Interesting point that, the Cats game will be physical and if looking tired now I cant see it getting a great deal better after that game. Dire might pull a suprise and pick you

Should we beat Cats has you say we will have put alot into it! Leeds I think will beat Hudds who like ourselves look to have to many players not 100%, and they will be the fresher of the 2 teams after not really having much into yesterdays game!!

Would prob be the hardest club call yet I think!

Disagree, Wigan look fooooked yet Leeds minus the WCC have played the same amount of games look invigorated, a 2nd wind if you must.

To be fair to Wigan, Leeds have hardly been playing at the same intensity as them this season!

Having most of our squad back fit also makes a difference, especially Peacock and to a lesser degree McGuire (who hasn't hit the form he was in last season). We've also had enough time now to cope with the losses of Senior, Burgess and Cross (LOL) mid-season.

If you would seriously consider picking Wigoon over Leeds in the club call you're mad. Leeds have played just one less game than Wigoon but haven't been exposed because, well basically, since the semi-finals they've had Harlequins (A) which they flunked, Wakefield (H) and Huddersfield (A) before yesterday's game with Hull. That's hardly a testing run. Against similar opposition Wigoon have ran riot i.e. Bradford and Crusaders. Had Leeds had to play Warrington in a similar situation i.e. a meaningful match I doubt we'd be sat here typing away the suggestion. Also Wire have put forty past Leeds both home and away.

I'm not writing Leeds off but I do not see sufficient logic for picking the current reigning champions especially when the logic seems to be based around Wigoon losing one game, yesterday's. If they beat Catalans on Sunday it will either be a blow out or a heroic performance. Now picture that. If the reigning champions pull out a champion like performance (and both of those scenarios would be viewed as such) which coach in their right mind would want to upset the apple cart and pick the champions when he knows they're capable of such. Champion teams are not called so because they won more games than anybody else over the course of the season, it's because of how they won. A champion team can pull off miracles and I have seen this Wigoon team do it more than any other in this year's competition. Of course they're not invulnerable, however why would you put yourself in that position? Why would you want to play a team with that kind of ability before you had to? I know if Saints had the club call I'd be picking the other team.

However, if Sam Tomkins isn't playing I'd consider it lol.

12,000 at JJB and 9,000 at Headingley, and the play offs are supposed to be our Jewel in the Crown!

I think your mean suggesting Wigoon are a 1 man team , I mean they have the kick to Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat tactic too!

How many did you get at Quins?

Money is tight, simple really.

It was a fantastic performance and I dont know where it came from because we haven't produced anything near that level all year. Defensively, I was very impressed. We actually looked quite confident defending our own line for a change despite alot of Wigan pressure at certain points in the game. Our scrambling defence was top notch and there was a determined steel about our defence that I've not seen from us this season. Offensively we also looked quite balance, and whilst there is definitely improvement in us in this area, we didn't simply go down the left hand side of the pitch - in fact, we attacked the right side more. We also offloaded and hit angles better than we have done for a while. Our PTB speed was also dominant and was killing Wigan in the 1st half.

It was a great effort and with a few further options in two weeks with returning players, Simmons has some selection dilemmas. The week off will do us good and will keep us nice and fresh for a final push. It was a very important result for us mentally aswell as physically.

Not convinced we'll go all the way yet, but we can certainly start dreaming more than we could a few weeks ago with performances like that.

COYS!

If wire pick Wigan I'll change my signiture to read.

The wire are the greatest club to grace super league bar none.

For an entire season.

Personally Ithink both Huddersfield and Wigan may struggle to make it through. If it was a choice of Leeds Catalan that is more of a choice. Catalan finished below leeds but Catalan are a very tough side.

I reckon Leeds will beat Huddersfield no worries. Huddersfield where gone about three months ago. Good start kept them in the top four. Catalan are unpredictable. But they know how to beat wigan. The good thing for Saints is that Wigan and catalan play on Sunday so does not give a long turn around for the semi.

As for attendances daft structure that makes repeaters likely does not help as fans hedge their bets on not having to fork out twice for the same game.

Everybody wants to see a great defence. What we don't want to see is defence artificially elongating the PTB. That ruins rugby league as a spectacle. What Wire now have and what Saints showed on Sunday was sound defence without that deliberate slowing down of the PTB. That meant we had the best of both worlds: great defence but a game at pace and intensity. I enjoyed Makinson's tackle on Carmont as much as I enjoyed any of the tries. That was a man on man tackle but it was very skillfully executed and worthy of the song we sung for him! THAT is what many of us mean when we talk about good defence, not having three men peeling on and off, taking up 11 precious seconds of viewing time.

As for our performance, one of the many things I found encouraging was the introduction of the inside pass. Clearly we are gelling as a team now, because (touch wood) we haven't had mass injury exits for a little while and so Royce will be able to build on our attack. To see us use the inside pass, play direct, run good lines, go forward and pass out wide, use the right and the left ... it is all good. I hope that continues and it wasn't all just a one off to beat Wigan!

Why Tomkins is !

Has stated Leeds have played at a far less intense level and has I have siad Wigan have managed to turn potential points avanlanges into tight games with inablity to kill teams off!

Wigan coming off the back off the challenge cup showed that its maybe now beyond us to raise to the levels needed 2 on the bounce. Catalans wont be a walk in the park and to beat them will take a huge effort.



Yes but we are asking people to pay near enough £20 on a ticket for games live on sky 2/3 weeks on the bounce then possibly a grand final add travel on top of that and an expensive weekend in london wasnt to long ago for some then its not as appealing!

And Saints fan care to name 1 tackle on sun that took 11 seconds?? No thought not. Saints get numbers in the tackle. Quite a few times on sun the 2nd/3rd man got invovled just as the attacker was going to ground. Was this in an attempt to speed the game up??

No, and that's one reason why the game was attractive to watch.

That's all well and good but Leeds haven't managed to perform at a level capable of beating the top three. Even in the cup final, where some Wigoon fans have said they didn't play particularly well in, it still wasn't good enough. What makes you think that Leeds can throw off a season of mediocrity like it was a summer duvet cover on a hot morning? A couple of wins against poorly performing or uninterested sides doesn't suddenly mean you're a force that's going to storm the barricades of Old Trafford. Hull KR beat Saints and Catalans whilst Leeds beat Wakefield, Huddersfield and Hull. I don't think anybody was coming out and saying Hull KR were dark horses for the final so why bother hyping up Leeds so much.

Leeds have quality players no doubt but let's not apportion the same fear and respect to them as the champions because the latter has earned it whilst the former has squandered and lost it this year.

But, Wigan did win the league with it last year. I don't blame them. Its a tactic that works and doesn't affect their go forward. Its the officials that let the precedent start under instructions from above. That obviously doesn't excuse chicken wings, ninjas, cannonballs and crushers, though.

We don't want super fast rucks that lead to heads down scoot, scoot, scooting, but we don't want 5 minutes betweens plays either.

Ganson seemed to be on a mission in the Wire game to keep a quick PTB which crucified Hudds. Hopefully he'll get the Wigan Cats game aswell and do the same - bwhahaha.