It does because if we put our best 80 minutes together we win, doesn't matter how you play

....and if we put our best 80 mins together, we win, doesn't matter how you play

And if we put 80mins together?? If we both play for 80minutes??

We win, I've already said. Only 1 trophy been won this season so far and we won it beating you, leeds and wigan on the way. I'm not confident we'll win on Friday because we've been awful in the league for most of the season but if we click we win. My opinion and I'm sure you'll disagree but we're too big and strong for you and have the beating of you if we play well and have a fair share of possession. Your attacking threats have been kept well in check when we've played previously this year.

You're a good side but we're better

You beat us in the cup but we didn't put in an 80minute performance like you previously stated. Not sure how you can state you are the better team because you won the CC. If you were the better team you wouldn't be 1 game away from possibly missing out on the top 4.

I think there's little doubt Cas have been miles ahead of the rest in the regular season. The competition winner however is determined by whoever is good enough to get in the 4 and see out sudden death games. My expectation is that we will just miss out on the back of losses to Catalans and Leigh, which is disappointing given we'd potentially have been a threat. Personally I'd like Saints to go on and win it if we don't make it, but understandably you will be deserved favourites.

I think this game is too close to call, even after all the analysis there's just nothing in it for me. So l'll just be there hoping but more than anything, praying, that our team on the day is better than theirs.
Respect this Cas team massively, however I definitely don't fear them. We do know we can beat them and that's in our favour.

Because we're infuriatingly inconsistent. Cas definitely been consistently the best side in SL and if we don't win the comp I hope (and expect) you will. I still stick to my belief that if we're both on our game we will win. Our pack are better than yours, the halfs are pretty well matched and I think our outside backs are better. What you have is much better organisation and really well executed set plays where everyone knows exactly what they're supposed to be doing.

I don't expect any cas fan to agree as you've all got a bit giddy this season but I firmly believe we have the beating of you if we play to our potential no matter how well you play

Well saying we have got a bit giddy this year is condescending isn't it? I think being 12 points clear at the top and claiming our first ever league leaders shield (something Hull have never done) gives us every right to be enjoying it.

But your argument is pointless as any team very rarely put in an 80 minute performance. We haven't played for a full 80 in any game this year, Leeds at home early season, we played for 60 - 65 minutes and thats the closest we have got, and even that win for me wasnt our best this year.

I will also say that whenever we have played Hull this year, we haven't played well at all. This could be down to Hulls pressure but i am still firmly of the belief that if we play to our potential, nobody in the league beats us.

Maybe Cas don't play well when they play Hull because we nullify your attacking threat through strong defence and winning the collision. This doesn't mean that you didn't play well, but you were not actually allowed to play with the fluency that you have against other sides

We can pay on the gate on Friday can't we?

FWIW I think Hull will just have a bit too much for Cas on Friday.
Hopefully we can then make it a Cas - Hull final.
Both teams at full strength, for me, is too close to call.
Hull have the power game, Cas have the organisation and finesse.

Would, IMO, be a top class final regardless of who won.

Brian Clough used to say the table told no lies
after a long season
30 games plus CC is very long
Cas are the best team over 30 games - no doubt
However it's played over 32 and any side can
get over the line - take Saints as a contender who may sneak it from nowhere
Will Hull be good enough ??
Well we can win a 4 round knockout Comp for sure !
But 32 games long ? That's something we haven't managed in about 26 years
Hopefully we can get to the Final at least

So to make the playoffs we need at the very least a draw against Cas on Friday - is that correct?

Any reason you prefer saints over cas to win the SL trophy.
Saints have won it before, Cas have never won it or come close to winning it.
Cas have played far better rugby league than any other team. Also won't it be nice to see a new name on the trophy, isn't that what we'd all like to see,instead of the same old same getting to the final.

It would be refreshing to see either cas hull or Wakefield at old Trafford on the 7th.

Yep.

If we win or draw this weekend then we're guaranteed 3rd and will go to Headingley in the playoffs.

If we lose and one of Saints or Wigan win, and the other one drops points, we're 4th on points difference and go back to Cas in the playoffs.

If we lose and both Saints & Wigan win, we're 5th on points difference.

Saints & Wigan both lose, whatever our result we're 3rd and Wakey will sneak 4th.

cheers DGM

It's squeaky bum time then. We need to get stuck into them from the off, and can't afford to start playing in the second half like we did against Wakefield, although credit to them for preventing us from getting going

I don't pal, Yorkshire all the way (apart from Leeds)

Would love to see a new team win it for a change

It isn't really a 32 game season though in its current format. You need to win 17 or there abouts games out of 30, and then two more at the end and you're champions. Consistency is fairly irrelevant. The club have all season said they just wanted to make sure they were at there best when it mattered. For the most part we have paced the season well. It's much harder when you have a cup run without playing any lesser teams that you can rest players against. I think the reason Radford was so frustrated after the Huddersfield game is that it was a game we had targeted to win, and the players attitude wasn't good enough. Perhaps the only time this season that has happened where we identified a game as really important but didn't perform.

I wouldn't swap Castleford's season for ours at this stage, at least not in terms of results. We have a nice shiny trophy. They have a dinner plate. We are three wins away from being champions, they are two. If Saints win the only thing that separates us is that they will have home advantage. People can call Castleford the real champions all you like, but that isn't the format. If this was F1, all they have done is qualify on pole. The race starts now.

Cas resting plenty it would seem.

Cas leave out Hardaker, Holmes, Massey, Millington, Milner + Shenton for Hull FC, Hitchcox, Egodo, Lynch, Roberts, Maher + Fitzsimmons in.

Dave craven on twitter.

Hull 19 man squad for Friday, Green could return.

1. Jamie Shaul 2. Mahe Fonua 3. Carlos Tuimavave 4. Josh Griffin 5. Fetuli Talanoa 6. Albert Kelly 7. Marc Sneyd
8. Scott Taylor 9. Danny Houghton 10. Liam Watts 12. Mark Minichiello 13. Gareth Ellis 14. Jake Connor 15. Chris Green 17. Danny Washbrook 19. Steve Michaels 21. Sika Manu 22. Josh Bowden 28. Brad Fash

Cas .
Matt Cook, Greg Eden, Tuoyo Edogo, Conor Fitzsimmon, Alex Foster, Jy Hitchcox, Tom Holmes
Kevin Larroyer, Andy Lynch, Will Maher, Mike McMeeken, Paul McShane, Greg Minikin,
Joel Monaghan, Ben Roberts, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Gadwin Springer, Jake Trueman, Jake Webster.

Cas Squad

18. Matt Cook
5. Greg Eden
27. Tuoyo Edogo
28. Conor Fitzsimmons
34. Alex Foster
25. Jy Hitchcox
23. Tom Holmes
33. Kevin Larroyer
8. Andy Lynch
22. Will Maher
12. Mike McMeeken
9. Paul McShane
2. Greg Minikin
21. Joel Monaghan
16. Ben Roberts
15. Jesse Sene-Lefao
19. Gadwin Springer
35. Jake Trueman
3. Jake Webster

So there is no Gale, Moors, Hardaker, Millington, Massey, Holmes, Milner or Shenton.

Would be hugely disappointed not to win now.

Junior Moors also looks to have not been named in the 19 for Cas.

Big opportunity for Hull to do the business on Friday to claim 3rd place, be more than a little disappointed if we don't now with Cas resting so many. Millington, Moors, Massey & Milner missing means we should really be able to get on top in the forward battle.