I have watched the highlights. The TJ puts the flag up the second Watkins steps in touch!

I care. I'd take the highest spot possible over the cup any day.

Correct. It was right in front of me. Watkins was clearly in touch and the TJ flagged it straight away.

Seriously? So you'd take third instead of fourth over a win next Saturday?

The point im making is that if we dont rest players against Bradford and London we are top right now and are in pole position for a home game in the first week of the playoffs. As it is, we now are just as likely to finish 6th (yes, I know thats a home game too) as we are 2nd.

And anyway, yes, I don't care much for the Cup as it is. I didn't even watch the last cup final we were in.

Maybe so - but the Cup semi and Final are clearly more important games than fixtures against Bradford and London. You might not care about winning the Cup, but the players and club clearly do. And for what it's worth, I think this is the year they finally will do it too. All worth it then, even if they don't manage a top two finish. It's so tight in the race for the GF this year anyway, I'm not sure finishing position means very much at all.

In any case - resting players was not the reason the game was lost yesterday. It was the inability of the team selected to get the job done when in a winning position.

You genuinely care more about the game yesterday than the final next week?

At least next year resting people at this stage will not be an option as it's a top 4 playoff. The cup needs to go back to May though. It's cheapened the finish to the season even more than usual this time.

And if the final was moved back to May (I agree on this point) teams would still rest players before the final.

Genuinely!

For me the cup is a day out for the fans. It doesn't make you the best.

Finishing strong and getting a home tie by finishing in the top 2 is a lot more important to me because it gives you a better chance of making and winning the grand final. To me this should be the number 1 priority every year.

The Cup is a sideshow.

And Im not saying we can't win it from 6th. Im just saying we'd have a better chance from 1st or second.

Yes, they probably would. It has slighty less of an effect at the start of the year though compared to a vital run in in August. I know losing 4 points at any time means the same outcome but at the same time it is different.

Why is the cup just a "day out for the fans" and a "sideshow"

We are all entitled to our own opinions and I've said since 2009ish that I would rather win the cup considering the success we have had in the GF

Because it just isn't as important as being crowned Champions. It's a trip away from the North to contest a game for a trophy that doesn't really mean anything.

I've always felt a damn sight more disappointed to lose a cup final than dropping points to the Bulls, the Broncos or the Wildcats.

That's not an answer, it's just your opinion.

See, that's the thing. I walked out of Wembley in '99 pleased with how we played but not overjoyed. It was another game that we just happened to get a Trophy out of. I had to hold back tears when McGuire scored in '04 at OT!

At the same time I walked out of Cardiff in '05 after losing to Hull laughing and joking and telling Hull fans to cheer up. I walked out of OT the same year more disappointed than any other game of RL I had been to because I honestly thought we were better than Bradford and it hurt.

It's just my personal priorities as a fan though. I know others want that cup win but to me, it will never really matter.

Yes, it is my opinion, but at the same time are you really saying the cup is more important than being crowned champions?

Where did I say that?, London were not crowned champions yesterday

Personally the cup and title are very close for mine and as I said earlier I would prefer to win the cup considering the success we have had recently in the league

You disagreed with my opinion. My opinion was that the cup is a comp that doesnt really mean anything and that the SL Title is more important and was the one we should be aiming for every year.

I'm sure both will be very much in the clubs sights this year.

And there is a case to say that we are actually in a better position to win both than we ever have been before. That's why the OTT reaction to yesterday is even more frustrating.

We are already in the Cup Final - and without wanting to disrespect Castleford, who have been sensational this year, I think we'd have all taken that option as opposed to a Final against say Wigan or Warrington before a ball was kicked this year.

Yes the LLS has probably gone now after yesterday, but seriously does that even matter? We are still very much in the race for 2nd, and the difference between those positions is minimal. In recent seasons we haven't always finished in the top four, but I think we will be somewhere in there - I think the Cup, win or lose, will scupper Cas's hopes of top four, and I don't think we will end up below all of Wigan, Warrington and Huddersfield.

Get in the top four and as I've already said today, the teams contesting those games will be so evenly matched that anyone could win any game.

And yes, it could all go wrong, we could end up sixth and losing on Saturday - but equally we could sweep to victory at Wembley, and build the momentum to earn a first ever Cup and SL double; carried there by big game players that haven't been flogged in other, less meaningful, games in the run in (like yesterday).

I think the overreaction is more to do with "putting all the eggs in one basket" as we seem to have done over the last month or so. Indeed, if it does go wrong on Saturday we have 5 days to get back up and prepare for Saints. 2 losses in that period could see us outside the 4 and with nothing to how for it.

Yes, it's all ifs and buts, as is anything, but I would have preferred to have been running top right now with a 3 point gap going into the final than know that we sit on the same number of points as the 3 teams below us.

And no, Im not saying we wont win both, but we seem to be trying to make it as hard as possible to win the main one.

You've just done it again, it's the main one in your opinion, if you think we should rest players in the final next week to concentrate on the league game the week after then that's fine but again it's your opinion

I'm surprised you needed to cheer the Hull fans up after the 2005 final

So again, you think the Cup is more important than the SL Title?

And no, I wouldnt rest players for the final. I want us to win any match we're in. Im just less bothered if we drop out of the cup.

I agree with Harrigan. Not even close the two trophies. Challenge Cup even before Super League and Grand Finals was always the minor trophy to the league.

Me personally, I would gladly have swapped a defeat in the semi to Warrington for wins against Bradford and London.

Whether resting players yesterday is right or wrong will only pan out in time, and as I said elsewhere the coach put a team out who were 22 points up so should have won, but I do hope to god we are not forsaking a GF win for the minor prize of the CC.

When there are only 2 major trophies available for all SL teams to play for then I'd argue that both are pretty important.
To win the cup SL teams have 5 teams to beat.
To win the Grand Final, having qualified to compete, teams have at most 4 teams to beat. It may even need the winner to defeat only 3 teams.
Therefore, why should that be so much more important then the challenge cup.
Particularly when that competition is broadcast on terrestrial tv & watched by far more people.
I want to see us win both & I'll be just as miffed if we lose either.