Seeing Cas get kicked out of the CCup is a bit of a double edged sword. In that it's nice to see others competing, shame it's them but hey.

However what happened to them is exactly what I warned would happen to us before the Leeds game.

It's the business end of the season now and they like us are coming unstuck. Not on such a grand scale I admit but I guarantee neither of us will win anything this year. There will be no coming back from twenty nil in the 8's I'm certain and seeing as we rarely play a full 80 minutes and often look poor in the opening twenty I can't see us getting many more wins unless of course the players do step up or are indeed capable given key injuries. I hope they do or at least improve on last year.

Neither of us has that killer edge that experience of pressure games and high expectation that they do at certain clubs. Would not surprise me in the least to see a Saints team that has struggled all year win SL or a very ordinary Leeds team win at Wembley, it's all in the clubs DNA.

Brave try from Cas but this isn't the first time they have gone for broke with the 'classy cas' method, didn't work last time doubt it will this time. Ditto ourselves, it's just that we are two years behind Cas and about six players short of them so we struggle even more.

If Cas stick with Powell and find some cash they will do it in the end but then that applies to everyone. However it does show how long it takes to build that winning mentality in the modern game. You could do it in the off season in the 1960's but not now it seems.

Looks like Salford are now the banner carriers for 'the rest of SL'.

Good, well thought out post there, Vastman. Food for thought.

Good, well thought out post there, Vastman. Food for thought.

The last I saw we were 1/100 to win the LLS . Hell of a shout to guarantee that we won't win that....

Cas will win league leaders shield no problem

I hope you do ! Never mind the bitter and twisted it'l make a nice change a smaller club lifting some silver.

Hope so but unfortunately that's the booby prize these days - shouldn't be but we all sold out to Sky so there you are.

Do you think you'll win at Old Trafford?

Vasty is right, in that, experience of how to win is a huge factor in winning the major trophies.
Although it pains me to say it, Leeds in my mind are most likely to win the GF, purely because they "know how" to win.
Preparation, squad management and knowing how to win, will be more important than "playing the best rugby" when it comes down to the two major finals.
Also, when Cas win the LLS, they could lose some of their mental edge, just as Huddersfield did a few seasons back.

Hull looked very strong, physically and poor ball retention from Cas, in the second half, certainly helped them.

got to get there first. If we win the LLS we then have 1 play off game at Wheldon road for a place at old Trafford. We are pretty decent at home.

I accept the LLS is considered the less of the 3 prizes on offer but it is factually better then diddly squat. Having seen Cas relegated/ finish last, embarrassed week in week out, to be in with a genuine shout of some silverware is nice . I'd rather us be in that boat then the boat from a decade ago.

That depends if we're able to compete in 'big games', flashy rugby is great to watch but sometimes you need to play safe (see Leeds when we played them at Wembley).

Today showed that we still have a fair way to go in order to push for honours and we can't always play the brand of rugby we want as we'll be found out.

While the CC final isn't happening for both of us there's still a chance we could meet in the final, would be awesome to see 2 different rivals going at it rather than the standard 'big clubs'.

Can't help thinking that Leeds are tucked in too nicely. I'm not sure Cas will implode, and may even get to Old Trafford, but I can see a Leeds and Hull final.

I'd like Salford to get there, but I don't want to see an empty stadium for a final. I just don't think they have that sleeping giant thing about them. For all the abuse Marwan will get if he moves it to Manchester, do we think he'll get less than 3,000 for a Manchester team playing in the stadium next to the Etihad> That's all he's getting at the AJ Bell. The Mancunian-based Salford fans will follow and may attract those league fans who have never had a team.

When I first started watching the game Swinton were the Manchester club. They got big crowds, had a large ground and always hosted one of the test matches. Somehow RL has gone wrong in Manchester.

Can't get on this Salford love-in horse. Just see the violent Greg Johnson and the egomaniac MarwanK every time I think of them.

Hull or Leeds v Wigan for me.

Wigan? They will have to go some to make the top four. They are seven off with in effect 12 games to go.

Top three will be Cas, Leeds & Hull with us battling out for 4th with Salford & Saints. Suspect Saints might get there and then do Cas at Wheldon Road in the SF, before beating Leeds in the GF.

Then again, I could be talking complete b%@&^ks!

We're on about the Challenge Cup here mate.