Personally I'd like to approach the SL as a squad game/tournament rather than a team tournament. I would like to see the vast majority of squad, if not all getting game time throughout the course of the season with bigger names rested more frequently. Not left out due to suspension or injury or poor form, just rested more throughout the season.

We have London this week, I don't see the point of bringing Sam back against a team (no disrespect) who we should be able to beat without hime and a few other senior personal.

I'd like to see Sam, Lockers, Pat, and other key players rested against teams like Widnes, London, Salford, even Wakefield, Hull KR.

With this more of the young lads will gain valuable game time making the transition into the first team as smooth as possible, also we could prolong the career of senior players minimising the number of games they play per year.

Nowadays it's not about going full throttle and coming top, it's about having your team as fit and refreshed as possible going into the playoffs.

Save the likes of Sam for bigger games and the latter rounds of the CC.

I think a team of: (At some point in the year)

Charnley
Gelling Goulding Thornley Manfredi
Green Powell
Dudson McM Eric
Hughes Faz
Flower
------------------------
Burke Logan Tuson Crosby

Would handle the likes of London, Salford, Widnes. Resting Tomkins, Pat, Smith, Mossop, Hansen, Lockers, giving them a rest to keep refreshed and fit for more difficult games enhancing the chances of a fresher team when it comes to the playoffs.

Perhaps they should add a new rule saying that no player could play more than 20 times during the weekly rounds. That way players would be forced to rest and the youngsters that took their place would get important first-game time.

Yeah various ideas like that have been floated for a while, and I have to agree with them. I think the long-term advantages of a system like that would outweigh the costs from fans potentially being put off if top players are rested.

Should make the league closer too if squads are risky with rotation, makes injuries less important throughout a season, forces the top players to play less so they are less fatigued in representative matches, incentivises teams to develop youngsters etc...

I would like to mention Widnes away in 2012. Squad rotation is happening, how many players that weren't in last years first team and making appearances?

As for limiting games for players, why? I want to go an watch the best teams we can field, not some watered down team. What about teams with a limited depth?

I could argue that if we field a weaker side to rest them, lets do it against the top teams. May as well lose 2 points and avoid the higher intensity games with our first team so they are more rested.

IMO this is down to the flawed play off system

i pay good money to see my team win games, yes they will lose games but thats part of a competitive sport, but i want to see them win, and finish top of the league and get the recognition they deserve

what we are now seeing is a system where teams cant be bothered in certain games. Leeds have done it for the last few seasons, Tony Smith at Wire learnt that last year, they came top 2 years ago by battering everyone week in week out. Admittedly it backfired a little as they didnt win the Grand Final but he had a pretty much fit / full strength team going into the play offs

We'll soon be at a point where sides have lost about 10 games and still finished top cos no-one can be bothered turning up, but everyones fresh for the playoffs

I'd also like to mention Widnes away 2012 for different reasons, yes we lost but yet we still won the league, so the lost didn't effect our league run. However we still didn't win the SL or the CC so a lost or win at Widnes was totally irrelevant. Regardless that day we played a team which should have beaten Widnes, regardless that it didn't matter.

I disagree with an almost 'going in to lose mentality' by resting top players against strong opposition, my squad rotation proposal would still allow us to win all of our games, at times we don't need the links of Sam to win the game.
Also, I feel it would hamper youth development to put them in against the likes of Warrington just to have them smashed to pieces by a very strong outfit.

I agree with this for the most part. I too would like to see a highly competitive league where finishing top means you're the champs, or at the very least give the league leaders a direct pass to the GF.

However this isn't the case, the landscape has changed and so must the tactics in order to be perfectly prepared at the end of the season. I do believe you can go into each game looking to win without fielding your best team each time.

God forbid a time will ever come when a law is introduced that restricts clubs from fielding their best players.

But knowing the RFL, I wouldn't be at all surprised.

Well, the current format suggests that it may not be best to finish top, therefore, there is not the same pressure TOO play your best players.

I'm off for the train... Wrap up warm one and all..

Dont worry to much about Wigan finishing top

its up to the coach...thats what he gets paid for.