We're in a false position. If we'd had a training ground and a nigh on full strength squad for just a couple of the first 20 matches, we'd be comfortably in the top 8. Nobody will beat us

Your not in a false position everybody has had injuries and I don't buy the training ground been a major factor in were you are you haven't been good enough simple one thing I do agree with is that you'll sail through probably losing 1 at most

i meant they too normally ask to have a month playing away to have the pitch reseeded

The other Super League teams fixtures at the moment (still Championship games to be decided)

SALFORD - HKR, Hudds, Bradford, London (H)......Leeds, Leigh. Batley (A)

HKR - Hudds, Leigh, Batley (H)......Leeds, Salford, Bradford, London (A)

HUDDS - Leeds, Bradford, London (H).......HKR, Salford, Batley, Leigh (A)

Personally looking at that I think HKR have it trickiest. Only three home games and two of them are Hudds and Leigh which won't be easy, just one loss and it leaves them in a spot of bother needing a couple of away wins that don't look easy. Winning against them on Thursday looks very significant now. Also for the same reason Hudds really need to beat us at their place which is possible but isn't a gimme either, otherwise they need to travel well.....the advantage of the extra home game really is noticeable when you look at those fixtures.

Apologises, but apparently they will be away anyways as Hudds Town are playing at home that weekend.

As do Leigh.

Then your wonder why people don't like Leeds with comments like this.
In the words of k k I would love it if we beat um.

Of course we're in a false position. We've won 5 out of 6 including Hull and Wigan who were top at the time. We are the form side. The backs had not trained with the forwards until the Wakey away game. Apart from Stevie Ward (maybe McGuire and Moon), we are at full strength. Something we haven't been all season. It's a title winning side now at the wrong end of the table.

We should treat all these games as knock out cup matches in which we have a reasonable history.

A title winning side without a strong 6 (or 13).

Not requesting who we play, but the order in which they are played. Staring out by playing three SL teams on the bounce didn't do us any favours last time around. Our pitch was re-laid in June - and it looks very good too.

The above statement has a grain of truth in it; If (and its a big if) they could have won those narrow games that they had lost, then the team would be jockeying with Staints aiming to get into the top four.Now that would have been a false position.The key to a successful middle 8 campaign lies with not who we play home or away,but keeping a fit squad together.God help us if we lose Burrow, Hall, or Segeyaro to name but 3.

The key phase in the season was the easter period. The season was at a crossroads. Win the games at easter (all winnable with our form and team at the time) and we put ourselves in a position at that stage of the season where we could challenge top 4. Instead we lost the games, all of them. Which took us down the route of battling to get out of the bottom 2 and into the top8. From there injuries and poor confidence compounded and it's been a struggle ever since.

Interestingly hull went totally the other way. After a decent few games to start they'd fallen back and at easter were down a big score to Hull KR, but then they came back to win the game. Over something like the next 16 games they only lost one (against us) which catapulted them to the top and the CC semi. Their season is built on that run, which start with the derby day comeback. If they'd lost they could have just as easily slid into mid table mediocrity again.

Looking like it'll be Featherstone, coming up to HT and they're beating Bradford 16-0.

Batley comfortably beating Swinton 30-6

Last December when Leeds duel reg with Featherstone was announced







Oops!

I think it's a good result. 2 very important factors in the last week are getting the extra home game and not having to deal with the derby at odsal are 2 big difference makers.

True. Whilst Fev have finished above them in the table and beaten them comfortably today does anybody think they present the same threat for any of the SL clubs & Leigh that Bradford might have done?

Will be interesting to see the Featherstone lineup vs us (which might be the first game). Baldwinson, Mullally, Golding and Luke Briscoe all playing today.

LEEDS - Salford, HKR, Leigh, Batley (H)......Hudds, London, Featherstone (A)

SALFORD - HKR, Hudds, Featherstone, London (H)......Leeds, Leigh. Batley (A)

HKR - Hudds, Leigh, Batley (H)......Leeds, Salford, Featherstone, London (A)

HUDDS - Leeds, Featherstone, London (H).......HKR, Salford, Batley, Leigh (A)

LEIGH - Hudds, Salford, London, Batley (H).....Leeds, HKR, Featherstone (A)

LONDON - Leeds, HKR, Batley, Featherstone (H).....Hudds, Salford, Leigh (A)

BATLEY - Hudds, Salford, Featherstone (H).....Leeds, HKR, Leigh. London (A)

FEATHERSTONE - Leeds, HKR, Leigh (H)......Hudds, Salford, London, Batley (A)

I think we should be fine with those fixtures for middle 8's and we should really win every game, Come on Rhinos do us proud and get back to where we belong next year.

I was a Bradford fan (shudder) I'd be incredibly peed off that my team had just been knocked out of the middle eights by a side with four players on loan from a team who would probably rather play Fev than Bradford in the next stage of competition.

(Of course there's counterpoint that they should have won more games before this weekend, but even so)

Mullally and Golding can only play for one club in the Middle 8s, so I'd be surprised if Leeds let them play for Featherstone.

Baldwinson and Briscoe have gone on loan for the rest of the season, so I'd assume they would be eligible to play against Leeds.

Baldwinson should definitely be allowed to play for Fev as he's basically been their player this year (and last). Can't see Golding playing for them considering he was an unused sub for us this week and making the 19 man squad the week before. Mullally hasn't made the 19 for us for a while but can't risk not having him available if needed if we lose a prop or two later on in the Middle 8's.

With us asking for an away game and Hudds asking away too then that leaves us facing either London or Fev first. Looking at the London board they're worried about getting their ground organised/improved for the larger away following Leeds would bring so they might ask for more time for that fixture so I think we'll be facing Featherstone in the first week.

London's ground at Ealing has a safety certificate for 3,000 people IIRC. Would they need to extend that for a visit from Leeds, given it's a bit of a swine to get to? Probably not, particularly if the game ended up on Sky.