One of the major aspects of Leeds SL success was that they were able to bury their long perceived 'bottlers' tag (around 2004) which had stuck to them for decades. Hetherington and T. Smith were able to alter the mindset of the entire club turning them from perennially falling short, when there was a trophy on the line, to becoming serial winners and in so doing became one of the clubs expected to win when it matters most (2017 GF against Cas being a case in point).

I guess it shows it is possible to take that path, although no other club in the SL era have managed to replicate the feat, with Wire and ourselves being the prime culprits in failing in this regard.

As for the 'solace in other's misery', I would agree, it's become the refuge of the rest of us! I try to avoid it as I'm not, in general, overly keen on personal negative traits (I wanted Cas to triumph in 2017 for instance once we had lost to Leeds the previous week) but there is a certain warm comfort in feeling that someone is no better than us in the final reckoning. This of course becomes particularly prevalent when the team in question is your chief rival! However distasteful it may be, as a personal trait, it is difficult (if not nigh on impossible) to avoid it when said team in question has been 'the enemy' since your schooldays!! Old habits die hard and all that!

I guess from our perspective, we may as well take 'solace in other's misery' (if that does indeed come to pass) seeing how we have been wallowing in our own personal misery from the moment this season kicked off back in February!

Our sport definitely could do with a new winner, just to break the stranglehold that the big boys have had on it, but as Kr and fc fans we'll never accept that it could be the other team, maybe its banter, maybe for some it's more hatred, but we just can't accept the other team doing well.
Wigan are big favorites to do the treble and rightly so, but there's teams that look like there closing the gap, and SL needs that. Warrington and Salford and obviously us big dogs look the most likeky to sneak something, personally as a Rovers fan im happy to be competing in these games rather than challenging for wooden spoons.

I'm being honest. I hope the DOBBINS win nowt.

Great play off game between the Cowboys and Knights. Chuffed for Clifford

I agree with 99% of your post, but I can’t help myself picking on the the 1%! It is one of my personal traits that I should maybe try to mend… but probably won’t.

I think it showed it [iwas[/i possible. 20 years on, the structure feels deeply different, more fixed. Maybe it is my age. I’m young enough to have got the memo that this isn’t the 60s, 70s or 80s anymore, and the principles that applied then no longer do. But also old enough to have adult memories of the entire SL era.

Quite right. Take your pleasures where you can! Feel free to imagine me crying into my chips if/when Rovers fail to reach/win the GF.

Theres actually been more variety in RL finals then most realise. Only Londin and Wakefield havent been to a CC final at 'new' Wembley. Theres only Rovers, Hudds, Leigh, London and Wakfield who havent done a grand final (though before you point out ours was distant history now)

The problem is teams taking that final step and winning. Catalans coming closest a couple of years ago. Id be happy with maintaining the status quo this year however...

Oh I shall raise a glass or two don't worry. Not to bothered if there reach the final.as long as they don't win. At least I'm honest and admit I will be cheering on whoever there opposition is. INOUT

cannot understand you theres no way any kr fan is enjoying watching you getting slaughtered every week

Abdull starting at stand off for the Dragons.

Lets hope he gets through the game unscathed. They can drop him next week.

Do we take a small crumb of comfort that we didn't employ our under achieving interim as a full time coach on a 3 year deal like Hudds?

Huddersfield are almost as e as we are but at least we have a gilmmer of hope with a new coach next season.

Standard of Super League is awful.
Just shows how bad we actually are. Being this bad in this bad of a league.

So many stinky teams this season, Catalans are awful. We deserve the spoon

Londons scramble defence is admirable

They appear to have a revolutionary new tackle technique too, one up and one down. I wonder if we'll adopt it or stick with just hanging 4 men off a big guy and letting them offload still?

Catalans now have something to play for next week so that's a 60pt pasting incoming then

Did McNamara pull Abdull off?

Gross misconduct if he did

The worst possible result for us (apart from our own shambolic display this afternoon obviously!).

Both London and Catalans will most likely have something to play for next weekend, whereas we look as if we couldn't care less what happens in the slightest!

We're going to finish bottom aren't we? Even if London lose heavily to Wire, I suspect we will do the same, but with six extra points on top, probably in the final thirty seconds! I see nothing but further misery for us next Saturday. What a catastrophic mess we are in.

All London have to do is not concede 50ish points and they won’t finish bottom.

Salford more or less handing Wigan the LLS on Thursday. Cust and Bourouh named innthe Salford squad, but looks like they'll be in for a bumpy ride

Cue the meltdown

Hull KR fans moaning, conveniently forgetting they did the same thing away to Wigan last year before the CC Final.

Appleyard was poor, Shaw biased, but god this new Rovers journalist is bad.