Wasn't that far away from happening last year with Wigan, was it?

Lost to Cas one year, to end Graham Murray's Leeds career the same way it began

i personally think the best system was the top 5.

Having a top 8 is just silly.

I dont however agree with McManus suggestion of merely a top 3 as it then ceases to be a competition.

they still came up short in the eliminator no matter how close they ran us. Thats 2 whole games that they were away from winning the final. Also, they finished 4th last season, so got at least 1 home game. They were clsoer the season before but got stuffed by Leeds in the eliminator.

At Widnes



How far did Cas get that year they beat us? Did they make it to being one game away?

yeah, they lost to Saints 36-6

if it hadn't have been for calderwoods 4 try saving tackles we would have won easily. watched the game again the other day and we were the better team by miles. only the scoreline was close

Great game though. Probably (for excitement) the best game of the season.

How is the whip around for the new southstand going now Caddick cant bank role anymore?

We need to develop out facilities, but you have some huge funding issues too - and both issues will be to the detriment to superleague.

The days of either club being immune are over.

The ground development is doing just fine thank you, fortunately as a business we realised early the advantages that a year-round income from two related businesses could bring rather than ground-share with an unassociated club, such a shame that the Wakefield RU deal was a non-starter or we may have seen the new seated stand at Odsal - the one that is still sitting on my architect friends drawing board, a design that was drawn up at the same time as the "hospitality" stand - I'll let you ask my brother just how hospitable that hospitality stand is

Thats the only one I can remember unfortunately.

Despite the 3 Championships, Leeds' SL Play Off record is still pretty crapola and still in deficit:

Played 25, Won 11, Drawn 0, Lost 14.

Compare that to Wigan's:

Played 26, Won 16, Drawn 0, Lost 10 (but only 1 title.)

What a really interesting stat that one is. I guess that will be because we've been much more consistent in the weekly round and had plenty of 2nd bites at the cherry, unlike Wigan who constantly enter the playoff lower down the table?

Its interesting that we have played less than wigan too considering they didn't feature in 2006 & 2005 I think

1996-2008 Regular Round finishing positions:

Leeds: 10 : 5 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 4 : 2 : 1 : 2 : 3 : 2: 2 (Average 3.46)
Wigan: 2 : 4 : 1 : 4 : 1 : 2 : 3 : 3 : 4 : =red7 : =red8 : 6 : 4 (Average 3.77)

Leeds' Average SL Finish: 3.46
Wigan's Average SL Finish: 3.77

Highlighted in =redRed - Missed the Play Offs

Wigan were pretty consistently good at the beginning of the sequence and Leeds likewise at the end. It appears that Leeds have pretty much replaced Wigan.

what's saints record?

St Helens:

Played 27, Won 17, Drawn 0, Lost 10 (4 - GF wins)

Bradford:

Played 23, Won 14, Drawn 0, Lost 9 (3 - GF wins)

Bradfords record in the play offs was quite impressive before 2006

I still have to pinch myself that we're now as succesful as the Bulls in the GF era and only one more GF away from equalling the Saints.

How any Leeds fan can complain about the current team, management etc is beyond me.

The patterns are quite interesting. For eaxample Saints record since 2003 is

played: 12
won: 6
lost: 6

While coaching Bradford -

Matthew Elliot:

Played 6, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 4 (0 GF wins)

Brian Noble:

Played 12, Won 10, Drawn 0, Lost 2 (3 GF wins)

Steve McNamara:

Played 5, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 3 (0 GF wins)

Didn't Nobbys losses both come in the finals??

McNamara hasn't won a play off game since 2006!

Yeah 2002 & 2004.

yeah, becuase they were in the final 5 years in a row weren't they. Saints will be looking to equal that this year

This will be Saints 4th this year, should they make it