Dita's Slot Meter wrote:
I think the main question mark over Wire is their ability to put it together during an intense play-off series....I think we are the best side in the competition in a one-off match, but our biggest test will be in the play-offs when you basically have to play 3 cup finals in a row.
As long as we don't get too depleted by injuries, I remain confident in our present squad, but just worry we might have a collective brainfart when it really matters.
I don't really see the playoffs being a specific problem for us. If we can cope with winning league matches we can cope with winning playoffs. We lost to Saints and Hudds in the playoffs, but we lost to Saints home and away in the league last year, and have lost to Hudds twice in the league already this year so its not just a playoff thing. Having to play 3 cup finals in a row is not much different to when you are in the Quarter Finals of the Challenge Cup...we've beaten Wigan, Hudds and Leeds in big Challenge Cup games so we have definitely got the mentality for it.
One thing which does worry me though, given the playoff structure, is the prospect of the 'anti-climax' ending to our season...this is something I've seen happen to teams in the NRL. Ie if the table finished as it stands now, we would play Castleford in the first playoff (where we can afford to lose and get a second chance), and say we won that game we could afford to lose. Then it's week off, wait till the semi final when we would have clubcall. But when we choose our clubcall (and I can see the irony here, if we choose Saints) if we lose that game its season over, and its only 80 bad minutes away from game over.
