Two more weeks of meaningless fixtures after this weekend is completed until the season kicks off for real on Thursday 26 September.

Do Leeds want a week off? And would it benefit them if they did earn a week off? Recent success has been built on building momentum playing every week in the play-off's while those earning a week off haven't fared too well when it really counts in the proper semi final.

My personal view? Leeds may well be better off losing at Warrington next week. Continue building momentum a week later at home to whipping boy SL rabble, then turn it on in the proper semi final the week after... probably away at Warrington... where they'll bottle it under pressure and wonder what the actual point was of winning 2 weeks earlier.

Lots to happen before this could happen, but a VERY interesting scenario would be a Leeds loss and a Wigan win next week...giving ClubCall to Warrington.

Then Leeds and Huddersfield wins in week two - who would Warrington pick?? Surely then the 'automatically pick the lowest ranked team' approach would be ditched given their recent record against Huddersfield?

Are you really classing Saints as 'whipping boy SL rabble' these days?

There would be a chance that we would face them at Headingley in week two?

I concur. The week off will not do leeds any good IMO.

No it wouldn't because Tony Smith's opinion of club call isn't exactly positive and he doesn't strike me as the type of person to change his mind by agreeing to polish turds to order. He doesn't even bother turning up for the non-event, instead leaving the club call announcement to someone else at the club - which is always "lowest ranked team selected" whoever it might be.

It's worked both ways in the past, under this current system and when we've finished in the top four.

2009 we had the week off after beating Hull KR, then defeated Catalans at home to reach OT;

2010 we won at Wigan then lost at home to them two weeks later.

No way of knowing whether having the extra game is better IMO...

I agree that TS doesn't like the concept (putting it mildly) and wouldn't be associated with making the choice on TV - but there's no way he wouldn't have a behind the scenes input in that scenario.

I think if the club went down the road of picking Leeds over Hudds that would be insanity of the highest order.

I just dont see leeds beating warrington twice in 3 weeks, and i don't see much possibility in leeds and warrington not repeating in week 3.

If leeds win in week one and wigan win leeds get club call. Warrington and hudds bounce back and win in week 2, warrington are the lowest ranked team, leeds pick them. If leeds win in week one but hudds win, wigan and warrington win in week 2, and hudds club call the lowest ranked team which is wigan, leaving leeds and warrington. If leeds lose in week one and hudds win, wigan and leeds win in week 2, hudds club call lowest ranked team, leaving leeds and warrington. If leeds lose in week one and hudds lose, warrington get club call, hudds and leeds win in week 2, warrington club call leeds as the lowest ranked team.

The only way i dont see leeds and warrington facing off twice is if one of them goes out in week 2 after losing in week 1. Let's say that doesn't happen but it's one of hudds or wigan who lose in week 2. If it's wigan, it means hudds won in week 1 giving them club call meaning they pick the lowest ranked team which will be the team that beats wigan....leaving leeds and warrington. If however, hudds lost in week 1 and lost in week 2, warrington would have club call, they'd pick whoever knocked out hudds leacing leeds with another trip to wigan.

The scenarios of leeds not playing warrington twice are few and unlikely.

Providing the loser of our week 1 game wins in week 2 it's pretty much 95% certain they'll play in week 3 to get to the grand final.

I think it'll be one win a piece so it depends who loses in week one and wins in week 3.

I wouldn't expect TS to provide the gimmick with so much as a picogram of credibility... not now, not ever. The insanity is believing that he might. He'll select the lowest ranked loser whoever it might be. Cripes, I'd bet on GH entering into a partnership which also benefits the other partner ahead of TS wasting any decision-making energy on the club call gimmick.

I agree.Could you imagine the reaction were he to be the first coach to pick a higher ranked team rather than face Leeds to get to the final? Admiting that they fear Leeds? Not in a million years, and certainly not Smith who has already shown his contempt of the gimmick.

Yep, I agree. It's a forgone conclusion that we will play warrington twice and to me is the biggest fault in this play off system.

I also feel that somehow we would be more likely to win at Warrington then at home in the final illiminater.

Why would picking Huddersfield mean that they fear Leeds, given that they would have beaten us two weeks previous? I think it would just show their confidence in facing a team who they seem to have the measure of.

I think they'd have to give picking Huddersfield serious consideration given their recent record against them.

Anyway, it probably won't happen because I think Hudds will turn Wigan over - just thought in that scenario it might actually for once give this daft concept a bit of uncertainty to the outcome.

Not that remote. A Leeds loss, a Wigan win and Saints to obviously beat Hull KR is all it would take...

Far more remote than it would have been had Leeds finished 4th instead of being handed 3rd on a plate by a team and a coach who have gone way overboard in the [i"taking-the-regular-season-"[/i stakes over the past couple of months. I don't expect Wigan to win next week anyway, and I think there's a good chance they'll lose at home to St Helens the week after. And if that should happen, it'll be richly deserved IMHO.