Have they tho', Bradford have been in decline for a few years now and only scraped a play off place last year. Wigan have had a similar season to what they have had over the last few years. Hull have been on a par to how they were last year and warrington have the tag of eternal underachievers (this years cup aside).

I feel the comp has become more level overall, there were some poor games over the weekend but I wonder how much of that had to do with the format of games rather than the teams in it. Both us and Hudds had very different teams playing than would have played had it been knock out rugby and the atmosphere had the feel of a not do or die tie.

Saints aren't the team they were but still have the belief and quality to win games, Leeds look a cut above and likely to win it, but is that much different to previous years.

Surely if the comp had 'got easier' then teams such as Wigan and Wire who seem to covet the talent in the game would have come through and won it at a canter.

I never said it got easier I said the rugby has got worse. Teams have leveled out because the better sides are getting worse aswell as the lesser sides getting better.

The best sides now are the ones that can maintain form, because you have a quality coach you are a quality side. If you had agar you would be as equally rubbish

I think the defences have got better, but that's made it a worse spectacle.

a grueling, low scoring, low penalty game may be technically good. But fans want to see players intercepting balls, playing knocking on under pressure, throwing outlandish passes out wide in desperation because theres 5mins left etc

I don't think the playoff format can be blamed though, Wakefield-Catalan and Wigan-Cas were hardly thrilling and they were under the same format at the old playoffs (just involving teams 5th-8th instead of 3rd-6th)

In 2009, really?

But not for the last 2 in west Hull

It this a new sport??

Is it abit like Mud Wrestling for gays?

damn

i missed the "a" from between the "g" & "y"

damn, beat me to it

And how many times did you have to make the play offs before you achieved it?

How many second chances did we get from 3rd and 4th place finishes?

My mistake I thought we had finished 2nd in 2001 but we came 3rd.

I was referring to our 3rd place finish in 2004 which saw us eliminated in the first round.

whats your point? The top sides were far superior at that time due to no salary cap

How long did it take you to win the challenge cup? but yet you still bang on about the one and only time