Quote: tvoc "Is this what the professional game is coming to - which team can goad the opposition into a reaction the best ..... what next, diving in the penalty box?
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Under this present flawed format no team finishing the regular season in third and coming off a loss has won a week two play-off fixture despite being at home V supposed inferior opposition.
This current Leeds coach has never beaten St Helens at Headingley during his tenure but in terms of the play-offs he has also yet to lose a sudden death fixture.
If the coach selects the correct run-on team and bench, gives them clearly defined roles and shares their workload it's a game in which Leeds can defy the recent past and win - if we see a repeat of the muddled shambles at the Halliwell-Jones it's going to be a tough ask even for a group of Champion players.'"
While being a keen student of history, in a sporting context it is irrelevant and bordering on superstition to suggest what has gone before is therefore what is going to happen this time around.. Next weeks game as in previous times will be decided by which team finds the necessary motivation and form to beat the other irrespective of position.
Leeds have had a huge handicap this season with key injured players returning too late to produce match fitness and form in time for the key playoff games. Our current and foreseeable future coach knows the value of his tried and trusted first choices and has tried to get them match fit in the space of a few games. He managed to inspire an outstanding performance for the Wigan game but the Champion players looked jaded and fell short at Warrington.
In hindsight it may have been better for us to have used the Wigan game to get the injured match fit at the expense of a victory. But to his credit that is not the way of our Champion coach who as always goes out to win.
So we need to lick our wounds, and pick out best and fittest players for next week. They can do it despite the odds being against them
