With the weekly rounds providing a league table that was incredibly close at the top, it's been incredibly surprising just how one sided both play-off matches have been so far.

Is it a sign of the 'big' teams taking it easy during the regular season or just an anomaly?

For the Wigan game, we've just been taking it easy and Huddersfield were without their most influential player.

For the Saints game, Cas have been campaigning on all fronts and look shot.

The ridiculous final scorelines are because both losing teams shut up shop when down by 3 scores in preparation for next week.

The fans have made it perfectly clear that they don't like this playoff format. The attendances have been consistently woeful, yet it's been stuck with because it's a way to draw out the playoff series to extract every penny possible.

What's worse, is the clubs have realised that just doing enough during the weekly rounds and peaking for the last few games is the best tactic, which has resulted in an incredibly dull and inconsistent league. There isn't enough of a reward for finishing position. The sooner we move away from this current system the better IMO.

Saints and Wigan 98 points for and only 4 points against (total) in the first round play off matches is in my opinion just an anomaly and there could be other high scoring matches in the other first round matches. I also think Saints and Wigan will both have harder matches in the Semi finals against opponents whose final positions in the table would seem to be the easier opponents.

Any game has to be more intense than last Thursday's.
As for shutting up shop after 3 scores down, Anderson said at the press conf that he thought "they turned it in".
If Brough is back as Anderson said he thought he would be then I think Hudds will beat Cats.
Agree Cas look shot. Wire will surely win that one.
Not a fan too much of the new structure but having a play off 1 v 4, 2 v 3 and winners to GF is much better than this current set up.

I'd have league leaders straight to OT and 2 v 3 to decide their opposition.

We'll end up playing wire and the winners will win the grand final.

This round of play off fixtures highlighted what a poor system it is.

2 games where the loser got a second chance= huge blow out scores with Cas and Huddersfield both looking like they turned the games in after a couple if scores.

2 knockout games= close, tense, hard fought contests that weren't decided until the very last play.

I won't be sad to see the end of this system.

I think there is a terrible mentality with rugby league in the country, it seems in the NRL teams play all out no matter what is on the line and thats the players and clubs problems not the structure or the RFL.

You do sometimes get the feeling that people in our game think "if there's any chance we can take the week off, we will".

Yes it's the club's fault. They are the ones who have made the LLS redundant and its a shame.

The NRL have the same structure as us don't they?

I believe so but it doesn't get moaned about every season.