would bring in Achurch for either Bailey or Kirke who both offered nothing last week going forward

1. Hardaker
2. Jones-Bishop
3. Watkins
4. Moon
5. Hall
13. Sinfield
6. McGuire
23. Singleton
7. Burrow
10. Peacock
11. Jones-Buchanan
15. Delaney
12. Ablett

8. Leuluai
16. Bailey
19. Achurch
26. Sutcliffe

Interesting reading. Everytime I think to myself there's no way we can pull it off again I get a huge sense of deja vous. Not an easy challenge by any means but Saints at home is game we are more than capable of winning regardless of what happened last week. Is it merely coincidence that the only play off we've lost under big mac is the only one we didn't have to win?

this

I'm not so sure. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Saints ambush Leeds and we exit the play-offs with a whimper. Then again I wouldn't be surprised if we turn in a good performance and sneak it. Looking forward to it either way.

Same squad as last week then.
No McShane so presumably McGuire is fit to play.
Hope he does something this week as we can`t carry too many in such a crucial game.
Clearly one of the untouchables!

Well sooner or later mac's record of knockout playoff games will come to an end, we can't just go on winning year after year.

I just can't see how this game will go. On the one hand with saints recent form i think 'uh oh here comes a taste of our own medicine' season gone with a whimper, but then on the other hand I think, look at the teams record they thrive on these situations we won't let this title go without an almighty fight. So it's a very difficult game to predict.

For me, i'll get an inkling in the first 10 minutes whether we are up to it or not. I expect completed sets, decent 4th/5th tackle kicks and muscle up front both in defence and attack. If saints are gaining quick play the balls, and we come up with poor options with ball in hand.....it's going to be a struggle.

Neither Bentham nor Silverdud encourage quick PTBs so you should probably be safe enough!

Personally, after the season we have had with the countless dismal performances I have watched my team put in, I am astounded we have made it this far. I can't see us winning on Friday but as long as Saints put in their best possible performance then I'll take something from an otherwise disappointing and sometimes depressing season.

If we win not only will it be a bonus but I will be stunned.

I'm not suprised. I had you down as dark horses 6 weeks ago. In terms of 'this far', it's one home win against a mid table team. So it doesn't take much of a stretch to imagine a team of saints ability being bale to accomplish that. It's the reason quite a few leeds fans had you down as dark horses. We could see you would finished somewhere 5th-8th. Anywhere outside the top 4 you get ''whipping boy rabble'' in week 1. Play half decent, you are suddenly in week 2.

If saints knock leeds out, theoretically theres no reason they can't go all the way.

Spin doctors out in force

"Leeds haven't beaten Saints at Headingly in the play offs since 1998!"

Or

"Leeds have a 100% success rate against Saints at Headingly in the play offs!"

your choice

Except that 'whipping boy rabble' had beaten us three times in the regular rounds and knocked us out of the Challenge Cup at the first time of asking, something that hadn't happened to us in about 90 years or something! (Slight exaggeration there, obviously, but it was many moons ago anyway) We had good reason to believe HKR would come out fighting, but they didn't really. Just a bit of effort straight after halftime, which was a surprise to all of us I think and also a bit disappointing in terms of preparation for this week, especially given our current team's tendency to drop the ball and such like when least needed.