Agreed, its the basis for all of our great wins. Grind, chase, wear down, defend hard and take opportunities when we get them.
Our tactics in the big games have got us over the line in the past - 2004 kicking over vainakolos head and wearing him down for the last 20 (admittidly he still scored 2 IIFC). 2012 - Ablett running at Briers every opportunity leading to 2 scores through his defensive area. Theyre the 2 that spring to mind. If our senior players step up and play like they can and control the game, then hopefully it will be ours!

I was thinking about this. Who cares about winning pretty in a final? It's all about lifting the trophy. I can't wait!!!

I think we will see McGuire and Ablett putting a few more grubbers down the left edge, make Carney work his balls off. It worked a treat on Saturday and Carney won't like been constantly turned around, Vainikolo style, infact he would do well to get there first to them all.

Cas are a very good attacking team. Very good. So you'd like to think leeds could do the whole grind thing like they have in the GF's. But what if cas are able to find a way through? It's not all that unlikely really. Warrington, despite leeds first half dominance bombed 2 clear tries and had a couple of other clean breaks down the right. Had they not been so incompetent in those moments they'd have gone in probably one score behind which, taking account of how posession and territory swung in the second half would have made things very different.

Should cas get similiar opportunities, which you fancy them to based on their play this season, they will put points on the board. I'm not sure leeds have the attack to go toe to toe with them in that situation (as mental as it sounds).

For leeds to win, they need a lightning fast start and to have more than a try buffer after the first 20 so they can then go for the slow grind. Otherwise they'll end up playing catch up in a you score we score game.

Hmm.. I don't share your concerns here.

I've seen us play Cas twice this season and (until the sending off) have never thought we have looked like losing.

If we play like we know we are capable of then I think we'll win it comfortably.

Millington and Huby are going to be a big loss for Cas but Clarke on that very wide wembley pitch does scare me a lot

If it was any other team (except wiggin) i'd agree. But you know what cas are like.

Whilst this 'grind' tactic has worked at Old Trafford, I'm not sure if that has been our downfall in recent Wembley defeats?

IMO Wembley (unless terrible weather) lends itself to a faster, more open game and recently I think we've been guilty there of not being expansive enough until we are chasing the game.

Given our speed and threats out wide I'd like us to be more expansive (weather conditions allowing) as opposed to the more conservative approach that works well on a drizzly Old Traffford night under lights.

I'm sure Cas are going to be very expansive and IMO I think we need to throw more at them than just simply grinding out our sets .

Wembley lends itself to scoring plenty of points on a dry, hot sunny afternoon and given our great scramble defence of earlier this year, I'd be wanting to open up more and hope our scramble is better than theirs and win what I think would be a high scoring shoot out sort of game given how I think Cas will play, unless they freeze given the occasion of course.

I think we need to take more gas out of Cas in making them having to move side to side and all over the place, dealing with our offloads and in that way hopefully they have less energy to throw stuff back at us and we rely on our fitness and scramble and hope we out score them.

I think playing a conservative style (unless the heavens open) will play into their hands and increase their chances of winning

We need to play how we did in the early stages of this year. In attack, get the ball wide to Watkins, Moon and Hardaker with plenty of space to run at. Watkins in particular would be a nightmare to handle 1 on 1 on such a wide pitch.

As for defence - stop Clark, stop Cas, it's as simple as that. I'd not be adverse to roughing him up early on - let's face it, you're highly unlikely to be sent off nowadays, so let's give him a good old fashioned 'welcome to the party'. Hit him on suspicion every time early on, sod it... Let's erupt a scrum - old school!

I know it is always said because of the way it looks, and although not 100% sure, but I don't think the Wembley pitch is that much wider than Headingley at all, or most other grounds.

When Wembley was rebuilt I think the width of the pitch was brought in narrower than the original Wembley. And again, not totally sure, but I think most Rugby League teams play on a pitch 68 metres in width and 100m in length. I think Wembley is 69m in width.

That said, it is still a fast pitch regardless of size.

Well put and my thoughts as well.
We tend to be too negative at times under BM and as you say Cas are an excellent attacking side, who will definitely test us. Trying to grind out a win at Wembley may well be a mistake.
We need to take some of the better aspects of the Warrington game such as the kicking game and defence but come up with more in attack.
On another note read elsewhere that Huby may yet play. Will he won't he build up to the game similar to Senior at Cardiff.