It's not a matter of being "rubbish", it depends on which teams are actually taking the regular season seriously. IMO just Wiggin and Hudds. Wire have coasted thus far and have only wracked up a couple of cricket scores because of the weak opposition of the last two weeks. Leeds have achieved their target of 5th place and 'ull seem to be finding form at the right time.

Enjoy your retention of the Hub Cap, well done.

I certainly didn't expect Wigan to be half as good as they have been this year, the young kids have been great and look to be playing with a bit of passion for the club.

Rule 1. Don't use the M61, as life is too short to be spent getting from the M61 to the other side of Wigan. I once missed the first half of a cup-tie using that route.
Rule 2. Approach via the M65 (the motorway from nowhere to nowhere) and the M6 southbound.

From there, I have my own "secret" route known only to me and a few Wiganers who I bribed with a pie that actually had meat in it ... like putty in my hands they were.

M62 to Junction 10
M6 to Junction 25
Turn left at the bottom of slip road and just keep going till you get to the Stadium.
Couldn't be easier.

Regarding the season to date, we are doing extremely well but big tests are still to come.

I thought Wigan would slide this year with the players that left.

I do like that they are willing to throw young players into positions of need rather than shifting senior players out of position.

That said, as others have said, there's still a long way to go. The only people who really care about the League leader's shield are the supporters of whichever team wins it and then doesn't win the Grand Final.

I wonder if all the Wigan posters who, prior to the start of the season, were so disillusioned with the game, due to Wigan failing again & Leeds wining from 5th again, that they were considering jacking it in are now attending with renewed enthusiasm? Presumably as Wigan seem to be winning the hub cap at a canter they are the only team who are really trying?

The last three meetings between the teams have shown that there is little to choose between them. Most Wigan fans recognise this and rate Leeds as the strongest competitors.

But the way the competition is structured surely any of the top 5 or 6 can win it as coming first gives you no advantage in the playoffs. I reckon Wigan are better away from home anyway, so playing for a home tie seems pointless.

Even Saints in 7th or 8th can't be discounted the way they played at Leeds the other week and with Roby to add, they will compete.

It's kind of sad that coming first after playing every team home and away seems to count for so little. Leeds are SL champions and fair play to you but did you really think you were the best team in the competition last year?

That's not sour grapes by the way...it's just that the competition isn't designed to find the best team, just to find the winners of an end of season knockout. Of course if we reverted to just a league competition who's to say that Leeds wouldn't have come top last year anyway...it's just that there weren't any games when they noticeably failed to try their best.

Rugby isn't like football, it's not a game that you can coast in for a few weeks, not really trying (I remember Ben Westwood's testimonial game this year in January when Wire nilled Wigan, the tackiling was absolutely ferocious. The fans cleared the pitch then watched as both team battered each other in a friendly!!!))

The way the league and competition is structured you dont have to be the best team throughout the year, just the last handful of games, which Leeds were.

When the game really mattered, Leeds were the best team and won more knockout games last year than anyone else (CC and playoffs / GF).

I know what your saying though, consistancy isnt rewarded with the current structure so much.

Wigan's home attendances are currently 5.81% down compared to last season.

You are right Leeds won when it mattered. Did you come away from the DW after the play off thinking that you were the best team or that you'd got away with it (Wigan were without the best player in Super League - the players vote, not mine - yet lost by one point)?

My point is that I think that the two teams are evenly matched as this season's two games illustrate perfectly (you missed JP at the Etihad, we missed Sam at Headingley). Winning a cup game is down to bottle certainly, but there are other factors, for example luck, the refereeing decsions etc which can mean that not always the best team wins in a cup competition, but in the league over the season these things tend to even out (injuries/supensions/refs decsions etc).

I'm at pains to point out this is not sour grapes. Leeds won the competition fair and square. But debate about who is the best is open to discussion in Super League's present structure.

No doubt saving themselves for the play-offs.

Hardly any fans of any clubs will be saving themselves for the play-off's unless there's an £8 ticket offer

You have to laugh at these Wigan plebs!!!! Really you do!! "Full of gifted players" ??
Sam Tomkins - Too scared to play probably v Widnes in case Ah Van cracked him one or he got a bruise on his precious thumb from the artificial pitch! Achilles injury my a@$e
O'Loughlin - the Superleague's very own Mr cheap shot merchant and 1 trick pony extraordinaire.
And thats just 2 of your "stars"!!

Quote: Aboveusonlypie "You are right Leeds won when it mattered. Did you come away from the DW after the play off thinking that you were the best team or that you'd got away with it (Wigan were without the best player in Super League - the players vote, not mine - yet lost by one point)?'" After the game I seem to remember Wane saying we were the better team, perhaps he is a better judge than either of us. As for winning by one point and you missing Tomkins, so what? That's what your squad is there for, we were mising McGuire.....its swings and roundabouts. www.skysports.com/rugbyleague/ma ... 24,00.html "Jack's a good player," said Wane. "He'll play again next year and the year after. Losing Sam Tomkins is not the reason we lost the game. "It's a tough one. It's a really disappointed dressing room. We were not at our 100% best and we needed to be. "If you play 40 minutes like we did in that first half against a team like Leeds it leaves you with too much to do. "Our last plays weren't the best and I think that's where Leeds out-played us. They deserved to win. Kevin Sinfield is one of the best players there is and he burned us again. "In the second half we showed what we can do but, at the end of the day, Leeds know how to win games. "I knew when we were one point in front that, if we were not careful, it would come back and bite us."

Quote: Aboveusonlypie "You are right Leeds won when it mattered. Did you come away from the DW after the play off thinking that you were the best team or that you'd got away with it (Wigan were without the best player in Super League - the players vote, not mine - yet lost by one point)?'" After the game I seem to remember Wane saying we were the better team, perhaps he is a better judge than either of us. As for winning by one point and you missing Tomkins, so what? That's what your squad is there for, we were mising McGuire.....its swings and roundabouts. www.skysports.com/rugbyleague/ma ... 24,00.html "Jack's a good player," said Wane. "He'll play again next year and the year after. Losing Sam Tomkins is not the reason we lost the game. "It's a tough one. It's a really disappointed dressing room. We were not at our 100% best and we needed to be. "If you play 40 minutes like we did in that first half against a team like Leeds it leaves you with too much to do. "Our last plays weren't the best and I think that's where Leeds out-played us. They deserved to win. Kevin Sinfield is one of the best players there is and he burned us again. "In the second half we showed what we can do but, at the end of the day, Leeds know how to win games. "I knew when we were one point in front that, if we were not careful, it would come back and bite us."

Everyone knows the requirement for becoming Champions before a ball is kicked in February and will no doubt plan their season accordingly to reach that ultimate goal.

Whether it is the correct system (especially in terms of maintaining the integrity of the Regular Rounds) is open to debate - as is the suitability of the current Play-Off system where it's arguably better to finish in 5th than 4th or perhaps even 3rd, IMO.