It's going to be an absolute cracker.

I'll stick my neck out and say there might be a bit of a fight too

As a neutral who watched the HKR game, I'd say the biggest worry you have is your poor kicking game. You need to improve that area if your to beat the better teams.

You handled HKR very well. Controlling the PTB and ruck very well. However, I don't think they did much to push your defence, which is why it ended up so one sided. They didn't offload much and had little imagination out wide. These are the things that Leeds will thow at you which you have to be ready for.

The romantic in me is hoping for a Saints v Wigan GF.

Definately.

I thought Hull KR did very well to put our kickers under pressure.

That top 11 try scorers tells it own story for me.

Richards speaks for himself really, add them 32 tries to the goals he has kicked and its an awesome record.

Goulding has done superb to reach 27 especially after being dropped quite a few times for that numpty - I hope he can get 30 before the season is over.

Sam is Sam, he will be up there in the try scorers every season, but I cant help but think his move to FB has helped his support play no end. Tommy being down in 11th is rather disapointing for me with just 8 tries all season.

Big mention to Joel though, he must be the top scoring forward in the league - if he could just control them daft mistakes here and there he will be defo on that plane down under - match winner on Saturday would be a start though.

I think after a season of quietly keeping in the background, Stains are peaking perfectly for the play-offs. ALL the pressure is on Wigan as you have had a superb season SL wise, yet one slip-up now and it all gets flushed down the drain. For years now, Stains have been hot favourites to win the GF - but not this year. They have the pack to completely snuff out Wigan in the forwards and whoever deputises for their half-backs will step up to the mark.

Leeds may give you a descent game at Headingley but without Peacock the Rhinos have lost its driving force. My prediction: Wigan to win through to final, then get demolished by Stains - yet again.

PS Stop wining about rough play all the time. It's a game of RL not Morris Dancing or Flower arranging.

Tell that to Jamie Peacock.

And with one bound, Jack will be free.

Wigan should be able to beat Leeds reasonably convincingly, although there is still some hope for Leeds. Should be a good game anyway unless Wigan race away too early. Leeds could still nick it, but it will require something very special from players who don't usually perform or who have underperformed for the majority of the season.

If Wigan get through I reckon they will win the GF.

For years now Saints have been the favourites to win the GF?


No point reading the rest as its now irrelevant.

They (rightly) weren't favourites last year.

the way I see it is, Leeds got a week off and have home tie advantage, but are without McGuire, who has been far and away their beat player this season, we have a bit of momentum behind us now, are out for revenge for being cheated 2 weeks ago and also learnt a heck of a lot from that game.

I dont expect us to make the same mistakes again, we are a relatively young side and as Phil Clarke always says "experience is something you get immediately after you need it". I think Sam learnt a lesson the other day about being better safe than sorry when defending kicks, luckily the match was won, so a free lesson in fact.

Worryingly though Webb was looking to be in better form the other week.

Cant wait too !

We need the spirit that we had when we beat them in the league, SW was in charge of the side that day and filled the team with a bulldog spirit. Rough and touch in defence and very clinical in attack. Lets hope for a dry day up in Leeds as i think that will work in Leeds advantage to drag us into a scrap.

We should have enough skill, power and momentum to take Leeds and win the game by 2 clear scores. What we dont want is to be dragged into a scrap that we ended up in last week against them.

ONE win = momentum? Really?

Chunky hugo makes a valid point. Saints were the bookies favourites to win the last 3 Grand Finals, but it is the team which turns up on the day that takes the honours.

No matter how good your previous season long performances were, they count for nothing, it is how you play that 80 minutes, and all 4 teams have shown the ability to raise their game.

We have risen to the occasion 4 times over the last 6 years..... you last won something in the previous Millenium!

2002 was in the previous millenium?

Your not having much luck on here today are you.

I just hope to see a clean, classic game, that is a testament to the talents of both sides and the sport in general. Leeds v Wigan encounters are always excellent affairs and I suspect this one will be no different. I'm quietly confident of a Wigan win.

I just hope that the antics in the media by Phil Clarke, the twitter brigade and Jamie Peacock doesn't serve to add to the mounting tensions between both sets of supporters and this bring the game into disrepute. With the ability to mix around the ground freely and with people no doubt drinking before the game, I have to admit I think there could be trouble. I sincerely hope not.

As for the match itself, Wigan just need to stay professional as they have done this season. If Leeds want to come out taking our heads off, starting fights, trying to wind us up - then let them. It will only serve to hurt them if we keep our discipline and they concede cheap field position/get a man sent to the sin bin. With Danny McGuire absent, Leeds will be missing some spark. Although their forward pack is depleted, they still managed to get on top of us last time round. We must therefore go with four props - Feka, Prescott, Coley, Fielden - as we did against Hull KR. Hopefully Deacon is fit so he can amend our atrocious kicking game.

I hope when everything is said and done, no matter what has been said in the last couple of weeks, Leeds & Wigan fans put their differences aside and enjoy an excellent game of Rugby League, which this fixture and the sport deserves.

I'm not holding out much hope for that, whoever's in the middle has got one hell of a job on their hands.

It's a shame that what could be an all time classic match will most probably have a nasty element rumbling all the way through it.

Looking like jjb will be back for them on sat

With his stupid burners, I wonder if anybody has told him he look's a knob.

I fancy us

Apologies. I had indeed forgotton about your CC win over Saints. I was referring to the major prize, the GF, and think I'm right though, that aside, it's been a long barren spell for yourselves.





It is a struggle when your Mods keep deleting my posts before reposting a suitably adjusted version!

But getting lots of bites....




You know you don't mean that!

Is anyone else getting fed up of all this Phil Clarke outrage and fans from both sides trying to take the moral high ground all of a sudden? I know I am. Unfortunately now that the media are trying to fan the flames it will be made into an issue in the build-up to the game. I think we will see a clean game FWIW.

The avatars from some of the Leeds fans are a bit embarrassing and just asking for egg on face if/when Leeds get turned over. I'd prefer them to be gloating after we've won 'when it matters' (two weeks ago didn't really count).

Well done that man.

TBH i want a bloodbath on Sat as i love a bit of biff!!

a win would be nice also..

Me too. I suspect many have refrained from posting on this forum for the last couple of weeks. We have a massive game ahead, with all the makings of a potential classic, and yet all we can prattle on about is some fatuous comments made in the media by Phil Clarke. It's ridiculous.



Well said. Not only is it embarrassing, it is also a little bit ironic.