Re: Sinfield's Leeds the best team ever? : Mon Oct 08, 2012 6:32 am  

Starbug wrote:

The sport needs play offs because unlike football, we dont have a higher level ( European comp ) to keep teams and fans interested, other sports ( NFL ) have them because the teams dont play even games against all the opposition

It is also a money maker, that football doesnt need, we have no choice in the matter, it has to stay unfortunatly

Exactly.

Re: Sinfield's Leeds the best team ever? : Mon Oct 08, 2012 7:08 am  

People are also tending to glorify the old league system as well. If you want a 'dud' end to the season, just have a look back at the 'good' old days of top equals champions. More often than not the competition was over well before the end of the regular rounds, and avoiding relegation was the only thing keeping some clubs going.

What saved the season from being a complete fizzer at the end was the Challenge Cup Final (again usually a month or so before the end of the season) and then the hopelessly contrived 'Premiership', which was a knockout trophy for the top 8, and certainly in my lifetime was won either by the team that really wanted it, or in later years Wigan if they could be bothered.

Now, we have TWO massive finals each season (as opposed to county cups, john player and all the other second-rate cup comps we used to have). Both are big events, and generate a lot of interest for the sport. I can just see the massive news interest in Team X managing to win the title because Team Y lost against Team Z three games before the end of the season - NOT (which again believe it or not was the sort of way the league title was settled in some seasons).

The Grand Final is a huge plus for the sport. The Play Off format could be improved on, but suggesting we get rid of it for the sake of some fictional purity is ridiculous.

Re: Sinfield's Leeds the best team ever? : Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:28 am  

Seth wrote:

At the most you're 12 years old and weren't around for the first grand final, that much is clear.

You talk bollox.Rugby fans on here are stupid.Playoffs is knock out rugby the best teams are consistent for 28 games.Wigan and Warrington won more games than Leeds in t season.

Re: Sinfield's Leeds the best team ever? : Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:32 am  

Seth wrote:

Exactly.

Just have a separate competition at t end of t season, as Champions should be top of the league.

Re: Sinfield's Leeds the best team ever? : Tue Oct 09, 2012 5:56 am  

OFFTHECUFF wrote:

Just have a separate competition at t end of t season, as Champions should be top of the league.

You really don't remember anything pre 1998 do you?

Re: Sinfield's Leeds the best team ever? : Tue Oct 09, 2012 10:39 am  

Ian Scott wrote:

You really don't remember anything pre 1998 do you?

Been watching rugby since 1984 so I think I know my rugby and played too.As I said Wigan have been the most consistent team throughout the season and should be Champions.Years ago was Stones bitter Premiership which I did enjoy the day out at Old Trafford watching my team win it a few times.My point a team just winning the playoffs with just winning just over half the games in a season is laughable.Teams like Wigan and Warrington have burnt themselves out and just lost a one off game.Credit to Leeds though for winning but in my opinion I do think consistency should be rewarded for beating most teams in a regular season.It is just my opinion and not a big issue like some on here think.I was bored off the playoffs except one semi decent and the final.Coming 5th twice how can anyone say best team ever?Best playoff team ever maybe.

Re: Sinfield's Leeds the best team ever? : Tue Oct 09, 2012 11:19 am  

OFFTHECUFF wrote:

As I said Wigan have been the most consistent team throughout the season and should be Champions

This is just a ridiculous argument and the point makes no sense. If the rules at the start of the season said the winners of the league are the champions, how do you know wigan would have won? Leeds would have had different tactics throughout the year and they may well have finished top.

Admit it, it's sour grapes all teams know the rules at the start of the year.

IMO the playoffs are necessary and not just that they are a great way to find the champions.

Re: Sinfield's Leeds the best team ever? : Tue Oct 09, 2012 11:33 am  

'Off the Cuff' is just a windup merchant......
He's been on the Wires board since Saturday windingthem up...... until the Mod warned him.

Just another Keyboard warrior ...with loads of spare time.

Re: Sinfield's Leeds the best team ever? : Tue Oct 09, 2012 11:53 am  

OFFTHECUFF wrote:

Been watching rugby since 1984 so I think I know my rugby and played too.As I said Wigan have been the most consistent team throughout the season and should be Champions.Years ago was Stones bitter Premiership which I did enjoy the day out at Old Trafford watching my team win it a few times.My point a team just winning the playoffs with just winning just over half the games in a season is laughable.

That "laughable" method was used to decide the Champions pre-1972 (Leeds would have a hell of a lot more Championships to their name if a league system had been used pre-1972 but it was decided by playoff then). You could say that in the history of rugby league the top of the league system was a relatively short lived and unsuccessful experiment from '72 to '97.

That "laughable" system of playoffs to decide Champions is also used by the NRL, the NFL the NHL, Baseball, the NBA . In football FIFA use it for all international competitoions and it's used for the Champions League. It's now been adopted by the RFU for the English premiership and the Heineken Cup has decided the Champions of Europe by league and playoff for years.

My own opinion, apart from it being the obvious way to increase interest and market your entertainment product (which is what sport is) by having an end of season finale is that it's also the best way to decide who really are "Champions". Wigan won one "Championship" under the league system on points difference. Really? You win a Championship because a couple of weeks you get better weather and/or play a crap team with injuries and run in 70 points?
The term Champion should apply to teams or individuals that turn up and perform better than anyone else on the big occasion. This is why so many sports use this system and why so many sports fans love it.

Re: Sinfield's Leeds the best team ever? : Tue Oct 09, 2012 11:56 am  

Don´t forget for one reason and another Leeds have barely been able to rest a player all season, on the other hand moneybags Warrington with a lot of depth to their squad have rested players throughout the year, and have deliberately undercooked this year, in comparison to last season in an attempt to peak at the business end, they did peak, but Leeds were better still.