That'd be a bloody big cup if it were true. Do they still play for that monstrosity in football (European cup?) my recollections of seeing it feature Emelyn 'crazy horse' Hughes so it's a while ago.

Hey John D, how can it be meaningless when it's a measurement of how a team has performed over the whole season rather than the few weeks it takes to stage the play-offs? I think winning the Premiership is a major achievement that any team should be proud of.

Hey John D, how can it be meaningless when it's a measurement of how a team has performed over the whole season rather than the few weeks it takes to stage the play-offs? I think winning the Premiership is a major achievement that any team should be proud of.

If it was up to a rapidly growing number of fans, he wouldn't be here at the start of next season!

The performance that Hull KR put in against Wakey (ie a lacklustre "if we lose this we might not have to play Rhinos" performance) sums up the competition; clubs simply want to make the play-offs and get a home draw. Cas are over the moon to make the play-offs because they know that even though they finished 12-14 points behind us, they have just about as good chance of making the GF as us. The new play-off system barely gives any advantage to a club who has done well over the course of the season.

The major advantage is to the first and second placed clubs with a minor advantage to third and fourth - but to any of the clubs as a whole, and a reason why Bradfords accountant will be on suicide watch this weekend, the major advantage is of a financial nature, the scrap for eighth place is about money, nothing else.

Interestingly this year, the top team gets one game only to qualify for the Final. Whereas in previous years there was a buffer if you lost you still go another shot.

Not true. The losers of the top four round in the first week play the winners of the lower placed four play offs in the second week.

well i for one am very proud of the rhinos for getting top spot its shows they have worked their butts off all season

Yes that's the major change. Both finalists have to win a minimum of two games to reach the final now whereas in the past one of the teams got there with a single win.



No more rest for one of the finalists the week before the final either.

Ah. I see what Al was meaning now. Apologies.

Isn't the season finished now? Seemed to me that a whole bunch of Sts fans on the VT reckoned that winning this shield thingy was all that mattered. I suggest Leeds simply withdraw from the play-offs and allow the lesser teams to battle it out for the meaningless GF, whilst we can bask in the glory of having won the shield thing.



To be vaguely serious, well done to the team and Bluey also. However, in a lot of ways the season starts here.