If we had beaten Wigan at home, we would be in joint 1st place with a win over London at home for the LLS. Instead we lost 18-19 playing a youthful side.

Fine margins.

Lesson from this? Don't rest players and treat the league with respect.

I know we shouldn't be fearing anyone, but it's not as if I'm going to be playing so I will admit I don't want us to have to play Saints. As bad as they have been recently, they're very very experienced at winning play off games, and you just never know with them.

Hull KR have been brilliant, and they absolutely battered us in August. If we go there in the semi final and lose then it will obviously hurt but will also come with a level of acceptance that maybe they're just better than us at the moment.

Losing that 3 V 6 match at home would be very painful though. I don't want Saints.

Always treat the league with respect but not sure this really proves much about resting players.
Coaches will always rest players & fans will always use hindsight & play down the possibility of injury & suspension. If we had picked our first team players they might have not given their all.
Wigan rested a few too and some of their top players who played probably had Wembley on their minds.

As they say "Never right off...." All conjecture of course but I've a sneaky feeling that Saints will beat Leigh and play Salford at home due to a better points difference and the Red Devils losing at Wigan. Whilst we will be playing Catalans at home having limped over the line at FC.

I get the we don't care/fear no one attitude as on our day we can beat anyone BUT without putting the mockers on it this scenario would be my pick

If Saints beat Leigh Beaumont will appeal it.

And if it's heading for Golden Point they'll both be getting their paperwork ready

Rowley has obviously decided his most likely chance of a home game is going to come from Leigh beating Saints, because he's already thrown the towel in against Wigan.

Catalans will almost certainly beat Hull and although I know Leeds can finish sixth too, in the very unlikely event of them beating Hull KR then I think we'll finish second, so we won't be playing them.

It's likely to be either Saints if they lose to Leigh or Catalans if Saints beat Leigh, and I'd take Catalans all day long out of those.

The point is that we signalled we had sacrificed the 2 points, before the game had even started, to protect players for the following week. That is not respecting the league. The fact we got so close losing by one point is a testament to the young players who gave a great account of themselves. As it turned out it was a complete and utter backfire as not only have we missed out on a shot at the LLS, we stank Wembley out the following week anyway.

I feel if we had played our best side we would have stood a better chance of winning the game.

It is a big assumption that our "best team" might have done better. If you are playing a game but thinking of keeping out of trouble you cannot give your best. Wigan big guns had one eye on Wembley too ... our young guns were good but they could play without fear of missing Wembley.
I get your point. I too was very disappointed with our performance in the final but I do not think it was anything to do with being rested.

Fair enough. I never made the point that the final performance was due to being rested* but I do believe if we valued the 2 points we play our strongest side in that Wigan game.

As an aside the club will need to get used to competing in successive games with the strongest side.

*neither do I buy the lack of big game experience either. We had enough international or experienced players out there. One of Wigans try scorers had only played a handful of games too.

Our away form is better than our home form. Winning the LLS wouldn't have made me confident of winning the big one. Finishing 3rd and hopefully getting through to play 2nd away will do me nicely.

I'm of the same view. We have won the LLS before and failed when it matters, it is no guarantee at all.

Still think the experience of the Saints and Leigh games where we were down to 12 men could prove crucial in tight play off matches. Fingers and everything else already crossed.

So, it's St Helens.

And if we win that a trip to Hull KR.

And if we win that a GF against Wigan/Leigh/Salford.

It can't be a Wigan vs Sts final now.

We haven't conceded a try for 267 minutes. Almost 4 and a half hours of rugby.

Just hope a controversial early red card doesn’t decide one of the biggest games of the season (especially ours). You take it if it’s the opposition getting one but devastating when it’s one of your own. May the best team win in each game.