Just had a quick look at the likely Super 8 fixtures now the regular season is coming to a close.

Bar the extra home game, is anyone else unconvinced that you get favourable fixtures the higher you finish?

Assume Wigan finish 3rd - their fixtures would be:

Home

Huddersfield =#FF0000WIN
Catalans =#FF0000WIN
Castleford =#FF0000WIN
Hull FC =#FF0000WIN

Away

St Helens
Leeds
Warrington

Now take a hypothetical situation where us and Leeds swap places. We would then play:

Home

Saints
Leeds
Warrington
Castleford =#FF0000WIN

Away

Huddersfield
Catalans
Hull FC

I've put the word WIN in red alongside the games I would feel confident of winning. Any games not marked with WIN I would look upon as either 50/50 to win or doubtful. So the way I see it - finish 3rd and we have four very likely home wins and outside chances in the away games. Finish 1st and one very likely win with the rest up in the air.

Any thoughts/alternate perspectives?

P.S. As an afterthought, does anyone know if season ticket holders get free access to our 'home' game in London?

That's just because our away form is so ropey though isn't it? The premise that finishing higher sees you play your harder games at home and your easier games away is reasonable enough.

Yes because it is a "home game".

Finishing in the top two after the super 8's is what matters. I actually think Wigan are best in third at this point because they will be up for the games at Leeds, Saints and Warrington rather than having to go to Cas and Catalan if they finished second.

Getting a game against the challenge cup semi and finalist teams the week after the semi or the weeks before and after the final will be a good draw for the rest of the top 8 teams. Playing the Rhinos or Saints away the week after the final would be the ideal draw in the 8s for Wigan

Playing them the week before the final might not be too bad either.

Don't really understand what you are worried about. After 2 or 3 games the 4th place will probably out of reach for the teams in 6th to 8th place now, so depending on when you play them, they will be playing for nothing. The matches will be irrelevant and if I were the coaches, I would field the academy side. With carrying over all the points (which is fine), there will be a fair few meaningless games on show towards the end of the playoffs.

There's 4 points separating 4 teams from 4th to 7th. There's going to be plenty to play for come the Super 8s. There's going to be far fewer meaningless games than there were under the old system and at least we're no longer rewarding mediocrity by allowing teams who've lost more than they've won to still have the opportunity to be "champions".

Home advantage in a one off playoff to go to Old Trafford is critical IMO, particularly for Wigan.

You'd have to think it's essential given our away form. Even our home form is fading and it feels like a loss is due but our away form is simply pathetic.

Given that away form though I'm pretty sure that 'if' we make the top four it'll be in either positions three or four.

when and how will they decide the next fixtures for the super 8s hope they do it all in one go instead of a week before hand to let us know who we play as that is no good to anyone

They will surely have it ready to announce on Sunday evening?

Knowing the RFL they'll probably announce it the Thursday afternoon of the first super 8 game.

Do the full Super 8 fixtures not come out on Wednesday . Next weekend is a free week for Superleague

Regards , EW

Yes, Wednesday they are announced. Saints away is the rumoured first game

you have a 1 in 7 chance of being right

Call me cynical but I'm betting the early rounds pair the top teams with each other, and the bottom teams with each other. Purpose? To give the lower placed sides a chance to close the gap on the top sides, otherwise 2 or 3 teams could be dead and buried after 3 rounds.

Either way theres going to be a lot of meaningless games towards the end, with maybe some teams "not turning up". Lets see

If my understanding of the fixture formula is correct we shall be playing Leeds, Saints and Warrington away and the other four at home. As it tuns out we would have been better off finishing 4th as we would have had a home fixture against either Leeds or Saints.

I bet the club are kicking themselves with how it's worked out fixture-wise, with us not getting a "big" game at home. To not get Leeds, Saints or Wire at home in this stage will have a big effect on the attendances.

I'll be interested to see if they do a BIG ONE or similar for the Super 8's phase. The average home attendance this season has dipped under 14k, and if the plans to take a game to London happen we could really do with at least one home crowd pushing the 20k mark. Guess Hudds would be the only game they could do it for.

They did say that one of the four home games would be played in London. I think they were hoping it could be one the teams we are now playing away. A London game against say Catalan won't bring in a big attendance.

From what I've gathered Catalans has always been earmarked as the London game, providing they made the 8. The club wouldn't want to lose out on the gate money of taking a Saints or Wire game down there, plus away fans would be unlikely to travel for it. Taking the lowest attended game with the fewest away fans makes sense (well the whole London thing doesn't really make sense tbh, but if it has to happen then I can see why it would be Cats)

You could be right. I follow your logic. It might also make it easier for more Catalans fans to get there adding another 10 to the attendance. It might actually be used as a promotional in London I.e. discounted or free tickets to Londerners instead of Wiganers had the game been played at Wigan? Also a UK/FR game might have more appeal to neutrals in London?

The club might also be thinking that a neutral Catalan game doesn't really give up much home advantage and that Catalan don't travel well anywhere.

If Wigan win their home games then they will be in the play-offs. Whether they finish in the top two will depend on the away games at Saints and Leeds. So barring an unforeseen disaster Wigan will have a game to get to OT. An away semi at Saints or Leeds is tough but so would home fixtures against either.

See you at OT!

I don't think it's going to work as you think. The top four will, given the points the teams now have, be decided three or even two fixtures into the super 8's in my opinion. That depends on the Sunday results this weekend to a degree but I don't think the super 8's will go close to the end to be decided who are in the semis. Once teams can't make the top four their approach to the remaining fixtures may well distort the table for the rest of the teams.

you still want to be in the top 2 then you have a home semi final match to get to old trafford

I think it's good that we have got the big 3 away from home as in theory it means we should hopefully win all our home games and we don't have to travel to france for our away game if we had finished 4th