If I was making a prediction now, I'd back us to take the LLS, Wigan to take 2nd from saints on points difference, Huddersfield to overhaul Wire for 5th and Cas tying up 4th place.

Widnes look horribly out of form, so i'd back HKR to overhaul them with Wakey narrowly missing out on the final day.

So I'd put in for a top 8 of:

1. Leeds
2. Wigan
3. St Helens
4. Castleford
5. Huddersfield
6. Warrington
7. Catalans
8. Hull KR

It's definitely making the top 8 race more intriguing since it began imo.
We can still slip up ourselves though as we've seen against Wakey and in past seasons.
Although top spot would be nice for me the biggest game is the CC semi we have to be as close to our best as possible because irrespective of form I'm sure Wire will be hugely confident given their CC record against us.

(34) St Helens - Hull FC, Wakefield, Leeds, Warrington, Huddersfield

(32) Leeds - Bradford, Warrington CCSF, London, CCF (TBC), St Helens, Wigan, Hull FC

(30) Wigan - Salford, Hull KR, Widnes, Leeds, Warrington.

(30) Castleford - London, Widnes CC, Warrington, CCF (TBC), Bradford, Wakefield, Catalan.

(2icon_cool.gif Warrington - Catalan, Leeds CC, Castleford, CCF TBC, Huddersfield, St Helens, Wigan.

(2icon_cool.gif Huddersfield - Wakefield, Widnes, Warrington, Hull FC, St Helens.

Just looking once again at the remaining fixtures and the teams below us have a few matches against each other guaranteeing some dropped points for the teams currently placed 3rd-6th. With our comfortable points difference over the others (barring Wigan) then top 4 will be nailed on with 4 points from 4 against Bradford and London. After that will hinge on the final 3 games vs Saints, Wigan and Hull.

2 wins from 3 should get us top spot,
1 win then maybe 2nd/3rd
0 wins and 3rd/4th

We must not take for granted the game vs the bulls which is just what Wigan did.

I think the recent tough matches and close finishes will have been good mentally for the youngsters who may well be needed to hold their nerve in the playoffs.

The return of Burrow and JJB (and both in good form too) is a real boost and I expect Sinfield's enforced rest will have him mentally and physically ready too. We must use the Bradford game to continue our improvement and get back that steely defence and keep building our confidence.

Nope we shouldn't, but I think that had a lot to do with Wigan having to play again on Thursday vs Salford. We'll have a full 7 days and Bradford will have the shorter Sunday-Friday turnaround vs us.

Interesting.

From that, warrington have the toughest run in, with cas the most favourable. Wigan and hudds in second behind cas for favourable run in.

Very hard to make an accurate prediction but based on the fact theres no CC for them to worry about, there's a reasonably favourable run in (in comparison to others) and a superior points difference I'd say wigan will finish in the top 2.

The priority for leeds (besides the CC) should be securing a home tie in the playoffs and so a top 2 finish.

It'll be a squeeker based on that run in though.

The points difference is no longer something we can rely on, and saints although they have lost walsh have a good record at headingly. Then we finish with tricky games at hull and wigan.

You would like to think we would beat bradford and london and not suffer an upset, and then beat saints on account of 'home advantage' and no walsh, which hopefully would be enough (based on other teams dropping points in other games) to secure top 2.

Can't ever remeber a run in as tight as this.

Wigan forum are now saying its a conspiracy because we Always get a longer turnaround.I only looked on there to see their reaction from todays game and lo and behold

TBF whilst Sky have a say in some games regarding which are on tv then all clubs have a certain say in when they play their home games and some prefer Fridays and some Sundays.

Those on the Sunday always risk a short turnaround whilst at worst playing Friday you'll have a 6 day turnaround to a Thursday game but more likely a full week to Friday again.

Granted when you're the away team like Wigan were (and Cas were when we faced them on a short turnaround at the Jungle) then you can't really change it but is that anybodies doing apart from the team who arranged the game? Did they ask Bradford if they could've played it Friday instead?

It's quite good for Leeds to mostly play on Fridays. With a large chunk of our away games inevitably on Sky (thus usually moved to Friday too) then you'll mostly have a 7 day turnaround throughout the year. Don't actually think this is why we have our home games mostly on Fridays as I believe it's more to do with better corporate gigs attending or something along those lines but it does work out better for us I believe. But their isn't anything from stopping others from following suit as it's not like Sky demand anybody play on Sunday for tv reasons.

It's also worth noting how certain teams perform in "big games". Having a tough run in is one thing, but failing to take advantage of "simpler" games is also problematic for some sides - you'd expect the top 6 to be in a similar order to the "top 6" table yet currently
Win Draw Lose Pd Points
Saints 6 0 2 45 12
Huddersfield 5 1 2 14 11
Wigan 4 0 5 21 8
Leeds 3 2 4 2 8
Castleford 3 1 5 -20 7
Warrington 2 0 5 -62 4
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It shows that whilst Leeds are about average in those "big games" they have avoided far more banana skins than Huddersfield. It should be a very interesting run in

Whilst a "Top 6" league table does bare some thought, we've already seen Saints thrash Warrington and Warrington thrash Saints back so I'm not sure this particular year we can take much from that.

I think all the teams near the top are quite closely matched (compared to 07-09 when Leeds and Saints were miles ahead of the rest) so it can just be a case of facing teams at the right/wrong time. Would Saints be 2 points better off had HKR stuck with Sandercock a week longer for example? Without injuries surely some results would be different.

Nothing I've seen so far this year in terms of play has pointed at any team being clear favourites over any of the others when the playoffs arrive. The only piece of clear evidence I've seen effecting the playoffs so far is that Saints will have to do without two main men in Walsh and Lomax.

The top 8 looks to really have kicked in......just as we're about to scrap it.

Problem with some RL supporters is very short patience.

During the top 5/6 era people complained that the GF was mostly just 1st vs 2nd and the playoffs were meaningless as the teams in 4th and 5th had no real chance of reaching Old Trafford.

Skip ahead a few years and 4th and 5th win it and people complain that the top 2 don't have enough of an advantage in the playoffs.

Except we're not scrapping it per se, just changing the reward you get for being in it.