Yeah, I meant I think we should pick the losing team out of Saints Warrington in Week 1.

Don't see a difference between taking on Leeds or Saints/Warrington in a final eliminator - why not try and take out one of the Lancashire rivals on home turf?

Got ya!

I think puttin ourselves in a derby the game before the GF isn't smart. Lets Wire get all wound up about Saints again and lets focus on doing a job on Leeds and their weaker pack (no JP or Burgess). I might have my thinkin wrong, but I cant see why we would choose Wire/Saints.

We've also lost at home to both Wire and Saints this season, whilst we beat Leeds in the regular rounds, and if we have to make the 'club call', it'll mean we've beaten them here again in the play-offs too. I'd be picking Leeds if the top four make the eliminators and it's our choice. It'd be considerably more bearable than losing to either of the other two if we got beat as well.

I can definitely see why you're saying that and there's probably more logic in picking Leeds. Just looking at the bigger picture, I see Saints and especially Wire as the bigger threats. Maybe we should take advantage of the chance to play them at home to give us a better chance. The last 3 times we've been to Old Trafford we've lost. I personally would rather not go at all than go there and lose again - it would be an absolute nightmare. For me, take the gamble and try to beat Saints/Wire with the help of home advantage.

Maybe my thinking's also blurred by the daft playoff system - I don't want to see the same fixture twice in the same playoff series.

I agree to an extent, and the home advantage is logical, I just take the view that we need to givw ourselves as "soft" a run to OT as possible, that being said, come week 3 of the play offs, its gonna be all about the biff anyway.



I agree with that tbh.

I understand what your saying to an extent but what happens say we pick Wire/Saints and then win theres an extremely good chance we'd still be facing the other the week after in the final anyway.

I'd much rather get to the grand final and lose, rather than get knocked out along the way - I've had too much of that recently! All those GF losses are quite hazy in my memory now.

Grand Final day is a good fun day out anyway.
FWIW my predictions are (winners in bold):

[uWeek 1:[/u
Wigan v Leeds
Huddersfield v Crusaders
Hull FC v Hull KR
Saints v Warrington

[uWeek 2:[/u
Warrington v Hull KR
Leeds v Huddersfield

[uWeek 3:[/u
Wigan v Leeds
Saints v Warrington

[uGrand Final:[/u
Wigan v Warrington

Obviously my comments were tongue in cheek.

4 consecutive GF titles in a row is one too far I fear (we're really struggling with injuries in the forwards and rely far too much on McGuire to produce a miracle try - who has in fairness given us plenty of those this season to elevate us into that 4th place). It's between the top 3. As it should be really. We're off the pace and that Wembley defeat sapped a lot of the remaining confidence: we'll do well to get to the final eliminator.
There I've said it.



BUT you never know.

Lets just win on Sunday first.

If we win on Sunday, then Leeds wiil almost certainly be playing Hudds at home. I wouldn't at all be surprised if Hudds beat Leeds, especially with the way the Fartowners are playing at the mo compared to Leeds. For Leeds to only score 18 points against 12 men shows they are completely out of form. They got rattled the week before too. I think in something like 8 out of the last 10 games they have conceded at least 20 points. Their defence will cost them.

You're right about [iour[/i defence. ...we rely too much on a quick PTB and making the breaks at the ruck. You're the experts at (legally) stifling that. H'field are pretty good too....and now Warrington have improved in that area, as shown at Wembley. We will struggle to break down [iyour[/i defence again. Is Gleeson playing ??

Promotional poster for the Hull Derby: