Since 1998, a play-off system has been used to determine the
Super League champions. The format has changed over the years, starting with a play-off involving first five, then six teams, eight, four and currently back to six. The play-off series culminates in the
Super League Grand Final
The Super League Grand Final is the championship-deciding game of rugby league's Super League competition. It is played between two teams who have qualified via the Super League Play-Off series. The winning team receives the Super League Trop ...
. Use of a play-off system to decide the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
brought back a
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
tradition that had previously fallen out of use. The
Super League Premiership, which had previously taken place between the highest placed teams in the competition, was discontinued after the introduction of the Super League play-off series. This was because its purpose had been to take the place of the previous Championship-deciding play-off system.
Current Play-Off System
2002-2008, 2020-2022: Top Six
From
Super League VII in 2002 until
Super League XIII
Engage Super League XIII was the official name, due to sponsorship, for the 2008 Super League season by Engage Mutual. Twelve teams competed for the Minor Premiership over 27 rounds (including Millennium Magic) after which, the top 6 finishing ...
in 2008, a play-off series involving the
top six teams was used to determine the winners the
Super League champions. Excluding the
Grand Final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...
, all matches were staged at the home ground of the team that finished higher in the final league table.
A similar system was used by the
Australian National Soccer League
The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until it ...
and the
A-League to decide its champions. From Week Two onwards, the Top Six play-offs system reflects exactly the
Page playoff system
The Page playoff system is a playoff format used primarily in softball and curling at the championship level, the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League cricket tournaments. Teams are seeded using a round-robin tournament and the top f ...
.
The Top Six
Super League Play-Off Structure:
Week One
:* Elimination Semi-final A: 3rd vs 6th
:* Elimination Semi-final B: 4th vs 5th
Week Two
:* Semi final 1: 1st vs winner of ESFA
:* Semi Final 2: 2nd vs winner of ESFB
Week Three
:* Grand Final: Winners of Semi Final 1 vs Winners of Semi Final 2
Grand Final
Previous Play-Off Systems
1998-2001, 2019: Top Five
The Top Five play-off system is the most simple since their introduction in 1998. The top four teams qualify, the
League Leaders play at home to 4th, 2nd then play at home to 3rd with the winners of both semi finals advancing to the
Grand Final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...
.
The system was previously used between 1998 and 2005 and again in 2019. The same system was used in the
NSWRL
The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...
's Sydney Competition 1973-1994, the
Australian Super League in its only season 1997, the
VFL, 1972–1990 and
New Zealand's
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country b ...
Lion Red Cup
The Lion Red Cup was a New Zealand domestic rugby league competition that ran from 1994 to 1996 sponsored by brewers Lion Nathan. It was created due to the increase in public awareness of domestic rugby league due to the Auckland Warriors being a ...
, 1994–1996, and
Bartercard Cup, 2000-2006.
▼
From week two on the Top five play-offs system reflected exactly the
Page playoff system
The Page playoff system is a playoff format used primarily in softball and curling at the championship level, the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League cricket tournaments. Teams are seeded using a round-robin tournament and the top f ...
.
The Top Five
Super League Play-Off Structure:
Week One
:* Qualification Final: 2nd vs 3rd
:* Elimination Final: 4th vs 5th
:* Bye: 1st
Week Two
:* Major Semi Final: 1st vs Winners of Qualification Final
:* Minor Semi Final: Losers of Qualification Final vs Winners of Elimination Final
Week Three
:* Preliminary Final: Losers of Major Semi Final vs Winners of Minor Semi Final
:* Bye: Winners of Major Semi Final
Week Four
:* Grand Final: Winners of Major Semi Final vs Winners of Preliminary Final
2002-2008: Top Six
From
Super League VII in 2002 until
Super League XIII
Engage Super League XIII was the official name, due to sponsorship, for the 2008 Super League season by Engage Mutual. Twelve teams competed for the Minor Premiership over 27 rounds (including Millennium Magic) after which, the top 6 finishing ...
in 2008, a play-off series involving the
top six teams was used to determine the winners the
Super League champions. Excluding the
Grand Final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...
, all matches were staged at the home ground of the team that finished higher in the final league table.
A similar system was used by the
Australian National Soccer League
The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until it ...
and the
A-League to decide its champions. From Week Two onwards, the Top Six play-offs system reflects exactly the
Page playoff system
The Page playoff system is a playoff format used primarily in softball and curling at the championship level, the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League cricket tournaments. Teams are seeded using a round-robin tournament and the top f ...
.
The Top Six
Super League Play-Off Structure:
Week One
:* Elimination Semi-final A: 3rd vs 6th
:* Elimination Semi-final B: 4th vs 5th
Week Two
:* Qualification Match: 1st vs 2nd
:* Elimination Final: Winners of Elimination Semi-final A vs Winners of Elimination Semi-final B
Week Three
:* Final Qualifier: Losers of Qualification Match vs Winners of Elimination Final
Week Four
:* Grand Final: Winners of Qualification Match vs Winners of Final Qualifier
2009-2014: Top Eight
For the Super League XIV season in 2009, a top eight play-off system was introduced to replace the previous top six system.
This change coincided with an expansion of the competition from twelve to fourteen teams following the
introduction of Super League licensing. The format was introduced following consultation and discussion with all 14 member clubs in Super League. The series lasted four weeks, culminating in the
Grand Final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...
[ at Old Trafford during October.
*Week 1
:
:Four matches took place on Week One, effectively in two pools: the Qualifying Play-Offs and the Elimination Play-Offs.
:
:*Week 1: Qualifying Play-Offs
::
::These matches involved the teams who finish in the top four.
::They were:
::
::*1st v 4th
::*2nd v 3rd
::
::The winners of these two games progressed directly to Week 3. The highest ranked winning club earned Club Call, whereby they chose their opponents in Week 3.
::
::The losers of these two matches received another chance in Week 2 when they were at home to the winners of the Week 1 Elimination Play-Offs.
::
:*Week 1: Elimination Play-Offs
::
::These matches involved the teams who finish from fourth through eighth.
::They were:
::
::*5th v 8th
::*6th v 7th
::
::The winners of both matches progressed to Week 2; losers were eliminated.
*Week 2: Preliminary Semi-Finals
:
:There were two matches in Week 2; the winner of each match progressed to Week 3 and the loser was eliminated.
:
:*The first Preliminary Semi-Final featured the highest ranked Qualifying Play-Off loser (from Week 1) v the lowest ranked Elimination Play-Off Winner (also from Week 1).
:*The second Preliminary Semi-Final featured the lowest ranked Qualifying Play-Off loser (from Week 1) v the highest ranked Elimination Play-Off Winner (also from Week 1).
*Week 3
:
:Week 3 also featured two matches; the winner of each match progresses to the Grand Final and the loser is eliminated.
:
:*Week 3: Club Call
::
::Club Call took place following the second weekend of the play-offs and was hosted by the highest ranked winning club from Week 1.
::
::The host club selected whom they would play in Week 3, and could only select from the winners of the two Preliminary Semi-finals (Week 2) – they could not choose the other Qualifying Play-offs winner.
::
::The highest ranked club from the Qualifying Play-offs (Week one) were required to choose their opponents – they could not cede the responsibility to the other Qualifying Play-offs winner.
::
::The team with Club Call and the other Qualifying Play-off winners from Week 1 were guaranteed home advantage in Week 3. For example, if the teams that ended the regular season in 1st and 2nd place lost their opening play-off matches, they could still find themselves playing away to the 3rd or 4th placed teams in Week 3.
::
:*Week 3: Qualifying Semi-Finals
::
::*The first Qualifying Semi-Final featured the highest ranked Qualifying Play-Off winner (from Week 1) v the team selected through Club Call.
::*The second Qualifying Semi-Final featured the lowest ranked Qualifying Play-Off winner (from Week 1) v the team not selected through Club Call.
*Week 4: Grand Final
:The two winning teams from week 3 contested the ]Grand Final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...
to determine the First Utility Super League champions.
FAQs:
*Can any team have Club Call?
:''No. The highest ranked winning club from Week 1 will have Club Call, whereby they choose their opponents in Week 3. Only a team that ended the regular season in 1st, 2nd or 3rd can win Club Call.''
:
*Will the teams who finished 1st or 2nd at the end of the regular season be guaranteed home advantage in Week 3 should they progress?
:''No. The two highest rank teams after Week 1 (the team with Club Call and the other Qualifying Play-off winners) are guaranteed home advantage in Week 3. For example, should the teams that ended the regular season in 1st and 2nd place lose their opening play-off match, they could still find themselves playing away to the 3rd or 4th placed teams in Week 3.''
:
*Does the Club Call team have to choose their opponents or can they relinquish the responsibility to the other Qualifying Play-offs winner?
:''The highest ranked club from the Qualifying Play-offs (Week 1) must choose their opponents – they cannot relinquish the responsibility to the other Qualifying Play-offs winner. In addition, they can only select from the winners of the two Preliminary Semi-finals (Week 2) – they cannot choose the other Qualifying Play-offs winner.''
2015–2018: Top Four
The top four play-off system was the most simple since their introduction in 1998. The top four teams qualify, the League Leaders play at home to 4th, 2nd then play at home to 3rd with the winners of both semi finals advancing to the Grand Final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...
.
Play-off apps
Only St. Helens have competed in every play-off series since 1998.
Bold- Won the Grand Final
Play-off results
See also
* NRL finals system
The NRL finals system is the finals series that is currently being used by the National Rugby League competitions of Australia and New Zealand since 2012. The NRL finals system replaced the McIntyre System which was used from 1999 to 2011.
A s ...
* AFL final eight system
The AFL final eight system is an eight-team championship playoff tournament developed and adopted by the Australian Football League in the 2000 season. The eight teams, which are ranked or seeded in advance of the tournament, participate in a fo ...
* McIntyre System
The McIntyre System, or systems as there have been five of them, is a playoff system that gives an advantage to teams or competitors qualifying higher. The systems were developed by Ken McIntyre, an Australian lawyer, historian and English lect ...
* McIntyre Final Eight System
The McIntyre Final Eight System was devised by Ken McIntyre in addition to the McIntyre Four, Five and Six systems. It is a playoff system of the top 8 finishers in a competition to determine which two teams will play in the grand final. The tea ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Super League Play-Offs
Play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...