Its a fantastic achievment finishing top and to say it isn't just because Warrington are going to win it is ridiculous, seems to me some people on here are clutching at straws.

It's odd how little prestige coming top gets you over here compared to Australia.

Wire would be deserving winners having done the double over us and Saints, but you wouldn't put it past them to mess it up on Friday.

Correct, cant see it though, Wire seem to have the right mentality this year under Smith.

whilst the play-off's are exciting and good to watch, for me, im still of the opinion that the team who finishes top of the league should be the champs

Its 38 years since Warrington last finished top of the league at the end of the regular season.
We will consider it a fabulous achievement if we are lucky enough to do so again this season so in that context we will cherish it and talk about it for years!!
Yourselves, St Helens and Leeds to an extent would probably be less euphoric in that your succes has been much more frequent and expected.
Whoever finishes top will have earnt it and deserve it and will rightly be classed as the most consistent team of the season which in itself is an accolade to be proud of.
However I think I speak for most when I say that to finish 2nd 3rd or even lower and to go on to win the Grand Final in the current Super League format would be a much preferable and more memorable option.

I see the point about 8th becoming champions etc, but for me, that's the way the competition is set up, everyone knows that at the start, so the Champions are the team who win the Grand Final.

The hub cap is nice, and I'd rather win it than not win it, but it's in at least 3rd place behind the Grand Final and Challenge Cup for me in terms of prestige, and maybe even behind the World CLub Challenge. It just isn't the ultimate aim of the competition.

I'd find it hard to count Wigan's season a failure (I'll try really hard... ) if they don't win the Grand Final (which I think they will anyway) since there's silverware in the cabinet again. Likewise, Wire are not champions in my book unless they win at Old Trafford, regardless of whether they win the hub cap. Finishing top is an achievement, but not the ultimate goal.

BaldRick, would you really swap the 07 and 08 titles for the hubcaps? I know I wouldn't.

It's amazing how quickly the Wembley shine has faded.

While it was great to win at Wembley - more lasting memories to add to many already in the locker, the Grand Final still feels like a bigger test to me.

Okay, this year's CC was possibly an exception to the rule because Wigan took the toughest route to Wembley that I've ever seen. But it's still possible to get there and play nobody of consequence. The play-offs are the exact opposite of that. There is no easy way through. In fact you can only get to OT and win by beating all the other top teams in the competition.

I'll have enjoyed 2011 immensely even if we don't win anything else, but if it came down to it, I would still swap the Challenge Cup for the Championship.

I will be disppointed if we fail to win the shield on Friday night (I don't expect us to BTW).

Two games for me that stick out this season:

Stains at Cardiff, cruising at 16-0 with fifteen/twenty minutes to go and were lucky to get a draw in the end.

Similar story at Cas away, storming away at 20-0 (Pat Richards dropped ball), again screwed up and only came away with a draw.


Those two games for me have probably lost us the shield.

To win the sheild and not win the GF would be devastating for any team.

The shield doesn't get enough recognition for me. I know the whole point is to win the biggest title; the GF but potentially this can be done from being mediocre over the season coming 8th in the league and having a great run of form.

I love the concept of the Grand Final as it means theres still so much to play for but it should not take away and devalue the sheild. Winning the sheild is a much harder feat and this 'i'm not bothered about the hub cap' wah wah wah really grates on me.

League leaders should be champs but we know its not like that anymore. When we finished top last year nobody gave a poop until we won the GF. Its sad imo but thats the way the game has gone. League leaders is more of a self satisfaction thing nowadays, the club that wins it will be proud but nobody else gives a crap unfortunatley.

I said last year and I will still say it this year when we wont get it but I think the league leaders should be equal to the GF. The league leaders shield requires consistency and being able to push out those dirty close wins that other teams would lose. I think at the very most the Play-Offs should be a seperate competition with the participants decided on league position.

This way this year it would be something like(in order of competition won by calendar not importance before a Wire moans)Champions - Wire (probably now)
Play-off Winners - whoever probably Wigan/Wire

IMO the league leaders shield doesnt get the credit it deserves you look back at previous years its all about the GF which i thinks wrong as winning the league is harder than winning the GF maybe a better incentive could be offered for finishing top

Thats the point i made on another thread but got shouted down. They are inconsistant, none of them has even mentioned Salford turning them over in their own backyard earlier in the season, they have always done that.