Heres hoping you win it then, id rather go to OT

Finally beating wigan? We won 5 in a row at the HJ before they won last year and we won the last two at piedome?

I am quite aware of that. My post was tongue in cheek as he mentioned that the best two teams were Wire and the Wolves. Last time I checkchecked they were one and the same.

Quite.

It doesn't matter who wins it, that result will be the death knell oftheir GF aspirations.

Yeah OT for me to guys,I just want to have the feeling of our team playing and winning there

I'm not sure it will be this year.

How so?



Now the playoff process/GF is no longer a carve-up between Saints and Leeds, you have to be at your best from Round 1. You may get away with it if you finish first, but the physical and emotional drain of playing that final, is too much to get back to being at your peak in three weeks.



All in my humble, obviously.

It's entirely possible the cup semis will be wigan/wire, st helens, hudds, leeds. If the cup finalists are not Leeds, then you are arguing that those two are unlikely to win the league. When it comes down to two or three matches, anything can happen.

It can. Could be a fantastic play off series for once. Obviously Warrington and Wigan start favourites, but the Giants will be confident against Warrington and there could even be a resurgent Leeds, a strong Catalan and a fresh-as-a-daisy-and-injury-free-Saints in the mix too.



In the past we've basically known which sides were off to OT and the other games have been rather low key.

When it gets to the play-offs the league IS a knock-out competition.



Right now there's not much to choose between Giants, Pies and Wire.

I'd say there's a lot to choose between Wire and Wigan, it's just strange that Hudds have Wire's number and as such have pushed themselves to joint top whilst keeping Wire in check with the rest.

very true, what i mean by best teams at the moment is that us and hudds seem to have very rounded attacks, and seem capable of scoring from anywhere.



wigan seem one dimensional by comparison, it all seems to come through Stomkins





while all three have very effective defences

Clearly you and Huddersfield, as we have seen all season. The Pies are having a good season still, but Wire and Huddersfield have offered a lot more and look a lot more dangerous. Wire may have slipped up a few times this season, Catalans, Hull FC, but generally you are beating the teams around you, so thats always good. I think Saints could creap up there, but will be difficult. If anyone else other than Saints, Pies, Wire and Huddersfield are to make the top 4, I think it will be Catalans. Still have Bosc to come back and the way the likes of Dureau, Menzies, Greenshield, Sa etc are playing, they are a very strong, in-depth side.

I just think there are going to be an awful lot of dissapointed Wire fans come the end of the season ....and huddersfield fans too



neither of us have even made a grand final once



apart from the inaugural final Wigan had been losing finalist 3 times before becoming winners last year, Bradford too lost a final before they won one.



Leeds had lost one final, won one, then lost another before they went on their run of 3 wins....



Saints obviously were the first superleague winners when it was first past the post so they had that in their bag before appearing in their first final a few years later.



I cannot believe for a minute Wire and huddersfield will come out of the blue and both be in the Grand final.



I'll be happy with a league leaders shield and then we can smugly look down our noses at the play off competition that follows that will bear no reflection on the season thats gone.....

Great post,spot on..

excellent post. I think it is this sort of stuff we have to bear in mind. At the moment the league leaders shield looks possible and we can all jump to conclusions about what that means for out post season performance. As you say Mr biscuit, it will certainly be foreign ground for us to get anywhere near the grand final. I think a more realistic goal would be to reach the final. Bearing in mind we have only ever been 2 steps away from the final.



However, I feel I may need to remind you that, prior to the challenge cup win in 2009, we hadn't been there in twenty years and hadn't won it for over 35 years. There is a chance that we will take to the Grand Final. We have certainly built ourselves up for the big games this year.

If we get to the grand final, then for me we will be favourites, based on our last two challenge cup wins where we played superbly under pressure and the and the quality we showed in the big games against saints and leeds so far this year.



Getting there for me will be the test due to our bloody awful playoff record...

Jeez, we haven't finished in the playoffs that often yet this myth of us having a bad habit of failing in them seems to crop. I'd say its Saints who have more of a habit of falling apart. Three in a row you've lost is it?

4 in a row.

Wire for the double

Got to be in it to lose it!



PS: We did win it in 2006 btw. So we've been there five times on the bounce now.

shows standards over the motorway are slipping then.

Yes. Wire are top of the table.