I don't buy this 'standard dropped across the board' stuff.

There's always been 2 or 3 teams fighting out. The difference is its not Wigan or leeds this time...it's Wire and Saints.
Just because Wigan are shat...it doesn't hold up that suddenly all the league is shat...when it's just the status quo.

The problem this year with SL is it’s missing the class that is Widnes!
Seriously though RD you are absolutely spot on!

That’s the great enigma about the Wires, it doesn’t matter whether we actually are the best team in the league, or whether we just think we are, the outcome is always the same, losers.

It’s in our DNA

Let's just see how saints handle the pressure seeing as everyone has carved their name on the trophy this year already. They might be the best side this season but me, they are hardly the 1982 Australian touring side people make them out to be!!

Without Clark and Ratchford the opposition can concentrate on Austin. Then factor in our indiscipline which has been an increasing worry and most teams have a sniff against us. If we could sort out the penalties we would be a much better team.

PS I am also going to stop listening to matches on Wire FM, every time I do we lose.

As it stands we have an opportunity to win the Challenge Cup and the Grand Final of Superleague.

It's only a case of being good enough on the day of the Cup semi and then final, and each play off match to the GF (assuming we get in the top 5). We don't even need to good and could be bang average, or even crap for all I care, as long as were better than our opponents on the scoreboard after 80 minutes, in the games that matter.

I think we are a good second, but as the weekend match showed we have an achilles heel and an occasional attitude problem.
The match against Catalan showed that we do have a reasonable defence and a coach that can get tactics right on big matches, but then the players seem to switch off on so called 'easier matches ( including last year's c.c. final where we were shocking).
Saints are head and shoulders above everyone else. The gap is huge. End of.
Having said that there are a few clubs who can challenge them - we're one of them, but it depends which Wire turn up.
Hull are another, but they yoyo from brilliant to absolute cr@p.

If teams keep Austin and Clark quiet and limit our go forward then we struggle.
I think Saints have far many strings to their bow.

I think our best...is better than Saints again this year as it was last...regardless if how many points up the league they are, or runaway scores they have.

Sorry RD but this is nonsense. We embarrassed ourselves against Saints earlier this year and I worry about next Friday. We really blow hot and cold far too much, I don’t care if we’re second, we don’t seem to know how to build consistency and momentum, I think Fez in the post above yours has summed us up. Shut down Austin and Clark and we fall to bits. In that respect we are easy to play against. Perhaps the possible cup final against our sister-loving rivals will bring the fight out of us but I really don’t see anyone matching them this year, when it counts. I worry they’ve learned from previous failures, whereas we have been to the well many times now (12, 13, 16, 1icon_cool.gif and still don’t know how to win the one that counts. I suppose time will tell but I don’t buy into this nonsense that we will miraculously turn it on when it counts. We wait and see.

Neither side are unbeatable. If both teams turn up then it will be close, but my money would be on Saints, however, it is far more likely that we will have an off day than will Saints. We need to build some consistency, stop giving away stupid penalties and keep the team fit and refreshed - then we will have a chance. Failing to get the points against KR means that we are not in a position to rest players this week.

I think our best hope against Saints is that we have a great ,error free handling day & keep a lid on the penalties. We have seen it happen before on every occasion we have beaten Saints ,on the other hand we know what happens when our best game is left in the dressing room. I'm sure the boys are working on Plan A & ,hopefully, a Plan B.

Best hope?
I don't get it.
Let them worry about us. Our A game beats Saints.

Definitely best hope .We'll get tweeted otherwise.

Saints, or more specifically Holbrook, have made two major changes since last year that have given them an advantage.

One, Holbrook is now rotating his squad - something he refused to do last year which contributed to their failure.

Two, he binned off Richardson in favour of Fages.

Weaknesses were highlighted and resolved with surgical precision and zero emotion. A lesson worth learning.