I just hope Leeds will be as well drilled as we were on Saturday. That discipline and work ethic just strangles sides. It doesn't look great and neutral fans won't like the spectacle, but for the Leeds fans its genius and has created so many awesome memories.

Agreed, its the basis for all of our great wins. Grind, chase, wear down, defend hard and take opportunities when we get them.
Our tactics in the big games have got us over the line in the past - 2004 kicking over vainakolos head and wearing him down for the last 20 (admittidly he still scored 2 IIFC). 2012 - Ablett running at Briers every opportunity leading to 2 scores through his defensive area. Theyre the 2 that spring to mind. If our senior players step up and play like they can and control the game, then hopefully it will be ours!

I was thinking about this. Who cares about winning pretty in a final? It's all about lifting the trophy. I can't wait!!!

I think we will see McGuire and Ablett putting a few more grubbers down the left edge, make Carney work his balls off. It worked a treat on Saturday and Carney won't like been constantly turned around, Vainikolo style, infact he would do well to get there first to them all.

Cas are a very good attacking team. Very good. So you'd like to think leeds could do the whole grind thing like they have in the GF's. But what if cas are able to find a way through? It's not all that unlikely really. Warrington, despite leeds first half dominance bombed 2 clear tries and had a couple of other clean breaks down the right. Had they not been so incompetent in those moments they'd have gone in probably one score behind which, taking account of how posession and territory swung in the second half would have made things very different.

Should cas get similiar opportunities, which you fancy them to based on their play this season, they will put points on the board. I'm not sure leeds have the attack to go toe to toe with them in that situation (as mental as it sounds).

For leeds to win, they need a lightning fast start and to have more than a try buffer after the first 20 so they can then go for the slow grind. Otherwise they'll end up playing catch up in a you score we score game.

Hmm.. I don't share your concerns here.

I've seen us play Cas twice this season and (until the sending off) have never thought we have looked like losing.

If we play like we know we are capable of then I think we'll win it comfortably.

Millington and Huby are going to be a big loss for Cas but Clarke on that very wide wembley pitch does scare me a lot

If it was any other team (except wiggin) i'd agree. But you know what cas are like.

Whilst this 'grind' tactic has worked at Old Trafford, I'm not sure if that has been our downfall in recent Wembley defeats?

IMO Wembley (unless terrible weather) lends itself to a faster, more open game and recently I think we've been guilty there of not being expansive enough until we are chasing the game.

Given our speed and threats out wide I'd like us to be more expansive (weather conditions allowing) as opposed to the more conservative approach that works well on a drizzly Old Traffford night under lights.

I'm sure Cas are going to be very expansive and IMO I think we need to throw more at them than just simply grinding out our sets .

Wembley lends itself to scoring plenty of points on a dry, hot sunny afternoon and given our great scramble defence of earlier this year, I'd be wanting to open up more and hope our scramble is better than theirs and win what I think would be a high scoring shoot out sort of game given how I think Cas will play, unless they freeze given the occasion of course.

I think we need to take more gas out of Cas in making them having to move side to side and all over the place, dealing with our offloads and in that way hopefully they have less energy to throw stuff back at us and we rely on our fitness and scramble and hope we out score them.

I think playing a conservative style (unless the heavens open) will play into their hands and increase their chances of winning

We need to play how we did in the early stages of this year. In attack, get the ball wide to Watkins, Moon and Hardaker with plenty of space to run at. Watkins in particular would be a nightmare to handle 1 on 1 on such a wide pitch.

As for defence - stop Clark, stop Cas, it's as simple as that. I'd not be adverse to roughing him up early on - let's face it, you're highly unlikely to be sent off nowadays, so let's give him a good old fashioned 'welcome to the party'. Hit him on suspicion every time early on, sod it... Let's erupt a scrum - old school!

I know it is always said because of the way it looks, and although not 100% sure, but I don't think the Wembley pitch is that much wider than Headingley at all, or most other grounds.

When Wembley was rebuilt I think the width of the pitch was brought in narrower than the original Wembley. And again, not totally sure, but I think most Rugby League teams play on a pitch 68 metres in width and 100m in length. I think Wembley is 69m in width.

That said, it is still a fast pitch regardless of size.

Well put and my thoughts as well.
We tend to be too negative at times under BM and as you say Cas are an excellent attacking side, who will definitely test us. Trying to grind out a win at Wembley may well be a mistake.
We need to take some of the better aspects of the Warrington game such as the kicking game and defence but come up with more in attack.
On another note read elsewhere that Huby may yet play. Will he won't he build up to the game similar to Senior at Cardiff.

You start favourites, I'm happy to be the underdog in this one.
Especially if we are missing Chubbs and millo your pack will be a bit too strong for us, and on paper I think you just have the edge on us right across the park.
However, as cloughy used to say - paper teams win paper cups
I got what I dreamed of
1) a wembley final for my kids who weren't born the last time we went (and they normally only come round very 20 years or so for us)
2) an all Yorkshire final - really chuffed about that.
We both went over to Lancashire at the weekend and did them in their own back yard.
Look out wembley - here comes Yorkshire


It would be nice if we could show the best of both our sets of fans and make Yorkshire proud.

Its going to be a quality occasion. As Leeds fans we have been very lucky with this generation of team and the days out they have given us as supporters. That said, ive been to every Rhinos CC Final since 94, and we only we've only one it once, so hopefully, we will be able to bring it home this year, but i haven't even looked at, let alone started counting my chickens just yet!!

Stopping Clark will be the thing that the majority of fans will no doubt say that's Leeds' key to victory. However, for me keeping the amount of 2nd phase ball Cas get. It's the offloads from the likes of Millington, Huby, and Lynch that have been crucial to Cas' success all season, and it's what we struggled to prevent in the last game against them. Huby and Millington being injured will be a huge loss for them, but I think we'd be daft just to focus on stopping one player. Cas have done so well this year because they've played as a unit, and with Chase gone they're a much more balanced side.

Agreed. Can see us winning rather easily. Our golden generation need this trophy. I just cant see us messing it up at all. It could be their last CC final for some.

It should be a good final, especially after last years dross. The type of rugby cas have played this season has impressed me. Also I am pleased cas have got to wembly, mainly because its a pure rugby town. Plus the fact over the last few seasons cas have had more downs than ups.
In spite of this ,the majority of fans have stuck by the club. It was pleasing to see Shenton going back to cas and showing what a good centre he is. Certainly at saints he did not get much support.
Most teams at wembly seem to want to play open rugby and throw the ball about. Cas and Leeds like to play that type of game so it has the potential to be a classic.

Well said mate. Both West Yorkshire sides doing the business in Lancashire was awesome. It looks like its going to be a massive crowd too.

I think that if we ignore the kicking threat of both Finn & Sneyd we could be in for an upset.
I'm looking forward to the contest between Shenton & Watkins, both vying for an international centre spot for me.
I've previously been underwhelmed by Shenton, pacy but defensively weak I've always thought. But this year he's been a revelation in attack & defence plus he's a good leader of the team.

I was fortunate to go to the yorkshire cup final when we beat Cas at elland road.
That was a cracking match ,we played well with schofield scoring a long distance interception try.
Although we deserved to win Cas had a lot of the play, so the score which was over thirty points slightly flattered us.
Looking back at Cas they have produced some top notch players, including Reily,Ward Hepworth , Hardisty and John Joyner. That just a few of a whole host of top players, did crooks hail from Cas?. I suspect he did, I almost forgot one of the games best players and an absolute gentleman, Roger Millward.

Cas have only managed 6 points against us the 2nd halves of the league games we played and that came after we went down to 12 men. So for me they need to be at least two scores clear at halftime.

Leeds have had a tendency in most of their finals over the last several years to start slow and usually concede the first try so again the first 40 mins next week will be crucial.

I was debating with a Wire fan who said had Wire played like they did in the 2nd for the full 80 then they'd won. Pointed out that because of the scoreline Leeds approached the 2nd in a certain manner to keep Wire at that 2/3 score disadvantage and weren't really interested in pushing for more scores to put themselves out of it. Some of the post match interviews kinda highlight this with talk of the halftime discussion. I think the same tactics will be employed against Cas, going for possession, completing sets, risk-free play, doing the basics....and trying to get in the faces of the Cas attackers to force the errors we saw Wire make.

Think if we come through London on Sunday with a clean bill of health then we'll win. Losing Peacock (2010) and McGuire (2012) just before previous finals really hit is hard.

Also, it seems like we're getting to wear our home kit this year!

Shall we not bother turning up on the 23rd then seeing as you think Leeds will win rather easily as I'd not want to waste my time going there just to get a battering

?

Arrogance of some Leeds fans that's all. We have played you twice and you have beaten us by 8 and then it was a draw. I believe we sit on the same amount of points in the league as you but scores a hefty amount of tries more. Your defence has been much better though.

Still don't see how any of you can say we will batter Cas or we will win easy etc.... Why have played in 3 major games this season I would say. The draw against you which if we had lost would of left us out of the running for top. Wigan in the quaters where we conceded 4 points. Widnes in the semis where we conceded 6 points. The occasion hasn't got to us yet so I think that will be no problem.

It's going to be a close game but I do think you will win. I just think it's ignorant that some of you are still putting us down.

But let's not also presume Cas can turn up in a major final. All new ground to them, let's see how they handle the occasion.