Re: top 8 : Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:22 am  

Judder Man wrote:

How would people see the play offs if 8th place reaches the final.

We could for instance have the possibility of Wakefield there against Wigan.
A team who will have lost 3 times as many games and almost only have half the match points of Wigan, given the opportunity to be Superleague champions.

Another scenario is if the Bulls reach the play offs in 8th place become champions, drop down into the Championship and play the WCC from the lower league.

I think such scenarios as you outline would be great and justify the whole reason for the playoffs in the first place.

Its very unlikely that either Wakefield or Bradford will win the grand final but if either did, what stories, one from administration to the champions and the other from reurrection to the champions.

I remember, back in the day, watching a very gallant but workmanlike Huddersfield team, who had been beaten at Wembley by a very dominant Trinity the week before beating the same trinity at Odsal to win the Championship in a big upset. To get there they had had to beat Wigan at Central Park having finished 4th in the league table to qualify for the plaoffs. Who could deny them their right to be called champions.

Even more unlikley, I remember Stevos Dewsbury beating Leeds also at Odsal to become champions having qualified from something like 8th place or so. Such triumphs of underdogs are rare but are what makes sport so riveting. The vast majority of the time the usual suspects win but then they don't, it is something special.

Other great upsets I have seen were Featherstone beating moneybags Hull at Wembley and Sheffield doing the same to Wigan or Widnes stuffing Canbera for the WCC. Love it.

Re: top 8 : Sat Aug 18, 2012 7:38 pm  

Judder Man wrote:

How would people see the play offs if 8th place reaches the final.

Brilliant.

Judder Man wrote:

We could for instance have the possibility of Wakefield there against Wigan.
A team who will have lost 3 times as many games and almost only have half the match points of Wigan, given the opportunity to be Superleague champions.

A team who also would have (to get to the final) won three elimination matches, in consecutive weeks, away from home, against teams who finished in the top five places in the league. If they were to win at Old Trafford they would then have won four eliminations matches, in consecutive weeks, away from home, beating the four of the top five top placed teams the league. That is a feat worthy of champions.

Conversely should Wigan lose this hypothetical final they would have proven themselves unworthy of the title of Super League Champions. Just as all those teams who failed to make the final would have done.

[tb]

Re: top 8 : Sat Aug 18, 2012 8:02 pm  

keighley1 wrote:

I think such scenarios as you outline would be great and justify the whole reason for the playoffs in the first place.

Its very unlikely that either Wakefield or Bradford will win the grand final but if either did, what stories, one from administration to the champions and the other from reurrection to the champions.

I remember, back in the day, watching a very gallant but workmanlike Huddersfield team, who had been beaten at Wembley by a very dominant Trinity the week before beating the same trinity at Odsal to win the Championship in a big upset. To get there they had had to beat Wigan at Central Park having finished 4th in the league table to qualify for the plaoffs. Who could deny them their right to be called champions.

Even more unlikley, I remember Stevos Dewsbury beating Leeds also at Odsal to become champions having qualified from something like 8th place or so. Such triumphs of underdogs are rare but are what makes sport so riveting. The vast majority of the time the usual suspects win but then they don't, it is something special.

Other great upsets I have seen were Featherstone beating moneybags Hull at Wembley and Sheffield doing the same to Wigan or Widnes stuffing Canbera for the WCC. Love it.

No, no - you're not allowed to mention that play-offs predate SL and often involved more teams

Re: top 8 : Sat Aug 18, 2012 9:17 pm  

tb wrote:

No, no - you're not allowed to mention that play-offs predate SL and often involved more teams

Wait, RL existed before Super League?

Re: top 8 : Sun Aug 19, 2012 3:49 pm  

Oh dear, well it's not looking so good for Hull KR now.....

Re: top 8 : Sun Aug 19, 2012 3:53 pm  

yep we're gone. Disappointing, first time we've missed the playoffs in quite a while. Always next year I guess.

Re: top 8 : Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:37 pm  

Judder Man wrote:

How would people see the play offs if 8th place reaches the final.

We could for instance have the possibility of Wakefield there against Wigan.
A team who will have lost 3 times as many games and almost only have half the match points of Wigan, given the opportunity to be Superleague champions.

Another scenario is if the Bulls reach the play offs in 8th place become champions, drop down into the Championship and play the WCC from the lower league.

Dear god the whole ethos of the play off system is totally lost on you - give your head a shake old lad.

Re: top 8 : Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:42 am  

At the start of the season I did a prediction comp and had my top 8 listed as:

Saints
Wire
Wigan
Catalans
Leeds
Huddersfield
Hull
Wakefield

Not too far off lol, and they didn't have to be in order either to get a point.