you forgot to mention when we beat them at langtree park earlier in the season...we had 8 1st teamers missing as well!......

I'm not sure you can say that with any degree of certainty. Before Moon went off wasn't the score 0-2 to us or had it moved up to 2 all by then? I think the try came after we lost Percival. And don't forget Percival. He is one of our few remaining attacking threats and certainly our only remaining strike centre (as well as our best goal kicker) but we had to stick LMS in there because our other strike centre is being used as a combo 13/6. We were then also one down on the subs too which wouldn't have helped us either. So while Leeds and all the pundits can go on about Leeds being one man down throughout the game, we also lost a man and a valuable one at that.

Yes but you still had 13 men on the pitch which was one more than us for 60 minutes and without the help of a few dubious Silverwood decisions might have still lost.
FWIW I still think you have a chance of making the GF if nothing else with your home advantage and two bites of the cherry.
Wigan can't play as badly as they have done recently so should be there or thereabouts.
Before the CCF I tipped Cos to win the league but don't think they will make the GF.
Wire and Giants maybe not this time.
So Leeds against Saints or Wigan for me.
Its pretty open this year and should make for a good play off series.

Depending on how things work out with league placings and who ends up with clubcall then if Wigan and Leeds meet in the last 4 it could be any one of the other four contenders who progresses in the other semi to the GF.

However I reckon at least one (if not both) of Wigan or Leeds will peak in the playoffs and if they do I can't see any of the other four beating them.

Saints lack key men through injury
Wire lack leaders
Cas and Hudds lack experience (for those thinking Cas now have it because of the playing in the CC, well Wire won the CC in 2009 and it took them until 2012 to find a way to get to Old Trafford, even when they looked nailed on in 2011)

Even though they won in 2010, I think something clicked for Wigan regarding how to play playoff rugby last year in 2013, similar to how Leeds clicked with it several years ago.

Now I'm no St Helens fan. But I find it nothing short of utter arrogance that Whinos fans are dismissing them for the play-offs.

Didn't they just turn you over on your own ground yet again and completed a double over you? And without any half backs??

As for Leeds supporters branding Wigan their most feared opponents during the play-offs, have a look at their board, not many of their fans, who see them week in week out, rate their chances!

And if you look you'll find Saints fans dismissing their own chances too! They are all opinions. Don't take them to heart.

Terrible post.

To me wigan playing poorly is irrelevant. They have the halfbacks, the pack, the backs and the experience. They've not exactly planned to lose recent games but i think they've assesed things and basically figured it's a much of a muchness. Getting primed is more important then actual league placing so they've not been near 100% while teams they have played have been battling for their lives for one reason or another...... So they've had a few little defeats big f*cking deal.

I will be suprised if wigan aren't lining up at old trafford by the end of it.

I recall as dismal performance at Huddersfield in the last round of 2012 and 4 games later we were arranging another homecoming. Wigan are more than capable of hitting form again when it matters. I don't think Saints have the strength in depth to cover for the missing players in play-off rugby. They've done well enough in the regular rounds but who was busting a gut every week? Even Huddersfield appear to have held something back this time. They may prove me wrong but I'd be very surprised if Saints win it.

I think gaining virtually all home games in the playoffs will be a massive boost for us, we've generally played much better at LP this year as opposed on the road.

I think we can make the final, but what happens on the day is anyone's guess.

I don't think saints can reach old Trafford tbh. To many strike players missing which is a shame as we've topped the league for most the season.

Just shows that a injury crisis at the wrong end of the season can ruin the whole season but that's rugby league.

Yeah, remember 2005 where Terry Newton single handedly dismantled your entire season in about 20 minutes. I don't think i've ever seen an injury infliction spree quite like it.

Yep, he totally wiped us out that year. That's what makes the play offs a bad thing and also makes it a good thing as it's basically blown wide open.

It's the nature of the sport.

Remember that well, tried to break the jaw of Gardner and failed, tried to break the jaw of Gilmour and failed, got third time lucky and succeeded on Long.

We,ve had an injury curse on us for the past 6 years during the play off and GF,s. One day we will have a decent pair of half backs to get us through instead of our seasonal false dawns.

That might be one of the reasons why you lost all those GF's as you've managed to make it there despite bad injurys. I remember 2010 and i knew before the game you would lose against wigan because i think you had both first choice halfbacks out.

Again this year you will stand a decent chance of making it with the top 2 finish, but i can't see you winning. Unless you play leeds of course, i always back against leeds

There are so many variables that it is highly possible that Saints will end up with club call and pair Wigan and Leeds in the semi final and by doing so could easily end up in the final themselves.

Finals can then come down to strategy and tactics. CC final a great example. Picking the right tactics for the way the team is composed can then win the game against whatever odds the bookmakers want to place.
The next two weeks will show if Saints have found a way to win games without halfbacks, or if the last two games were just fluckes

Would the saints fans relish a return to OT,where they have lost 5 in a row, without key halfbacks and the strong possibility they play Leeds or wigan?

I'd like to get there. Obviously a win there would be great but we've not been for a long time so the LLS and a old Trafford appearance would be the a decent season.

I'd definitely still want to get there, even knowing full well that we'll lose. The more battle scars we collect, the much sweeter it will be when we finally (and I believe we will one day

) win the big one again.

Certainly would, its an achievement in itself to get there and we,ve done that on 10 occaisons.

Also its the old adage if you keep on losing a final the closer you get to winning one, endorsed by Leeds first Challenge Cup win this century.

No question, the hub cap and a GF aspartame would represent a good achievement from an injury plagued season IMO. Would also represent progress which is important to Saints at the moment.

If we can do some smart transfer business I think we could end up favourites in 2015.

It's just my opinion. We were atrocious in the first 40. We were lucky to go in 8 (?) points down. Sinfield's game management (in my opinion) would have nullified us second half, as he did in the cup final. Mark Percival might have kicked the goal that Turner missed so we can call it 18.

There's been no real stand out team this year. All the top 6 will fancy it, and they can all beat one another when the cards fall right.

I find it hard to see Saints winning enough games in the play-offs with makeshift halfbacks. I'm not ruling it out, and they can still beat anyone. But can they win a succession of big games with that injury list? Time will tell.

Cas have to learn from their Wembley disappointment. If they do that, then why not?

Wigan fans don't seem convinced. They didn't last year either...

Hudds and Wire have yet to convince me that they're ready to win the really big play-off games. But with so little between the top 6, now would be a good time to do it.

Leeds know how to win the big games. 6th would be a lot to ask of themselves when the 5 teams above us look good. But 6th and 5th aren't much different in this play-off format and it's been done before. I still wonder what difference to the draw those 4 unnecessary dropped points before the semi and final might have made.

You might say the standard has dropped this year but I don't think there is anything separating the top 6 anyone could win it. Think saints with no HB will struggle to win a succession of big games, but adversity can benifit them so who knows. I would guess at one of Leeds/Wigan being in the final as they both seem to be able to perform in knockout rugby. But who knows. More chilled out than usual about it with the trophy we already have, hopefully the players don't feel the same

Don,t forget Saints have the best home record in Superleague this year and have done the double against a few of the top teams this year.
Although we have lost playmakers in Walsh, Wheeler, Wilikin and Lomax they are adapting to a different way of playing and come the play offs we will have negated the loss of these players.
Superleague quality is poor this season so I don,t think you can eradicate anyone out of the top 6.