Just looking at the remaining fixtures for the top teams and I can't realistically see any chance for us to move up the league and am slightly concerned about the run in with regards to those breathing down our necks. Could be a very interesting journey to Old Trafford if we are to make it this year.

With Saints beginning to improve, we need top avoid them in a 6th/7th play off or 5th /8th playoff. I believe McDermott will try to avoid Saints and Bradford in a first play off game and may therefore settle for 4th. at present that could present a match against Hudds who must be close to their annual blow up now, so would represent a good option whilst avoiding the need to make the clubcall.

I believe we'll try and win as many games as possible and let everyone else sort out their league placings. I further believe this will end with us finishing 4th. The current top 3 will be the final top 3, but they will have to establish in what order (I'd plump for Wigan, Hudds, Wire) and what happens below that is anyone's guess.

Even if you wanted to avoid certain teams below that, it's all up in the air anyway so how would you know which position to target?

4th it is, I reckon. An extra life (with home advantage) sounds a rare luxury to me.

Completely disagree. I think our run in is perfect.

Wakefield away - Tough but should win
London away - comfortable win
Salford away - comfortable win
Hull KR home - tricky but should win
Catalan Home - should win
Wigan -Perfect test before entering playoffs.

Id expect Leeds to win at least 4 from the last 6 games, meaning we finish comfortably in 4th and poised to pounce on any of the top three should they slip up.

4th is already a given.

So finish 4th - away at Hudds. We'll beat that rabble who'll be delirious from finishing top so have a home semi final.

Warrington will win away at Wigan and will therefore have the club call.

Hudds and Wigan will win in the subsequent weeks - Warrington will pick Huddersfield.

Leeds v Wigan at HQ.

Old trafford vs Warrington.

That sound about right?

In terms of being perfectly poised to pounce on any of the top 3, that was kinda where I started the thread. I have looked at the run ins that those teams have and really don't think there is any possibility of a big enough slip up coming. As for the two teams that are 3 points behind us, we have to play both.
I do think we will finish 4th, but it is a small way back to 6th or 7th!

Bare in mind we will be 5 points ahead [iif [/iwe win our game in hand this Friday.

Won't be any lower than 4th. The way Wigan have dropped off recently means that if we can win our game in hand and go to the DW and win then we could finish level on points with them (they also have tricky games vs Hudds at home and Catalans away).....however the big gulf in points difference means they'd finish above us. Wire are in decent form and Hudds have a steady run in barring the Wigan game (if they win that they should be LLS winners.

Below us, realistically HKR, Catalans & Saints need to win 5 from 5 to get top 4, and the latter two meet in the league soon and we have the two of them at Headingley.

I'll go for

Hudds
Wire
Wigan
Leeds
HKR
Saints
Catalan
Hull/Wakey (if they can beat us)

I fancy it.

Unless we totally screw up we'll finish 4th. We have some nice games to try and build some form and a tough test before the playoffs with a week off (CC Final) in there for good messure. We need to get some more bodies back, but with warrington and wigan both set to contest a CC final the distraction means hudds may very well take top spot if they don't bottle it, which is good news for us.

I know hudds have beaten us x amount of times in recent years and all the rest but i'd really fancy going there and getting a result which would leave us one home game away from old trafford. I know people will say well look at our recent record, we should feel good about going anywhere and winning, but if wigan finish top it means to get to old trafford we face the likelihood of facing them 3 times in 4 weeks and I really don't like the dynamics of that at all.

If we can get a close enough starting line up fit then it's on, it's really on!

Agreed. Plus we'll need no incentive going to Huddersfield given recent results!

4th for definate for me , playoffs then wide open for top four although Giants will not get past Wire at any stage they have to meet them . Our biggest worry for me is Danny's absence in the big games

We'll get 4th, and it makes very little difference to being in 5th. Some say we benefited from playing a losing team in week 2 from 5th, which may be true. But this group of players aren't quite as fragile as the likes of Huddersfield, so won't be overly concerned about the possibility of going into week 2 on the back of a defeat.

Whoever you play, you need to beat them (yes, even allowing for second chances). Whatever happens, you need to beat some most of the very best teams. Trying to calculate an easy way through the play offs is the attitude of loser clubs.

Thanks, Captain Obvious

I love the presumption that Huddersfield will finish top.

Still plenty of time for their annual collapse to kick in.

Salford (h)
Wigan (a)
London (a)
Wakey (h)
Bulls (a)

Well, they will never have a better chance to win the hubcap.

If Wigan win out - still a possibility despite their recent wobble - they'll finish top then?

You must be forgetting we have to visit the pie dome

Errrrm, no.

Wigan have......

HKR (h)
Hudds (h)
Catalans (a)
Probably Wembley
Hull (h)
Leeds (h)

So they do have 4 home games but all against top 8 teams and a trip to France before the CC Final, wouldn't be surprised to see a few rested for that one. I know you don't want to go into the playoffs undercooked but that run in could be too much.

Like Catalans gutless display at Wigan last year in round 1? Or Huddersfield's gutless display at Warrington in round 1 of 2011?

Both of those clubs got what they deserved out of the playoffs in each year, elimination at the hands of a Leeds team that knows how to play playoff football.

Both of those teams would've won the GF had they finished 5th, it's a FACT!!

Wouldn't matter what position Huddersfield or Catalan finished... 5th, 4th, 1st... whatever... neither would win the GF (or perhaps even get there)... because they are both whipping boy SL rabble clubs.

OTOH, I reckon a Wigan or Warrington may well have profited a lot more from the deliberate targeting of a 5th placed finish in recent seasons, though evidence suggests both those clubs have chosen not to treat their regular season ticket holders with the requisite degree of contempt which a 5th placed finish would necessarily entail.

william eve posting subjective thoughts yet again


your posts with actual factual information used to do you far more credit,but as the rhinos are the only side to actually win a grand final from 5th and on two separate occasions too,then facts clearly do not suit your agenda on this topic as opposed to your subjective fantasy thoughts
william i hope you havn't had to nip to the bathroom rather sharply when i reminded you of your "subjective fantasy thoughts"