Or Hardaker in the centres with Watkins

The answer to this question was a yes! I was wrong.

We played with a positive attitude last night and we looked a different team.

Although we played well there is still a lot of room for improvement and Leeds were under strength and were pretty poor.

1. We've been under strength all year.
2. Leeds had 3 missing. We've had that many missing all year but you haven't allowed that to be used as an excuse.
3. Leeds played poor ONLY because we didn't let them play well.

I see the glass half empty brigade are out in full force again!!!!

Except we had 6 missing - Aiton, Sutcliffe and JJB are all first choice players. And i don't think you can give too much credit to Saints for McGuire gifting you your first try or Childs regularly giving you the benefit of the doubt where knock ons were concerned.

Don't get me wrong, much better performance from your lot but Leeds helped you a lot.

They had Hardaker, Watkins, sutcliffe, Aiton and JJB missing off the top of my head so they had some serious strike players missing. Plus the Wembley hangover to take into account so let's not get carried away.

We can only play what's infront of us so that's not our problem but last night wasnt a top quality performance but a good win and a win we needed.

Sky really make me laugh. They totally wrote us off (fair with the way we played) but with one win and now we the best thing since sliced bread.

Obviously injuries to key players (on both sides) will always have an effect on the outcome of any match. Leeds are really missing Aiton...and one more injury blow to either McGuire or especially Sinfield will have a huge impact on who finishes where and with what come the season's end.

From you perspective I believe you may be potentially looking like peaking as a team at the right time. Better to have had the slump when you did rather than over the next few coming weeks !!!

An apparent back-to-form Walsh and Wilkin make a huge difference to your side. Walmsley is a belter.

Rather you guys win the GF again than the Wigan spoliers. (IF Leeds don't of course).

Blimey, well you could say Saints helped you out massively in them first 2 games through substandard performances and injuries to key players.

Leeds are stronger this season and this performance suddenly doesn't mean we're better, however, in a one off game anything can happen.

We needed a win just to keep the pressure off falling out of the top 4.

Now we need to pick up our game performances, next week will be a tough match too as it's last chance saloon for Cas to get into the top 4.

Warrington's season will be gone by the time we play them and Wigan may be sitting pretty in 2nd place. So we may get something out of those games, but as long as we keep the effort up then we my start to get some confidence back and some passes that stick.

I think next weeks game will be the yardstick, a similar or improved performance will tell us if we are going to be serous contenders towards the Grand Final. There is still loads of improvement we can make in attitude, performance and tactics, like people have already mentioned sometimes its a mental thing, if we want to get back on the bike its consistent good performances from now on with no back pedalling excuses.

It doesn't matter who's playing for Leeds. It's tough to play if you're constantly being penned in your own ten by an accurate kicking game.

Yes but would that kicking game have been so accurate if Leeds had fresher bodies in defence winning collisions and putting pressure on kickers.

Will Saints produce that kicking performance against a fresh team?