And always will do as long as fans such as yourself peddle the Sky doctrine.

Indeed.

I can't see how the CC which you win after five games means more than coming top of the league after all the weekly rounds?

I was more proud of us getting the hub than the GF win. When we won the hub cap I remembered the hard thought victories at Saints, Wire, Leeds and Hudds and that hub cap was a reward for being the best team from the first round to the last round. That really made me proud of the great season we had.

Of course the GF win was epic but it was more of a relief as that champions crown, imo, was already ours.

I'll say that for any team that wins the hub cap this season as well.

Hardest piece of silverware to win

I don't peddle the Sky doctrine. I've said many a time the team that comes top should be the Champions, but the fact is they aren't.

If we finish top and lose in the playoffs, what will we be awarded for this season? Nothing. Finish 2nd and play to the rules and we will be the Champions.

Rightly or wrongly they are the rules.

It SHOULD mean everything. The season SHOULD end after Rd 27 with the side on top being crowned Champions.

It doesn't though. It ends (rightly or wrongly) when a team are crowned Champions at Old Trafford.

I'd take the cup and being the Champions every day over coming top and winning a dinner plate.

Of course i'd take the GF win over anything as like you say we are then the champions.

BUT the challenge cup means absolutely nothing to me.

If we win the CC we get a nice day out at Wembley that’s it and get a trophy we’ve won more times than many of us have had hot dinners.

Had a discussion with a few Leeds fans the other week who claimed that the only competition they wanted to win was the Challenge Cup and that for the Rhinos it is and always has been the Holy Grail. My argument was that it's not a fair comp as the salary cap isn't the same for non-Super League teams and someone could get to the semi's without facing a real challenge, therefore it is a poor competition and not "The FA Cup of Rugby" as they claimed!

In truth i'd say the league leaders shield is the best of them all as if you think about it, you have to play everyone home and away and overcome injuries, poor decisions etc along the way, to then be top of the pile come the end is the greatest achievement. As good as the playoffs are I think they can be effected by a bad call, injuries, suspensions etc which can have a massive impact on a team's progress. They have no real bearing on who is the best team, it's just who can put together 3 or 4 wins over the course of a month. I know that the one to win is the playoff final but I genuinely don't think it is a fair way to crown a champion side.

I also agree with the earlier comment that we shouldn't get carried away just yet, there is a very very long way to go!!!

16 team league. No play offs. No Magic Weekend. Play each team home and away. League winners are champions. Two teams relegated.

Clean sweep - that's £10 the OP won't be seeing again. It's already failed, or do you mean a clean sweep of not losing? It can't be winning.

If you read the OP he means winning the 3 available trophies not winning every game

i just cannot wait to get the numbers back, taking into consideration the players we are currently missing i would say we already have improved on last season.

No you are wrong.


The way the competition is structured means that the hub cap means nothing.

Therefore teams prepare themselves for elimination playoffs at the end of the season. Their whole season is geared up towards maximising their chances in this.

Now you may argue that coming top of the regular season deserves more kudos than it gets, and that's a different line of argument.

However, as it stands, the hubcab really does mean nothing.

WRONG

It means you are the most consistent side over the course of the regular rounds which means a hell of a lot more than winning 5 games like you do with the cup.

I just do not understand why people rave about the CC? Half the games are played against semi pro’s and most of the time you only really play one or possibly two big teams.


1-GF
2-HUB CAP


3-CC

er no not "WRONG".

Listen, these are the rules of the competition laid out before a ball is kicked in anger.

You may not agree with them but given they are there, every team must play within them.

You may think that the hub cap is worthwhile but as far as the SL competition is concerned it really does mean nothing other than conveying an (ever so slight) advantage to the team that wins it in the playoffs.

If you win the clean sweep i'll donate £50 to the Mike Gregory charity, won't happen.