Wigan, to my mind are certs to make the grand final this season.

In previous seasons with inconsistency you have made the eliminator so you have to think you'll go one step further this season. Well that's the way I see it. The only thing that may count against you is burn out. The longer you go on playing well the closer you are to a sticky patch, and the closer that sticky patch get's to the business end of the season.

That's always my concern if leeds are playing ''[itoo well[/i'' early doors. In 2008 we looked unbeatable at easter and were 6 points clear at the top. By october saints had finished top, were red hot favourites and it was a big struggle to get our form going again.

Now it's the opposite, it's going to be a struggle to get into a good enough position for the playoffs. never mind timing your form.

It's going to be an almighty battle between, hudds, hull, bradford, saints, warrington and leeds for that other place.

Wigan look the best team so far though, although today i thought you were very evenly matched with saints.

The only thing that made us evenly matched today was our atrocious long kicking game.

With all my heart I want to agree with you. But in my head, it's still a long season. There's going to be ups and downs throughout and you can write off Leeds/Saints/Warrington at your peril.

We are definately capable of being in the Grand Final, but don't get too far ahead of ourselves, come Monday today is forgotten about and it's a potential banana skin in Wakefield.

Leuluai is a shít kicker, even Roberts and Richards can kick better than him.

Except it was Sam that put in most of the poor kicks...

This is one area Madge must look at, not just today but in other matches our kicks from the 5th have been poor.

Sam kicked a few good ones then other poor ones, Leuluai kicked 0 good ones and the rest down Pryce's throat. Deacon came on and split the winger and fullback apart on a few occasions but overall our long kicking game was very poor. Really bad conditions though and we won so no complaints really, hopefully they will work on it at training. I dont see why they dont kick along the ground more because god knows where that ball is gonna bounce!

Deacon was brought on in my opinion to improve this area, but did not impose himself or make himself available as an option enough for me, he needs to improve and take authority when he comes on not allow a younger less experienced player like Tomkins dominate him.

I agree, I think Deacon can educate Tomkins in this area but part of Tomkins education is to "watch and learn", this is where Deacon needs to impose himself on the pitch.

That is what I was going to say. Tomkins is as bad as anyone and did some very poor ones today.

Don't agree tbh.

Leuluai did the most of the kicking and did a poor job. I'd say Tomkins kicking was 50/50 between good and bad.

I agree some of Sam's kicking is still off, but it encourages me that when he puts a bad kick in, on the whole he's chasing like a mad man to try and make up for it.

tomkins first kick was superb but it went down hill form there, IMO most of saints possession in our half was off poor kicks or penalties. They never looked like breaking us from deep. we iron out that and we'll take some stopping

Let's just take a time out here.

It's fantastic to see Wigan topping the league, and great to see our defence looking really really solid.


It really does take me back 20 years.


However, the current format of the league means that current form and results count for very little

It's how we finish that is important.

Any talk of grand finals until August is silly imo.

They count for a great deal. How you start has a big influence on how you finish. Ever since the play-offs started and despite them changing format several times the sides that started well and finished at the top of the league and have gone on to contest the grand final.

Sides that start poorly, finish low down in the play-off positions as a result have not contested a single grand final. Fact.



I agree. We could have a bad second half of the season, finish low down the league as we have done in recent seasons and yet again miss out on the GF as a result.

Our current form simply makes the chance of a top two finish more likely and if we get one of those the chances of getting to a GF are miles better - as all the previous seasons since 1998 prove.

Dave

Whilst I agree with your second point, your first is based on circumstantial evidence.

Generally speaking, teams that start well, finish well.

HOWEVER, it is not always so (Bradford a few years back)


The one "unknown" about MM is his ability to handle the playoff system.

I hope he takes to it like a duck to water.

Tomkins long kicking game today was terrible, and hasnt been great all season. As for making the Grand Final, its way too early to tell, only a 1/3 way through the season...

Bradford finished third so their poor start still helped prevent them from a top two place so I think the evidence is far from circumstantial.

Of course they went on to win it but they are the only team to win a GF outside the top 2 and as I have said many times I have kicked myself for not having a bet on them winning it because of what happened to Leeds and Saints squads (decimated by injury whereas Bradford got a load of injured players back fresh for the play offs). I thought they would win it that year when I saw what happened to the likes of Long.

That said I don't really care how we get to the top places in the league so long as we do and its obvious a good start will get you a long way to that goal compared to a poor one.

As to MM and the play-offs he's been there with Melbourne so assuming we make them I am confident he will manage the situation well.

If we do finish in the top two and get a week off I am sure it will be put to good use and will be an advantage for us. I would not feel the same if Noble were still here as I'd expect us to turn out under-cooked and get beaten after a week off. Not so with MM.

Dave

Shame that for the first time in a decade we're on course to finish in the top 2 and its now far less of an advantage.

I've half forgotton how the current system works but I believe you only get a week off if you win your first game. I think if you lose you're back in the position of having to win two games to get to the final, the second of those being away from home.

Far less of an advantage than the top 6. All conjecture at the moment of course, only a 1/3 of the way through but we're on course. I certainly don't see finishing outside the top 4 now. Only 5 teams in my opinion were capable of that in the first place - Leeds, Saints, Wigan, Warrington and Hudds and surely Leeds are too far behind to catch us now especially when they still have many injuries to contend with for upcoming games.

I agree with the OP that Wigan are the leading contenders having beaten us, Leeds and now Saints I don't think we are not too far behind though our defeats against Wigan and Saints were close and came down to goal kicking.

Think my top five at the start of the season was:

Leeds
Saints
Hudds
Wigan
Wire

The only thing I didn't expect was Wire and Wigan to go so well from the kick off of the season and Leeds to be not at it like the past 3 seasons, right now I think Wigan will defo be top 2/3 I would like to think we could be in the top 4 or maybe 5 at least going on how we look so far, Hudds could be the ones to watch I know they got done by Saints last week but usually there defence is spot on and Brough whos scored a few tonight could be a big player in attack for them if he settles in.

good win for you guys today. there's five teams at the top now who can all beat each other (and not just the usual 'on their day') you put saints/wigan/leeds/warrington/huddersfield against any of the others any you genuinely can't pick a winner, you no longer need a team to have 'an off day' or 'a good performance' to win.

obviously wigan are out in front at the moment, but at some point they'll hit a bad patch, and they may not be able to keep at the front of the table, who knows, you might be able to sustain it till the end of the season..

just try to enjoy it

Something I have commented on all season. I was hoping Deacon would add something in that facet of the game.

I think Hudds have come on leaps and bounds under Brown but personally i do not feel they are yet serious title challengers. For me its still a case of wire, saints, leeds and wigan.

Failed to do so yet, as i put on another thread seems reluctant to boss it on the last, something he was brought in for you would expect.

Wigan have never failed to get to a Grand Final in the 3 occasions we have entered the playoffs with more than one chance. (i.e. not sudden death all the way)