Shouldn't that be '[iGrammar at it's bestest ?[/i

I’ve changed my mind after reading what Rubber Duckie wrote, lets win some silver wear. We can have a go at beating Cas whilst resting some players.

I think there may well be two under strength teams in France. TS well may well rest a few after the CC weekend and well the French are just dropping like flies.

Should pick the strongest team for Saturday and look to remain 1pt behind Hull

Hull are away at Saints after Wembley and could easily lose that then at home to pies could go either way, Pies have Saints Friday

So if we pick strongest and win then the expected defeat in France, so we could beat Widnes and still be top if results go our way. Then it's on our hands pies at home and hull away

So why do need to beat Cas when we still have games v Pies and FC and finishing 2nd give the same reward as finishing 1st....

I cannot believe how people would overlook the risk of injuries to Clark Sandow Gidley and Ratchford in the most important match of the year....(you can make an argument for the GF if you want, but I won't engage)..just to ensure 1st spot at game 30!!!!

There is nothing but plate, £100k and a world club challenge warm up on offer for the effort!

Win the CC and then win the GF then beat the Aussies in the WCC main event.....nothing else matters....!
That is the real treble...not the hub cap.

won us

Because as professional sportsmen you should aim to win everything. The question is why wouldn't you want a massive team performance against Cas? what better way to prepare for a final than going out with your first choice team and getting that confidence that comes when everything comes together?

Squad is pretty much full strength for us, only Ellis missing.

Opportunity this weekend to put some daylight between us and the pies. Saints are stringing a few wins together where Wigan a struggling a little.

Its not as if we are playing Wigan this weekend with a guaranteed 3 or 4 players injured for the following week. Lets get the best team on the park, try and get the two points and maybe at the end of the weekend we could be 3 points above third place. That then gives TS the option of resting a few for the trip to France.

It also gives the team more opportunity to start hitting our straps before Wembley.

It wasn't the RFL's fault you're playing on Saturday, I believe the club have arranged some sort of fun day?

Exactly. Nothing to do with the RFL, it's the clubs choice to play on the Saturday. Could've easily played on the Friday, so the 'why have Hull got longer to prepare for Wembley' argument isn't really a valid one.

Be different if you had 5 day turnaround, but you dont get many 7 day turnarounds in Super League anymore

To clarify my point Castleford are a team we, as a top 4 side, should aim to beat at the Magic weekend. We have beaten Cas comfortably at home (56-12) and away (26-42) this season. Cas sit 10 points and 4 places behind us in the league currently. We should have also beaten Huddersfield who finished the regular league flat bottom of the table. 4 lost points in my view.

Was it beyond your ability to make your point without resorting to insults?

so should we, fc, finished the rounds with one loss against wigan seeing as we are a top 4 team we should've beaten leeds twice, hudds, widnes and cas


bugger thats 10 points lost!

Something that may influence Saints next 3 games...Perceval injured & Walsh & Thompson up before he beak on grade C charges.

Smh let's risk a real chance at grand final success to win a trophy that only really requires a handful of good performances n we can call it a successful year!!


Yes Let's rest the starting 17 until Wembley not like anything else matters it actually makes more sense to just drop out of superleague altogether and just focus in winning the challenge cup as it's got to be the big one it's on the beeb!!

THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME IF THE SEASON IS ALWAYS THE NEXT GAME!!

It baffles me people want a "good. Day out" over league success, bonkers

Looking back at previous games before the final. Smith will not field a weakened side.


2012 game before final. Lost 62-18 against London (2 x 1st teamers missing)
2010 game before final. Won 36 -18 against Hull (1 x 1st teamer missing)
2009 game before final. Lost 28-40 against Wakefield (2 x 1st teamers missing)

I'm coming round to this view too. We have 3 x CC Final wins in very recent history, but the league has eluded us since 1954/55. The monkey on our back.

We should be looking to challenge on all fronts not looking to one or the other as our best bet..

We can still win all 3 bits of silver so that must be our goal. If a player needs a break then fine but to just rest a player for an upcoming game is wrong.

Why are Challenge Cup and Grand Final success being viewed as mutually exclusive?

2011: Knocked out in the quarter-finals of the cup, won League Leaders, no Grand Final
2012: Won cup, lost Grand Final to Leeds who also made it to Wembley.
2013: No cup final, lost Grand Final to Wigan who had won at Wembley.
2014: No cup final, no Grand Final.
2015: No cup final, no Grand Final. Leeds win both.

There doesn't appear to be much evidence that success in one of the competitions has a negative effect on the other.

We are the Wire ,have we got it in us to win the necessary number of play off games ,a play off semi ,a GF & Wembley?

I think other teams will have a few things to say about our end of season achievements.

Select our strongest team, simple decision.

Not convinced though that our strongest team isn't Evans back in the centre with Penny on the wing though.

Bench for me is Dwyer, GKing, Bailey, Westwood.

Couldnt agree more.

Penny needs to be in this team right now, T.King (it sounds awful) shouldnt be. If Lineham isn't in the reckoning then our 3/4 line should be Penny, Evans, Atkins & Russel.

I think there were more than 2 x 1St teamers missing from the 2012 game V harlequins the week before Wembley. IIRC Hodgson and Briers did not play v quins
Higham, Carvell, McArthy and Westwood all missed this game but played at Wembley . There were a fair amount of changes but we still should have beat them with what we had on the pitch. It was like watching a pre season friendly and I don't see this weekend being any different.

That's if penny is fit after the stretcher was needed last week in the reserves. I can only assume his hamstring hasn't been right yet, maybe it was a worse tear than we thought. It can't be down to performance he has been good when he has played this season.