It's the total number of games played in 2013 in each competition, to give context to the first figure.

But my point is there's this general assumption that there are far fewer blowout scores in the NRL when I don't think it's true. I see plenty of blowout scores in the NRL too.

BUMP

It seems no team wants to cement top spot... If next season follows a similar pattern then the top 8 will be very exciting.

An interesting idea.

I don't think it is a case of not wanting to. It is more a case of teams either not able to because of injuries (e.g. Saints) or teams like Leeds looking at the bigger picture and not going all out to finish top.

I know that. I'm not a Wigan or Warrington fan so I'm not daft enough to believe a professional RL side would lose on purpose.

Well I am a Wigan fan but hopefully not one of the daft ones you are referring to.

If any game was an advert for not rewarding sides losing by less than (say) 12 points with a bonus point, last night's game was.
We deserved nothing from that game & that's exactly what we got.

dead cat bounce at that too.Soon as I saw the team I thought they could lose this.

You weren't the only one.

Based on recent evidence, I'd have given the Bulls a chance regardless.

Think everyone on here needs to take a long hard look at themselves given some of the reactions on here.

We remain 3rd on points difference, 2 pts behind the leaders who we have a better PD than, and play the teams in 1st & 2nd again before season end.

We've given some players with niggles a rest before the biggest game of the season so far, in which our opponents went all-out in a very tough game they narrowly won. One of the first teamers who did play on Friday picked up a serious injury and is now out of the semi final.

Yet because we lost to Bradford, it's the end of the ing world.

Grow up.

Everyone has the right to come on a message board and put their opinion forward however, what's become apparent over the last couple of years on this board is tat every thread turns into a pi55ing contest between the same posters with (what I assume are) grown men throwing petty insults at each other, it's become almost impossible to have a debate about RL on here because every thread gets derailed.

You started this thread a week ago, telling us that the competition were poop, because one had lost to Wakefield, and one had lost to Bradford, yes Bradford.

You might want to take a good hard look at yourself before telling others what to do, this is on the back of the Wigan game, where on that one performance you were posting that BJB should never pull on a Leeds Jersey again.

You should also look more closely at the posts made, and you will see the concerns raised are based on a succession of poor performances, that are coach is struggling to turn around, rather than one performance.

You should also check the table more closely, as in just under a month, we can very easily be out in the semi, and in sixth in the league, just as easily as we could have won a CC final and be top of league. On current form it's not hard to see which one of those scenarios the bookies would be edging towards at the moment.

Yeah I did. Because everyone seems to think that we're playing terribly because we lost to Wakey and Bradford despite the fact that Wigan & Wire have also lost to Wakey & Bradford.

We scored more points than Wigan did losing to Bradford, and we shipped fewer than both Wigan & Warrington did losing to Wakefield.

So I'm not that worried, no.

we have been dreadful, cas game apart, since early may and yet you aren't worried????????????????????

If you look at the Cas result today they battered London by fielding a pretty strong 17, we decided to rest at least 6 possibly eight if you include Clarkson and Ward and with Sinny serving his last match of his ban, Bradford with nothing to lose playing like it was their cup final the task was difficult, that said I take McDermott's point if you drop so much ball as Leeds did you aren't going to win any rugby matches.
To put the game into perspective if we'd have played only three of the players rested we would have beaten the bulls, to take both your centres out of the game was nonsensical when you don't have recognised centres to replace them, the pack needed a bit more grunt but when all said and done the acid test will be next Saturday when those rested will return to play the Wolves. My preference would have to followed the Tigers approach, played a stronger team and claimed the two points. Taking in winning run into a cup competition has to be the way to go

Nah, got my tickets for the cup final, grand final, a weekend away at friends who live in St Helens for the semi and a trip to the lakes to look forward the week after next. What's to worry about?

What kind of idiot actually worries about this stuff? They need to get a life and enjoy their rugby.

i enjoy a good game, win or lose. i don't enjoy getting p1ss wet through watching a team not giving a monkeys as i did last friday

And are you spending any time worrying about what will happen in the next game?

I'm not.

Does it not depend on the definition of 'worried'? Is it not more a figure of speech? I think we all know what he means when he states he is 'worried'? Don't we?

I worry, stupid I know since I can do nothing about it but yes I am concerned that we will underperform & I'll be disappointed by the Challenge Cup yet again.
My mental state is not helped byb the fact that my brother-in-law & one of my nieces are rabid Wolves fans & I can only imagine the stick I'll get if we get walloped by them in the cup again.

concerned then. and the rest of the season not just saturday

Ah well, I hope all those of you that are worried or concerned deal with a poor result well. I worry for you.

Goodness knows how you got through the 1980s watching this team. I used to worry about results back then. That was an era where Leeds really gave cause for concern.

Thanks goodness for you.

I'll admit I get nervous and anxious before a game like Saturday......but in a good way. Hell isn't that why we follow a team to see them be successful and enjoy those moments? Part and parcel of that though is having to endure the rubbish times, nobody wants them but to not accept them with some calm and understanding that they're inevitable in sport....and life in general.....I find puzzling and makes me wonder how some get through everyday life.

Now I know some will read the following and just say/think "oh look, rose tinted sticking up for the team." It's not a case of saying me saying "oh you can't criticise the team/club" but I just can't believe the levels of anger, worry, pessimism, and quite frankly abuse that gets aimed at people at the club. Again I'm not saying players/coaches/GH should be immune to any criticism but some of the levels people to go to on here are ridiculous at times. They might not be able to live off past glories forever.....but what they have done and the moments they've given us warrants a bit more respect than what some dish out when criticising. Insults are sometimes aimed at members of the club by posters who then get offended when insults are aimed at them on here.

Regardless of what people say about the team, it's undeniable that they're in the last 4 of the CC. I not sure about some others but I'd rather be in it than out of it watching four other sides like last year on this weekend. We are in with a shout on all three fronts and some peoples first thought is "oh cr@p we're going to get smashed on Saturday." I mean, why? Worst case scenario Wire turn up and teach us a lesson by quite a few points. They did so in 2010 in the Final......did you survive that? Didn't you survive no trophies in 2006, 2010, 2013 or the many trophy less years before 2004. If Leeds lose we dust ourselves down, pick ourselves up and move on.....if Leeds win and then win at Wembley then they'll provided you with something you'll remember for the remainder of your life, and what did you have to do to get such a memory? Tackle massive props? Run at a line of defenders? Overcome the injuries and operations? Wake up battered and bruised after games? No......you simply watched.

I mean what is the reasoning behind worrying and being afraid that Leeds won't win stuff? Granted it's disappointing when they don't and I'll be extremely disappointed if we lose on Saturday......but that won't stop me from heading into the game with good hope. If you can only head into this game worried and fearing the worst then I feel for you because that's not how you should live your life, especially when it comes to something (sport) which in he grand schemes of your life is trivial compared to the key issues.

Is the thought of disappointment so scary to some people they like to lower their expection so it doesn't hit so hard? So they can shrug their shoulders afterwards and say "I knew it" instead of saying "I'm gutted I was hopeful we'd do it."

And this isn't just a post for Leeds fans, you look on any clubs board on here or dammit even any sport and people just thrive on lowering the bar and predicting the worst.