Ok so i'm sad and did a basic maths equation on the current system and i was surprised by the result. I'll show later what i based it on but this was the conclusion.

5th is the second most advantageous position behind 1st



In order of most advantageous

1st

5th

2nd & 6th joint

3rd & 7th joint

4th & 8th joint



This is based on the worst possible outcome for each team.

Giving 1st place a score of 10 working down and giving 8th a score of 3.

Adding the points up, and lower the tally the easier, 5th came out second.



Any team that plays against 1st gets 10 points.



So opening round

Wigan 7 points

Wire 8 points

Saints 9 points

Catalan 10 points

Leeds 3 points

you can work out the rest.

Then you work it as though you may play all the rounds.

Crowds, Saints V Wigan finals at Old Trafford.

1992 33157

1993 36598

1996 35013

1997 33385

This could all be sorted so easily all they need is 2 titles "League Champions" instead of leaders and "Playoff Champions".



You'd think it was rocket science but it really isn't.

Sure a Hull v Widnes final got a 40-odd thousand sell out. Think it was when OT was being redeveloped and capacity was restricted.



I still maintain that the GF impacts on the Test attendances. Since the GF was introduced we've barely had a Test crowd over 25k. Prior to the GF we had an Ashes in 1994 with crowds of 40k, 50k, and 70k.



Getting rid of GB and the Ashes - another RFL brainwave!



We need a 26 game league season intermittent with the Challenge Cup games. Top of league is Champions, the top 8 then playoff for the Premiership trophy. Then have an Ashes, a Tri Nations or a World Cup.

crowds at Wembley

1985 99K

1987 91K

1988 94K



by your logic the challenge cup is now officially a failure

i've said that before, we have 4 champions in golf per year, 4 champions in tennis. Why not 2 in RL?



Only problem is, which Championship would be continuous from the last 115 years?



Would the 'League Championship' be our 20th title or the 'Playoff Championship'? Or if we win both are we on 21 titles????



Just being Devils Advocate

I would say that the League Championship would be the one that counted towards that record and the Playoffs would be a new competition. I mean pre-summer rugby we had loads of competitions we had the league, Regal Trophy, Challenge Cup, Lancashire Cup etc.



So I really dont see why theyre worried about dilution or anything and the playoffs would still be a big thing so Sky wouldnt lose anything and they could make a big thing about the "Race for the League Championship" too which they dont make about the race for 1st place. Plus they could keep their crappy "race for the final playoff place" or whatever they called the thing for 8th place.

I did not imply anything, just stated facts.

Yeah I would go for that, or just Champions, and Grand Final winners, like we have with Challenge Cup winners / holders, and you’re right it’s not rocket science but they’ll never see the blindingly obvious with their heads buried in the Sahara desert.

The first thing the RFL could do is simply revert back to a top 6. that would be one step closer to sanity.



Its simply means if you finish top you have to lose 2 home games to not make the GF, which is a lot more unlikely than losing 1 home game. It immediatley gives advantage back to the team finishing top and give competition back to the regular season.

That's the problem. There is nothing wrong with having a playoff system to decide the Champions, what is wrong is having a regular season format that matters little when the playoffs roll around. Each and every regular season game should have the same intensity of the playoffs because one slip up and one drop of position in the league and you're GF chances go down the swanny.

And as soon as your chances of making the 6 disappear you give up trying? Ergo.