Winning is contagious, and helps confidence, which is what we seem to lacking at the moment.
A win at Catalans is paramount for success at Wembley, and a Win at Wembley puts us in good form mentally for the back-end.

If we win v Hudds we're at home in week 3

We won the C Cup in 2011 then went to Warrington the week after.
Look what happened there!
Success in the C Cup doesn't mean success in the play offs.

Success in the CC tends to hinder success in the play offs, just ask Leeds! They're the opposite by a wide margin!

I genuinely think this year though, that Wigan winning the CC should have zero bearing on us having a good crack at the play offs. In 2011 we stank the place out in the play offs but we had come off the back of an incredibly tough CC run and there was a lot of emotion involved with Wigan being back at Wembley.

We don't have any excuse this year IMO. We've had a favourable run to the final and our players have had plenty of rests.

We probably won't do it but the double should definitely be our aim this year! One trophy will be a success but two isn't beyond us, with a full team!

I don't understand the aim for 4th? According to popular opinion, finishing 1st is the only true measure of 'best' team...Why would you want to go to the home of the best team?

Serious question.

i agree - there is no benefit to being 1/2/3/4 with the current system.
the trick that leeds exploited in the last 2 seasons is to finish out of the top 4.
hence, the argument over where you finish in the top 4 is pretty meaningless. tbh, whoever plays, its a 1 off, as all 4 teams are capable of beating each other.
the advantage of being 5th, is avoiding the top 4 in round 1, and facing a beaten team in week 2.

There are question marks over whether Hudds can come up with the goods in knockout games against top sides, we know Leeds and Wire can. Finishing top isn't a measure of the best team, otherwise teams wouldn't reduce their chances of winning league games in order to increase their chances of winning in the play offs and the cup. Whisper it quietly but the measure of the best team is who lifts the trophy at Old Trafford that all 14 teams are going for at all costs. Leeds were the best team last year not us, and people really need to get over that fact, it's embarrassing

With the result last night and this evening, may as well aim for 2nd. I would rather play Wire at home than away.

I actually disagree, the mood and atmosphere around the DW at the moment is really depressing. Hopefully some challenge cup success next week will lift us for the okay offs.

I can see us finishing 4th, playing hudds away in the play offs.

Finish 3rd, away to Wire, win in a close game, Leeds do over Huddersfield. We get the Club Call, pick Huddersfield at home and take on Leeds in the Final after they beat Wire in the last minute with a horrendous forward pass.

I wish sometimes everyone would just put away the calculators and slide rules, and just play each league game as it comes, to win it and finish as high up the league as possible. Then play what comes up at us. I know it may be a very simplistic point of view, but your head starts to buzz after a bit with all the theories and permutations that are put forward. If you want to be the best, you must at some stage beat the rest. Anyway we’ve seen in the past trying to be too clever can sometimes end up with us dumped in the sh*te!

Todays team,

S Tomkins, Charnley, Gelling, Thornley, Richards, Green, Smith, Mossop, McIlorum, Dudson, Hansen, Farrell, Hughes

Remplaçants : Flower, Tuson, Taylor, L Tomkins

www.footstream.tv/channel15.html Link for the game, French commentary though. Still better than Eddie and Stevo.

www.footstream.tv/channel15.html Link for the game, French commentary though. Still better than Eddie and Stevo.

Almost full strength. We should beat them with ease.

Tomkins makes a 40m break after 20 seconds with his first touch of the ball.

Elima smashed by McIlorum. Elima went in with his shoulder also.

Our left side attack is awful now, used to be the best in the league. :/

Reckon there may be a few scuffles today with Mickey Mac and Elima

That's because it used to have George Carmont as part of it.

Our attack is clueless. I really do fear for next week.

I hope I'm proved wrong over the next hour.

First quarter of this season it was alright...

Farrell is becoming a liability.

Wow, Fakir just bounced Taylor into next week, what a hit

Thought that was a 3 match ban shoulder charge myself

can't watch the rugby as all the streams online are just links from betting websites! argh.

31 minutes gone and not a point scored, is this the same Wigan team from Feb to June?