Quote: Agent Provocateur "It's not about primarily about losing form... it's about priorities and taking your eye off Super League when still involved in the latter stages of the MM Cup. That's why Saints only just scraped past Quins at home 30-24 and beat Wakey 52-36 just prior to the MM Cup Final last year. And this from a team whose defence was rock solid all year apart from that particular period. Then they fielded a weakened team away at Catalans Dragons, basically throwing the game.
This is also the same period that saw Leeds lose at home to Stains, away at Hull and at home to Wigan, though you have to take into account Leeds familiar late season chokes as well. And what about the all-conquering Hull KR from NL1 last year? Their run in the MM Cup meant they lost to Leigh twice, 18-22 and 12-36, then got thrashed away at Whitehaven 48-12 in the run-up to their MM Cup Semi Final.
The previous year, Hull lost at home to London and Wigan prior to their late MM Cup involvement, and then went on a disasterous losing run immediately after beating Leeds at the Millennium. Saints scraped past Leigh away 27-20 as they had the MM Cup Semi on their minds, and Leeds got trounced 42-10 by the Bulls at Headingley.
There is clear evidence that MM Cup involvement in the shape of MM Cup Semi Finals and Finals affects those clubs focus, results and form in Super League throughout that period and that shouldn't be allowed to happen.'"
Should we hope leeds to get knocked out early so they can focus on SL, and pray they don't have their annual season end of slump?
..(though the last time we got knocked out early in 04 we managed to carry our form through)
Or should we concentrate mainly on the CC as our best chance of silverware?
