A play-off structure involving the top five teams was used to determine the winners of the Super League

Super League

Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...

 competition in British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 from 1998 until 2001. A top six play-off system was then introduced. Apart from the Grand Final all matches are staged at the home ground of the team placed higher in the final league table.

The same system was used in the NSWRL

New South Wales Rugby League

The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...

's Sydney Competition 1973-1994, the Super League

Super League (Australia)

Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...

 in its only season 1997, the VFL

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

, 1972-1990 and New Zealand's

New Zealand Rugby League

The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....

 Lion Red Cup

Lion Red Cup

The Lion Red Cup was a New Zealand domestic rugby league competition that ran from 1994-1996 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 accepted into the Winfield Cup. The competition was a...

, 1994-1996, and Bartercard Cup

Bartercard Cup

The Bartercard Cup was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Zealand Rugby League...

, 2000-2006.

From week two on the Top five play-offs system reflects exactly the Page playoff system

Page playoff system

The Page playoff system is a playoff format used primarily in softball and curling at the championship level. Teams are seeded using a round-robin tournament and the top four play a mix of a single-elimination and double-elimination tournament to determine the winner...

.

How it works

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

Example

The 2006 Bartercard Cup finals occurred as follows:

See also

• McIntyre System
  McIntyre System
  The McIntyre System, or systems because there have been five of them, is a playoff system that gives an advantage to teams or competitors qualifying higher...
  
  
• Top six play-offs
  Top six play-offs
  After a top five play-off system was used, a play-off structure involving the top six teams was used to determine the winners of the Super League competition in British rugby league from 2002 through 2008....
  
  
• Page playoff system
  Page playoff system
  The Page playoff system is a playoff format used primarily in softball and curling at the championship level. Teams are seeded using a round-robin tournament and the top four play a mix of a single-elimination and double-elimination tournament to determine the winner...