Have we finally got the play off structure right?

A play-off structure was introduced in 1998 to determine the winners of Super League. Since then we have had a top 5 system, a top 6 system, a top 8 system, a top 4 system, gone back to the original top 5 system and, most recently, a separate top 6 system.  On average, a play off system lasts for about 5 or 6 years before we change it.

I'll start this post by saying I would have no objections to each side playing each other home and away and the side that finishes top are the champions. That is the fair way of deciding the best team in a way a play-off system can never.

I am generally not in favour of lowering the bar too much. Saying that, the lack of secondary prize (such as European competition places in football and rugby union) would be problematic in terms of maintaining interest and to lose the Grand Final now it has been established would be a loss to the sport.

Still the point of this post is not to theorise over whether a play off system is the right approach. It is established and, unusually in Rugby League, looks here to stay.

The current play off system was introduced in 2020. We happened across it by accident, with the number of teams in the play offs being expanded from 5 to 6, on account of the COVID-disrupted season, just weeks before the season ended.

Here was how the old top 5 system worked.

I had always thought the top 5 system was best as there was a reward for each place higher up the league that you finished. First place had two opportunities to reach the Grand Final, with home ties and for 5th place to win, they would need to beat each team above them.

But in an era of loop fixtures, this system meant that if all went to form, 2nd would play 3rd on two occasions as would 1st and 2nd, making the system feel repetitive and convoluted.

The old top 6 system had the same issue with likely repeat fixtures:

The top 8 system maintained these same problems. Worse still, it lowered the bar so that a side who finished in the bottom half had a chance to win of Super League. The prospects of that happening were slim but nevertheless, even the possibility reduced the credibility of the league.

Finally, here is how our current top 6 system works:

This system has several advantages in my view. There are no repeat fixtures. There is a distinct advantage to a top 2 finish (with 1st having to play a side finishing no higher than 4th at home to reach the Grand Final). It is simple to understand. It is not as long as other structures so doesn't feel like it drags on. Every match being an eliminator increases the stakes.

The disadvantages are there is little difference between finishing 1st and 2nd. And 1st place, no matter how dominant, is only one off-day away from having a season's work go down the drain.

We have had a problem with play off crowds for a while now. I wrote about this in 2019.

But since this system has been introduced in 2020, every play off game has recorded a higher crowd than the home team's average attendance for that season (bar one). This shows a greater degree of buy in from fans that for previous systems.

We may have done it by accident (and no system is without flaw) but I think we have come across the best fitting play off structure for Super League. I'm looking forward to seeing what this year's series brings!