I think they will -with wire losing two.

I expect we will have 1st sewn up by the last game, and so will rest a few going into the play offs, and saints will just pip us as they'll be still going hell for leather playing for 2nd!

One thing that sticks out like a sore thumb, imagine a top 5 playoff with the current top 5 teams, imagine them series of games over a 4 week period - mouthwatering!!!

Top 8 does ruin it completely and we've not had a good playoff series since it was introduced. People go on about a 12 or 14 team SL or moan about licensing or P&R but the most important is the playoff series as thats where the entire comp is won and lost, I prey they bring back the top 6.

Top 8 is awful and is simply a money-spinner. Hard to disagree with anything the above poster says.

Exactly - Top five would more than likely have

Week 1
Wire v Saints
Catalan v Leeds
(home venues to be decided on who finishes above who before the end of the year)

Week 2
Wigan v Wire / Saints
Saints / Wire v Catalan / Leeds

Week 3
Any permutation of Wire / Saints v Catlan / Leeds

GF

Wigan

v Wire / Saints / Leeds / Catalan

Pretty much every game would be close, tough to call and would be a fantatic series - rather than diluted games with the hull clubs / huddersfield and possibly bradford or whoever is least $h1t and can make the top 8, and games between the top 4 in the first week that dont matter.

Bring back the top 5 FFS! Its the only system that makes sense!

If sky insist on extra games - then go for a top 7 with the first week being a preliminary straight knock out round - seeds 4 to 7....and then the same old top 5 play offs...that would give the same number of games as presently but be a far better series!

Reality is its probably not even much of a money spinner...bet the aggrigate gates for the 8 team play off are roughly the same as they were for the old top 5 as more would turn out for more meaningful matches!

It's nothing to do with attendances.

It's about viewing figures and schedules for Sky.

He may get a set back like several of our players seem to do these days. We may rush him back for a big game like we did with Charnley in the cup.

Funny that, reminds me of a conversation when he got injured:







TL is a great player and any team would miss him badly - and Wigan are IMO. His experience and calm head would have been huge in the cup semi and you're a FAR better chance of taking out the GF if he comes back fit.

And despite that being the case, I hope he does come back fit - I have a lot of respect for him and he deserves better than his career in the UK ending through injury.

25/06/2012 20:00 Wigan Warriors 54 v 12 Widnes Vikings DW Stadium 13445 Report
29/06/2012 20:00 Wigan Warriors 22 v 30 Bradford Bulls DW Stadium 19628 Report
July
08/07/2012 15:30 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 10 v 52 Wigan Warriors The Rapid Solicitors Stadium Report
14/07/2012 17:30 Leeds Rhinos 39 v 28 Wigan Warriors Galpharm Stadium Report
21/07/2012 15:00 London Broncos 6 v 44 Wigan Warriors Twickenham Stoop 4309 Report
27/07/2012 20:00 Wigan Warriors 40 v 16 Castleford Tigers DW Stadium 13975 Report


Form that most clubs would dream of!

Losing to any team you play that isn't in the bottom 4? Dreamland!!!

I wouldnt say we were playing well. We've been very lucky with our run of fixtures imo.

just the way the fixtures have fallen, but we've battered the rest of the league since the start of the season so no worries eh (wire apart, obviously)

Can you imagine if formula one had a play off system? Say Alonso finishes first after a full season & Button finishes 10th enough to qualify for a final race and then Button wins it to be the best driver for the year. It wouldn't work.
Mixing a league with knock out works with champions league footy & american football because they have the strength and depth and the money to back the sport. It it also suited for expansion, and the champions league may probably create a european super league in a few years time.
It doesn't work with rugby.This is an important time in our sport, we need to sustain not expand. We've been concentrating on expansion for too long, its fools gold. The real gold is in the M62 corriodor for now.
I liked the premiership system, I enjoyed the 96 and 97 finals when we wern't at our best but we ended the season with a trophy and had some bragging rights. Those finals complemented SL and ended the season with a bang similar to a SL grand final. It was 3 good trophies with a relegation system and it worked.

Yeh but Saints where hardly running red hot against Widnes a few weeks ago. Still you pick up the wins and keep going forward.

I think the league placings are pretty much nailed down now as far as the top 8 go. I think Saints will finish above Catalan, but whether we can catch Warrington will depend on this game next Monday.

If we win it then I would expect Warrington to lose to Wigan too, backing up for a Friday night game. They then have London before the CC final, and London had a good result against Catalan, but even so Warrington should win it.

Huddersfield well, that maybe a CC hangover game Wire could struggle with and then they have Widnes last who for some reason have started to play better now they can't make the top 8 at all.

I give Saints 1 in 3 chance of getting 2nd spot.

IF the final eight were to remain the same and IF Catalans lose against Wigan in the first play off match. Who would they play in France in the second round?

Looking at the top 9 teams atm

1 Wigan 36
2 Warrington 33
3 St Helens 30
4 Catalan Dragons 30
5 Leeds 26
6 Hull 26
7 Huddersfield 22
8 Hull KR 21
9 Bradford 17

5 matches left, I can't see Wire winning two more matches than ourselves as I can't see them beating us at the HJ especially a week before the CC final. If Hull pull their finger out they could potentially be 5th. Also Saints and CAts could finish 2nd if Wire implode with the CC. Could be an interesting 6 weeks or so with regarding the table. FWIW I think it will remain the same top 8 positions maybe Bulls finishing 8th instead of HKR, but it will depend on what happens with the Bulls.

The highest placed winner out of 5 v 8 and 6 v 7.

neither can i, but that'll have something to do with us playing you two weeks before the final.

If you think we're going to implode, you really haven't been paying any attention to us this season, we've not been going hell for leather like last year, we've essentially got two teams that we roll out depending on that opposition, enabling us to rest key players.

We're not worried about blowing our wad too soon.

Hate to say it but I think you'll do the double (not bothered about you winning the cup, in fact I hope you stuff Leeds) but I am bothered about the Grand Final.
Wigan have been poor since the win at Headingley and it's going to take a massive turn around in form to even reach Old Trafford. In my opinion, the form we're showing at the moment, I can't see us holding on to top spot, which is gutting considering how well we've played for the majority of the season.

think 2nd place will come down to the game at screwfix between stains and wire.

It is 2 weeks before Wembley not 1 week.

Most of that is down to injuries, though, I feel. Not that the youngsters coming in have let us down individually, but our structures have suffered from not having a settled side.

You have taken one sentence out of a paragraph and used it in the wrong context. IF Wire implode then Catalans or Stains could. But I also said that the top 8 will remain as it is and I will be surprised if there are any changes in positions (like I said), if you think that means that Wire will implode then I'll let you think that

.

The way I see the CC final it is whether Wire have an eye on the GF or not. If they play to their potential then Leeds won't compete on the other hand...

I have had to read this a couple of times to get my head around this. For arguments sake if the league table remains the same and again for arguments sake that Leeds beat HKR they would play Catlans in France, and if Leeds get beat then the winner of Hull v Hudds would play them. May be finishing 5th isn't so good!