Really hope we can do it this year an not take teams too easily, what do you think guys.

I personally think Warrington are favorites for the super league now and I'm hoping for a Wigan Wire grand final as both teams deserve to be there and I would favor your selves getting the title because of the recent dominance you've had in this fixture.

Really hope your righ t

I think the league is gone realistically....can't see Wigan dropping many more points between now and the end of the season.

Hopefully we can make an impact in the end of season playoffs and at least do the cup double even if we can't retain the league title.

Top five in order:

Wigan
Wire
Catalans
Saints
Leeds

Play off week one:

Wigan V Saints - Saints win
Wire V Catalans - Wire win

Week two:

Catalans V Leeds - Leeds win
Wigan V whoever from 6v7 fixture - Wigan win

Week three:

Wire V Leeds - Leeds win
Saints V Wigan - Saints win

Grand Final

Leeds V Saints - Leeds win

Yes.

on form - yes
on history - no

Anything can happen in the playoffs I wouldnt be suprised to see Saints, Leeds or Catalans win it.

Under Tony Smith our play-off record has been a steadily progressive one.

In 2009 we finished 10th and didn't make the play-offs
In 2010 we were knocked out in Round 2
In 2011 we were knocked out in Round 3

With these experiences and what we've learnt from them + our 2009 2010 and 2012 Challenge Cup wins + our 2011 LLS win + all our younger players being that much better and more experienced than they have been previously + the players we've added over the three/four years = I think we can make that next step and reach the Grand Final this year.

We're the only team that can, so we have a better chance than anyone else.

However, the unpredictable nature of a one off play off game means it's too hard to pick

Isn't the league basically a 14 team league of 27 games followed by a playoff sysytem that results in a Saints & Leeds final?

See my post earlier in this thread.

With the casual way the club have approached winning the hub cap this season, we're certainly the best prepared team to do it....

2 seasons ago we chased top spot in the league and the cup... we won the cup but looked out on our feet come the playoffs.

last season Wigan fought all the way in the league and the cup.. then come the play offs they looked a shadow of the team they had been earlier in the season and were easily beaten by a vastly inferior saints team.... The playoffs were then won by a team that spent half the season jogging round casually and getting walloped by all and sundry.

many people were saying you cant win the challenge cup and the play offs, as it takes to much out of you... i suppose that's true if you want to play your strongest side week in, week out in the league.

In all seriousness, of course we can - we can beat anyone on a good day. Will we actually do it? Who knows. You can't predict this stuff at all, as last year showed, and frankly I suspect any advantage from our rotation policy will be psychological more than anything else. Last season we came within an inch of beating the team that went on to win, with an average performance which can happen at any time, so this pushed-too-hard stuff is just rubbish.

If we win this year, then great, maybe the rotation policy had some kind of useful effect. But what if we lose, what are we going to blame then? Getting to the CC Final? Too much rotation? Or maybe just accept that there are half a dozen teams that could take a trophy with a good game or two, and we got unlucky.

Ahhh the good old average performance if you get turned over excuse. The play off semi last year was a great game and the speed and physicality of it was unreal. Leeds were the better side on the day just like Wire were at Wembley. End of.