RL's biggest problem is lack of money. It's hard to change that straight away.
In my opinion though, the ease in which it takes the 'big' clubs to make the playoffs is making them reduce the week to week intensity, as a high intensity isn't needed to make 'the 8'
And this IMO is our 2nd biggest problem. Bigger than P&R or the salary cap level. The no 1 prize in the game isn't really contested for until week 2, or arguably week 3, of the playoffs. The period in which we have the highest intensity match is reduced to 2-3 weeks of the season.
If the playoffs where exclusively for 4 or 5 teams every September, then the 'big' clubs would have to gave a higher intensity more often leading to better games, especially games amongst the elite. This would in turn increase the crowd numbers and better atmospheres and therefore more money for RL.
And for those that say the lower clubs will have nothing to play for, tell me what Wigan have got to play for once they have achieved the 2 more wins I mentioned at the beginning??

Agreed.

This theory that the lower clubs would have nothing to play for is a bit nonsensical to me. Surely the idea at the start of the season is for them to compete hard to avoid being lower clubs?

In every sport on earth there are winners and losers. How this idea that it's not fair for the losers ever took root in British Rugby League is beyond me.

the history books show Leeds as champions last year, we won the hubcap, which no-one, other than the team that wins it considers to be worth anything.

get 5 or so more wins and start resting players ready for the end of season knockout

And when we win the league this year the history books will show us as winning it in 3 years out of 4. History will scrap 8 team play offs especially if the best team doesn't get to the GF like the last two seasons. Someone will wake up and realise that this situation is bad for the sport.

We will continue to try to win every game the same as every other team. As for resting players, if they are knackered then rest them if they are fit let them play. A professional sportsman always wants to play and hates sitting in the stand. It's what they train all week for.

If you don't treat every game as important why should fans turn up to watch? We pay decent money for our season tickets, why bother, if what you advocate comes true. Thankfully Wigan and the rest of rugby league continue to play every game with the same intensity and don't cheat the fans.

If you want a more competitive situation, take the number of teams that could feasibly win the play-off, and have less play-off places than that.

So if we say Saints, Wigan, Wire and Leeds could feasibly win the title, we only offer 3 play-off places, thus ensuring that the best teams have to fight for admission to the end of season jamboree rather than canter through the season as they do now.

BUT leeds were CHAMPIONS last year, they got a crack at the aussies, they got the glory, they got the big shinny trophy, we got a hubcap

leeds were CHAMIONS the year before, warrington got the hubcap.

the league is a qualifying tournament for the playoffs, the playoffs decide who is the CHAMPION team, and its not the team who won most games, its the team that hit form and won four or so on the bounce at the end of October! its a bonkers system, i can't explain it to any non on rl followers, they dont get how in football terms Man U won most games and finnished top of he pile, but Tottenham could be the champions.

whilst i dont condone it, what wouold you rather do celebrate beating leeds at the DW or Old Trafford?

Old Trafford

Do people really not understand how the team who wins the GF can be champions? Do they not understand how the team which wins the SuperBowl is the champions in the NFL? or the team which wins the Fifa world cup final is the World Champions? Do they struggle to understand how Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are in the Champions League final? Tbh if they can’t understand how a league + play-off competition structure works I cant imagine they are particularly smart people, it isn’t a particularly difficult concept

No isn't a difficult concept - just a daft one. I have never agreed with it and never will.Try explaining it to non RL sports fans (or the general public) and they understand how it works well enough but still look baffled as to why it exists and the in-built unfairness of it.

If you have a league competition then the top team should be the champions not someone who finishes lower down who just happened to have 2 or 3 good (or lucky) games right at the end of the season - or a team can finish top and not be champions due to misising players/bad luck etc -

You chose some bad examples though - the Fifa world cup/champions league etc are both knock out competitions with a qualifying round of a mini knock out league - very different from a full season league.

It is unfortunately the system we are stuck with and it does not look like changing.