That's right! I mean Leeds had no interest in finishing fourth as it would be totally impossible for them to go to the top club and win there in the play offs. Except they did last year (have you forgotten?). And turns out they had to do exactly the same in the end this year

If your lot and Wire spend as much time triangulating and pondering over the best or easiest way to try and win things then it's no wonder you're not in the elite category of Super League clubs alongside next weekend's finalists. Display no fear, win under intense pressure, have resolve against adversity, believe in your own abilities when others question them, continue winning when to lose is for the dream to end. These are the attributes of true champions.

Not jealous though?

Why not,if they get there on merit?

I wouldnt say its bad for the game in the sense they both deserve to be there after great wins in the playoffs but again if you look at the NRL year on year there is a bigger variety of sides reaching the Grand Final. The Storm were the closest you could say to Leeds in there domination but they were cheating with the salary cap.

There are three trophies open to all SL clubs. They are The Challenge Cup, The Super League Trophy and The League Leaders Trophy. In case you are unaware, this year they have been won by Wigan, either St Helens or Leeds, and Warrington.

Well, I didn't say that did I? Of course you could have beaten Warrington in week 1 but your thinking from hindsight of the fact your now in the grand final and have just beaten Warrington and your form has improved in the last month.

Think back to mid August ish. You hadn't won away at any of the five sides at that time that were above you in the table and had also been pumped at home by Warrington. Would you have backed yourself to go into the play offs, especially after a cup final which normally is draining, and beat either Warrington twice or both Wigan and Warrington - more than likely both games away from home?

I don't reckon you would have done. I mean it wasn't too long ago that McDermott's head was a platter for the sack! Especially after that defeat you had at Quins I suspect?

I'm not saying it's what happened but I do wonder if their was a thought process that reckoned only having to beat a top team once to reach Old Trafford and they fancied that rather than playing them twice. In reality that's what happened - but then again I can look back on hindsight as well.

I don't mean disrepect to Huddersfield when I say "top team" but their form had shot and they still haven't won a recent trophy unlike Saints, Leeds, Wire and Wigan.

Don't remember there being any sympathy at all when Bradford regularly finishing top then being beat by "super saints" in the final! Its how it is, theirs an art to winning the Grand Final, and that's not showing your hand through the regular season kicking ass!

Hetherington is not in the habit of sacking coaches and McDermott's head was only on a platter in the minds of our more hysterical fans. And losing a game against unfancied opposition in the lead up to a cup final is hardly unique.

I think, rather than trying to conjure up what you consider an "easy" route through the play offs (involving three games rather than two), Leeds would far rather have had the week off - given, like poor, overplayed, exhausted Wigan, they have played every week of the season.

You have played every week granted - but we had an extra midweek game to add in (no early start like Leeds were always awarded) and in our last 11 matches this season we faced Warrington twice and took on St Helens three times (thats as many games in our last 11 matches against those two than you've faced all year) plus played in the cup final. Only one of those big games was at home as well.

Granted you had the cup final but apart from that you had pretty low key intensity games till last week. Massive difference and that is why I'd have taken your route to Old Trafford over ours, even without the option of a week off. But I'm looking at it from a Wigan point of view, not a Leeds one. I can't help be left wondering whether chasing 1st place was worth the effort in the hindsight of how it turned out. This play off system doesn't reward a high finishing position like the old top 6 used to do.

This final will be good for the game in one important sense - any interested neutral won't be subjected to 80 mins of wrestlemania tactics designed to slow the game down, as they would have been if Wigan or Shudds were involved. As a result, providing there aren't too many close-ups of Jamie Jones-Buchanan's scary gurning fizzog, it should be a better showcase for the sport in general.

The fixtures were purposely put together like that Bilko to make sure Wigan didn't get to the GF.

The League Leaders Shield is a tinpot award given to the club who happens to be doing the best an an arbitrary point in the middle of the Super League competition. Warrington have failed to win anything this season. As Bilko says it is questionable as to just how many clubs were even trying to be top of the league which puts that particular "achievement" into perspective.

Of course there is, all you have to do is look at all the teams in the past who finished 5th in the regular season and then made it to Old Trafford