: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:23 pm  

HyperbolicRhino wrote:

I have to admit, it has somewhat diluted the importance of league matches and the season in general. For example, noone on here seems massively bothered about losing to Saints on Friday. Why? Because we know we can and will play a lot better when it really matters, and because we know the odd two points here and there don't matter in the slightest.

Of course it'd have been great to win, but losing matches here and there throughout the regular season never stopped us winning the major prize in 2007 & 2008. We know that, given the depth of our squad, it's going to take a big effort from someone to push us out of the top 2, and an even bigger effort to deny us another Grand Final appearance.

So, it's that old debate again - is the regular season a bit of a drawn out waste of time? As Bradford proved in 2005, a team can be average at best for most of the year (didn't we spank them 3 times in the league that year?), then come good in the last month or two and walk away with the prize. Granted there were mitigating circumstances, notably Saints' injuries that year, but the fact was that the team who peaked at the right time became champions, despite being garbage for most of the season.

The only league games I get really up for nowadays are those against Saints (because they're the only team to be on a par with us throughout a full season) Bradford (because Leeds Bradford games will always mean something, no matter where each team is in the league) and Wigan (because they usually lift themselves massively against us in league matches, which always adds that "uncertainty" factor to the build up). I Hate to say it, but beyond that, not many other games get me that excited nowadays.

Good points in there..

Looking at the footy league, after Man Utd's last two losses there is pressure on them to win their next match...

If this was superleague with 8 games left and Leeds/Saints had just lost two on the bounce, would there be as much pressure to win the next to avoid losing top spot...well we know the answer cause it happened last year....

Therefore the build-up to the next games is virtually non existant...

Who would prefer a return to the old league system to see many more tighter games, were losing is unthinkable?

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:49 pm  

the wicker man wrote:

Who would prefer a return to the old league system to see many more tighter games, were losing is unthinkable?

Which "old" league system? The old one, the old, old one, the old, old, old one, or the really, really old one? (currently our competiton is pretty close to that in operation in the 60's -early 70's prior to two divisions. A league leaders shield followed by a playoff to decide the Champions).

The only way we will return to tighter games is to have more than two competitive teams, and in any league system a win or loss 5 weeks in is not going to determine the outcome of the competition. Coaches don't want to pile undue pressure on their players when they still have 6 months footy to play.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:54 pm  

Also worth pointing out what a tremendous success the GF has been for the sport. For once we saw what the Australians were doing (what we'd been doing in the 60's) and realised that having a big final to crown the Champions was the way to revitalise a flagging league system.
But hey, we wouldn't be having this discussion if Saints hadn't lost the last two GF's would we?

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:57 pm  

Dave Heron's Moustache wrote:

Also worth pointing out what a tremendous success the GF has been for the sport. For once we saw what the Australians were doing (what we'd been doing in the 60's) and realised that having a big final to crown the Champions was the way to revitalise a flagging league system.
But hey, we wouldn't be having this discussion if Saints hadn't lost the last two GF's would we?

Nope, nor were we having it when Saints beat the Bulls in the GF from 2nd.

Typical Saints fans really. Must come from being in Wigan's shadow.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:59 pm  

G1 wrote:

Nope, nor were we having it when Saints beat the Bulls in the GF from 2nd.

Typical Saints fans really. Must come from being in Wigan's shadow.

Ouch!

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:08 pm  

G1 wrote:

Nope, nor were we having it when Saints beat the Bulls in the GF from 2nd.

Typical Saints fans really. Must come from being in Wigan's shadow.

You're growing on me.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:20 pm  

Dave Heron's Moustache wrote:

Which "old" league system? The old one, the old, old one, the old, old, old one, or the really, really old one? (currently our competiton is pretty close to that in operation in the 60's -early 70's prior to two divisions. A league leaders shield followed by a playoff to decide the Champions).

The only way we will return to tighter games is to have more than two competitive teams, and in any league system a win or loss 5 weeks in is not going to determine the outcome of the competition. Coaches don't want to pile undue pressure on their players when they still have 6 months footy to play.

The system that provides a team with the most points the title....fair system and incourages more competitive games overall...

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:03 pm  

the wicker man wrote:

The system that provides a team with the most points the title....fair system and incourages more competitive games overall...

Even the Wigan fans aren't so arrogant as to want to change the competition because they can't win it. Neither were the Bulls fans when they lost from 1st place twice. Only you lot would scrap the showpiece event of the Rugby year, one of the greatest events in British sport, because you got totaly rolled over by a better big game team two years running.

Pathetic. There simply is no other word.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:28 pm  

the wicker man wrote:

The system that provides a team with the most points the title....fair system and incourages more competitive games overall...

TRANSLATION: We consistently collect hub-caps but consistently choke in the big games so lets move the goalposts so that people may call us Champions instead of chokers.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:43 pm  

Dave Heron's Moustache wrote:

Even the Wigan fans aren't so arrogant as to want to change the competition because they can't win it. Neither were the Bulls fans when they lost from 1st place twice.

Give Bradford a chance to complain first. With Hood in charge it's pretty much a given.

The teams that have missed out on being Champions after finishing top are:

1999 Bradford (St Helens)
2000 Wigan (St Helens)
2005 St Helens (Bradford)
2007 St Helens (Leeds)
2008 St Helens (Leeds)