I don't really understand how Smith gets praise for getting rid of substandard players when the squad is still full of substandard players. Removing poor players and then replacing them with poor players isn't a positive. It's just more of our continued cycle of never moving forward because our decision making is so poor.

Am I right in thinking a team has only finished outside the top 6 once after getting 28 points in the season in a 27 game season?

That could well be the case. We may in fact be the first team to finish as low as 8th with 28 points. A less interesting but more pertinent stat could be we wouldn’t be the first team to have played so poorly and finish outside the top 6.

I think the only chance Leeds have now, as I can't see us winning the last 2 , is to nick one and hope Leigh lose at home to HKR and Saints. Though the form Leigh are in they could easily beat Saints.

Catalans in poor form but their remaining games are London and Hull so can see them finishing above us