yes therll be a 3/4 full stadium

For a supposed big and famous club, Wire fans don't half have a small club mentality. Jeez, the biting on this thread lol.

Robinson is right, this is a harder sell to the general public than a final with Saints, Wigan or Leeds in it. Face facts, not matter how competitive you are [inow[/i, neither Huddersfield nor Warrington have won trophies for a long time. Trophy winners get publicity, clubs that have rarely competed in a final for 20+ years don't.

The fact that it should be a close fought game matters little outside the RL fraternity, because people outside that fraternity won't know that.

Entirely correct.

I'm sure they are capable of understanding it, but as lot simply don't want to. A lot don't like hearing the truth, especiaqlly as it doesn't suit them.

Except that I'm not sure it is the truth. It's a fair opinion, but that doesn't mean it's 100% accurate.

My travels around the country regularly depress me about the perception held of RL. Most fans who watch it in non-RL strongholds tend to be ex-pats from the game's heartland. None of my London pals can name any current RL players, the way they could name Edwards, Offiah, Jonathon Davies, etc.

The game was once seen in these areas as a kind of quaint anachronism. The cup final was a day for a load of flat-cap wearing northerners to invade the capital and sing about Ilkley Moor or lassies from Lancashire. All that's gone now (and thank God for it), but we've replaced it with what ... a slick but very small game that most non-northerners aren't prepared to pay Sky subscriptions to watch, and so don't follow it any more (if they ever followed it). One pal of mine from the South Coast recently asked me if RL had been swallowed by RU, because he hears so little about it these days.

Wigan and Saints are still well known as big RL clubs, but more because of their past exploits. No-one I know down south has ever heard of Sean Long or Kieran Cunningham. When you mention Wigan, if often invokes hostility because of a perception that the RL is preventing the football from taking it's rightful place at centre stage.

I honestly don't think the difference between a Wigan v Saints cup final or a Hudds v Wire cup final will make so much difference that it's worth arguing about. But if it did, don't you think that would be a pretty depressing state of affairs? That the RFL would want a Wigan v Saints final every year, because that's the only way they'd get Joe Public to watch?

IM agreeing with a leigh fan who would av thought it, i do think it will be an entertering game for everyone in the ground and watching wordwide.

SAD, SAD, SAD post

I doubt that they do want a Saints Wigan final every year, but they need to sell a Huddersfield Wire game differently and more aggresively.

That is quite true but it is their first final for years. I am pretty sure next time we get to a final we will be creaming ourselves.

I understand them creaming themselves, no problem with that. It's the 'how dare you not call us a big club' attitude that makes me laugh.

Well there was a thread on their board ages ago saying they were a bigger club than Wigan so I quoted the thread on our board and now they all hate me for it



They are a big club but untill people outside RL have a clue who they are, where they play and what they have achieved they are not a big club like Wigan, Saints or Leeds.

Well thats a no brainer all three of them clubs have won alot of cups in the last 15 years wigan being 7 years ago so thats more on your past people remember you for, with saints and leeds its recently but getting to a final is a good start and even better when its Smiths first season and not even a full one at that.

I am afraid you are completely incorrect. I have a number of friends/collegues (20+) that live in the London area and over the last 5/6years I have persuaded to go to the CC Final. Last year they said if St. Helens get there this year they will not go, cant be bothered watching a one sided game. Guess what, they are all going this year (bar 2 that are on holiday).... change is as good as a rest... It will do the CC the world of good not having the usual suspects there.....