That's a seperate issue to the point I was responding to with this post.

I absolutely want us to finish in the top 8, and we are still in with a good chance. I want a full team next week, and want us to get a good win against Wakefield, which will probably put us in the 8th, and put us on a high for the final.

The two home games are realistic wins for us, and that should be enough to see us in there.

Us with a full strength team in the playoffs can be a threat.

If you win the CC you will be grinning far too much to deem the season a failure. Its one thing to say it but I doubt many could really feel too down after drunken victory at a very sunny Wembley.

I'm gonna squint all the way through and pretend its Leigh

Will you be supporting Wigan to beat Cas next week then so Wire can get in the top 8?



Nah seriously I think you should be pleased that Warrington didn't collapse to a 50+ points defeat last night because at 36-4 it was well on the cards. Those two late tries are priceless on your points difference and you've had a big favour in Castleford's points difference being wasted. I think if you don't win next week though you'll have to pin all your hopes on the cup final.

Yes you're right but if we miss out on the eight it will be because of our dreadful start, losing 5 on the trot including against Cats, Harlequins and Wakefield, three sides with whom we're now competing to get in the eight. From that nadir, winning the cup and finishing ninth can rightly be seen as a successful season - but we've got to win the cup first.

Who honestly thought that we would win last night ??

Wembley
9 first teamers missing
Opposition hurting badly

Of course we should make the 8, but as many have pointed out we didn't start the season until April while the rest kicked off in February.

We can also go to HKR and win, they may be established in 4th by then and rest players ??

In any non-Warrington game I'm always cheering the team to win that benefits the Wire most. If that's Wigan next week then GO PIES!







I don't think it's entirely fair to say that a bad start to the season has cost us the 8 (if we finish outside it). We've had plenty of games since then that we should have, and didn't, win. We lost Salford away and Castleford at home in April. We've lost to Bradford at home in June and they are all (arguably) games we should have won. There are also other games which we've been capable of winning which we haven't. We're not the only team to have a bad start to the season and in the past this has not stopped other teams finishing in the top 6. This year 6 has become 8 so we should have no excuse.

If that was under Cullen, with the lack of backbone we had, 50+ easily. I've seen our very best, first team get plenty of 40's put on them there.

I seriously dont think we will make the playoffs which is a great shame and a massive underachievement considering it is now the top eight.

The board should take the blame for that as it was the board that installed Jimmy Lowes as head coach when we all knew he wasn't head coach material.

It looks like all our eggs are in one basket for this season - The Challenge Cup. Huddersfield wont be easy though and look likely favourites what with their recent form and league position.

I think we're guilty of almost, how can I put it, continually looking back on this forum, and not enjoying what's ahead. Yes, we kept Cull too long. Yes, Lowes couldn't cut it as a head coach, but we've got to where we are now, with a fantastic set up, a quality head coach who's here for a minimum of two more years, a structure under him that I have great belief in, a team that's visibly growing in front of your eyes, some quality recruits on the way, and oh, our first final appearance in 19 years.

Brilliant.

I'm sick of wondering if we'd got Smith then or If he'd had a preseason with 'em or this or that, we didn't, get over it. We've made strides this season, we've made strides excluding results, in terms of how our club is perceived, we're certainly not as frail anymore, we're 'mentally tougher' and that should stand us in good stead for tasks ahead. If we make the eight great, if we don't as a consequence of Wembley, I'll take that.

Then we'll enter territory of Smith having a pre season, and some serious, serious belief that we can progress next year, maybe the past, maybe our belief was in fact built around hope, next year, we should have more solid foundations to found our belief on.

JWP can you please rid yourself of that picture of Prof Hawkins, I find it really off putting.

Thanks

No, he's an inspiration.

The inconsistency is still there but will improve with time. AS mentioned earlier in the thread I think more players could have taken to the field tonight but Smith has aired on the side of caution given that it would be tough to win there at full strength and we could have lost and picked up more injuries.

He has to keep the cup final in mind and I would rather we lost last night with a weakened side and brought back fit players for a more winnable game at home.

The whole "Were going to Wembley so what" thing boils my as well. Saw someone on anopther thread saying they didnt care if we got beat 50 at Wigan.

The two tournaments don't have to be mutually exclusive.