There are three rounds of the regular season remaining, before we embark on the Super League play-offs, where clubs look to hopefully prolong their hopes of Grand Final glory. The showpiece will be played at Old Trafford on Saturday, October 12, with the victor crowned winner of Super League XXIX.
Super League Play-Offs: History
The play-offs were initially introduced ahead of the 1998 season and have fluctuated in numbers and format. From 1998 to 2001, the team who finished top received a bye through to the second week, where they would face the winner of the match between the sides that finished 2nd and 3rd. Whoever triumphed went straight through to the Grand Final.
The loser of that tie would then take on the victor in the previous week’s game between those who were 4th and 5th in the standings, with the team who came out on top going through to Old Trafford. That format also returned in 2019, but before that, between 2002 and 2008, the top six would meet, with 3rd vs 6th and 4th v 5th in the first week. 1st and 2nd would then meet in the second week, with the winner going straight to the Grand Final.
Super League Play-Offs: Format
The sides who won in week one would also play, with the victor taking on the loser of the match between 1st and 2nd and the winner going through. From 2009-2014, the top eight faced off over a four-week knockout series.
This also included the innovative, or occasionally divisive, ‘Club Call’ allowing the highest-ranked winning club from Week 1 to select who they would play out of the sides who came through the preliminary semi-finals after Week 2. The ‘Club Call’ experiment was incredibly divisive, due to the disrespect by certain clubs and their selection process.
The play-offs were reduced to four teams from 2015 to 2018, with a more cutthroat format introduced with only semi-finals and Grand Final and the original system returned for 2019, the current system was introduced. This is:
Super League Play-Offs: Eliminators
4th v 5th
3rd v 6th
Super League Play-Offs: Semi-Finals
1st v Highest Ranked Winner of Eliminators
2nd v Highest Ranked Winner of Eliminators
Super League Play-Offs: Final
Grand Final
Super League Play-Offs: Most Successful
The physically demanding nature of the Super League season has meant teams have often structured their seasons to peak for the autumn, especially as having a week off in the play-offs may result in a lack of match sharpness exactly when it is most required.
St Helens often did this during the early years of the play-offs, as did Leeds and those two are the sides with the most titles. Saints lead the way with 10, while they have also been runners-up five times, while Leeds have lifted the trophy eight times, finishing second on three occasions.
Reigning champions Wigan have won it six times and finished second on the same number of occasions, while Bradford Bulls have triumphed four times and lost three Grand Finals. Warrington Wolves, Catalans Dragons, Castleford Tigers, Hull FC, London Broncos and Salford Red Devils have all played in the Grand Final without winning.
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