Not really could you stomach another defeat to Wigan and another season of losing 2 finals...but thanks for your compliment

Nowt worse than getting knock out in a semi.
A final defeat is always easier.

I hope you are right and I admire your optimism. The concern is posts like these (I call it blind faith) attract ridicule from our rivals as they believe we suffer from self delusion.

I understand your point about "deserving to win". Maybe that was a bit daft of me, as the winner by definition deserves the title.

I will point out that when Wigan beat us in '16 they were 1pt behind us in the Super 8s. This season we finished 15pts behind Saints and 9pts behind Wigan. We are not in the same ball park as those teams.

I reject the idea that we are "not far off". We are. We have fundamental weaknesses in the side which I hope will be addressed in the next recruitment cycles.

Can we beat Saints and Wigan occasionally - yes. Can we beat them in high stakes, pressure RL back to back. Well I don't think so.

This is not to say Price hasn't done well this season, as he surely has from a low base, but we will need to be a much better team than we are to win the big prize by beating top opposition when it counts.

The thread has brought out loads of negative dross.
We have beaten Wigan & Leeds (Current Champs) in big games this year and lost to Catalan. We are most definitely the underdogs v. Saints but of course we want to win and of course we can.
For God sake ... cheer up (especially Wires71 ... you've had a bad week what's up?).
[iGreat season and lots of fun. [/i

Think about last year, Leeds and Widnes and stop thinking in a negative way.
I can see we aren't perfect ... no one is.

I'm perfectly aware of that thankyou Wire 71. Fundamentally however, we were top, and using you're stated guidelines- top deserves it- we deserved to be GF winners.





Also Wire71, your misquote of my post (above) differs greatly from what I actually wrote (below). Or did you just make the above up to discredit my point of view and support your point with a sense of verisimilitude.



Finally Wire71, if posters of other clubs view my views on the semifinal outcome as overly optimistic or deluded, that's their problem. Last time we played saints (at their ground )a few months back, we should have beaten them, or at least got a draw. You can be as pessimistic as you like, but don't criticise others for their optimism, especially by backing up your view with falsified quotes.

I've said for months, THERE IS NO REASON WHY WE CAN'T WIN THE GF, THIS SEASON

Saints can blow hat and cold
Likewise Wigan

Leeds were in the middle 8s in 16, yet won the GF 12 months later.
The standard of RL in this country has dropped that far, that a team can go from [ipoohing their pants, because they may get relegated
Champions
poohing their pants, because they may get relegated[/i

Wigan nearly missing out on top eight in '17, potential champs a year later

Saints, see Wigan above


As Wires 71 says, sometimes that season's best side doesn't become champions.
Let's take that mantle
Come on, Wire

I'd much rather get there and lose than lose the semifinal. I have a GF ticket already and hope either ourselves or cas get to the final. I can think of nothing worse than watching saints v Wigan, I'll spend the whole match wanting both teams to lose. In all honestly saints and Wigan deserve to be there as they've been the best 2 teams this year but that wouldn't make it any easier to watch.

Out of interest, where in Wire71's pessimistic diatribe did you find this pearl of optimism? Wire71 alludes to the viewpoint that, in his view, the top performing sides over the season deserve to be winners- quite the opposite I think you'll find.

Well, maybe after a bottle of something half decent, I got quotes from posts mixed up.
I apologise

However, I still stand by every word [u[iI[/i[/u say

We CAN win the GF

Can we do it, yes not confidant that we're upto both games but they're hardly back to back so there's hope. I would like to think that price leant from our cc loss I feel we were naive in how we set out and played against catalans. I don't see him repeating that.

My biggest concern if I'm being honest is jt even the pack it's our halves n ratchford I just don't see them all of a sudden able to unlock defences that are defending for their lives. In atkins King Goodwin lineham and Charnley we've points in us and its criminal were not able to capitalise on them.

However on the plus side we've been pretty average most of the year and still in contention for a gf appearance which at the start of the season we would have taken. From last season it's a massive improvement

I don't know why but I think Patton will be key to if we do well or not, remember when Sandow was injured during the play off period, that where Patton stood up and started to look like a half back we were leading in the grand final until he came off, I just think we've seen Leeds win it from 5th so it's not unfathomable we can from 4th and that Patton will pay a part in us doing so if we do.

And I agree with you, I believe we are capable of winning the GF.

To all those nutters who believe we can or will win the grand final go and bang your head against the nearest lampost and do it hard..not a chance..reason 1 two hapless half backs. Reason 2 a full back who's error prone in games that matter and he's one of our better players..reason 3 the rfl won't allow it..trust me...