Hull KR the big winners with Hull FC BOTTOM in Super League table without Golden Point

Ben Olawumi 03 Sep 2024 7:00 AM

Golden Point is a bit like marmite. You either love it, or hate it. And that’s definitely the case for the Super League clubs that have been involved with it this season.

First introduced in the top flight back in 2019, the concept makes it incredibly unlikely for a game to end in a draw.

If the two sides are level after 80 minutes, two further five-minute halves are played out (if required) until someone scores to win it.

That winner can come in any form – a drop goal, a penalty conversion or even a try, as we’ve seen on the odd occasion.

The blunt reality is that the vast majority of the time, Golden Point sees a winner and a loser. If you’re the latter, you get nothing to show for your efforts.

So, what if Golden Point wasn’t a thing? What if the games that we’ve seen go beyond the 80 minutes of normal time so far this season all ended in a draw and the spoils were shared?

Here, we’ve taken a purely hypothetical look at how the Super League table would shape up at the time of writing if that was the case.

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How the Super League table currently looks

Following Round 24, and with just three weeks remaining of the regular campaign, this is how the Super League table looks…

How the 2024 Super League table looks after Round 24

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The teams affected by Golden Point this season

So far this year, we’ve seen five Super League games head to Golden Point.

The first of those between Leigh Leopards and Castleford Tigers back in Round 10 actually ended in a 28-28 draw, with neither of those teams able to find a winning point across the 10 minutes of extra time.

But the other four have seen a winner, meaning that rather than receiving a competition point each, one team has received the two for the win and the other went home with nothing.

Those four were as follows:

Leeds Rhinos 17-16 London Broncos (July 6, 2024 – Round 16)
Hull KR 14-15 Catalans Dragons (July 6, 2024 – Round 16)
St Helens 17-16 Salford Red Devils (August 8, 2024 – Round 21)
London Broncos 20-21 Leeds Rhinos (September 1, 2024 – Round 24)

And accordingly, the below has been applied to the Super League table we’re about to show you…

Competition Points to be removed (Points Difference alteration)

Leeds – 2 (PD -2)
Catalans – 1 (PD -1)
St Helens – 1 (PD -1)

Competition Points to be added (Points Difference alteration)

London – 2 (PD +2)
Hull KR – 1 (PD +1)
Salford – 1 (PD +1)

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How the Super League table would look without Golden Point in 2024

Hull KR and London would be the two real big winners had Golden Point not been a thing this year.

The Robins would be heading into their Round 25 clash away at 2nd-placed Wigan Warriors on Friday night a competition point above them at the top of the ladder rather than level on points.

Meanwhile, the Broncos would leapfrog Hull FC at the foot of the Super League table. Had their games against Leeds both ended in draws, the capital club would now be two competition points above the Airlie Birds.

And while it’s unlikely that avoiding finishing bottom would save them from demotion due to the IMG gradings system, it would certainly be a kick in the teeth for the game’s strategic partners.

For what it’s worth, there’s still a genuine possibility that could happen on the real ladder if London can pick a win up from somewhere in their last three games.

The only other notable change from the real table to this one is that Salford leapfrog St Helens, with the Red Devils two competition points better off than Paul Wellens’ side.

That’s owing to the fact that Saints beat them on Golden Point, so would lose a competition point while they got one back, with the importance of finishing 4th rather than 5th of course being a home tie in the play-offs.

So, here is the table in full…