Re: Have saints out maneuverd leeds? : Sun Aug 04, 2013 9:11 pm  

Some of you are mental.

Re: Have saints out maneuverd leeds? : Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:02 am  

We've put in some better performances of late. Our forwards are more fierce, as they should have been all along, and we've got some danger out wide, but we're still lacking a half back that is GF Winners quality and until that changes, I can't see us getting through the playoffs.

Re: Have saints out maneuverd leeds? : Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:04 am  

If ANY team wins it again from 5th then maybe the Superleague will see the present playoff system for the farce it is.

Re: Have saints out maneuverd leeds? : Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:13 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

If ANY team wins it again from 5th then maybe the Superleague will see that playoff system for the farce it is.

In the original 5 team play off system, the 5th place team would have to play 4 (away) games against the 4 teams that finshed above them and beat them all. If a team did that, fair play to them.
I think it was in 1999, Cas finished 5th, beat Wigan in their first game, Leeds (i think) in their second, before going down at St Helens. It was a very exciting time - seeing how far the underdog's could battle.

The thing that really gripes me about the playoffs now, apart from the large number of teams, is that for the past two years, we've played consecutive games against the same team - Wigan in 2011 and Wire in 2012. Its rubbish.

Re: Have saints out maneuverd leeds? : Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:26 am  

FlexWheeler wrote:

Saints have done well to engineer a 5th place spot. It's not impossible, but it's unlikely leeds will be able to lose enough of their remaining games to get the coveted 5th spot.

It seems saints good early season form, including losses to the likes of huddersfield and leeds has been instrumental in this.

With 5th place, saints will notice a big difference in the playoffs. The benefit of an easier run, playing more favourable teams and a route straight through to old trafford with some nice momentum building wins for the big day itself.

Can saints win the grand final?

If they can hang onto 5th place, and leeds don't hit a rich vein of losing form, they'll be some squeaky bums from over 't' hill.

I realise that was written with an element of jest, however St Helens can win the Grand Final and will have a reasonable chance from 5th. I honestly get disillusioned about the state of our game. Just my opinion of course but i simply want whoever finishes top wins the league and to restore the CC final to it's rightful place as the 'showpiece' event at the end of the season.

Re: Have saints out maneuverd leeds? : Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:53 am  

Eastbourne Warrior wrote:

I realise that was written with an element of jest, however St Helens can win the Grand Final and will have a reasonable chance from 5th. I honestly get disillusioned about the state of our game. Just my opinion of course but i simply want whoever finishes top wins the league and to restore the CC final to it's rightful place as the 'showpiece' event at the end of the season.

No. Playoffs do work. It's the current system of allowing 8 out of 14 teams to enter the playoffs which is a nonsense. The top 5 playoff system worked very well, with plenty to play for, and meaningful league positions. The current majority playoffs/club call nonsense is the problem, not the play-off system as a whole.

Re: Have saints out maneuverd leeds? : Mon Aug 05, 2013 9:07 am  

Roy Haggerty wrote:

No. Playoffs do work. It's the current system of allowing 8 out of 14 teams to enter the playoffs which is a nonsense. The top 5 playoff system worked very well, with plenty to play for, and meaningful league positions. The current majority playoffs/club call nonsense is the problem, not the play-off system as a whole.

It stinks of the RFLs policy of trying to make every one a winner, but it just dilutes success.
They'll argue that it gives more teams "something to play for" in terms of qualifying for the playoffs, but in fact, it creates a cushion for 4-5 of the better teams to be as patchy as they want, knowing they'll easily qualify - Saints being a prime example this year.

Re: Have saints out maneuverd leeds? : Mon Aug 05, 2013 10:35 am  

Roy Haggerty wrote:

No. Playoffs do work. It's the current system of allowing 8 out of 14 teams to enter the playoffs which is a nonsense. The top 5 playoff system worked very well, with plenty to play for, and meaningful league positions. The current majority playoffs/club call nonsense is the problem, not the play-off system as a whole.

Exactly. Almost every fan I speak to would like to see the top 5 sytem brought back (if we are to have a play off system that is)

It rewarded the team that finished top in that they only had to win one game to get to the final, and gave them a couple of rest weeks, and as Offside Monkey says the fifth placed team would have to beat every team above them away from home to be crowned champions.

Re: Have saints out maneuverd leeds? : Mon Aug 05, 2013 10:41 am  

Slightly off topic. I was at the Wigan U19's game v Leeds last Monday at Orrell. Gary Hetherington was there so I asked him how was he going to sell this new proposed 12 into 8 league system to season ticket holders given the fact that they would be expected to buy tickets for games in the later part of the season not knowing how many home games they would get or who and when they would be playing.

He wouldn't or couldn't give me an answer.

Re: Have saints out maneuverd leeds? : Mon Aug 05, 2013 10:43 am  

It will be interesting to see how this new system will work in 2015.

It's a top 8 but all the regular season points are brought forward (I think) and after everyone has played each other the top 4 play off to get to the GF.

Addresses the problems above about making league games count etc.