Let's just back to the old system that worked for years when the end of season competition was called the Premiership. Top placed team played lowest placed team at home until we got to the final. Top 8 teams make the play-offs (so no fewer games to generate income for the RFL) and no team gets a week off so can't use the excuse of having a rest week as reason for losing sharpness and not winning. Home advatage is the reward for finishing high up the league table. If you're good enough you win, if you're not then someone else does and gets to call themselves champions.

Interesting point made by Nicky Kiss on Wigan board that this could all be good kidology by Wire. If we choose Leeds, we say we went for lowest ranked, if we choose Huddersfield we say we tossed a coin.

I'm not overly keen on tony's stance on this, I'd actually like the club to be in unison over this decision, Andy and Steve need to tell head of coaching to wind his neck in, and we choose a team as one club, one town and one team.


SOLID AND SURE IN OUR FOOTING

Highest placed team (so Huddersfield if it's them V Leeds).



The reward is the week off and going straight to the semi without having to contest a week two eliminator first. If you want a greater reward than that (ie - a guaranteed home tie) you better make sure you finish higher up the league table.

Just my opinion, but it would give ClubCall a bit of genuine spice. As Wigan finished fourth we'd be expected to pick them rather than Huddersfield or Leeds but it would mean taking their home game away from them. Better than the current system in my view, although as I've already said, my prefered option would be to scrap it altogether.

Either way the play offs will inevitably change in 2015 when Super League is reduced to 12 teams so we'll see what happens then.

That is my view. he is just trying to deflect any potential psychology issues.

Are Saints already out? Fools.

Not at all. In my mind, Leeds is shorthand for Leeds/St Helens and Huddersfield is shorthand for Hudds/Hull. We have beaten neither Hull or St Helens at home this year, so both would be worrying fixtures for us.

hey, look who it is, why we've not seen you on here since.....oohh...i'd say since saints went .

Wire won't choose Saints though will they?
1. Saints have an emphatic record over Warrington at the halliwell jones.
2. Smith knows he can send Saints to Wigan. A 100mph derby before a grand final isn't perfect prep.
3. Smith knows deep down he can't beat Saints 2 big games/play off semis on the run hence his anti clubcall stance.

I think if we beat Hull I'll be travelling over to Warrington for yet another Thursday night game, that 3 weeks in a row , what happened to weekend rugby !

As we all know fans are the last people the RFL are bothered about.

Sorry and how many grand finals have you won in this time? We've still made more grand finals then you and we're poop? Its now or never with your dads army squad anyway this year. I know whos squad id rather have from 2014 onwards and thats not to say we couldn't pull off the unthinkable yet.

even if I am a wire...thats still a funny post

LOL

Warrington 1-14 St Helens at the halliwell jones. If we get past Leeds i dare to Tony Smith to flip that coin for clubcall

Not a cat in hells chance!

Its clubcall not coachcall!

I want to play Saints now and beat them just to annoy you.

On the arrogance scale the Saints fans I know are at the very top.
At work we have Saints fans who think they have a given right to win everything and are pretty much obnoxious.

Now come on Fatbelly. Let's not forget they destroyed a quality side in Hull KR who were unlucky not to finish top of the table after such a solid consistent season. I also have the pleasure of having Saint's fans in the workplace. Not only are they talking about winning this year's superleague there also talking about winning all three bits of silver on offer next year.

Deluded doesn't come into it. Can't wait till Friday night's game now. The only thing is I don't want Leeds of Saint's to win

It is all an act, the coaching staff and players will get together to discuss it and make a decision, then on Sunday Smith will stay on his farm milking the cows leaving Broomhead to make the announcenment and WP to do the media stuff.

Can't we just go back to a proper play- off system (I.e. top 5) and be done with it?

This year would have been great under that system-get rid of the teams who have no chance of winning the comp (Hull, Catalans, Rovers), Wigan-Saints knockout round 1; winner to loser of Wire-Leeds. Huddersfield get proper reward for finishing top ( assuming they would have done-or would the reward have made others try harder?!); then play us/Leeds, etc...

Also makes winning from 5th nigh on impossible-you've gotta beat everyone above you, 3 away from from home, 1 in GF. Leeds deserved the past 2 for getting through the system in place, but you should be heavily handicapped for being so poor throughout the season.

Hopefully when they cut down to 12 we'll return to this; though they'll probably keep top 8, so everyone is either playing for play- offs or avoiding relegation, under the illusion that it makes the league mean more, when actually it has the opposite effect, as we see now.

Is the Warrington vs 'whoever was picked' match DEFINATELY on the Thursday night, with the other match on the Friday?

Also, surely whoever the victor between Saints and Leeds, Warrington will fancy their chances more against the victor of Huddersfield or Hull. Say, for arguements sake, Saints beat Leeds and Hudds beat Hull, even though Huddersfield have been consistantly the best side this season and finished top of the table - in knockout rugby, Wire would fancy their chances against Huddersfield instead of Saints?

Warrington will beat any team in the eliminators. What nobody had touched on and I fear the most is the final, I recon if Wigan get to it they will be difficult to beat in a final...does anybody remember Wigan ever losing a final of any kind? I cannot remember.
sure I remember them losing a few semis. Someone put me straight please.

With that in mind. We must give the pies the hardest semi we can muster on them.
We must get Leeds or saints on them.

In fact I challenge someone to find when Warrington last defeated the pies in a final.
My god, now I fear a final v pies.

The 2003 Grand Final and 2004 Challenge Cup Final spring to mind straight away, so yes.

There are four play off games to come before any possibility of Wigan becoming relevant to us, so I couldn't care less about them at the moment.

I can recall Wigan playing Sheffield in a final once.