Huddersfield have a tough run in too!

Saints will rest a lot. Probably be a similar squad they sent to London so yeah, in that scenario we really out to end the torture.

Still think london will for finish bottom, but few squeaky bums, on all the sides below us.

This season has across the board convinced fans across most clubs that extending to 14 clubs and possibly franchising is the way forward.

Regardless of our result this week one of Wakefield and KR will need to win 2 from 3 to finish above us.

Given at best London would need 2 wins from 3 games after next week I can't see how all three will finish above us.

Even if they do, Huddersfield will have to really work hard to win 2 games more than us

Wakey V Hull KR should be a humdinger

I can’t see Saints resting many at all to be honest. Possibly ones who have played a lot, but they will have others back, that I am sure they will play. Shouldn’t matter though, obviously they have been well ahead of everyone for most of the season, but for a few weeks now they have been pretty crap to be honest. They need a good performance, as I can see them getting beat in the final without it. Funny enough ever since the started mass resting they have gone off the boil.

Still think we will beat them anyway though.

Squeaky bum time for Wakey & Huddersfield

Forecast final standing Wins in Bold
26 Hull KR............Wakefield, Catalan, London, Salford, 
22 Leeds.............. St Helens, London, Salford, Warrington
20 Huddersfield......Castleford, Hull, Catalan St Helens
20 Wakefield..........Hull KR, Wigan, Warrington, London
18 London............Catalan, Leeds, Hull KR, Wakefield

Lots of games that are too close to call between teams down here. Teams taking points of each other and points in the bag mean we should be almost there

Not sure about Salford losing that many, seem to be in a little bit of form, i think that mey well be one of our harder games to win

I don’t think Hull KR have won 2 games on the trot all season, they’re not suddenly going to go on a 4 game rum IMO in fact I think Wakefield may beat them this weekend

Big game this weekend for HKR & Wakey. Winner gets a bit of breathing space, loser is right in it.

Good news for us is that one team won’t be picking up points on us even if we lose, and then there’s only 3 to go.

One more win and we’re safe.

Yeah I think one more win is likely enough. Would love to get it this week so that we can put this season to bed and plan with security for next.

Agreed. I think London will see all four of their games as winnable.

I can see them going to Belle Vue on parity with Wakefield and/or Huddersfield.

Anybody who thinks its good for the sport to have almost half the teams in the top flight not sure which league they're playing in with just 4 games to go needs their head checking.

None of these sides can safely plan for next year, none will be able to give a few kids a game to see how they go. And we complain about short-term thinking.

Couldn't agree more. Whether excitement of surprise or not, the quality has still been absolute turd, and the game as massively regressed as a result.

All the supposed 'excitement' doesn't translate into bigger crowds or much else. But its great for Leigh and Widnes. Apparently.

A better kind of franchising system doesn’t deny Championship clubs the right to get into SL. In fact it’s safer because you can’t just sneak it by one successful run in a season. And then - you spend the next year looking over your shoulder because you’re likely to be in the mix to go straight back down again.

Franchising also allows new entrants with ambition and cash a fast track in. The game needs money to survive; yes the grass roots are really important; but I just don’t believe we will thrive by looking with rose tinted glasses to the past.

For the standard to go up we need better infrastructure, better players and better coaches and officials. That all takes money. I’m not sure where that comes from for the English game but we can’t afford to lose clubs like Bradford/Leeds from the top flight.

The game needs a vision and consistent strategy for the future rather than being so reactive and held to ransom by vested interests IMO.

This is really an argument about who runs the game. If it’s run by the clubs they will always promote their own interests not that of the wider game, whereas if it’s run by a central body (and we can debate if the RFL is fit for purpose) then the clubs would have to fall I. Line or breakaway and start a new competition, which without TV money wouldn’t be viable.

In my view it should be centrally run, with franchising, and any club that meets the requirements is in.

I’ve said this before but I would favour an amalgamation of NRL and RFL (i.e. the NRL buys in). There could be benefits in economies of scale and shared expertise etc. Unify the judiciary and refereeing. I don’t know - the game in England won’t die but I feel it is falling behind its richer cousins year by year.

This

Correct. Something needs doing about it pronto. Its dragging too many teams down. It's very very bad for the future of the game. The idiots in charge need to wake up and stop relegation.

I wouldn't want the NRL anywhere near running our game. They are so Sydney-centric and international-phobic it would be a disaster for the game in our country. They have absolutely no experience of running a highly localised sport with a limited media footprint. It's much harder to run the RFL than it is the NRL.

Well what's clear is the SL is shambolic compared to the NRL in every way. Now the NRL is not perfect nor is it totally suited to the game over here but we need to adopt some elements of it. The game here needs to adapt and start being forward thinking.. starting with abolition of relegation and returning to a form of franchise system.

The RFL is a shambles. They don't deserve the game that they have.

If you gave RL the marketing power and finance of RFU it would be massive. But unfortunately it's run by idiots

In your statement lies the crux of the problem, finance. RL here does not have the money of Union or NRL and has to make do within it's finances. It's a little bit of a chicken and egg scenario