I've always felt that, but then some other people say they like it that way, or that's how it's always been in rugby league and I should stick to watching football etc.



It may be a great achievement to twice win the Grand Final from 5th place, but for me it's more akin to that Hull Challenge Cup win under John Kear, when they knocked out all the top league sides to win it. You can be little better than mediocre for 27 league matches, then just win a few one-off games and be crowned champions.



Wigan and Warrington have both been far more consistently excellent over the past two years. During Mc Dermott's two seasons at Leeds they must have lost as many matches as in the previous four seasons, when they were often winning the Grand Finals too.



Ove the past two years Leeds have simply sustained their long run of success, but via a more difficult route because their overall standards throughout the season have slipped.

Leeds as Grand Final winners 5 times in the past 6 years (and league leaders only once in those 6 years) is an achievement no matter where they were at the end of the regular season. The RFL must shorten the play offs though to a top 5 or less and play over 2 weekends.

Why is it a farce? It's the way rugby league works and has done, with variations to the play-off format, for many years - yes, well before Superleague.



As for another sports, I'd suggest that you do your own research if you really want to know, but there are plenty of competitions worldwide which use a play-off system to determine the champions.

Si it's not a Farce if Rugby Does it? MMmm before Super League, I think you will find that the Champions were more accepted as the League Leaders and were recognised in a much better way than now. Still think it should be the Sky Sports Knockout Cup, it's only a money making exercise and with the attendances currently that must be getting tight.

This claim that Sky installed the play offs is laughable - of course they like it but the sport wanted to return to a play off system and it was the sport's decision to put it in place - just look back to the discussion of its installation in advance of the 98 season.

Perhaps you should bear in mind its the lack of "Money Making excercises" that is pushing our game to the brink.





The women in my family like to watch 'Strickly'. You turn it into a pure dancing competition and its popularity will fall. If they were a commercial station that means a fall in revenue and the business model at risk. Look at the playoffs introduced into Soccer now for some of the promotion places. The excitement, and tension generated puts bums on seats in great numbers never mind the TV money and helps keep clubs solvent. As long as clubs are in touch with a playoff place the will stick with their team. Once the team has no hope of it the casual supporter loses interest and the clubs income is affected. Its the fact that RL and other sports fail to grasp that they are a business as well as a sport that they get themselves into a financial mess.



Also, if the salary cap is working correctly then any team should be able to win it at the playoff stage and not the same 'top teams' so a team winning from 5th or even 8th shows the cap system is working surely?

I like the idea that the final game of the season should be the most important. It's also another prestige occasion for Super League to put itself in front of a wider audience.



The farce is the fact that we have a top 8 play-off. While that does have the advantage of giving some teams in the lower reaches of the legue something to aim for, it severely cheapens the play-off concept in itself. Keep it to 5, or 6 at most. In fact, get Super League down to 12 teams and have it at 5, as it was a while ago.

Leeds would still win it though, and what would everyone complain about then?

Nah, reduce it to four as it was years ago, then Leeds would have no chance.

I'll repeat the question I asked seeing as you've made no attempt to answer it:

I think I was quite clear! sorry if you do not follow!



It's a Farce when a team that comes FIFTH in the League is crowned as the Champions, where a team who plays consistent throughout the season, week in and week out thus winning Super League are classed as Minor Shield Winners. Not sure why that is not clear for you? even if you don't agree BroncOnIon! with me.



The Farce continues with second bites of the cherry, so if the top teams get beaten, they are given kindly another chance, that makes it not even a knock-out competition! I never remember that happening before the Super League era!



This is nothing against Leeds Rhinos winning last night, they have a team and squad of good Talented players that has been together now for a period, it is the system that is wrong!



I admire coaches like Mark Aston at Sheffield Eagles who bring players together, no real superstars that Super League clubs are chasing.

jaybs, what happens is quite clear to me, thanks.



But that doesn't make it a farce. If you were to say that in your opinion the system is a farce then that's fine, whether I agree or not. However you stated, as a fact, that the system is a farce. That's not a fact, just your opinion.