A lot will centre around how Tom Briscoe performs, he's responded well since that semi final but you know Sneyd will be out for him again.

I dont think this game determines the mentality of the team. Its two good,pretty evenly matched teams going against each other,small margins either way can determine the outcome. I think we'v been spoiled by winning so many of the big ones over the last decade. The reality is that in a salary capped sport the best teams that make the semifinals and finals will be so closely matched that teams will lose as many as they win. Imo the worst part of the transition is behind us,we'v reached the semis of both comps so we'r right up there competing...Exept against cas so far unfortunatly.

Pretty much as expected with the 19.

Golding
Briscoe
Watkins
Moon
Hall
McGuire
Burrow
Parcell
Cuthbertson
JJB
Ablett
Ward
Sutcliffe
Singleton
Garbutt
Keinhorst
Ferres
Mullally
Walker

Would prefer to see Garbutt start ahead of Singleton (who has been carrying a back issue). Mostly about who starts at FB, although I wonder if Keinhorst starting at centre last week is a sign that the left centre position isn't nailed on for Sutcliffe or the latter was just given reduced minutes ahead of this game.

Back to back CC wins?

It's 2 teams coached by run of the mill ex-forwards who don't know how to get the best out of some world class backs. I think Hull's intensity (intensiteh Eddeh, in Phil Clarke accent) & advantage at HB & in the forwards will unfortunately see them succeed.

Are you serious?? Surely not. What has the challenge cup got to do with anything i said in that post or anything that was said in the post i was replying to?

This game has Tom Briscoe mom written all over it.
Can you bet on mom?

You implied Hull have achieved little or nothing, fortunately you're in a minority of Leeds fans, most see Hull as a good side and think Friday will be close.

Agreed Leeds competed well in the league (except V Castleford as you've noted), they may have reached the CC semi-final but effectively by taking advantage of receiving three byes. As others I think have said Leeds have only faced one acid test in the post Sinfield/Peacock era and it was a test they comprehensively failed.

Time will tell if lessons have been learned in time for Friday.

You must be on a wind up or you cant read...Nearly every post iv put in this thread iv said hull are a good team who are capable of winning the grand final and that friday will be a game between TWO good teams that could be decided by the smallest margins and i didnt imply anything..I was quite clear,leeds thankfully won grand finals from relatively poor league finishes...Hull havnt dont that yet,have they??...Your challenge cup wins are a great achievment but they have nothing to do with what i or the post i was replying to were discussing.

Yeah agreed bout the cup run,we were lucky with the draw,although we'v been due a bit of luck after years of drawing super league teams. I just dont see it as such a big statement or sign of where the team stands because we lost a big game,hull are a good team who were better than us on the day,it happens,if we lose on friday i still wouldnt see it as a sign we cant win a big one. We lost big games with sinfield and peacock aswel,2005 we lost the challenge cup final and grand final,won nothing in 2006 but then got back to winning things in 2007. I dont think everything is rosey or anything like that,theres deffinate improvements that could be made,but i think we'r as srong or stronger than any team in the league at the moment with one exception.

The lesson we need to learn imo is how to deal with cas,whilst hull and saints seem to have worked them out to the degree that theyr competitive games that can go either way...We seem no closer to being able to deal with them as we were when they were putting cricket scores on us in 2016.

Yes despite their cup wins which were great achievements, one competition doesn't always translate to the other as ourselves and Warrington have shown. They did us in the 2010 & 2012 cup finals quite easily but we did them in the 2011 playoffs and 2012 GF.

One key difference is that with the cup you can have 3/4 weeks to plan for that game and opponent and this time last week Hull didn't even know if they'd be in the playoffs. Between Hull's first cup game and the final they lost 7 of their 13 league games which may suggest they were planning and looking ahead to the cup games whereas they've not had that luxury the last few weeks.

Its the first one

Match them in the forwards and Leeds will win.Easier said than done,Bentham is a huge positive for them as they play him very well.Looking forward to all 3 games coming up.Can Cas fulfill their promise.? Fridays game looks a 21-20 type of game and mpg is what it is .Good luck to Leeds and thankyou for Danny M next year..

Well that is one thing we should all remember on Friday regardless of the result. Two legends in McGuire and Burrow will have played their last game for Leeds at Headingley and maybe even their last game altogether in Burrow if we lose. Likewise in victory it'll be Ellis' final game too. All three deserve a great send off post match whatever happens.