Re: Imperative to finish top : Sun Aug 17, 2014 9:14 am  

bewareshadows wrote:

Why 1st is better than 2nd and 3rd??????
Really.

When looking at the odds. Leeds or Wigan twice to get to the final (home or away). Or someone else at home more than likely twice. I'll take someone else at home.

Obviously the 190 poster has bought into the hype of the GF and beleives clubs need no more than 4 games to sustain an income over the season.

If league position does not count, then why play those games, just have a playoff of the 14 teams and be done within 8 weeks. The rest of the season is pointless so less not bother. Fans won't go and players will get paid zip as the playoff and GF earn practically zero for the clubs.

It's all hype. Those with a memory older than 20 years will know we had a league and playoff system previously, but the league was the king. The only thing SKY did was move the shiny trophy and give it to Wigan permanently and create a new one with a nice big shiny SKY S on the top.

The final for the permiership and the playoffs are one and the same to me.

IF anything the CC is harder to win than the GF as not everyone plays in the playoffs.

..and those with a memory a little bit longer will remember that actually, the traditional method of deciding champions has been via an end of season playoff.

I still, to this day don't know how people can rabbit on about what an achievment finishing top is when the f*cking fixture list is uneven. Leeds play champions wigan 3 times this season. There's no buying into the hype of the grand final. That is what gives you the tag of champions.

It's always the same. In 2004, when leeds finished top, saints who were then seasoned at winning grand finals rubbished it on here. It's where I first learned the term hub cap. 10 years on roles are reversed. It's always the same. The reality is - yes it's a trophy and it's good for teams who haven't won much recently. But winning it doesn't give you the main prize of champions and as the fixture list is uneven and teams target the grand final more than finishing top it will never recieve the same kind of accolades or attention and rightly so.

Winning the CC is harder?

Wigan had the CC handed on a plate last year. Complete with knife and fork and a napkin. Don't think they played a team inside the top 6 all the way through to winning. Pathetically easy.

Re: Imperative to finish top : Sun Aug 17, 2014 9:29 am  

FlexWheeler wrote:

..and those with a memory a little bit longer will remember that actually, the traditional method of deciding champions has been via an end of season playoff.


It's always the same. In 2004, when leeds finished top, saints who were then seasoned at winning grand finals rubbished it on here. It's where I first learned the term hub cap. 10 years on roles are reversed. It's always the same. The reality is - yes it's a trophy and it's good for teams who haven't won much recently. But winning it doesn't give you the main prize of champions and as the fixture list is uneven and teams target the grand final more than finishing top it will never recieve the same kind of accolades or attention and rightly so.

I dont recall saints fans rubbishing the LLS, this came from the Wigoons when Saints won it those 3 or 4 years on the trot. During that period the saints fans and club wanted to win everything that was going no matter what the asset value..
The LLS gained value when Newcomers Warrrington and Huddersfield won it.

Re: Imperative to finish top : Sun Aug 17, 2014 3:07 pm  

FlexWheeler wrote:

..and those with a memory a little bit longer will remember that actually, the traditional method of deciding champions has been via an end of season playoff.

I still, to this day don't know how people can rabbit on about what an achievment finishing top is when the f*cking fixture list is uneven. Leeds play champions wigan 3 times this season. There's no buying into the hype of the grand final. That is what gives you the tag of champions.

It's always the same. In 2004, when leeds finished top, saints who were then seasoned at winning grand finals rubbished it on here. It's where I first learned the term hub cap. 10 years on roles are reversed. It's always the same. The reality is - yes it's a trophy and it's good for teams who haven't won much recently. But winning it doesn't give you the main prize of champions and as the fixture list is uneven and teams target the grand final more than finishing top it will never recieve the same kind of accolades or attention and rightly so.

Winning the CC is harder?

Wigan had the CC handed on a plate last year. Complete with knife and fork and a napkin. Don't think they played a team inside the top 6 all the way through to winning. Pathetically easy.

But the playoffs very rarely have the best teams playing each other, due to how injuries massively effect the playoffs.
Over the course of 4 games injuries can be extremely significant. Over the course of 26 fixtures injuries are more averaged out.
When it comes down to it no coach, coaches to lose a game. There are the odd games where a weaker side will be put out, but there have only been a few of these this year.

Where Wigan desperate to win at Hull KR , did they plan to lose to Bradford because they did not want to finish top. It's natural that someone from Leeds would rubbish the league given how they have profited from the playoff system. But I've always had value in the league. Even when Saints won it over Bradford, I still recall texting a friend at the end that the better team lost on the day.

One game is not what makes a team good or bad.

Re: Imperative to finish top : Sun Aug 17, 2014 3:39 pm  

Leeds lost

Re: Imperative to finish top : Mon Aug 18, 2014 3:57 am  

Yep

Beating Leeds can be our only focus.

Whether they win or lose, the CC it's going to be tough for them to back it up the next week.

Also their run of form is hardly fearsome.

Re: Imperative to finish top : Mon Aug 18, 2014 10:38 am  

bewareshadows wrote:

Yep

Beating Leeds can be our only focus.

Spot on. If (very big 'if'!) we could beat Leeds, then they beat the piescum, then I think top spot is ours.

Re: Imperative to finish top : Mon Aug 18, 2014 11:36 am  

It's in our own hands now. Win 2 out of 3 and it doesn't matter about any other results.

Re: Imperative to finish top : Mon Aug 18, 2014 11:49 am  

In return for all those losers medals they've given us, fixtures against Leeds in the weekly round are often our most sweetest. Hopefully things will land our way again - if its because of a Wembley hangover, then so be it..

If its a game vs Huddersfield standing in the way of us and the LLS, I'd be confident, but there's three very tough fixtures staring at us, especially the way Wire are playing lately (in the league).

Re: Imperative to finish top : Mon Aug 18, 2014 2:43 pm  

Offside Monkey wrote:

In return for all those losers medals they've given us, fixtures against Leeds in the weekly round are often our most sweetest. Hopefully things will land our way again - if its because of a Wembley hangover, then so be it..

If its a game vs Huddersfield standing in the way of us and the LLS, I'd be confident, but there's three very tough fixtures staring at us, especially the way Wire are playing lately (in the league).

I don't see how Wire's recent league form is seen as a big threat.

Easily beat an understrength and unfocused Cas side.
Beat Catalan by 2 points
Loss to Wakefield
Loss to Widnes

If that was our last 4 matches Saddened would be saying we were ready for relegation.

Re: Imperative to finish top : Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:28 pm  

I believe we are capable of beating all three. We've done it already in the league, and in the case of Leeds it was when we were as depleted as we are going to be this time around - more so if you consider that we will have all our forwards available for this one. We didn't have Walsh or Wilkin available for Leeds at home and I think Shannon is an adequate replacement at fullback for Lomax assuming Brown keeps him there (which IMO he should as we need his attacking threat). If Hohaia returns for Leeds as has been reported then we are no worse off and it's not like we haven't won at Headingley before.

I would be reasonably confident of a win against Leeds but for our unpredictable attitude this season. I can't be sure that our forwards will work hard or that we will work for each other in defence, especially as once again we find ourselves three points ahead. When we have been in this position before this season we have gone on to suffer a massive blow out score against us.