but will we for sure? Smith has said he has nothing to do with call as he doesn't advocate it, he has said it will be left in the hands of someone else.
Dunno if it was morleys call or whether it was a ballet last time.
I recon it maybe that we choose hudds this time.
But on the other hand would it be better to play them in the semi?

Play Leeds at HJ in the semi is preferable to the GF for me, it'll be tough but at least we have some advantage.

Nail hit on head, there. You can almost always guarantee that we lose both of those matches. The only time we won them both in the same year was in 2011, which takes me back to the same old trite point that this was the season in which we should have won it. Leeds nobbed us off then, too.

Facing Leeds in week three is a nauseating prospect, so ordinarily you'd think that perhaps it'd be best for us to win in week one, then hope that Wigan turned over Hudds and we could then actually make decent use of the much-maligned club call and not have to face Leeds in the semis. On the face of it, we could then pick our supposed bunnies, Huddersfield, and have a decent shot at getting to OT. However, I'd always have a lingering fear that Saints would then turn over Hudds in the elimination round, leaving us with the choice of picking Leeds or Saints in the semis. On the face of it, that is no choice at all - it's Saints all the way, then you see their record of 15/16 wins at our place and it makes me cringe. I still think for the purposes of devil and deep blue sea, Saints at home would have to be the call.

Even if that scenario did play out and we got club call and picked Hudds/Saints and beat them, does anyone fancy Wigan beating Leeds in the other semi? Not really.

Then does anyone fancy playing Leeds at OT? Not really.

I think the stars need to align for us to win it this year and, try as I might, I just cannot see us doing it. As Dropkick says, we need to win next week and hope that someone else takes care of Leeds in the subsequent elimination round. If not (and it’s pretty unlikely it will happen), then I reckon it'll be Leeds, Leeds, Leeds yet again.

I agree, who ever takes out Leeds will very very likely win the GF anyways.
I think wire will blow any other team out of sight on that day

Playing Leeds twice in the playoffs is my idea of hell.

Even if us and Wigan both win, giving us club call, I think we'll choose Leeds if them and Huddersfield are the options. If we choose Huddersfield we'll be accused of running scared of a team that finished below us, and at the same time disrespecting a team that finished above us. It will fire them both up.

Whoever has club call will, in my opinion, stick to form and pick the lowest ranked team left, and this will continue every year until the gimmick is dropped altogether.

The main problem I have at the moment is that I find it very hard to imagine us beating Leeds twice in the space of a fortnight, especially at "their" time of year. Even if we win in week one I'll be dreading week three.

This is playoff rugby league!!!

The season is over, now it is all about winning the grand final, and to do that you have to beat the best.
We are unlucky to face Leeds in week one, however, recent history tells us that if you want to win the grand final, you are going to have to beat Leeds in either week 3 or at old trafford!!!!

These nerves and worries and fears, are what the playoffs are all about.
Everyone has spent the entire year complaining about how little the regular season means, and now that we get to the stage where it means something, we are remembering, that with that comes the nerves and the emotions!!!!

When we lost to Leeds at home in the semi the other year, it was heartbreaking but that was still one of the best games I ever saw because it was such a rollercoaster of emotions which is what sport is supposed to be all about.

We need to stop panicking about Leeds (and Saints actually). They're a great side and deserve our respect, but we're a good side and deserve theirs too. We can beat them in big games, and have already proved it.

your right. At full strengh we can beat anyone. Problem is Myler out means we ain't at full strength.

as a Rhinos fans I'm expecting

Wire v LEEDS
HUDDERSFIELD v Wigan
HULL FC v Hull KR
ST HELENS v Catalans

Wigan v HULL FC
WIRE v St Helens

LEEDS v Wire
HUDDERSFIELD v Hull FC

strange...?
I was expecting quite the opposite!

I wouldn't write off Wigan just yet. So they decided they can't be bothered playing the 2nd half as they would rather finish 4th and face Huddersfield than us, I still think they will be a threat in the playoffs.

And before anyone says Hudds haven't lost to Wigan yet this season, blah blah blah, it makes no difference. Huddersfield's playoff credentials are not great, losing 7 of 9 playoff games.

Stressing about all the different scenarios is pointless. The bottom line is getting to, and winning the grand final is very hard, you have to beat the best to win it, theres no easy route or lucky draw.

So you play who you play and see how it plays out.

As a leeds fan I don't really relish the prospect of facing warrington potentially twice in 3 weeks. BUt then we shouldn't fear anyone, just like warrington shouldn't.

My personal thought is that if warrington and leeds do end up facing off in week 3 as well as week 1 then it'll be one win a piece and whoever wins in week 3 instead of week 1 will go to OT.

I'm inclined to agree, and we've seen that before with Wigan and Leeds in 2010 and us and Saints last year. I obviously want us to win next week, but this "hunch" is definitely what I'll be using as consolation if we don't, and what will give me a fortnight of worry if we do!

Nope - that'd be losing a GF to Widnes ......

'kin 'ell
Did you ever watch 3-2-1 Yed?
Just as easy to fathom.

Either way, the least amount of times we have to play Leeds (the only team I fear), I'm happy.

Wire for the GF

If I was a Wigan speccie I'd be concerned. They were abject prior to the CC final, they won that by virtue of a dreadfully poor Hull performance, and with a strong line-up yesterday appeared to capitulate.

Leeds, with monotonous predictability, are easing into form and they might fancy their chances, based on having done us in the GF last year and their own pedigree, but don't bank on it. Everyone else will be desperate to avoid us, home or away.

There were plenty of signs V Saints that we're coming back to our imperious best and no-one, including our perceived bogey teams of Leeds or Hull, would have lived with us in that opening 30 minutes. Let the rest of them battle for the comfort of a psychological advantage, scramble for a chink of light and say their prayers - it's ours for the taking.

A rush, and a push and the land that we stand on is ours, my friends.

I've been to conflict in the Army and never had a speech delivered as passionately as that. Well done. Thought I'd add

Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood.

I think there's to much caffeine in your blood stream, and a lack of real spice in your life.

Doesn't matter who plays whom, all we have to do is win three games in a row starting at home to Leeds next Saturday. Even if we lose to Leeds next week all we have to do from there is win three games in a row from the week after when we play one of the winners from the bottom four at home.

That's all it is, three wins in a row. Doesn't matter who it is, what the permutations are, what our recors is against them or how good they are, just win three in a row. We're good enough to do that so let's go and do it.

If we lose next week that "three in a row" could potentially start with Saints at home (depending on the Hudds V Wigan and Saints V HKR results), followed by Leeds away. Our record in those two fixtures makes the prospect of winning them both in successive weeks look unlikely. Next week matters! Even if we win though, the prospect of having to play Leeds again two weeks later is hardly mouth watering.

Bring back the top six format sharpish. I'd feel a lot happier now with a week off next week then a trip to Huddersfield the week after for a shot at a short cut to Old Trafford, knowing we would have a home game V the best of the rest to fall back on if we lost it. This top eight format does my head in!

Couldn't have summed it up better. It's what makes the play offs special and makes us all a bit skitzo this time of year.

This is why I love the grand final and playoffs. You have so much riding on these games. Everything is on the line. Every knock on, penalty, mis placed pass is crucial. You go skitz during the games. You wait all season for these games. This is what it's all about.

Yep, once the play offs come around the wait for the next match is agonising. Somehow even the challenge cup doesn't inspire the same level of intensity or anticipation. Love or hate this format it does have strange way of messing with your mind. I mean whoever wins on Saturday is going to be thinking great a home semi but do we really want a week off? I think over the years it hasn't proved to be very advantageous. There is also the possibility of winning when it doesn't matter and losing when it does or worse still losing to one of your biggest rivals twice in 3 weeks on the big stage!

I doff my cap, good Sir.

Trafford, here we come.