I am really looking forward to this match. Its a long time since I have been so excited about a match. It should be a belter. Looking at the Saints board they are not happy with the team, but will the week off have done them the power of good??

Lets just hope its not Ganson or Bentham.

Thaler will do for me!

I feel it’s the one we’ve all been waiting for since we’ve been knocked out of the challenge cup. Should be a fantastic battle as it will probably decide the league leaders - would be great if someone could provide that stats on that if Leeds win or lose and how it’ll affect our league leaders chances.

Should be a good clash with Graham and Bailey. In fact forgot them two because it’ll be an epic clash from both teams!

It'll be Ganson or Bentham then!

Of course it will be Ganson and Bentham as VR! dont really think they'll give it to anyone else

shock horror

Stats what stats do you need. Win and we go two points clear with a better points difference. League leaders shield within ourown hands with Salford to play. Lose (heaven forbid) and we are two points adrift, with a better points difference (unless Saints hammer us) with saints at home to catalans in their last league game. A three year old understands the significance of this game without any stats.
Please no Bailey/Graham clash-there's only one winner in that battle!

I'll be on flight to Turkey around Kick Off time...

Whats the issue with Ganson and Bentham? 99% of decisions were correct and justified yesterday. The only mistake that springs to mind is the Hicks knock on early in the second half that Ganson missed!

The ref only sees the mistakes a team makes...

I thought you lot weren't bothered about being league leaders?

If its there for the taking why not have it?

All that matters is winning the GF IMO.

Cannot wait for this one, getting excited about it already. Should be a cracking game and hopefully we win and come out on top, I wouldnt mind coming second or first, end of day, they both do the same thing for you this year, bar the added influence of getting a hub cap for coming first, which innevitably is a little piece of silverware that would be good to add to the collection, but not important.

Leeds by 7

Nah. If we play like we have been playing recently then I'd stick a 2 or 3 before your 7. However, if we remember how to play like the Saints of old (namely, the last time we met!) then we'll beat ya by at least 7.

and the lunt disallowed try?

Ball carrying arm touches the ground. Player then reaches out and touches down. No Try.

Vinne Anderson's in the first minute.

Why do most people on this site give no credibility to the hubcap ? Is it because we can't win it ?
I for one would be happy if we won that and nothing else . Ok . We got the Lazenby Cup at the beginning of the year , I know it don't mean much , but at least we won't finish the season empty handed . How many of you 'fairweather' supporters were there for that game ?
I am hoping we can be back-to-back-to-back champions , capture the hubcap , and reclaim the WCC trophy .
If we can't manage the big one at Old Trafford this season can still be considered successful . How many other teams would swap places with us for what we have achieved this season ? We all know it ain't been pretty at times , but to be so close to the end of the season and holding the position we have in the league table can't be considered failure . Or can it ?
IIRC the teams in 7th and 8th in the table have won less than half their matches this season . That is failure , yet they will qualify for the play-offs as things stand at the moment .
IMHO the play-offs should be changed to reward the 'successful' teams . Winning 2/3 or maybe even 3/4 of your games over the season as a minimum to qualify . Rewarding mediocrity as the present play-off system does is a mockery . Why not include the whole league in a tournament where everyone plays everyone home and away , and throw in a random game at a neutral ground at some 'exotic location'

. Then see who finishes top of the points list at the end of the tournament . The winners could be then awarded silverware to recognise their achievement . And what an achievement it would be to win such a tournament .
Ideas for what kind of silverware should be awarded for such a great achievement are welcome .

I've been singing the same song for years.

The opinion that the League Leaders Trophy is worthless is one that has been indoctronated into recent newcomers to the game by the duo from Sky Sports and their understandable over-promotion of the Grand Final series of games, given that it provides them with an extra four weeks employment at the end of the season and they get paid to promote it of course.

Back in the day it was the League Leaders Trophy that was all-important (and it was a fekking huge trophy too), the play-offs were a nice little tag-on to the end of the season.

times have changed though. the hub cap is a great sign of consistency but if you don't win the GF it becomes rather meaningless

IMO the RL have gone a long way to diminish finishing top of the league by introducing such a poxy trophy as the hubcap.
I mean,it's horrible.Nearly on a par with the Co-op trophy.
We had a fantastic trophy in the old championship one.
It always grates me why that couldn't have been used.

How can it be meaningless ? 27 rounds in the regular season must surely count for something . Try telling the players that their efforts over the season , the injuries , the tears , the elation , the exhaustion , the triumphs , and the defeats , have meant nothing . Tell them that was just the warm-up games for the real thing , and that you just want to see them win the last match in what is a bonus competition .

Methinks whichever player you say such a thing to rightly deserves to give you a proper good smack in the teeth .

27 rounds for the hubcap against 3 or 4 for the GF..which could possibly be won by a team that has won only half of the regular rounds .
Surely the hubcap deserves to be recognised as THE trophy of the season .

Maybe next season we should just aim at finishing in the top 8 . That means less effort for the players . We could rest our top players when we have got enough points to finish 8th or higher, and give the juniors a run out for the rest of the season . Would you be happy watching them getting turned over every week while our better players get themselves rested and fit for the play-offs ? I wouldn't .
I will be attending the GF again this year . It would be good to win it again , but it ain't the end of the world if we don't .

Friday - Champs by 18.

Would you rather win the Hub-Cap or the GF??????
The RFL have brought the Hub-Cap in as an after-thought and imo the prestige of winning it is way behind the GF.

Hubcap by plenty . Simply because it rewards the efforts of the team over the whole season .
The GF is just the icing on the cake (could put the cake on the hubcap . It looks more like a cake tray than a hubcap anyway

)