Fully agree with the OP and have had this discussion several times.

If we finish top and fail to win the GF then yes it will have been a successful season but we won't be the champions. Those are the rules unfortunately. Saints have finished top the last 4 years but have won the GF once.

To finish top will be a great boost and should give the whole club huge confidence but I agree that without the grand final win it'll be quickly forgotten. It's a shame in a way that the play off system has changed because we won't quite get the same advantages for it that we would have a couple of years back. We still may have to play 3 games to get to the final and thats always a tough ask in play offs as we've found out before.

Still we can't complain too much. We look like having at least 2 huge nights to come at the DW stadium and i'm looking forward to those. To get to Old Trafford would be awesome but it will be tough.

Whoever finishes top should win the Superleague trophy, whoever finishes in the top 4 should face the top 4 from the NRL in a World Club Challenge two weeks after the grand final with both grand finals on the same day, whoever finishes bottom should be relagated.

There should be no rewards for mid table mediocre teams such as Hull Kr, Salford, Wakefield in getting into the play offs after being rubbish all year.

Looking at Hulls run in......

Harlequins (A)
Crusaders (H)
Warrington Wolves (A)
Leeds Rhinos (H)

You would have to assume they'd win the first two then lose to Wire, assume Leeds win all their remaining games (except against us) that last match becomes the decider for 4th spot.

Much rather face Hull, and I dont think its a foregone conclusion that they won't finish 4th.

Given the excellent signings we have made, Hock coming back into the side and our young players maturing, every other club will be in fear of what Wigan will do next season. We're top of the league and in great shape for the play-offs but I almost can't wait for next season!

There is nothing wrong with us knowing we are the best team in the league, like we have been so far. I still remember saints of 08 and 07 being better than Leeds even thought they were not champions. Anyone claiming to be champions though is just silly.

course we are, might as well milk it while we can we've got Leeds next week

In an ideal world we'll get Hull at home then a choice of who we play to get to the final. I really dont want Wire in the final if we get there as I think there pack is superior to ours, as is the bench. However if Wire end up playing Saints I have a feeling Saints still have the indian sign over Wire and id back us to win it providing Wire get knocked out.

I agree with about Saints still having the indian sign over Wire. Hull at home is wishful thinking it will be Leeds but you will win that one. Who will take final any one of the four for me hope its Wire but as said before Saints still have the indian sign over us. At least you have won some thing this year as last year with us it will help you kick on.

I actualy think we might win it this year. were as good and better than the teams around us . fingers crossed hey

sorry madog dont agree with you there for me the team that finishes top should be the champions they are the best team over the season, its only sky and the comedy duo that down grade the league leaders sheild, for me a team that finishes in 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,then could end up as champions somehow does not seem right.

I remember standing at OT in '98....Nervous as hell, and wondering why we had to go through all this!
We'd 'won' the league already, but had to prove it again in a one-off match against Leeds - Who had already beaten us twice that season (IIRC?).
Didnt enjoy the game one bit and when the final whistle went, and we'd won, it was sheer relief more than anything else.
Had we lost that night, myself (and thousands more) would have felt cheated out of a title that we'd already won.
I completely understand why we've gone to a playoff system (and Yawnion has followed suit), but i'm just not sure that its just reward for a seasons effort?
There can be no doubt that (so far) we have been consistantly better performing than every other team in the league.
And yet, theoretically, even the Crusaders could ultimately be crowned 'Champs'.

I'm not confident that we'll go all the way this year.
Saints and Leeds should still justifiably be favourites in a playoff format.
We dont seem to do so well in the high-pressure one-off games - whereas both of those sides know exactly what to do.
Given the season we've just watched......Does that make them better than us?
The league table suggests not - But as OP's have mentioned, nobody will remember that.
Personally, i'd like to see the Prem playoffs back again and the title awarded to the team that finishes top (whoever it is). Perhaps the reward for winning the Prem Final, could be the spot in the WCC? Just to make it more interesting.
Aint gonna happen though, and a whole lot of fans have been brainwashed by the powers that be into believing that the playoffs are a fair and just way to sort out league champs.
Which it isnt IMHO.

You would assume they'd lose to Wire but playing a week before they possibly play in the Cup Final could be timely.

Bang on Leyland bang on mate,if you finish top you should be Champs.

That's how I felt in 2000 after we lost to Saints.