Probably written by masses that weren't there last time ....

Not really.

No one is normally interested until it gets to the semi finals

Even then it's just to check when and where the final takes place. Is it still Cardiff in August?

Name them..????

i went to every final for 15 years. recently a lot of the lads i went with have stopped going and also i don't really enjoy the new wembley. i didn't go last season and don't think i will go this unless leeds get there

I'd quite happily take going out of the cup if it meant winning SL this year, especially as we're going for 3 in a row. I'm not saying it's not important, the mere fact it's our only chance to get a national terrestrial audience is a big enough reason, but it's not the main prize.

Lucky teams can win cups, only good teams can win titles.

The Cup has value.

Its' value it nowhere near as important as being Champions.

That is all I can recall ever being said on here?

Would we like to win the cup? Yes.

We would like to be champions, yet again. Yes.

If we don't achieve the latter but do achieve the former will we be happy? Probably, but in no way will we attempt to make out that a cup win and league placing is as valued as being champions in order to justify insane and arrogant rantings about our team being the "best".

The best team is the one that is champions. Over the last 5 years Leeds have been champions more than any other SL team, therefore over the last 5 years we have been the best. QED.

Lets get some things straight.

Saints didnt win the SL regular rounds last season - Leeds Lost it!

Saints can only play in warm/dry conditions yet claim to be world class!

Saints can win as many of the regular round matches against Leeds as they want as long as Leeds win the one that counts which 2 out of the last 3 they have!

How many Saints players would you have in the Leeds team over currrent ones? Gidly and JG are the only ones that come to mind IMO.

Cough cough couldnt agree more cough cough

I was thinking about the relative merits of the various trophies on offer, and although I would like to win them all, and they all have a level of prestige/merit associated with them, I have used a points system.

Grand Final 5pts
Challenge Cup 3pts
WCC 2pts
League leaders 1pt


the gap between the GF and the CC is because I think that in terms of targets for the season, the GF is the pinacle, and even if we had won the WCC and the CC, I would still feel a little sad at not being the Champions.

I would love a challenge cup victory this year, but not at the expense of another SL title.

Nope - Challange Cup final wins against the mighty Hull, Catalans and erm Huddersfield is a bigger acievment then 2 back to back grand final wins!

Leeds V St Helens in the SL Era:

Pl 48, Won 22, Drawn 0, Lost 26, Pts For 1130, Pts Agst 1253 Avg Scr 24 - 26, 46%

Sorry folks that's just the way it is.

The only consolation is that there have been 6 more fixtures played at Knowsley Road than at Headingley but three of those were earned by St Helens finishing higher on the league ladder anyway.

It's interesting to note how many of the last nine meetings have taken place at Headingley? One.

Does Brian McClennan have an issue of coaching a team to beat St Helens?

Two from six now. Yes I know he won the one that mattered the most but it's a worrying stat otherwise.

bear in mind one try at least came from a wrong decision by bentham. the teams are so evenly matched these things can be vital

A Leeds try?



Seriously though they are very evenly matched but the fact that Leeds won the GF both times means they are the No1 side.

i feel i could get panned for this but imho shaun long is still the best scrum half in the league. dont get me wrong i love rob. but long's passing game is in a different class to robs, long has a better kicking game and has the best show and go in the comp.

but would i swap burrow for long?? not a chance.

I'm not sure he's the best 7 in the league, but a certain Mr pryce was very quiet after he went off

It could be argued that those stats are slewed certainly during the early part of the SL period, as we were pants, playing kids & has-beens to ensure a side was out.

Could it? Lets look at St Helens results by Leeds coach:

Dean Bell Pl 4, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 3, Pts For 71, Pts Agst 125, Avg Scr 18 - 31, 25%

Graham Murray Pl 7, Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 3, Pts For 180, Pts Agst 196, Avg Scr 26 - 28, 57%

Dean Lance Pl 5, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 3, Pts For 124, Pts Agst 144, Avg Scr 25 - 29, 40%

Daryl Powell Pl 12, Won 6, Drawn 0, Lost 6, Pts For 332, Pts Agst 345, Avg Scr 28 - 29, 50%

Tony Smith Pl 14, Won 7, Drawn 0, Lost 7, Pts For 329, Pts Agst 301, Avg Scr 24 - 22, 50%

Brian McClennan Pl 6, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 4, Pts For 94, Pts Agst 142, Avg Scr 16 - 24, 33%

From Graham Murray to Tony Smith pretty similar records across the four Leeds coaches with the exceptions being Dean Bell and worryingly now Brian McClennan.

however it could be argued he won the one that mattered.would we prefer daniel andersons record v leeds?

Leeds are terrible. Burrow gets knocked out if someone slightly brushes against him all the forwards are cowards and start fights without finishing them. Brian can't coach the team and doesn't have a clue.Random players get put onto the pitch in random positions, there is no tatics it is all one out rugby . There is no young talent coming through just look at the reserve results and there is no pride in playing for this joke of a club. There is no future for the club and I think we will be the first team to go when the licensing renewals come round in three years time. The stadium is falling apart and the club has no money. If we win a trophy in the next 50 years that will be mind blowing. Unless we get a new name for the club, new players,coach, and all other people associated with the club at the moment out we are for certain failure. This has all been brought about by this defeat by Saints and it is now clear as the light of day.

A point I acknowledged in my first post quoted by the Admiral above but even so Anderson's St Helens record V Leeds was Pl 14, Won 8, Drawn 0, Lost 6, that would be good if it wasn't for the GF defeats.

McClennan's record could do with another tick in the win column in the forthcoming cup game otherwise he goes 2 and 5 which will be the worst return since Dean Bell's days.

i would agree. we win the two home games against saints and the picture looks a little bit differant

Meanwhile back on planet earth. Go and read Damo's mid season play off idea on the Virtual Terrace then you'll see what you're up against.

The winner of last Friday's match have gone on to be crowned Champions for the last three seasons.