That is what I am trying to say,RL should have the Champions then a premiership play off as a separate comp.

We would have the true Champs then a extra comp which would be played at Old Trafford or where ever as it was back then,you would still get a great crowd and the money in the play offs would be welcome to the clubs involved.

Nope the Premiership was declining at the end there and nowadays it would be a real damp squib.



Proving your mettle on the biggest stage and under real pressure is a true test of champions.

To be honest I can see that,the rules are GF winners are the champs then that is the rules.

Was the premiership declining though could check the figures but cant be ars*d this morn.



I think the RL changed it from 6 then to 8 then to 4,I know as always they like to change things as they go along.

It peaked early to mid 90s after it moved to Old Trafford's and then declined a bit. By '97 it all felt a bit pointless coming when it did after SL ended.

I think most people agree that the table toppers at the end of the season should be champions.The problem is club chairman want the additional fixtures for their revenue and Sky want the big end of season showcase. It's not just a Super League problem, why should a team that finish top of the championship then have to play off to see if they are promoted.

Do they really? It's a very soccer mindset thing if they do, not much to do with Rugby League or its history, or indeed most other sports in the world.

I certainly do. The reason we had the old playoffs in the 60s/70s was because the season fixtures were lopsided. Play one another home and away and everything is fair.



Even football has playoffs though which I always argue with football fans. A team could finish 6th in the Championship, 20 points behind 3rd and be promoted to the PL.



As a fan I disagree with them for the reasons I've said BUT we all know the rules at the start so it is what it is.

9 grand final wins, 1 championship, 14 Grand Final appearances overall, 10 LLS, 8 Challenge Cups in 26 years

Cringe.

28 pieces of silver ware in 26 years of the full time professional superleague era, no one else comes close. Whats alarming is that we will have a stronger squad next year.

The only challenge to St Helens next season is Warrington. No other team will come close

You not banned yet champion?

Correct JM with Dodd in our side this year we would have finished top in August





Catch up Superleague

I think all us Saints fans need to be banned from this forum so you can just get on with the Band Name Game thread.

Also to add that the difference in Football is even if the title winner runs away with the league and wins it early there are other things for the TV to focus on, the battle for the European places and Relegation which in Football can mean financial oblivion the drop in money is that big. In SL the interest would have fizzled out with a few weeks of the season to run.



I personally think the current playoff format is fair, Saints got a week off and a home playoff (and meant to have had a days extra rest) Salford and Leeds ended the season in form and got further than the league table suggested, no complaints from me.

I was being serious. If their signings click they will be a hard team to beat

Ha.. that got me



On a serious note.. any chance you can pull back a bit until the rest of us catch up

The top 5 system was the best one for me, it gave the team that finished top the biggest advantage.

Saints were deserved winners last night.



As others have said, it's virtually impossible to compare across different eras. For me, what's most impressive is the consistency from Saints across the SL era. This is a different issue from proclaiming them the 'best team ever'. For that accolade the best objective yardstick is being able to win all the domestic trophies followed by the WCC, but even then it's legitimate to consider the quality of opposition in a given season, so not easy.



My personal 'greatest SL team ever' is the Bulls of 2003. In those days the likes of Peacock and Vainikolo were simply on a different level... But I accept this is entirely subjective. Saints with Jamie Lyon were also pretty special.

This Sintellins team with no injuries and a few NRL players could be the England team and look better than the current one:-



Welsby



Makinson

Farnworth

Percival

Young



Lomax

Dodd



Walmsley

Roby

Lees

Thompson (ex saints)

Batchelor

Knowles

They would all be 'injured'

Saints have a history of players missing internationals due to injuries. 14 GB caps in 10 years for the greatest hooker who ever lived, Keiron Cunningham.

It’s funny I started this thread 8 years ago and it all still applies pretty much, for a different set of players. You could resurrect this in a decade and it will still apply.



The title actually comes from a line I remember Stevo saying a lot during games when Saints were doing well - “This sintellins team Eddie…” just as a statement with no follow up.

How many games did Great Britain actually play though? I remember watching him play for Wales multiple times. Maybe add those caps in to make it fairer?

He played 27 international games, think he only had 2 injured years in 10 years, averaging around 3 games a year.