Please - this has got to be a joke, surely? Never has a side looked so clueless & rudderless as we did under Millward. If we'd kept him, we'd have been relegated & would still be picking up the pieces now.

In response to the OP - there's certainly a case to be made for the 'peaking' approach this season, however previous years have not supported this theory as the top 2 have nearly always got to the GF. Peaking for the end of season always seemed to be Noble's approach, but that for us always meant looking unfit at the start of the season, losing a lot of games in Feb/March, and then having too much to do to get to a GF from 4th/5th.

As others have said, I think our problem this season was a) the lack of forwards come the end of the season (or all season in Fielden's case), and b) not only did we get to the CC final, but we had to play 2 very hard matches in July/August to get there, plus a tough final, which compounded the problem all CC finalists have faced.

As for Wire, not sure why they didn't get there - certainly shouldn't have been knackered. You do just wonder if there's a sub-conscious level of doubt within the players when it comes to the play-offs. You don't win the CC twice in succession if you can't handle big games, but there just seems to be something which stops them performing to their full abilities in the play-offs.

Thats what i think lost us both that extra 5-10% that would of took us into grand final imo, lets face it Leeds and Saints didnt have any pressure for back end of season and they look fresh at the moment. Wigan and Wire were like two dogs fighting over the same bone but now we look stupid for being the 2 most consistent teams . I would seriously against anyone outside the top 6 say play a load of younger players next season and use the big guns in the big games then phase them back in fully the last 10-12 games. Thats how daft this format is and if teams did that maybe they would consider changing it?

It was reply to a poster who said that Ian Millward would have had Wigan peaked for the play offs

Losing fielden for the season, Mossop (who had been immense all season) for the business end of the season, and Hock, who, had it gone to plan would have been hitting match fitness at semi final stage were the big factors - not MM peaking too early.

Add to that an excellent saints defence and we just cAme up short. I can't criticise MM for that.

Even our back up prop O'Carroll was injured most of the season, then Cross - hence Coley and Lima playing far more than he probably would.

Genuine question: did we ever peak this season?

We never once hit the highs of last season. This year was a constant trudge.

Leeds' crowds are way down this season - ok they are compensated with final appearances, but if this plan backfires any club will be in financial trouble (until we fans get the message and stop turning out for a 27 week qualifying tournament which causes the system to change).

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that Sally is a Wire fan, and was pulling your leg mate.

I think people have looked too deeply into Friday's result to try and find reasons Warrington didn't win. In 2010 we had a shocker getting blasted by Huddersfield but against Leeds on Friday it was a close game that was swinging either way and it could easily have gone the other way - it was 24-24 going into the final minutes and many times in the past Warrington have won those sort of games with a Briers drop goal - including in the playoffs a few years ago when we scraped into the top 6 and knocked Leeds out away. If we'd have edged out Leeds, I bet the commentators would have been gushing about how tough Warrington were, how this is our year, we can not only win the blowouts but the tight games as well...

I also think Warrington were overrated by the media before the game and Leeds were underrated, because Warrington have had blowout scores, the expectation was that we were going to beat Leeds by 40 points and the fact we got dragged into an arm wrestle (which we ended up losing) people now say we bottled it under pressure...I didn't expect us to smash Leeds, I thought we'd win but I thought it would be a similar type win to what Wigan got in the CC Final.

what I find frustrating is we played Saints 6 times in one season.

Only two of them games actually meant anything

1. QF challenge cup
2. saturday night

the others were in essence 'dead rubber' games in the grand scheme of things.

this new play off system for me is not good for the game.

It should be a given that one of the teams that finished 1st or 2nd are in the final every year like the old play off system. I think it is laughable that neither the team that one the bloody league is not in the final.

i think this is the first year one of the top 2 has not been in the final?

I think the play off crowds reflect this.

Consider that leg well and truly pulled, maybe a post on the Wire forum to tell them that Cullen would have had the team ready to beat the Rhinos in play off games is in order.

What the play-off's unequivocally identify is the evidence of those teams and individuals who are able to play when it really matters; when the real pressure is on both mentally and physically. The intensity of the regular season means most players are playing with some level of injury. It is to what degree they psychologically deal with that and how they respond to incredible amounts of lactic acid build up and mental exhaustion. Sorting the men from the boys some would say.

It is very clear that whoever wins a Grand Final, does it tough. Very. And for that reason, any team who makes it from outside the Top 3, has had to do it incredibly hard. For Leeds to beat Hull, Huddersfield and Warrington; Saints to beat Wigan twice to get to where they are and do so with extremely resilient performances identifies very clearly for me why the system works in it's present format. We have a superb system that has produced some absolutely outstanding games in recent weeks. For anybody to want to modify that and lose it, is absolutely bonkers.

If the team finishing 1st or 2nd are really that good, when the pressure's on, they will win. Or not.

Correct, Oct 2nd 2010, victory at Old Trafford......Oct 1st 2011, defeat in the elimination semi final, almost a year and in that time we have had a narrow loss in an exciting World Club Challenge, a superb Challenge Cup campaign that included an away win at Warrington, a semi final victory over Saints, ending up with reclaiming 'our' trophy at Wembley, the nail biting last minute win on Good Friday, the goal on the hooter at Leeds to grab a draw from the jaws of defeat, the emergence of Sam Tomkins from 'good young prospect' to being considered by many on here as an 'all time great', the 'birth' of the Ultra's/Brigantes that has taken our support to another level, the Under 20's winning their comp and showing what great talent we have coming through our ranks, lets celebrate our success's and look forward to next season, the clubs in safe hands, be positive.

Which hardly anyone turns up to watch.

Have you seen those square things that produce sounds and pictures? Marvelous inventions.

And yes, the Grand Final doesn't attract 70,000 plus, oh wait.......