With Hull and Leeds at an all-time low and Wigan's form still patchy, 2019 must be presenting Warrington and Saints with the clearest run to the Grand Final that I think I've ever seen in Super League.

I appreciate that it's early in the season, but even if Wigan's 'recovery' continues, I can't see us challenging the top end of the table any time soon. Cas may take the laurels tonight, but they've hardly been great, while the Salford bubble has already (predictably, I'm sorry to say) burst, and Catalan are notoriously poor travellers.

That basically leaves Wakefield and Hull KR as the main other challengers. Both look like solid teams, so it's not impossible, but it feels distinctly unlikely (we all know what happened the last time Rovers got into a final, and I can't remember the last time Wakey managed it).

We always laugh at Wire for proclaiming each year to be theirs and then crashing and burning. I'd argue that this year it's theirs to lose. While Saints often start well and then fade, though it's difficult to see how they can fade in company like SL 2019.

Personally, I think it's going to take a sea-change in someone's form to prevent these two from contesting all the trophies this year.

Looks that way doesn’t it, although I’d back Saints to beat Wire in the GF. For all the adversity we’ve had so far, I still wouldn’t rule out us reaching (and even winning) the GF.

I think we are the only team to stop either of these 2 cleaning up, it’s in our DNA to be in the mix come crunch time. Tonight will be a decent indicator I reckon!

It looked a one horse race at times the last 2 seasons and neither Cas nor Saints won the grand final. It’s all about your form in the last 6/8 weeks not the first.

Too early to rule out ourselves or Cas IMO. We look like we might be over the poor start to the season, and are only 2 points away from the play offs. Cas are 3rd with a lot of players missing, so in theory they could be very strong when they return.

I thought Warrington would be around at the seasons end for a tip at the GF but I don’t know whenever Austin goes off they go into their shell,they’d be in a mess if he picked up a long term injury.

But it’s Saints who are quietly doing the business at the moment,they look a far better team than last season,seem to have strength in depth so I think,as much as it galls me they’ll win it this year

As for Wigan who knows but I just think there’s too much behind the scenes for a serious run at old Trafford

Agree, apart from one thing.

People keep underestimating how hard the top 5 system is.

Top 2 make the GF more often than not.
3rd has a chance but it's difficult.
4+5 , might make it to a final 1/10, but win it no more than 1/20 I reckon.

So we've got to make 3rd minimum, no matter how well we are playing last few weeks of season.
Wire/saints barring major injuries will be top 2 and quite rightly so if they keep reeling off the wins.

3rd could end up a dog fight, and playing hard for the rest of the season and then go away into play off rugby to the top 2 will be far more difficult than it has in the past under other systems.

Exactly.

The top 5 was in from 1998-2001 and every GF was 1st v 2nd. Only when the 6 came in did sides outside the top 2 make the final and even that was sporadic until the top 8 farce.

Grand final winners

2007 Leeds
2008 Leeds
2009 Leeds
2010 Wigan
2011 Leeds
2012 Leeds
2013 Wigan
2014 Saints (aided by a first minute red card)
2015 Leeds
2016 Wigan
2017 Leeds
2018 Wigan

Lockers will probably pick up the trophy again

2012, 2014 and 2015 all still bug me.

Never would we have lost the semi against Leeds in 2012 had Tomkins not pulled out injured and been replaced by an 18 year old making his debut. Obviously the red card in 2014 and Leeds were there for the taking in the 2015 final.

A great decade but [icould[/i have been a period of real dominance.

Whilst I understand the point being made and on current form and standings it would seem to be common wisdom, I don't think it's that clear cut. Common wisdom said that we would have a tough time last Sunday and be steamrollered by a massively superior pack. 42-0 to us. Common wisdom said that there was no way Catalan would beat both Saints and a rampant Wire to get to the CC final. They're now the cup holders. Common wisdom said Saints last year and Cas the year before were hot favourites to take the title. Leeds and Wigan were champions. Common wisdom said that no one would go through the playoffs unbeaten, home and away, including the final. A Wigan side that had been largely misfiring all season did just that and are now champions.

Sport is not that easy to predict. If it were we'd all be millionaires and the bookies would be out of business. If we continue to build on the the last couple of games, as Lam always said we would to be fair, then come the end of the season we would need to go a similar number of games as last season unbeaten to take out the final. That's assuming neither Wire or Saints fall of the horse before then, just as they have in previous seasons.

Way too early to go handing out any trophies just yet. Saints and Wire favourites at this early stage of the season for sure but there's two thirds of the season to go. Injuries and form at the back end of the year will, as ever, play a greater part in deciding who will be champions than a few games at the start of the season.

Corrected for you

I know you're a troll but even you aren't that naive. If you wish to be pedantic at least put 'stupid enough to make an administive error rather than cheating the cap off the books'.

And maybe that it related to the 2017 season when we were nowhere near winning it.

But why let the facts get in the way of a good ol' troll...

No maybe about it.

Fail

What is it with these message boards?

You get a good old chat going, debating the merits of the whole league, and then there is always some wazzock who turns up for no reason other than to cause trouble, in the process of which he shows his a##e in public because he's got it all totally wrong (again), and though he'll do a runner for that reason, he's still caused a pointless distraction and you just know that he'll be back in a later thread to demonstrate the same colossal idiocy all over again.

You lose the will to live sometimes.

yeah whereas obviously there was no troublemaking involved in tagging Saints 2014 win as ‘aided by red card in 1st minute’ ( while of course failing to add that said incident left Saints without a single half back ). Amusing that the bitterness still lingers after so long though

Says a Saints fan, who, though is team are storming to victory week after week, is still hanging around a Wigan message board.

He's got nobody else to play with on here, The saints forum is emptier than Castlefords trophy cabinet

Still hurting from last night eh ?

We had the 2012 semi won until Brett Finch went for a miracle play in the last minute as opposed to drilling the ball as far into touch as he could.

2015, we finally learned to go for 2 points and did it at the wrong time. Leeds were out on their feet and had we gone 2 scores up it was all over with.

This season's far from done as a two horse race.
All teams (even Leeds) still have an opportunity of making the final five, it just needs a run of three or four consecutive wins to get back in the hunt. Saints and Wire may look like taking up two of the five spots, but the play offs and sudden death rugby are no respecter of league position. Still very much all to play for.

Or wise enough to know that Wigan got a suspension on the cheat throughout 2017 and 2018 as to allow them to cheat a win in 2018 and got it suspended in 2019 to help save them from pending relegation.

Don't get bitter! Think of the good times ahead. Put your faith in all those Wigan lads.