Interesting topic on the cas forum about loop fixtures. Shows how we have been royally shafted and how the big clubs have been looked after. How on earth have these been decided? It stinks
The championship is decided on play-offs anyway (as it has been for 100 of the 126 years of the sport), so it doesn't really matter.
A lot of Cas fans are still sore that they've never won the championship even though they finished top of the league, whereas we've won 2 championships (albeit a while ago) and never finished top of the league.
Don’t see anything wrong there. All are beatable with the right mindset.
You don't?
With unbalanced fixture distributions like this, Wigan are more likely to finish in the top 4 and Wakefield are more likely to finish in the bottom 4.
Then Wigan get richer, Wakefield get poorer, the young talent gravitates to Wigan, as does the overseas talent and big sponsorships.
Then next year, Wigan are more likely to finish in the top 4 again, and Wakefield are more likely to finish in the bottom 4 again.
Then Wigan get richer, Wakefield get poorer, the young talent gravitates to Wigan, as does the overseas talent and big sponsorships.
Then the year after...you get the idea.
I'm all for promotion and relegation, and for loop fixtures, but they have to be done in a much fairer way. The genuine vagaries of sport will sort the table, free from manufactured advantages,
Wigan will still be more likely to be at the top and Wakefield nearer the bottom, but that difference is much more reflective of a fair playing structure.
Wigan - Wakefield (10th), Leigh (12th) and Warrington (3rd) = 25. Saints - Hull KR (11th), Salford (9th) and Catalans (4th) = 24. Leeds - Wakefield (10th), Castleford (8th) and Hull FC (6th) = 24 Warrington - Castleford (8th), Leigh (12th) and Wigan (2nd) = 22. Hull FC - Huddersfield (7th), Salford (9th) and Leeds (5th) = 21. Huddersfield - Catalans (4th), Hull FC (6th) and Wakefield (10th) = 20. Catalans - Hull KR (11th), Huddersfield (7th) and Saints (1st) = 19. Castleford - Warrington (3rd), Leeds (5th) and Salford (9th) = 17. Hull KR - St Helens (1st), Catalans (4th) and Leigh (12th) = 17. Leigh - Wigan (2nd), Warrington (3rd) and Hull KR (11th) = 16. Salford - St Helens (1st), Hull FC (6th) and Castleford (8th) = 15. Wakefield - Wigan (2nd), Leeds (5th) and Huddersfield (7th) = 14.
This fictitious table is based purely on last seasons league finishing positions?
Surely the lower down the table that you finished last season would mean that you have to play against more sides that finished above you does it not?
Wigan and Saints will be top 2 next season irrespective of who they play loop fixtures against in 2021,but outside of those 2 sides I reckon that SL is wide open this season
If Wakey had finished first last season and Wigan, Leeds had Giants had finished ln the bottom 3 would that have made these fixtures easy ones in 2021?
As a Leeds fan I have seen Cas, Wakey and Hull FC recently beat us
This fictitious table is based purely on last seasons league finishing positions?
Surely the lower down the table that you finished last season would mean that you have to play against more sides that finished above you does it not?
Wigan and Saints will be top 2 next season irrespective of who they play loop fixtures against in 2021,but outside of those 2 sides I reckon that SL is wide open this season
If Wakey had finished first last season and Wigan, Leeds had Giants had finished ln the bottom 3 would that have made these fixtures easy ones in 2021?
As a Leeds fan I have seen Cas, Wakey and Hull FC recently beat us
Maths not your strong point then?
Regardless of where you finish in the table, the fixtures can be worked out where every team plays a set of loop fixtures that mean everyone plays a collective opponents that span the league positions fairly.
It's not about saying team 1 can't beat team 2 on any given day, it's about having a balanced challenge for every team in the competition. The fixtures favour the big clubs.