Re: Top 4 : Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:18 pm  

The format for the fixtures can be found here: http://www.superleague.co.uk/rlnewera As a Vikings fan I think if we had finished 8th then the Super 8s would have been a waste of time. Every minute wouldn't matter as we would have no chance of making the top four. The only thing we could hope to achieve would be trying to stop yourselves making the top four play-off, which isn't really what this new era is supposed to be about. The middle 8s that we are in, although bringing a certain amount of possible peril, looks like it could provide more exciting games than the Super 8, especially as teams scramble in the last couple of weeks to avoid finishing fourth or fifth.

The format for the fixtures can be found here: http://www.superleague.co.uk/rlnewera As a Vikings fan I think if we had finished 8th then the Super 8s would have been a waste of time. Every minute wouldn't matter as we would have no chance of making the top four. The only thing we could hope to achieve would be trying to stop yourselves making the top four play-off, which isn't really what this new era is supposed to be about. The middle 8s that we are in, although bringing a certain amount of possible peril, looks like it could provide more exciting games than the Super 8, especially as teams scramble in the last couple of weeks to avoid finishing fourth or fifth.

Re: Top 4 : Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:09 am  

I think maybe the middle 8s will be the most exciting & fiercely fought....4 teams wanting promotion & 4 trying to avoid the drop .

It looks to me like Leeds are the team that have changed their strategy this year & bought into the every game counts big time.

Re: Top 4 : Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:19 am  

Dead rubbers within the Top 8s, where 5 clubs are really just fighting it out for the 4th spot, means that hopefully they'll rethink this for next season.

IMHO it would be better if they gave the top club after 23 games the LLS, then had a straight minileague of top 8 sides (all starting on zero points, with league position giving 4 home games to the hightest finishers) where, after the 7 games, the top 2 went to the GF.

Re: Top 4 : Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:34 am  

shinymcshine wrote:

Dead rubbers within the Top 8s, where 5 clubs are really just fighting it out for the 4th spot, means that hopefully they'll rethink this for next season.

IMHO it would be better if they gave the top club after 23 games the LLS, then had a straight minileague of top 8 sides (all starting on zero points, with league position giving 4 home games to the hightest finishers) where, after the 7 games, the top 2 went to the GF.

I suppose the problem then though is that you end up with the same "broken" situation of previous years, where the league essentially just becomes a qualification competition for the playoffs (or mini-league in this case), and Leeds can sit happy in 5th, come good for a handful of games at the end to win the super league title, devaluing the hard work of other teams put in over the season.

At the tail end of any league season in most sports, you'll always get dead rubbers as mid-table teams play each other with no real hope of outright winning the competition.

Re: Top 4 : Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:38 am  

ninearches wrote:

I think maybe the middle 8s will be the most exciting & fiercely fought....4 teams wanting promotion & 4 trying to avoid the drop .

It looks to me like Leeds are the team that have changed their strategy this year & bought into the every game counts big time.

I disagree. BM has played this season well. He knows where he can afford to risk games by resting Sinfield and Burrow. Most of those games they lost. BM returned Sinfield to start when winning was a must to stay ahead of the pack.
Two of those games came against Wire. Thanks BM. Without that we would be middle 8ing it.

Re: Top 4 : Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:51 am  

shinymcshine wrote:

Dead rubbers within the Top 8s, where 5 clubs are really just fighting it out for the 4th spot, means that hopefully they'll rethink this for next season.

IMHO it would be better if they gave the top club after 23 games the LLS, then had a straight minileague of top 8 sides (all starting on zero points, with league position giving 4 home games to the hightest finishers) where, after the 7 games, the top 2 went to the GF.

Exactly. I said something similar previously.

It's near impossible to qualify. We will need Sandow to win us every game and Pies to lose around half or more of theirs. The system means it's not within our own hands to qualify but rather that of the higher clubs to lose it.

I said league position should perhaps give home games advantage of varying amounts not carried league points.
I also said the system was flawed months ago and gave an example how teams might play the percentages at the top and forfeit games at the bottom.
It's happened at leeds at the top resting Sinfield and it's with Wakefield at the bottom with Chester admitting their fete.

Re: Top 4 : Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:09 am  

rubber duckie wrote:

Exactly. I said something similar previously.

It's near impossible to qualify. We will need Sandow to win us every game and Pies to lose around half or more of theirs. The system means it's not within our own hands to qualify but rather that of the higher clubs to lose it.

I said league position should perhaps give home games advantage of varying amounts not carried league points.
I also said the system was flawed months ago and gave an example how teams might gamble a forfeit games.
It's happened at leeds at the top and it's happened with Wakefield at the bottom.

We've had a poop season - so why should we be in with an equal shout of the SL title along side Saints or Leeds? It was in our own hands to qualify - we've had 23 games to do it and blown it.

In 2011 we were out and out the best team, and the league table reflected it. It still leaves a bitter taste that we lost the semi, so we're technically not even considered Super League runners up. Who won it? Leeds from 5th, who were 13 points behind us and over 500 points difference worse.

There were plenty of people moaning back then about how the system should be made "fairer" for the teams that do well in the regular season - which I agree with.

Ironically the first season that they've changed it, we've had a stinker. But I still think the current system of points carried over system is fairer than resetting the points and "rewarding" the teams higher up the table with an extra home game.

Re: Top 4 : Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:18 am  

In that case the season should end this weekend and just let the top 4 okay off.

Re: Top 4 : Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:22 am  

If we're not good enough to make the top four, or at least be in a shout of making the top four with seven games to go, then we only have ourselves to blame.

Re: Top 4 : Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:55 am  

I don't disagree, we deserve to be where we are.
I'm highlighting only that the format is flawed.

We are having to go out to bring in a halfback half way around the world on daft money, or just over 11k for BBW, that may get us to win all of our games,while hoping the pies lose half of theirs.
All that just to give ourselves the slightest hope of a top 4 play off spot.
So what is the point of a top 8 at all?

Perhaps giving 4th and 5th a play off jeopardy game after the 7 rounds might give the bottom 4 something to go at?