The cycle needs to break

[goldcoaster]

Leeds, St Helen’s, Wigan. 

We all know they are the only Super League clubs that have ever been the champions. It fuels the idea that it is a 3-team league.

We’ve been close with Castleford, Warrington, Hull FC and Salford, but none have broken through and actually lifted the trophy.

For the sake of the game, the cycle needs to break at OT next week. We, as a game need Catalans to win.

[Futtocks]

9 minutes ago, goldcoaster said:

Leeds, St Helen’s, Wigan. 

We all know they are the only Super League clubs that have ever been the champions.

No, they aren't.

[meast]

Super League champions or just champions?

[M j M]

12 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

No, they aren't.

Everyone knows those first 100 years were just practice matches.

[Futtocks]

Even if this thread was about SL champions only, Bradford Bulls are feeling a little neglected.

[M j M]

4 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Even if this thread was about SL champions only, Bradford Bulls are feeling a little neglected.

It's very tightly worded to be fair: "the only Super League clubs that have ever been the champions". The Bullies aren't a Super League club.

[Futtocks]

Just now, M j M said:

It's very tightly worded to be fair: "the only Super League clubs that have ever been the champions". The Bullies aren't a Super League club.

But it is a moan about SL being a three club league. 

[corvusxiii]

The St PieLoins do bore me. Just imagine if Catalan lose to a disputed refereeing  performance? Justified of course......

[goldcoaster]

20 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

But it is a moan about SL being a three club league. 

We that follow the league know it is more competitive, but the reality is, only 3 current clubs have ever won it, and 4 clubs in total.

FFS, I think we all agree a new name on the trophy is desperately needed

[Nate90]

1 hour ago, goldcoaster said:

Leeds, St Helen’s, Wigan. 

We all know they are the only Super League clubs that have ever been the champions. It fuels the idea that it is a 3-team league.

We’ve been close with Castleford, Warrington, Hull FC and Salford, but none have broken through and actually lifted the trophy.

For the sake of the game, the cycle needs to break at OT next week. We, as a game need Catalans to win.

Yes it needs to change, it has long become so boring seeing the same teams win it and I say that as a fan of one of those clubs.

[Niels]

I don't think it has ever been predictable. Only once has a side, Leeds, won three in a row. 4 different sides have won it, with a number of different sides as runners up.

This compares very favourably with a lot of other European sporting leagues.

The 7 years before Super league were more predictable as the champions were the same side, the excellent Wigan team.

 

 

[unapologetic pedant]

2 hours ago, goldcoaster said:

Leeds, St Helen’s, Wigan. 

We all know they are the only Super League clubs that have ever been the champions. It fuels the idea that it is a 3-team league.

We’ve been close with Castleford, Warrington, Hull FC and Salford, but none have broken through and actually lifted the trophy.

For the sake of the game, the cycle needs to break at OT next week. We, as a game need Catalans to win.

If Leeds, Saints, Wigan, missed the finals, we`d be guaranteed a thread desperately reminding us that RL needs its big clubs to be winning - "for the sake of the game".

[JohnM]

It's a competition. Any club can win it. The fact that not every club has done so points to deficiencies in the way those other clubs are owned, run, structured,  managed and play. As a neutral, I can say I like nothing about St Helens other than they are deservedly in the GF and if they win, it will be on merit. The fact that they are playing Catalans indicates that it IS possible to build "new" and sucessful clubs, something the other 10 SL clubs should reflect on.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

I always like to chuck London into the lift of also rans as well seen as they were runners up before the grand final was introduced. So that is 10 teams as champions and/or runners up and we can have Huddersfield as league leaders as well so it's really not that uncompetitive, we've always had plenty of teams battling it out for the top honours, just 4 that have actually gone all the way. Doesn't matter though, we're just going through one of those phases all sports go through where a few teams dominate. Happened in football for a long time as well, arguably still is. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

We should as well celebrate the success of St Helens, Wigan and Leeds and analyse what can be learned from them.

I can’t imagine sustained and consistent sporting success is easy to achieve.  How do they do it?  What are they doing in part that can be replicated elsewhere without overreaching.

It’s these types of discussions that are valuable too in generating new champions.

 

[Dunbar]

7 hours ago, goldcoaster said:

We that follow the league know it is more competitive, but the reality is, only 3 current clubs have ever won it, and 4 clubs in total.

FFS, I think we all agree a new name on the trophy is desperately needed

Those outside of the game couldn't reel off the list of Super League Champions in the same way that I couldn't reel off the champions of the Union Premiership or name the last 5 darts or snooker World champions.

I would also argue that having familiar names in a final creates an element if recognition that would attract a neutral much more than a 'new name'.

As I have said before, I am far more likely to watch a Man City vs. Liverpool FA Cup final than Brentford vs. Burnley no matter how much the latter would be good for the competitive nature of football in England.

If it is Rugby League fans craving a change (and I agree it would be good to see Catalans win) then fine but it is not something that we should stress about otherwise. 

[GUBRATS]

6 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

If Leeds, Saints, Wigan, missed the finals, we`d be guaranteed a thread desperately reminding us that RL needs its big clubs to be winning - "for the sake of the game".

Correct 

[GUBRATS]

8 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Those outside of the game couldn't reel off the list of Super League Champions in the same way that I couldn't reel off the champions of the Union Premiership or name the last 5 darts or snooker World champions.

I would also argue that having familiar names in a final creates an element if recognition that would attract a neutral much more than a 'new name'.

As I have said before, I am far more likely to watch a Man City vs. Liverpool FA Cup final than Brentford vs. Burnley no matter how much the latter would be good for the competitive nature of football in England.

The cup , especially domestic ones are different , but look how much interest Leicester created for the Premier League essentially all over the world when they won it , this brings into focus the different way we decide our ' Champions ' , a lower team can get to a semi or even a final as we have seen in recent years , but that still doesn't create the ' expectation ' and excitement we saw for a couple of months leading up to Leicester's win 

Again one of RL's structure dilemma 

[Harry Stottle]

The popular opinion is we need another clubs name etching on the SL trophy, but I think it will be of fairy tale proportions akin to Sheffields victory over Wigan in the Challenge Cup final for Catalan to be victorious come next Saturday.

Saints will take far more from the Magic defeat than Catalan will in the victory, in fact as a contest I would not be surprised to see it over by half-time in Saints favour such is the form that Saints are now displaying with the roll-on power of the forwards and the speed and guile of the backs, and if Saints do as I expect and take a commanding lead there will not be a repeat of Catalan turning it round again, the Saints defence will simply not allow that to happen, they won't turn off again.

So albeit we need another name on the trophy, I doubt very much it will be this year.

[GUBRATS]

5 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

The popular opinion is we need another clubs name etching on the SL trophy, but I think it will be of fairy tale proportions akin to Sheffields victory over Wigan in the Challenge Cup final for Catalan to be victorious come next Saturday.

Saints will take far more from the Magic defeat than Catalan will in the victory, in fact as a contest I would not be surprised to see it over by half-time in Saints favour such is the form that Saints are now displaying with the roll-on power of the forwards and the speed and guile of the backs, and if Saints do as I expect and take a commanding lead there will not be a repeat of Catalan turning it round again, the Saints defence will simply not allow that to happen, they won't turn off again.

So albeit we need another name on the trophy, I doubt very much it will be this year.

I'd agree Harry , the Catalans look a little tired to me , but hopefully the best team performance wins the prize 

[M j M]

The key similarity between Leeds, Saints and Wigan is the productivity and excellence of their academy production lines compared to the other clubs.

[Davo5]

21 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

I'd agree Harry , the Catalans look a little tired to me , but hopefully the best team performance wins the prize 

Yeap that £5k Saints coughed up to buy themselves a nice break after the cup final looks like it’s paying dividends now,Catalans looked clunky on Thursday after the week off so I’m hoping the game & hopefully Tomkins back will give them the boost they certainly need.

[bobbruce]

5 minutes ago, M j M said:

The key similarity between Leeds, Saints and Wigan is the productivity and excellence of their academy production lines compared to the other clubs.

And Bradford in those early years which to be fair to them although it’s slowed there production line is still ticking over. 

[redjonn]

10 hours ago, goldcoaster said:

Leeds, St Helen’s, Wigan. 

We all know they are the only Super League clubs that have ever been the champions. It fuels the idea that it is a 3-team league.

We’ve been close with Castleford, Warrington, Hull FC and Salford, but none have broken through and actually lifted the trophy.

For the sake of the game, the cycle needs to break at OT next week. We, as a game need Catalans to win.

maybe but lets not forget that 7 different clubs have won the League/shield in the last 9 years.

That always seems to be forgotten.

[GUBRATS]

4 minutes ago, redjonn said:

maybe but lets not forget that 7 different clubs have won the League/shield in the last 9 years.

That always seems to be forgotten.

Which goes with my point above , our structure doesn't reward that success enough , it is one of if not our biggest problems 

" Hubcap "