means something.

This year I've probably watched 3 games on Sky that didnt involve Wigan and next year I wont be re-subscribing to Sky Sports until very late in the season. I do like the Grand Final, its nice to have a big show piece at the end but something has got to be done about the regular season before more people realise its just a load of meaningless games where teams warm up for a small 3 game final series. This season its been more evident than any before, Tony Smiths face when Warrington lose sums it up, he couldnt give a toss. Most losses by the bigger teams have been shrugged aside by their players and coaches as if they didnt matter. Well it does to the fans and it should to the team.

None of my non-rugby friends can believe a team who finishes in the BOTTOM HALF of the table can win the league, its crazy.

I predict in 10 years time the game is not classed as professional and thats a shame because played and run properly it is the best sport in the world.

Now im off to listen to Radiohead and Morrissey.

rlThis thread summed up in the YEP article?rl

Good article. Even recommends changing to a top five playoff to raise the standards during the season, as belowThe league campaign is a qualifying system for the post-season series. The rules are clear and all Leeds are doing is making the most of those rules.

Clearly Rhinos don’t set out to be inconsistent during the weekly rounds, but their season is geared around coming good when it really matters.

It’s not Rhinos’ fault that fifth place offers a better prospect of getting to Old Trafford than fourth, for example.

The system may be – indeed is – wrong, but Leeds can’t be blamed for taking advantage of its weaknesses.

The league rounds would be more relevant if fewer teams qualified for the play-offs. A top-six, or even better five, system would force teams like Rhinos to step up their performances earlier in the year, or risk missing out.

It would make for more intense matches throughout the year and during the play-offs as well because the standard would be higher.'"

I dont think anyone is blaming Leeds, they are playing to the system and thats fair enough, they've done a bloody good job.

The fact that over half a league can enter a play-off series with some teams having less than a 50% win ratio is laughable and I cannot think of another sport where this happens

Spot on! Feel exactly that.

I've read every page of this thread and it has been a brilliant read, not often that you can say that about this site lately! I pretty much agree with all of it. I think the top 6 system that was used a few years ago would be best. Doesn't alienate quite so many teams as a top 5 would yet it still rewards teams for finishing higher up the table. I think the standard would be good enough too, if Huddersfield don't fall downhill now and Hull can fulfil their potential!

1999 just called...it wants it's crap idea back.

what a bunch of boring e, it has been a great season and i can't wait for next season and i suspect as soon as withdrawal kicks in some of you moaners will as well.

are you being serious its been the worst standard for a decade!

I have just sent the following email to the RFL

"I have been a season ticket holder at Wigan for almost thirty years. For the first time ever I am contemplating not renewing my season ticket.

The reason for this is as follows:

Rugby league is run as a minority sport and is now light years behind rugby union in its profile.

The officiating and disciplinary process has become so incompetent and inconsistent as to make the competition a lottery.

The salary cap has achieved the lowering of playing standards whilst still allowing for lesser clubs to constantly flirt with administration.

The youth system (academy teams) are now being dismantled for reasons i do not understand. This initiative will weaken our sport in the long term.

I do not understand the strategy and direction of the RFL at a time when the whole world is facing austere financial measures.

I do not expect a response to my points as I expect little from an organisation who exhibits no leadership, strategy or vision for the future. "