The 2023 campaign saw a three-way tie at the top of the Super League table, with Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Catalans Dragons all level on 40 points, with Wigan winning out on points difference.
This year, it’s incredibly tight at the top again – between Wigan Warriors and Hull KR.
For a while, Warrington Wolves seemed to be in the race, but defeat to Leigh Leopards, after a red card to Paul Vaughan, put the nail in the coffin for their hopes of finishing top.
It doesn’t offer up a lot of prize money, but we’ve looked at how important winning the League Leaders’ Shield is.
How important is winning the Super League Leaders’ Shield?
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Out of the last ten seasons, the League Leaders’ Shield winners have gone on to win the Grand Final on just four occasions.
However, the last two winners of the Shield – St Helens and Wigan Warriors – both won the Grand Final the same year.
St Helens in 2019 were absolutely dominant, and did win the Grand Final, but Castleford Tigers in 2017 were comfortable Shield winners and were defeated by Leeds Rhinos at Old Trafford – a side that finished ten points below them.
Leeds Rhinos have even won it from finishing fifth in the regular season, showing that quality over the entire campaign isn’t as important as it seems.
Ultimately, it seems that the Grand Final winners aren’t necessarily the best team from across a season – but rather sides in particularly good form, or that perform on the big occasion.
Many people dismiss the League Leaders’ Shield as a second-rate trophy, but to win it, you have to be good over the course of an entire campaign.
Both the play-offs and the regular season provide insight into different qualities of sides, but the title of Super League champion merely goes to those that excel in the play-offs.
