How about four defeats on the spin !
Seriously wouldn't write you off but don't people realise how difficult it is to do the double I think fatigue might catch up with you, by the way how does Peacock keep going !

Leeds can't catch us now so for us to finish outside the top 4:

Warrington need to beat us.
Castleford need to win one game against either Wakefield or Catalans.
Huddersfield need to win two games against Bradford and St Helens.

There's every likelihood that Castleford and Huddersfield will do enough IMO - I think we'll need to avoid defeat against Warrington to avoid finishing 5th.

It may also be a take your pick scenario - Saints beat Huddersfield, win a trophy and we finish in the top 4 or Huddersfield beat Saints, Saints end up empty handed again and we finish 5th!

I'd take 4th and Saints winning the LLS. They can celebrate it all they want but it's a nothing prize as we know only too well.

Finishing outside the top four will really reduce our chance of getting to and winning at Old Trafford IMO.

I'd take 4th and Saints winning the LLS, as it makes it better when we go there and beat them the week after.

Even better, let them lose and Cas take the hub cap. We beat the Dire to finish 3rd and still play them in the 1st round of the play-offs.

Why wasn't that offered as an option in the first place



I'll choose that one.

Now that's a plan !

Four league defeats on the spin if you please



I agree with you btw , which makes last year's double by your team a real achievement .

What I meant was league positions are becoming largely irrelevant whereas form and momentum and play-off experiences are paramount , which makes home advantage etc.. less of a straightforward pass to OT .

If any two of Wigan, Leeds or Warrington finish 5th and 6th they could still have a very good shot of reaching Old Trafford. A home game to Widnes or Catalans followed by an away game to a week one loser. That route could even be better for Wigan than coming 4th!

It's abit of a catch 22 situation. 4th is a better route, but only if you hammer it home and win the first game thus getting the week off. If you lose the first game, then it's a worse position than 5th/6th. Finishing 5th/6th gives you a better chance of winning the first game than finishing 4th because you are playing a much lower ranked team and playing at home. You then go into week 2 with a good win and some momentum, against a beaten up team who's just lost.

That's always been my problem with this top 8 format. An 8 team playoff series was always too many for a 14 team league, but I can see why it was brought in when P&R were scrapped, otherwise the majority of the league would have had nothing to play for for the last 3 months. But there were much better ways of structuring an 8 team playoff that would've rewarded finishing position.

Wigan have shown they don't perform well after a week off. A momentum building game against Widnes/Cats could well provide a better route to OT for us.

I think as long as the team is mentally and physically fresh enough, that is the better route. I don't think the week off is any real advantage to a team that doesn't really need it.

It's all about attitude rather then having a week off that costs us. We did ok with a week off in last years play offs before we beat Leeds at the DW for example.

We could win it from either route but I'd fancy our chance more in the top four even if we get a week off.

Right, my initial predictions were poop so how about this....

Castleford lose in France so Saints win league leaders shileld
Huddersfield win their last game.
Wigan beat Warrington
Week 1 .... We would be second and play Huddersfield at home
Week 2 .... Week off as we beat Huddersfield but saints lose to Castleford so we have club call for week 3
Week 3 .... We pick Leeds leaving Castleford to play Warrington
Wigan 27, Castleford 12 in the Grand Final

Leeds could suffer from not having had a week off all season.

Let's see how we go against Wire but I'd like to play Cas in the playoffs having lost to them in the cup. It would also be fun to be able to spank Saints and end their season. I'm not really worried about anyone other than the Rhinos as long as Wigan can continue to turn up and improve like they did on Friday.

Not a prediction but i would enjoy this.

Week 1 beat Cas away.
Week 3 beat Saints at home.
Week 4 beat Leeds at OT.

It's all depended on our cup run in previous seasons. In 2010 we got knocked out in the QFs so had already had two weeks off by the time the playoffs came round. The defeat to Leeds in round 1 of the playoffs was a blessing in disguise IMO, as it meant we got another game to put things right. In 2011 and 2012 we had gone further in the cup and we looked desperate for the week off, once we'd lost the round 1 playoff game it was the nail in the coffin. Last year we'd gone all the way in the cup, but managed to win week one in the playoffs which meant we got a much needed week off. This season has gone the same as 2010, and the team look like they would benefit much more from game time than a week off.

Leeds had a week off the week before Wembley and have another one this weekend.

Leeds have a week off this week

This week:
Wigan v Warrington - Just think we have turned the corner at the right time.
Salford v Widnes - Can't see why Widnes would go all guns blazing to win an away tie to Leeds. Better to lose and face Hudds!
Huddersfield v St Helens - The LLS isn't very important but it should prove motivation enough for Saints to get the job done here, with Hudds having one eye on the play offs
Catalans v Castleford - Cas' cup run and the trip to France to sap their energy, particularly as I don't think the LLS will be up for grabs at that point
Other three games - Who cares? All dead rubbers

Play offs Week 1
St Helens v Warrington - Really don't fancy Saints in the play offs without Walsh.
Wigan v Castleford - Time to get that monkey off our back. Think the cup run and Cats away will have taken it out of Cas as well
Huddersfield v Widnes - Obviously
Leeds v Catalans - Obviously

Week 2
St Helens v Leeds - See above for Saints. All that experience for Leeds to see them through. Eddie and Stevo to carry Jamie Peacock around the stadium on their shoulders and accidentally refer to Leeds as champions
Castleford v Huddersfield - Cas fans will love me for this! Everyone seems to have forgotten Hudds this season, but they looked pretty good when they drew with Wire a couple of weeks ago and they're unbeaten in the last six games. Plus the pressure would be on Cas as favourites at home.

Week 3
Wigan v Huddersfield - Think we're a better team anyway, plus beating Cas would take it out of Hudds whereas we would have had a week off.
Warrington v Leeds - Leeds will have Sinfield and Peacock, Warrington won't have Briers or Morley. Those key experienced blokes really make a difference in those games

Final
Wigan v Leeds - Genuinely can't call it. Leeds may be knackered but they have a bloody good track record of getting the job done at Old Trafford. It would be a classic!

This made me LOL (as young people are wont to say nowadays)

Quite a few teams look like they are running out of steam at the wrong time. Cas look like recent efforts have drained them and injuries might catch up with Saints and Wire now things are getting serious. Catalan and Widnes might pull off a shock but they aren't serious contenders. Leeds have yet to show their hand and who knows which Huddersfield will show up.

Wigan v Leeds final.

I rate the playoff teams like this, on a scale of no hopers to most likely champions.

Widnes - out 1st week, not good enough for the playoffs.

Catalans - out 1st week, good at home but won't beat Leeds away.

Castleford - look knackered, doubt they'll win another game.

St Helens - ultimately a lack of creativity will cost them.

Leeds - been there and done it many times and always a threat but a tough ask to do it the long way round when they've played all the CC games. Form is poor as well.

Warrington - Look in good form but seem to be picking up injuries at the wrong time. Will not be far away though.

Huddersfield - not been talked up by many but could well win it - really physical team and will be motivated by last year's playoff failure.

Wigan - I've looked at it objectively but would have to class us as favourites, simply because we have a full squad and have come into great form at the right time.

My biggest worry is the goal kicking!

Predictions now we know who we are playing in the play offs (though I did get 3/4 of the league results right, only Saints let me down!):

Week 1:
St Helens v Castleford - Think Cas will be knackered from the cup. Would have fancied them at home
Wigan v Huddersfield - Huddersfield look in good form but so do we, and I reckon we are the better team. Think we'll just about nick it by 6 points or less
Warrington v Widnes - Obviously
Leeds v Catalans - Obviously

Week 2:
Huddersfield v Leeds - I was in two minds about this one but history tells us Leeds always at least make it to the semis (2006 was the last time they didn't). Experience to just about see them though but they'll be out on their feet
Castleford v Warrington - The pressure is really on at the jungle at the best of times, never mind when your season is over if you lose. Cas wouldn't really be under the same pressure with the vocal home crowd in their favour and the players knowing they have had a great season whatever happens, thus potentially chancing their arm a bit more as underdogs. It's a big shout but I think Wire will crack in that situation without Briers and Morley to lead them.

Week 3:
St Helens v Castleford - Saints would have just beaten Cas two weeks previously so surely would pick them over Leeds. Saints probably to put a bit of a score on Cas here with them having had a week off and Cas being knackered from beating Wire
Wigan v Leeds - Again I think we would be a lot fresher and maybe get the job done a bit easier than you may expect

Week 4:
Wigan v St Helens - A repeat of the 2010 final with the same outcome

Week 1
Wigan v Hudds
Saints v Cas
Leeds v Catalans
Wire v Widnes

Week 2
Cas v Wire
Hudds v Leeds

Week 3
Wigan v Leeds
Saints v Wire

Grand Final
Wigan v Wire