So, the grand final, for the 4th time in the last 5 years is Saint Helens vs Leeds. On the base of it, that looks poor for the game. But this year, the fact Saints came from 3rd and Leeds came from 5th (rather than 1st vs 2nd again) can only be a good thing, right?

All depends on the type or quality of rugby offered, teams like Catalans, Warrington, Leeds or St Helens there is a decent chance of open flowing rugby. Where as Wigan and Huddersfield offer a stifling game based on slow play the balls and kicking to gain pressure.
I think everyone wanted a final with Warrington in it, but the end of the day they are not good enough to get there, maybe the RFL will introduce a handicap system next season for Leeds and St Helens so that the two teams are in a knock out eliminator phase.

What is good is that this year, each of the three trophies will be won by different teams.

Ridiculous that Saints are in 6 in a row but it shouldn't have any negative effect on the game. Just think of football, the same teams win most leagues almost every year and most leagues are only a 2-4 horse race in reality.

These things go in cycles.

Its good for the game that teams finishing outside of the top 2 are contesting the final - shows the league is more competitive. However, plenty of outsiders will say its a farce that neither of the 2 standout teams throughout the league season are going to end up as champions.

It would be good for the game if Saints didn't need to win the Carnegie Challenge Cup Final and the engage Grand Final,in order to almost break even.

Who cares what outsiders think? If Hull, Catalans, Huddersfield and/or Hull KR had battled their way through to the Grand Final I doubt we'd be suggesting it could be a negative.

No it's cr4p and shows what a farce the salary cap is. C#Top clubs moan that there isn't the intensity week in week out then (allegedly) find ways to ensure they build a much stronger squad than anyone else with tighter wallets.

Do they?

I am deeply in admiration of very rich people who can afford to employ very dodgy accountants.

No I'm not.

Were I cynical, I'd say they are ruining the game. I'm not because I can see how they're bringing more money into the game.

Agree

The whole playoff format needs looking at IMO, but Saints and Leeds deserve to contest the final as the have won all the games that they needed too.

Leeds and Saints derserve to contest the final because they have won their games fair and square. But the Grand Finals winners are not necessarily the best and deserving champions.

Three trophies? There's the Challenge Cup and Super League but I not sure what the third competition is that Super League clubs compete for. Are you including the World Club Challenge?



Yes they are. This weekend Warrington and Wigan both showed that they are not good enough to be the Super League Champions. Ten other Super League clubs have already failed to be good enough which just leaves us with two clubs one of whom will prove themselves to be the best and deserving champions by winning at Old Trafford.

Minor premiers, I presume.

Hmmm. From a Wigan point of view we are all left thinking that it would have been easier to have relaxed on pushing for 1st and Challenge Cup, finished 5th and played Hull, Huddersfield and then Warrington rather than Saints twice and Catalan. Granted the Warrington match would have been a tough one but we ended up having to go back to go forward towards the title rather than just being able to build up momentum. Granted we could have just won our first game but it seems such a flaw for me considering we earned the equivalent of 6 more regular season wins than Leeds - yet one loss, to a top side, simply flushes 27 weekly rounds work down the toilet.

Don't get wrong we didn't deserve to win yesterday, we just didn't have the gas to do it after 35 consecutive weeks of action but their is an argument I think that 5th is a better position to finish than 4th, 3rd or even 2nd. Perhaps it could be argued that Leeds or Catalan didn't really want 4th place because they knew 5th or 6th was a better option for them? I mean how Huddersfield hung on to 4th in the end I don't know! Leeds losing away to Harlequins for example just before Wembley? Hmmm - Makes me wonder!

Still good luck to both teams next week. Don't want this to sound like I'm bitter because I'm not. I'm more than happy with the way our season went after last year.

That's right! I mean Leeds had no interest in finishing fourth as it would be totally impossible for them to go to the top club and win there in the play offs. Except they did last year (have you forgotten?). And turns out they had to do exactly the same in the end this year



If your lot and Wire spend as much time triangulating and pondering over the best or easiest way to try and win things then it's no wonder you're not in the elite category of Super League clubs alongside next weekend's finalists. Display no fear, win under intense pressure, have resolve against adversity, believe in your own abilities when others question them, continue winning when to lose is for the dream to end. These are the attributes of true champions.

God, I hate Leeds.

Having said that, MjM makes a very good point, and I take my hat off to the Whinos, well played. I think that may be as good a performance as I've seen from your team.

Now I am off to spit.

Not jealous though?

Why not,if they get there on merit?

I wouldnt say its bad for the game in the sense they both deserve to be there after great wins in the playoffs but again if you look at the NRL year on year there is a bigger variety of sides reaching the Grand Final. The Storm were the closest you could say to Leeds in there domination but they were cheating with the salary cap.

There are three trophies open to all SL clubs. They are The Challenge Cup, The Super League Trophy and The League Leaders Trophy. In case you are unaware, this year they have been won by Wigan, either St Helens or Leeds, and Warrington.

Well, I didn't say that did I? Of course you could have beaten Warrington in week 1 but your thinking from hindsight of the fact your now in the grand final and have just beaten Warrington and your form has improved in the last month.

Think back to mid August ish. You hadn't won away at any of the five sides at that time that were above you in the table and had also been pumped at home by Warrington. Would you have backed yourself to go into the play offs, especially after a cup final which normally is draining, and beat either Warrington twice or both Wigan and Warrington - more than likely both games away from home?

I don't reckon you would have done. I mean it wasn't too long ago that McDermott's head was a platter for the sack! Especially after that defeat you had at Quins I suspect?

I'm not saying it's what happened but I do wonder if their was a thought process that reckoned only having to beat a top team once to reach Old Trafford and they fancied that rather than playing them twice. In reality that's what happened - but then again I can look back on hindsight as well.

I don't mean disrepect to Huddersfield when I say "top team" but their form had shot and they still haven't won a recent trophy unlike Saints, Leeds, Wire and Wigan.

Don't remember there being any sympathy at all when Bradford regularly finishing top then being beat by "super saints" in the final! Its how it is, theirs an art to winning the Grand Final, and that's not showing your hand through the regular season kicking ass!

Hetherington is not in the habit of sacking coaches and McDermott's head was only on a platter in the minds of our more hysterical fans. And losing a game against unfancied opposition in the lead up to a cup final is hardly unique.

I think, rather than trying to conjure up what you consider an "easy" route through the play offs (involving three games rather than two), Leeds would far rather have had the week off - given, like poor, overplayed, exhausted Wigan, they have played every week of the season.