Re: Play Offs : Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:05 pm  

Wigan not being allowed to play at their own ground without begging their League One landlords brings the game into disrepute at least once a year.

Re: Play Offs : Mon Sep 13, 2021 6:05 pm  

just_browny wrote:

Wigan not being allowed to play at their own ground without begging their League One landlords brings the game into disrepute at least once a year.

I'm pretty sure their rent is being put up and it's not very affordable so things aren't too great for Wigan rl at the minute. Looks like they need a new stadium and now is not the time to be building one from a financial point of view, material costs are sky high.

Sale sharks are trying to buy the aj Bell as well possibly with Salford City FC, Salford red devil's could potentially be going to Salford City fcs ground but I'm not sure if that would be as a tenant or owner, probably a tenant.

We are very lucky to have the HJ. I don't care too much when the playoff match is played, just hope we get through it. I've got a bad feeling though, I think we will be poor this week and then be unable to shift up the gears when it matters.

Re: Play Offs : Mon Sep 13, 2021 7:38 pm  

CW8 wrote:

I'm pretty sure their rent is being put up and it's not very affordable so things aren't too great for Wigan rl at the minute. Looks like they need a new stadium and now is not the time to be building one from a financial point of view, material costs are sky high.

Sale sharks are trying to buy the aj Bell as well possibly with Salford City FC, Salford red devil's could potentially be going to Salford City fcs ground but I'm not sure if that would be as a tenant or owner, probably a tenant.

We are very lucky to have the HJ. I don't care too much when the playoff match is played, just hope we get through it. I've got a bad feeling though, I think we will be poor this week and then be unable to shift up the gears when it matters.

But the players will be rested.......lol no game to play but they will be rested.

Saints Wigan and Leeds are all ramping it up this end of the year when they've been successfull we go on about peaking at the right time but then go and disrupt things ourselves by making wholesale unnecessary changes to the line up? Resting and not taking risks are different if a key player is not 100% then don't risk it. But if they are this is the time of year we need them on the pitch. We've actually played a few less games this season so not really sure players need a rest either.

Re: Play Offs : Mon Sep 13, 2021 8:39 pm  

It didn't work for us against Salford in the cup semi last year and I cant see it working now. We should be working on our game, sharpening up the attack, defence has been quite good but defence alone won't win it for us.

Re: Play Offs : Tue Sep 14, 2021 6:05 am  

Dezzies_right_hook wrote:

But the players will be rested.......lol no game to play but they will be rested.

Saints Wigan and Leeds are all ramping it up this end of the year when they've been successfull we go on about peaking at the right time but then go and disrupt things ourselves by making wholesale unnecessary changes to the line up? Resting and not taking risks are different if a key player is not 100% then don't risk it. But if they are this is the time of year we need them on the pitch. We've actually played a few less games this season so not really sure players need a rest either.

Last season St Helens lost their last two regular games, against Salford and Wigan. The year before, they lost to London in round 23 and then beat Wakefield in the last game.

We should get past the paranoia and the idea that Saints and Wigan are impregnable winning machines all of the time. It has been a weird season and because of some of the rearrangements the schedule has been punishing at times. It is perfectly sensible to try to let players recover from knocks they have been carrying now our position isn't changing. There is risk, but there is also risk of key players getting injured in dead rubber games.

Re: Play Offs : Tue Sep 14, 2021 6:21 am  

In 2018, St Helens finished the regular (Super 8s) season with the wind in their sails, winning their last four games in a row and stamping their authority on the competition by finishing six points clear of everyone.

This gave them such momentum that they lost to us in the first playoff game, ending their season.

Re: Play Offs : Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:45 am  

True enough.

My paranoia is a lot closer to home than thinking about other teams though. I don't really have any faith that Steve Price will send them out to win it, we will limp out trying to play an arm wrestle like the Wigan game IMO. I will be very happy to be proven wrong though.

Re: Play Offs : Tue Sep 14, 2021 8:44 am  

The problem is that if we lose against Cas we could end up playing them in the play off. If we lose does it send the wrong psychological message? Or do we give them a relatively easy ride while resting key players hoping to catch them cold in the next game?
Who would be a coach?

[Winslade's Offload]

Re: Play Offs : Tue Sep 14, 2021 8:57 am  

HKR and Leeds will not be too happy if we play a severely weakened side.

However my guess is that Price will put out our 'best' side and treat the game as a dry run for the playoffs. I think the only omissions will be injured or players that are carrying knocks that could force them out of the playoff game.

[Uncle Rico]

Re: Play Offs : Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:20 am  

I'm not really too concerned what Hull KR but especially Leeds (with their previous experience of using the play off system to win the big prize) think about our team selection. We've earned the right to pick who we want in interest of ensuring our squad is in the best possible shape and if they wanted to be in control of their own destiny then more points and a higher league position might have helped.

I'm not sure about my preference tbh it didn't work against Salford recently in the cup and playing your weakest team might smack of a bit of insecurity like Sinfield taking the two at Wembley all those years ago. If Cas play and beat our strongest line up then fair play it'll be up to that squad to get revenge the following week.

With that in mind let's start the play off mentality now works for me