Quote: Gotcha "So if Huddersfield win and Cas get League Leaders, it actually turns into an easier situation, than if Saints win and Cas lose.
If Huddersfield win, the likelihood is that we will not meet one of Wigan or Warrington before a final if either got there. And I would imagine that assuming Cas lose first game, should they make a final eliminator they would probably be the call of any team in club call.'"
Yeah there's still a lot of what ifs involved but IF Wigan lose on Thursday and finish 5th then we could see a scenario of Wigan and Leeds being the two choices for the clubcall team to make in the semis......good luck to whoever could have that choice.
The key difference to finishing 6th compared to the 5th of other years is that we face the highest ranked loser from the top 4 games if we get through the first week, not the lowest ranked like in 2012 and 2011.
Had we had to face the highest ranked loser in those years it would've been Warrington away instead of Catalans in 2012. It would've been Wigan away instead of Hudds in 2011. This year I'm not sure facing the highest ranked loser will present such a difference compared to the lowest ranked. Looks like it's going to be a top 2 of Saints and Cas.....and I don't think both will win in the first week of the playoffs leaving us to go to one of their places.
People have mentioned we weren't able to win at Saints earlier in the year but it was one that even McDermott admitted a few weeks later that he got the tactics wrong of thinking we could just barge over the line. If we were to go there again we are a different prospect and team in playoff mode, win or lose we definitely won't employ the same tactics that we did that night.