Finishing 5th and 6th gives you an "easy" first round of the play-offs. A nice warm-up for the week after when you'll play one of the teams who are smarting from a beating from a top side the week before.

Finishing in the top four gives you a big advantage over finishing in positions 5-8, because although Saints in fifth have a much easier (on paper) week one fixture than Wigan in fourth do, Wigan's overall route to Old Trafford is easier than Saints'.

Finishing in the top two gives you a slight advantage in the top eight format, but nowhere near as much as it used to in the old formats which is unfortunate for us as we've only started finishing that high since it became top eight.

In the top six format we would be off this week then going to Huddersfield next week with the winner going straight to the final and the loser having a second chance at home V the best of the rest. Unsurprisingly under that format the final was contested by teams one and two more often than not. Also under that format, at least one of the top two teams HAD to reach the final via the 1V2 qualifying match. That isn't the case under the current format and was highlighted by the 2011 final being 3V5.

It's not the advantage it used to be then, but it is still an advantage. Essentially we're all nervous though because we still haven't won the thing yet, and our "reward" for finishing second this year is a strong possibility of two games against the play off masters. Essentially, as mentioned above, any format will always favour the team that has a habit of winning most of it's play off fixtures and sadly that team has never yet been us!

If you are good enough to be champions you will beat who you have to beat. How you can possibly argue 5th is easier is beyond me.

If you are good enough to be champions you will have the mental toughness to bounce back from a bad defeat.

Like wigan in 2010.

Well on backchat Rod Studd is the only one that backed us v Leeds

Rather we beat Leeds, Wigan beat Hudds, KR beat Saints, Catalan beat Hull, then Hudds, KR beat Leeds, we pick KR, Catalan beat Wigan, and we beat Catalan at OT ..... can that happen? ....... ' think I need my meds now .....

There are some good odds for Saints and Hull at the moment - worth taking a punt on them for Old Trafford?

Hull made Wembley after all.

How on earth can Leeds have a better advantage finishing 3rd than Wire finishing 2nd?
If you are worried that you might have a week off after winning a home game then maybe you should throw that and you will be happier and match hardened next time round!!

That's another one fallen for it. I'm amazed that, after all this time, people still rise to the bait.