Same squad as last week then.
No McShane so presumably McGuire is fit to play.
Hope he does something this week as we can`t carry too many in such a crucial game.
Clearly one of the untouchables!

Well sooner or later mac's record of knockout playoff games will come to an end, we can't just go on winning year after year.

I just can't see how this game will go. On the one hand with saints recent form i think 'uh oh here comes a taste of our own medicine' season gone with a whimper, but then on the other hand I think, look at the teams record they thrive on these situations we won't let this title go without an almighty fight. So it's a very difficult game to predict.

For me, i'll get an inkling in the first 10 minutes whether we are up to it or not. I expect completed sets, decent 4th/5th tackle kicks and muscle up front both in defence and attack. If saints are gaining quick play the balls, and we come up with poor options with ball in hand.....it's going to be a struggle.

Neither Bentham nor Silverdud encourage quick PTBs so you should probably be safe enough!

Personally, after the season we have had with the countless dismal performances I have watched my team put in, I am astounded we have made it this far. I can't see us winning on Friday but as long as Saints put in their best possible performance then I'll take something from an otherwise disappointing and sometimes depressing season.

If we win not only will it be a bonus but I will be stunned.

I'm not suprised. I had you down as dark horses 6 weeks ago. In terms of 'this far', it's one home win against a mid table team. So it doesn't take much of a stretch to imagine a team of saints ability being bale to accomplish that. It's the reason quite a few leeds fans had you down as dark horses. We could see you would finished somewhere 5th-8th. Anywhere outside the top 4 you get ''whipping boy rabble'' in week 1. Play half decent, you are suddenly in week 2.

If saints knock leeds out, theoretically theres no reason they can't go all the way.

Spin doctors out in force

"Leeds haven't beaten Saints at Headingly in the play offs since 1998!"

Or

"Leeds have a 100% success rate against Saints at Headingly in the play offs!"

your choice

Except that 'whipping boy rabble' had beaten us three times in the regular rounds and knocked us out of the Challenge Cup at the first time of asking, something that hadn't happened to us in about 90 years or something! (Slight exaggeration there, obviously, but it was many moons ago anyway) We had good reason to believe HKR would come out fighting, but they didn't really. Just a bit of effort straight after halftime, which was a surprise to all of us I think and also a bit disappointing in terms of preparation for this week, especially given our current team's tendency to drop the ball and such like when least needed.

I can't see us winning this one to be honest, hopefully it will be a decent game though as we have improved massively these last few weeks

It will be interesting to see if Warrington pick Leeds though!

1 win each 42 all on the scoreboard, both away wins. Rhinos due a home win against them. Can't call it.

Looking forward to the game tonight,should be a cracker.The game as a whole needs a classic after last nights farce and last weekends generaly drab affairs.

Ridiculously excited about tonight's game. Hopefully we'll restore some credibility to an awful series so far, all set for a classic!

can't see them picking hudds after last night

Good luck tonight, let's have an all Yorkshire GF.

Don't be fooled by how bad Hull were - they have beaten Hudds twice this season. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent us to Wigan (they'd pick Saints however)

and i'm at a function i can't get out of. peed off isn't the word!

thought I wouldn't be able to get there tonight, now I can,.... is it likely to be a sell out

no.

Cant see there being more than an 8 point swing either way.

18-10 to Leeds for me.

Bet I'm more excited than you.

12k shy of that I would have thought.

Spot on. Even Stevo was questioning the benefit of a top 8 play-off series until Eddie (almost certainly at Sky PLC's request) stopped him in his tracks. With the World Cup looming large we need the playoffs to sell SL like nothing before. I'm sure tonight will.

I would say 10k-12k at best and that is taking into account Saints will bring a decent following on the back of some good form.Play offs, final aside, just dont pull in anything like the crowds they should.

Which is ridiculous as a knock out game against St Helens [ushould [/ube a must attend match for Rhinos fans.

Instead we get 18k for Wakefield at home in the regular season and a paultry 10k for this season defining game.

i think there will be just over 10k there tonight

Its because its just the core following of both sides that bother to attend.We have always taken a good number to the away play off games,i expect Saints to bring a few tonight.Its finding a way of pulling in most of the season ticket holders.But it has to be remembered a lot of these are familys,students etc... who are on tight budgets and the budget doesn't always stretch to being able to afford the extra games on top of the ST.Many fans of the big teams will hold out to see if their team get to OT and go to the final as the costs for that are enough in itself.

It sounds bizzare on the face of, like you say they should be clamouring to see these games but the trend has been the same for a while and it isn't going to sudenly just change because we think it should.Someone has to come up with a solution and the only one i can see is trying to factor the play off games into the ST somehow.

The Clubs have to be held accountable for poor attendances during play off games imo.
The Giants whose fairly low crowds are well documented only charged £10-00 for their fans whereas the best we can hope for is £3-00 off if you buy before a deadline WTF??
Like BT said many fans budgets wont stretch to all the play off games on top of ST's ,away travel etc etc and EVERY game is on Sky!!
A rethink of the format and ££££ costs is needed big time for the play offs imo but will the RFL/SKY/CLUBS do it??

If you went back to 5 team playoff series, it would have a negligible effect on playoff attendances IMO.

Clubs need to realise that their fans are not ATMs that they can constantly keep dipping back to for funds. The cost of attending all-pay games in SL has risen way ahead of incomes on average. Throw in nonsense concepts like the Exiles, a potential trip to Old Trafford and a World Cup at the end of the year and it's no wonder fans are picking and choosing which games they attend.