Maybe, but it is competitive in the main. Wigan's poor form at the start of the year aside, I've really enjoyed this year so far.

All we need to do is keep on winning. who cares what happens elsewhere? if we handle it on our end we will be number 1 by the end of the season. We have a good run going, with players coming back and competition for places. Players know that if they let standards slip we have someone who can replace each and every player.

I think its a good thing for the league that a team can have a bad run and still work its way back in to contention for top spot. The reason we've been able to do that is because teams have been taking points of each other all year rather then 3 or 4 just running away with it as in previous years.

A good run will get you a long way in this league but you certainly can't afford to go on too long a losing run. It's in its early days but the new format seems to be making things that bit more competitive and less predictable.

Because we will undoubtedly lose a few more games before the end of the season so we will need other results to go our way? Simple sports logic.

Without the big leads thrown away at Widnes and Hull KR, we'd be sitting top of the league already. That looked a million miles away before Easter.

If we keep performing away from home like we have this season we will still be scrapping for the top 4,it just looks better now after a run of home games either side of playing the whipping boys away from home.
I think the form we are carrying now will help us win some of these away games though and I wouldn't be suprised if we're sitting top after the Magic weekend.

I think the league is pretty much spot on as far as standings is concerned, more or less all teams (some a lot more than others) have "enjoyed" or are currently in the middle of the standard purple patch, while we are hopefully at the other end of ours now. I think we will probably lose two more games this year due to our soon to come run of away games but still... I think the format is good.

its easy to say how poor is the league if we are 2nd with a pretty dire away form, but on the other hand, its been more competitive. you could then say that's because overall the playing standards have dropped but I don't think that's the case. I think for this and probably the next two years or so if the format remains then some teams will need time to adjust and there are ageing teams such as leeds losing big players who need to adapt too. how this will transfer onto the internation stage I do not know but it is early days with the new format so that is understandable. its hopefully going to be a long term win for the sport in my opinion.

all in all I'm happy as a wiganer being currently second, and I think the league is making for a lot of fun with a lot more unpredictable scorelines cropping up.

have the rfl got something right for once?!

I think the Cup will be the biggest factor in the final make up of the top 4, though we have such strength in depth this year, we could perhaps progress on both fronts.
A lucky QF draw - assuming/hoping Friday goes well - and everything will seem possible.
As far as the opposition is concerned, I think Saints are not as good as us, particularly when it comes to players outside of their first 17, and Wire look a pale shadow of their former selves - Briers looks a better player by the week. I think Leeds are the biggest threat.

Saints, Wire, Leeds and ourselves could beat each other on any given day. The form of all four has been up and down but come the business end I expect that to be the top four and predicting a winner will be next to impossible.

We happen to be in good form at the minute but I won't sit here and make bold statements about us being better then the others (like a couple of Saints fans did on here earlier in the year with one in particular saying Saints would 'end us' with a full team). I back us, we're a good team but there isn't a great deal to choose between those four. I'd be surprised if any other team (outside of those four)won the Grand Final but we'll see.

I just wonder if we'll get a little more respect on here from Saints fans in the build up to our next game? It wasn't all of them obviously but the self love and on the flip side the writing off of the Wigan side was embarrassing.

Good post as always mate.

I'd personally narrow the contenders down to Saints, Wigan and Leeds, in no particular order. I'm not being disrespectful to Warrington, I just don't think they have the consistency to go all the way to a Grand Final and win it. The fact Tony Smith doesn't seem to have a clue what his best team is doesn't help.

We don't need that much consistency. We need to be fourth and then to win two matches. At present, I'd put us behind the top 3, but over the full season I expect us to be fourth (at worst) and then it's open season.

You will need to show consistency to get 4th though; especially as the final 7 games will all be tricky.

True. This bit of the new system certainly works.

I think so too. I wouldn't go with the cliche of "every minute matters" but there's certainly not much room for slacking off after the split. I can't see anyone being in a position to be able to coast through those final few weeks before the semi's.

Every minute has mattered for us last two weeks! 13 seconds to go last week, 3 seconds this week.