Which clubs have been Super League’s big four? This page answers that decade by decade, in the style of the Premier League’s “Big Six” finishing-places tables. The test is consistency: being there at the business end of the season, year after year.
Each club gets 1 point for every season it was one of the last four clubs still in the Super League play-offs, and 1 point for every Challenge Cup semi-final it played in. Reaching or winning a final scores the same as losing the semi. The four highest scorers in each decade are shown below, with their final league position for every season.
Key: 1 Super League champions · 2 One of the last four in the play-offs (top four in the table, 1996–97) · W Challenge Cup winners · F Lost Cup final · SF Lost Cup semi-final
1990s: 1996–1999
Only four seasons, two of them before play-offs existed. St Helens and Bradford tie on 6; St Helens edge it with four play-off last-four finishes to Bradford’s three. Wigan take 4th from London Broncos, who also score 4 but reached the last four only twice.
| Season | St Helens | Bradford | Leeds | Wigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1 W | 3 F | 10 SF | 2 |
| 1997 | 3 W | 1 F | 5 SF | 4 |
| 1998 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 F |
| 1999 | 2 | 1 SF | 3 W | 4 |
| Play-off last four | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Cup semi-finals | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Score | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
2000s: 2000–2009
The clearest decade. St Helens reached ten Cup semi-finals out of ten and nine play-off last fours, missing out only in 2004. Leeds, Wigan and Bradford complete a settled big four; the next club, Hull FC, scores 6.
| Season | St Helens | Leeds | Wigan | Bradford |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2 SF | 4 F | 1 | 3 W |
| 2001 | 4 W | 5 SF | 2 | 1 F |
| 2002 | 1 F | 4 SF | 3 W | 2 |
| 2003 | 4 SF | 2 F | 3 SF | 1 W |
| 2004 | 5 W | 1 | 4 F | 2 |
| 2005 | 1 SF | 2 F | 7 | 3 |
| 2006 | 1 W | 3 SF | 8 | 4 |
| 2007 | 1 W | 2 | 6 SF | 3 SF |
| 2008 | 1 W | 2 SF | 4 SF | 5 |
| 2009 | 2 SF | 1 | 6 SF | 9 |
| Play-off last four | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Cup semi-finals | 10 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| Score | 19 | 15 | 14 | 11 |
2010s: 2010–2019
The tightest finish. Wigan, St Helens and Warrington all score 14. Wigan and St Helens both made nine play-off last fours, and Wigan take top spot on titles (four to two). Warrington get there mainly through eight Cup semi-finals. Leeds, champions four times, are a point behind.
| Season | Wigan | St Helens | Warrington | Leeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | 2 SF | 3 W | 4 F |
| 2011 | 2 W | 3 SF | 1 | 5 F |
| 2012 | 1 SF | 3 | 2 W | 5 F |
| 2013 | 4 W | 5 | 2 SF | 3 |
| 2014 | 2 | 1 | 5 SF | 6 W |
| 2015 | 2 | 4 SF | 6 SF | 1 W |
| 2016 | 2 SF | 4 | 1 F | 9 |
| 2017 | 6 F | 4 | 9 | 2 SF |
| 2018 | 2 | 1 SF | 4 F | 9 SF |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 F | 4 W | 8 |
| Play-off last four | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
| Cup semi-finals | 5 | 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Score | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
2020s: 2020–2026
Seven seasons so far. Wigan lead on 11. St Helens and Hull KR both score 9; St Helens rank higher with five play-off last fours to four. Warrington take 4th on 7, ahead of Catalans, Leeds and Leigh on 4.
| Season | Wigan | St Helens | Hull KR | Warrington |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 SF | 2 | 11 | 3 SF |
| 2021 | 4 | 2 W | 6 | 3 SF |
| 2022 | 2 W | 1 SF | 8 SF | 11 |
| 2023 | 1 SF | 3 SF | 4 F | 6 |
| 2024 | 1 W | 6 | 2 SF | 3 F |
| 2025 | 2 | 5 | 1 W | 8 F |
| 2026 | 1 W | 7 SF | 6 F | 3 SF |
| Play-off last four | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Cup semi-finals | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Score | 11 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
How the four clubs were picked
Score = seasons among the last four clubs still in the Super League play-offs + Challenge Cup semi-final appearances in that decade. This measures being there, not winning, so a Grand Final win and a play-off semi-final defeat score the same. Ties go to more play-off last-four appearances, then more titles.
Play-off last four. The play-off format has changed often: top 5 in 1998–2001 and 2019, top 6 in 2002–08 and from 2020, top 8 in 2009–14 and top 4 in 2015–18. “Last four” means the last four clubs left in, whatever the route. There were no play-offs in 1996 or 1997, so the top four in the table stand in.
League position is shown for context and is not scored. It is the final table before the play-offs: after the Super 8s in 2015–18, and by win percentage in 2020 and 2021. Champions are Grand Final winners, or league winners in 1996 and 1997.
Caveats
Uneven decades. The 1990s covers only 1996–99 and the 2020s runs to 2026, so their totals can’t be compared with the full decades.
Equal weighting. A Cup semi-final counts the same as a play-off last-four place, and a title counts no more than a semi-final. A different weighting could change the closest calls: 4th place in the 1990s, the order of the top three in the 2010s and 2nd place in the 2020s.
Sources. Season tables, play-off results and Cup results were compiled from season and club records. A few 2002–14 play-off brackets and some early-2000s Cup ties rest on a single source; none of them changes which clubs make the four.
