An idea I've just come up with elsewhere to offer a better reward to 1st place.....





Perhaps a better idea would be to allow 1st to pick anyone they want straight away (probably 8th) BUT if they choose to do so they have to play in an elimination scenario. They'd still get a week off with a win but should they lose game over.



If they picked 8th the other games would be 2nd v 3rd, 4th v 5th, 6th v 7th. The two highest ranked winners would get the week off.



This way 1st taking a gamble but it's perhaps a gamble worth taking?

I doubt any coach would risk it, anything can happen in knockout rugby



How about a top 7 with the top team getting the first week off?

Or the winners of the league are crowned champions and then have a separate end of season straight knock-out comp with 1st v 8th, 2nd v 7th and so on?

To be honest I don't think it is.

I'd like to see the playoffs involve the top 6 only as long as we have a 14 team competition.



At the other end of the table I'd like to see a game between the Championship winners and the bottom placed Super League team for a place in the following year's SL.

So who would 1st play if they decline to use the Club Call pick?

The choice is you can play 4th (playing on as currently scheduled) in week 1 with the back up of the week off or play 8th but take the risk of being knocked out.



So for arguments sake its Wigan 1st, Leeds 4th and Crusaders 8th.



We could play Leeds with the back up of a week off or risk elmination by playing Crusaders instead of Leeds. So in affect we have the choice of an easier (on paper) game but with risk attached.



I'd take that risk in my view. It doesn't have to be 8th, we could pick 7th or 6th or whoever we deem easier.

I always wondered how 2 leg ties would work as in football, would be too many games though

They were quite common in Rugby League during the second world war with Wigan playing both Challenge Cup and Yorkshire Cup ties over two legs. They even contested Championship and Challenge Cup Finals during that time were contested over two legs. They lost the 1944 Challenge Cup Final over two legs winning the first leg at Central Park 3-0 but losing the 2nd Leg at Odsal 8-0.



After the war they remained in the 1st round of both Lancashire and Challenge Cups until about 1954. They made a brief return in the 1st Round of the BBC 2 Floodlit Cup during the late 60s/early 70s as well.



So it wouldn't be a new idea.

I still think that the top team should only have to win one match before progressing to Old Trafford (as it used to be).

Perfect, but too much common sense.

Top 5 was by far the best.



It should also be a separate competition. Champions are the team that finish top after the 27 rounds. Then have a play off Top 5 (maybe also a 6 - 10 play off) for another trophy.



We simply don't have enough competitions (and hence trophies) any more.

The argument people give is that the playoffs keep the seasons alive, but Premiership playoffs kept the season alive. I don't why we look at mid table clubs and care about keeping their 'season alive' when they are mid table. Teams should be striving to be the best they can and that is winning as many games as possibles. I hate this 'peaking for the playoffs' phrase. You should want to be the best from start to finish. Not for the last 1/8 of the season.