I've heard it said elsewhere, but catalans could be the key to knackering up the top 4s form. i understand the loading of extra home games for finishing higher, but a bloody trip to catalans isn't much of a reward now is it.

Huddersfield have Catalan at home, but face trips to Saints and Wigan.

also play leeds at home, who are away at catalan, the scheduling of this will interesting. And the turnarounds.

I would have thought any team but Cas as they are our main rivals so a draw may be a better result for us, but yes, I'd take a Cas win between the two if offered it now.

As you mention, depends on the scheduling. You might see Tommy Hodgkinson make another emergency return from retirement to play at Catalans if Saints don't need to win.

This seasons super 8s has really produced a battle for 4th place between wire,Hudds, cas, you can more or less say that the top 3 sides Leeds,Saints,Wigan should hold there places, it depends on how hull n cats perform they are 6 n 8 points behind already are they gonna put the effort in or not cos basically they won't make the 4 , imo it's made a very interesting race for 4th spot and should produce some interesting games.

All the teams will put effort in. There's no point completely writing your own season off with seven games to go because that will impact on season ticket sales the following year amongst loads of other things. Seven defeats for a team that believes they've avoided relegation but won't make the semis so are playing for nothing won't do them any favours.

I had a look at the Hull board for example and they're hoping for a few wins and finishing fifth or sixth. None of them are saying "it doesn't matter if we lose every game because it's irrelevant"!

In a way it's kind of handy for us that we play the perceived (in terms of current league position) two weakest teams in the Eights at home. If we're going to run up a good score against someone that puts a dent in Huddersfield's 48 point T/G difference advantage then we're more likely to do it at home against the teams that are fifth and sixth. If we were playing them away then it would make it tougher to beat them by a decent margin, while Leeds and Saints will be classed as hard games regardless of where they're played.

Wigan's away form means they are the team from the top three I would have picked to play at home given the choice too, so I'm quite happy at the moment. If we can win our three home games and beat Cas and Hudds I think we'll sneak fourth. If we can get something out of the other two games so much the better. It's important we don't get any hammerings anywhere too. An implosion at Headingley that sees them beat us by twenty points instead of six for example could be the difference if us and Hudds end up level on points.

As things stand every minute really does matter for us right now!

Could end up with humble pie right in my gob but would you really back Hudds against: Leeds, Saints, Wigan, even us in the games that really, really matter.

I'll call it now, Hudds will win 2/7 games, wire will win 5/7 games

Huddersfield will win more than two games.

If as you say they will win more tha 2 games that puts them on 34 points if as you say wire will win their 3 home games and beat cas n Hudds As in your previous post then wire would achieve 34 points.

Which is why I also stated that we need to avoid any hammerings in the games we do lose, and try and rack up a few points somewhere. I can see us closing the four point gap by beating Hudds and winning one game more than they do from the rest. It's hard to see them simply imploding altogether though. They're definitely favourites for the fourth semi spot as things stand but it's not impossible for either us or Cas. I imagine most Hudds fans will see us as the danger too, and of the teams outwith the current top three, Leeds, Saints and Wigan probably regard us as the team they hope doesn't make it come play off time. We're more dangerous than our current points total suggests.

I can't see it, I think pies will lose more than Hudds.

Does anyone know how the scheduling is done? Is it done in order of finish? I.e list in order like the tables that define who is at home and who is away? Is it random? Is it scheduled for Sky purposes?

That's the key thing now that could go a long way to deciding the table. It will be interesting to see the games before and after the CC final. For the teams in the cup those are big possibilities for a defeat. If Wire got Huddersfield away the week after Wembley it gives the Giants a massive advantage, although not impossible still. Get Catalans at home and you are laughing.

Don't know, but the full schedule is out on Wednesday.

I think I'm right in thinking there is a system in place.
Believe there is a thread on it actually.
For us it's, 3rd, 7th and 8th at home. 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th away.

That's the system but not necessarily the schedule and presumably the Huddersfield, Wigan and Hull FC home games will also be influenced by the football season?

If my memory serves me right didn't we have Huddersfield the week after Wembley in 2012 and batter them, think the week before is the one we should be more worried about... IF we win Saturday

Wigan always seem to struggle arranging the games when Latics are at home, maybe they will get some some Thursday night games forcing some teams into a short turnaround.

Correct, although we were at home another win like that one would do nicely Just goes to emphasise how important the schedules will be not only to keep the chase for 4th alive for as many teams as possible, but, rather selfishly for us and also for KR in the middle 8's if they ruin my ale trail on Saturday

Knowing the way Sky operate I would say that the schedule is done purely to maximise viewing figures.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Hudds v Wire as the final fixture if Sky have anything to do with it. Bring it on I say!

I'd prefer that to be our first fixture. I'd know if I can book my holiday or not then.

Start with Leeds away.

I'll take that, defeat in our first game and a Hudds win, will effectively see us eliminated bar the maths. I'll book it after that, or not.

It will surely be done to maximise interest and viewing figures and you can't really argue with that. I'm expecting something like Leeds V Wires and Saints V Wigan first weekend to kick it off with a fanfare, then as said above Huddersfield V Wires and Saints V Leeds on the last weekend which they will be hoping will be deciders for the fourth play off spot and the LLS respectively.

Obviously if we're out of it by the last weekend and the LLS is already wrapped up those fixtures won't mean much, but there's nothing anyone can do about that. Most people will predict them as the most likely outcomes though I think.