A simpler and fairer method would be to have 4 teams play straight knockout to have the right to play Wigan each year in the final - simples!

Id scrap them altogether and have an end of season knock out cup comp for SL only, if they really want the season to run into October

I still think whoever comes first in the league should be champions

Everybody thinks winner of league must be champions, which is arguably true, but the money and viewing figures it attracts, it only makes sense.
Plus, we're brought up watching football so can only presume you must finish top to be crowned champions, when nearly every other sport in the world has a play off system.

The biggest weakness in the playoff system both here and in Australia is that in the end you boil it down to having 4 teams, playing a semi final for a final, just like a cup system.

This undermines the "second bite of the cherry" idea because it means if you've finished top 2 you can have a second bite of the cherry if you lose your first playoff but if you win that handsomely and lose your next playoff then its all over. This is what bit us on the ass last year, contrary to the view that Warrington can't handle playoffs, we smashed Huddersfield 47-0 which sent us straight to the semi, where we lost.

The same happened to Melbourne Storm last year in the NRL, they finished top, beat Newcastle in their first playoff, and lost to NZ Warriors in the semi. Season over.

True, but they did have to beat St Helens, who'd already played Wigan twice and beaten us twice. Leeds' run to the final last season only looked 'soft' because they had to play Huddersfield in week two, who were a spent force by that point and were on the back of a 47-0 thumping at Warrington. They still had to beat 8th, 4th, 1st and 3rd (who'd beaten 2nd twice) to win the trophy, with no second chances if they lost, and only the first game at home.

Even so, what we've got at the moment doesn't give enough advantage to the League Leaders, IMO. The only advantage of finishing top rather than 2nd is Club Call, which is a dubious advantage anyway. Warrington not making the final after finishing top and winning 50% of their play-off games last season showed it up as flawed. I'd go with the 5-team system, though the scrap for 8th place at the moment is providing some entertainment.

ATEOTD, that's all the CC has become now. Toulouse in '05 aside, no club from outside SL has had a sniff of winning the thing and I can't see that changing any time soon.

The worst aspect of the play offs is the possible repeat fixtures that the top teams can play. A top four team can play the same team they have already beaten

I'm reckoning

A, 1 Wigan v 4 Saints >>Wigan
B, 2 Wire v 3 Catalans >>Wire
C, 5 Leeds v 8 Bulls >>Leeds
D, 6 Hull FC v 7 Hudds >> Hull

As someone as already pointed out, a top 5 system with the current top 5 teams would give us 4 weeks of oustanding action. Under the current system the playoffs only get going in week 3 rather than week 1.

I also believe the team finishing top should be champions, but we only get two 70,000 plus crowds in RL and scrapping the playoffs would get rid of one of them 70,000. RL cannot afford to do that.

Its a shame the RFL scrapped GB and the Ashes series because in the 90's it was attracting 50,000 plus crowds at Old Trafford and Elland Rd and 70,000 crowds at Wembley. Real big occasions that for some reason have been binned.

With bulls losing to Hull it looks like Wakey might be in the mix.

I agree with your predictions though.

We could only just fill the DW last time around though. Unfortunately, big RL crowds died with the invention of Super League, but don't let Sky hear you say that.

Whichever play off method we have, the team that finish top should go straight to OT.

Only just realised that we could end up with Catalan at home in week one, lose to them and end up having to go to France for a semi final two weeks later.

That'd be doing it tough.

To be quite honest I would be happier going to Wigan in the play offs rather than Warrington on there current form. Last year we lost every game in the regular season apart from Magic weekend that was a draw???? And come the play offs we won twice which shows we are capable. Cant remember if that was last year or the year before. I cant see this happening and Im praying Mike Rush see's sense before the play offs and plays Tony Puletua in the front row ahead of Anthony Laffranchi. This is a area we seriously struggle with against teams like Wigan and Warrington. The forward battle will be immense whoever we play.

With Catalans winning today they have overtaken Leeds into fourth place.

Next week's games.

Catalans v Bradford
Hudds v Leeds
Wigan v Saints


If we beat Saints and the Dragons also win, then it will be Wire v Catalans and us v Saints.