A couple of big calls went our way.
I thought the right call was made re the Hodgeson hit.
The Briers knock on should have been given, but there were more serious issues with the way Leeds played.
It seems to me that you've only 1 kicker - Sinfield - and he's he's put under pressure then there's no alternative.
We've got Monas, Hodgeson and even Ratchford.
That to me is one of the biggest issues in your team.

I'm not sure what tactics I'd have played if I was McDermott.
TS has got a squad with real strength in depth and he's shown time and again he can get the tactics right.
This time he targetted your youngsters on the Watkins side after a lot of biff and bash in the forwards.

I actually thought there was little in it in the first half and that you more than held your own although the threat in attack was not as decisive as ours.

I remember losing to Wigan in the 90's final and it was horrible, so in all honesty you do have my sympathy.
I really feel for Sinfield.

Not sure of the Play-Off etiquette but isn't one game away from a Grand Final known as the Qualifying Semi Final these days under the present hopeless format?

Don't think we've had an Elimination Semi Final since 2008.

I'd fancy Leeds to beat them when it really counts. They got close last week with one of their usual abject tossing it off regular round performances. Catalan are not genuine contenders and neither are any of the other rabble teams I mentioned earlier.

The facts are, no matter how ordinary Leeds are, no matter how weak their pack is, no matter how structurally inept they are in defence and dealing with dummy runners, they remain almost guaranteed of reaching the semi final of the SL play-offs. The same applies to the CC unless they ever get an unlucky early round draw - they will reach the semi finals of that competition, bare minimum.

Since the overall competition is poor, even this current Leeds squad remain only one single good performance away from reaching a Grand Final or a Challenge Cup Final. That's all it takes.

I think you are being over generous to Leeds there. We'll have to play very well to beat them in France. I'd be very confident at Headingley, which makes me think 4th might be a better option than 5th this year.

Quite possibly.

It's all very confusing newspeak... the kind of which Orwell would be proud of.

Perhaps they are just plain, no-nonsense semi finals these days, the week before the Grand Final?

Think I preferred major and minor semi finals and finals

Didn't the ARL use to have finals rather than play-offs? Always confused me those.

__________

Les Catalans have had three home fixtures in the Play-Offs beating Warrington (46-icon_cool.gif and Hull KR (56-6) with ease but also coming unstuck against Wigan (26-50) The one constant there is that it's never been much of a contest.

Leeds have yet to visit Les Catalans in the SL Play-Offs (or Challenge Cup) but they have a Won 3, Lost 4 record in the Regular Rounds, sequence W, L, W, L, W, L, L

So coach McDermott has yet to win there with Leeds although he did win there at least twice with the Harlequins.

Hardly a fair comparison. Leeds have to travel - it was a local derby for Quins

From memory, the ARL Top 5 play-off system which we used for several seasons from 1998 to 2001 (I think, though not entirely sure)...

Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4:
Winner of Major Semi Final V Winner of Preliminary or Minor Final (Grand Final)

The only slight issue I had with the old top 5 format was whether finishing third was preferable in reality to finishing lower. Away to the team finishing second in week one (QPO) but with a safety net firmly tucked away in the back pocket for the following week (ESF) if defeated. It appeared to catch out Halifax in '98 and Leeds in '99 to some extent but there again if you lose at home in a sudden death play-off game you deserve to be done for the year.

I think it is - the chance to play against a team one place above you which if won would earn you the chance to have a bye or a second chance to me is a massive advantage to going into sudden death rugby.

My concern would be the first place team who could potentially only play once in effectively 4 weeks before the Grand Final while other teams built a bit of momentum

1998 - Bradford - Week 1 exit (EPO)

1999 - Castleford - Week 3 exit (FE)

2000 - Castleford - Week 1 exit (EPO)

2001 - Leeds - Week 1 exit (EPO)



Perhaps in theory but did it pass the reality test?

1998 - Halifax - Week 2 exit (ESF)

1999 - Leeds - Week 2 exit (ESF)

2000 - Bradford - Week 3 exit (FE)

2001 - Hull - Week 2 exit (ESF)

Remembering the team finishing the Regular Rounds in 3rd were guaranteed to reach a minimum of week 2 that's not a great record at reaching their top 3 seeding in the Play-Offs.



That can cut both ways. Rest V being battle hardened. The losing club will usually point out how they were disadvantaged by their journey to the final regardless of route they had followed.

Wow have just come back from the pub having drank several pints of Sam smiths fine ales and seen all these configurations.
It's all a bit complicated for me, might have to go back to the pub to clear my mind.

There's some poor teams in there!

I still can't believe we lost than game to Cas either - it probably won Vowles the Man of Steel award as well, which when viewed as a best player award was a travesty.