Looking like they will be without Watkins, jjb and Bailey on Saturday

I have been looking on their board and they don't seem to confident especially with the injuries they have.

I told most of the players at the Fans Forum today that the must absolutely smash Lee Smith.... One of them was Tommy aswell .....

Tommy..

We'll be without Fielden, Gleeson and Roberts.

Given what those guys can all produce when on form, Leeds have got it easy by comparison.

and why the f*ck would we be confident?

wigan have a better coach, better team, better individual players and will have more fans there, have a better record in cc finals.

I wouldn't count the last 2 cause they have missed most of the season

I'm a little worried going into this final.

Nobody is giving Leeds a chance in hell, their fans are deserting them in droves (still 4k left of their allocation) and we are being told to expect a big victory (some are even checking the history books for record scores), I just think we could be setting ourselves up for a massive fall.

I wouldn't count Roberts as he wouldn't get in the side and he is actually fit at the minute.

I still count Gleeson as missing though. If he hadn't messed his head up he'd still be our right centre now and we'd be a much stronger side because of it.

He still hasn't (properly) been replaced.

I really dont think Madge or the players will let that happen tbh

Leeds have been a funny side all season they have played well one week and very poor the week after they are a mixed bag, maybe they wanted to save something for Saturday or maybe they was just that bad today but with these 3 a doubt (forgot to add Ablett limped off aswell) then the odds are really against them

Same here. They still have alot of main threats in attack -

Danny McGuire - lets be honest, we all hate him but he can create those game changing moments
Ben Jones Bishop - rate him massively, he is faster than anyone in our team so if he gets open space he will score
Danny Buderus - always has a good game against us
Kevin Sinfield - not the most spectacular but he does the basics well which will lay the platform for McGuire & co.
Brent Webb - see Danny Buderus

Not to mention guys like Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai.

I do think we have a better team and coach on paper but people are making out that they have no chance at all which is ridiculous. Anything can happen. They have pushed us close twice this year.

I don't care who plays for them to be honest.

We are more than good enough to beat them.

Basically it's Wigans to lose! Leeds are crap there is no getting away from that but still have quality. If all the players who might be out are out Leeds are in big trouble.(Watkins, Jjb, Bailey, ablett) add Hauraki to that as for some daft reason he started punching luke Dorn on the deck so may miss it.

Wigan are the best team and favourits by a mile but never right off Leeds.

Most one sided final in years, i expect, Wigan by 40

I would.

Both figured in the more expensive part of our squad when the season commenced, and in Roberts's case, he still does. (I accept that Roberts is officially fit, but that nasty injury took away the Amos Roberts we loved and admired - he's a shadow of that player now, and may as well still be on the treatment bench).

But if you don't want to count Roberts, you can certainly count Gleeson and Fielden. In both those cases salary cap money has been wasted all season.

Granted we haven't really needed them, but without that wasted expenditure we could have had two additional top-drawer players in our first team squad.

If people are going to start talking about Leeds being reduced in strength, then there's no reason why we can't say the same thing about Wigan, because on paper at least they have been.

names mean nothing...........they will have 13 players on the field wearing rhino shirts, and we have to beat them.

and all the talk of one sided makes me nervous.........Sheffield??

Ok Leeds are without senior, burgess and cross too?

But that's not what this final is about! Leeds need to put their disgracful coaching to one side and play their best game of the year to win, with Wigan having an off day.

Can not see it happen but stranger things have happend in sport.

I am not willing to accept the argument about them pushing us close twice.

The first game away from home saw us go to Leeds with a totally different team than the one playing now. Finch was playing in his second game and was still unfit, the team was on a different wavelength. We were playing our poorest rugby of the last two seasons at the time. We still had enough quality to get a draw despite playing dire.

The second game was at home... but the run of games we took into that match was....

Catalans (A) got beat in a tough game
Exiles v England game which 7-8? of our players played in... this was a mid week game
Castleford (A) a very tough game with players backing up from mid week.... 3 games in a week.
Saints (A) a top performance but a tough physical battle, a derby game
Hudds (H) tough game against one of the best sides in the comp, very physical we got the win.

THEN we played Leeds. That was our toughest run of games this year IMO. We had fatigue and we did not play to our potential in that Leeds game and yet still got a result.

Compare that to now, we are playing some of our best rugby under Madge, peaking at the right time. Salford and Bradford both at home has been our preperation and we have been able to rest key players who have not had a week off all season.

The players are ready mentally and physically for this game. They will be so fired up for it.

I am not saying a Wigan win is certain. BUT... Leeds will have to put in their best ever performance in the CC to beat us. If they do win it will be more than deserved because they will have beaten a top team at the top of their game. They need a huge performance and I am not sure they have it in them.

I agree they have players who could put in a big performance and come up with some big plays, but as a team they will not win the little battles. The only hope they have is somehow getting ontop of our pack (no idea how the f*ck they are going to do that) Sinfield has the best kicking game we have seen and Danny B controls the speed of the game. Even then, Sam or Charnley could still go the length and win it for us.

I would say that whatever team Leeds put out it is going to be a much closer game than a lot of people on here expect. Leeds know they don't have quite the same quality as Wigan and I think the intensity, for the first 20-30 minutes at least, will be massive. If we can cope with that then I think we should go on to win the game.

It's a cliche but everyone has to remember it's a cup final and form plays no part at all. My only ever Wembley experience was '98 and we all know how that one finished.

I don't think many expect Leeds to win but the idea that "Leeds will have to put in their best ever performance in the CC to beat us." You seem to be completely deluded about the historical significance of the current Wigan team.

We shouldn't really concern ourselves about who is and who won't be lining up for Leeds, it's a cup final and whoever they field in their 17 will be determined to win the final. Also, past results will have no affect on this Saturdays game.

I've no doubts about Maguire allowing any feeling of this will be easy creeping into the team, as long as we prepare correctly and perform for the 80 minutes (without any periods of switching off) the result will take care of itself.

It's all about the preparation of the upcoming week and execution on the actual day that will win the cup, not the Leeds teamsheet or previous meetings between the two teams.

Agreed. Far too 'Sheffield' for me.

Yes I'm confident we'll win, but I'm still saying 'if' and not 'when'.

not to mention peacock and leuluai?



forgive me for not $h!tting my pants at the prospect of their pack eh. Leuluai is awful.

We don't need to look at Leeds especially, if our own house is in order for the game then we know we have the ability to win.

I can't see Madge and Waney having the players any less than 100% ready and prepared for the game.

Of course you are favourites, very strong favourites. But Leeds do have some very good players and you could have an off day. If Maguire, Burrow, Buderus, Sinfield all click, it could be closer than we all think.

I think most of the talk around Wigan and on here is playing right into Leeds' hands! For people to say its guna be the most one sided finals in years is ridiculous, obviously don't know what they're talking about. This is a one off match and anything can happen.

I certainly wouldn't rule them out. We never know what is going to.happen on the day.