You can lose the first game in the NRL but then you have to win another game to qualify for the semi final. Not a fan of that either - I firmly believe the old top 6 system we had in the mid 2000s was the best one.

The NRL has more teams, though, so top 8 doesn't seem unreasonable. I agree that top 6 should be enough for the size of SL. But I doubt they'd go back to that because of "make every game matter", unfortunately.

Where and when would this hyping up take place and to what real value?

Just listen to the commentary and how they will be saying its the greatest super league season ever because there is all to play for going into the final round of matches. Salford sending a virtual reserve side, means that the hype for KR and top spot is virtually gone (without counting our chickens)

in reality, apart from Wigan and KR, the rest have been hit and miss all season, even Wigan havent been great as we've been managing our efforts to peak for WCC, CC and now a tilt at the GF. Its now left sides in 3-7 with something to play for, so sky will be hyping it up the best they can

I prefer a top 5 play off system. It encourages clubs to be honest and rewards success.

If it does turn out to be Wigan v Saints, very likely IMO, in the semi at least for once it should be a good crowd on.
The I'm saving my money for the final excuse really does go out the window for the derby, should easily be 20k+

The top 5 system doesn't work IMO as it creates the likelihood of a repeat fixture in the same playoff series. Remember the pitiful crowd against Salford in 2019? Getting smashed by Saints the week before won't have helped but playing the same team we played a fortnight earlier won't attract many through the gates.

Agree with this.

The current system is the best we've had imo.

The others are too convoluted with second chances and repeat fixtures. Of course it sucks if you've been the best team all season then lose one play off game and you're out but ultimately you have to be better than that to win and I think that's reasonable.

Also, I will be terrified ahead of a potential Saints semi. Obviously I think we win like 80% of the time but if they have a full team they'll put up a fight. I'm still traumatised by losses against the Rhinos when they looked like they were cooked in the 2010s.

Not in my view it doesn’t reward success enough, as Leeds have proved in the past.

Much prefer the system of win a game and through to the final or lose and get a second chance as was the case years ago.

How do you mean?

What have Leeds proved in the past?

That under the current system it is too easy to win a GF from sixth place.

They haven't won it under this system
And before you say 2017, they used super 8s to qualify for the semi final so it wasn't this system

Theres been similar chat in our rugby whatsappp group the last few days about play off systems, driven by Salfords decision.
And after getting frustrated reading dozens off messages, I referenced my frustration at reading this thread

There is no system that makes every game count, teams/clubs will.always do what's best for them and quite rightly so
HKR didn't give a monkeys 2023 when they rested 20 players at our place before the CC final? We finished top on points difference last year, if they don't do that then maybe we don't finish top, or 2nd or whatever

And youll be able to find similar things through wvery season, even first past the post when teams rested players before big Challenge cup games

On this thread, on our WhatsApp group, sat listening to people in pubs everyone criticises The RFL, the structure, a club whatever when something like this happens, and then say it was better when we had x, y or z conveniently forgetting the troubles those systems had and everyone whos complaing is in agreement that this system is wrong but they all disagree about what the best system is.

Will always be the same

Firstly, I have not criticised Salford’s decision although I have expressed the reasons why I find it a bit strange. I would have thought that they would have wanted a home tie in the play offs.

Secondly, I accept your point that Leeds became champions from a different system than the one currently in place, if anything that system rewarded mediocrity even more. It still stick by my comment that the top five gave greater reward to the clubs that had performed best over the whole season, and rightly so.

I do feel this is the best system we've had but we have never had one that everyone will agree on and we likely never will. Maybe if we dropped the loop fixtures we could come up with some sort of new phase, where a top 4 or whatever go in to a mini league and the league leaders start with a 2 point advantage. If you had a 4 team mini league, you would have 3 weeks worth of superb fixtures before a top 2 went in to a Grand Final. In that sort of format every try/point in a game would count as it could come down to points difference in terms of who made a Grand Final. There are probably massive holes in an idea like that (I did only think of it off the top of my head in fairness) but it feels like it covers a few bases in terms of only the elite teams in any given season having a chance of winning a GF and it would give the league leaders an advantage.