Chris22

Catalans away in a play off semi final is as tough as it gets. They've been brilliant all year and it's tough to back against them. But we've won something like 15 of the last 17 league matches, which is incredible form. We have rarely been convincing but are very hard to beat. I think we might struggle to break down Catalans organised defence, so will tip Catalans by 4.

I've never been to a club final when my team hasn't been involved. I think I'll make an exception this year and if Saints don't get there, I'll sit in the Catalans end!

I like that our current system avoids repeated matches and is quite straightforward to understand. What I don't like is that the side finishing 6th finds itself in the exact same position as the side finishing 1st, by winning one match in the first week of the play offs.

Our last two matches against Warrington have been very close and I can't see this being any different. Neither result would be a great shock but we are in good form so I think we'll edge a tight game.

I think they probably did, once upon a time. I can think of a couple of examples of player's relatives posting on Saints' fans forum (Redvee) over the years. Now, with Twitter being more prominent, I imagine players, coaches etc. stick on there!

I think what also needs to be made clear is that Wigan have not actively done anything. Let alone anything wrong. Their players have been suspended and have been told by the RFL which game that suspension applies to. They have not in any way bent the rules, acted against the spirit of the rule or exploited anything.

Castleford benefited from it earlier this season, three players in one weekend! (link) Josh Griffin served one match of his seven in a reserve match, earlier this year (link) And John Bateman was named in the England Knights squad to ensure he returned earlier for the England senior team in last year's World Cup (link)

Sorry, that is obvious yes! I was talking about the disciplinary process more widely.

It's evidently not some 'big club' conspiracy. Several teams have benefitted this loophole this season. It doesn't pass the sniff test though and the loophole will probably be closed next year. The weekly circus we have surrounding the disciplinary, speaking more generally, doesn't help the sport.

The only recent reference I have seen to this is from Mick Gledhill, followed by a swift denial from the club.

The latter wasn't a mistake in my view. The home ends were far more full than for an average game. I'd say 14,000 was about correct from a visual perspective. I'm not sure why it was so much higher. Maybe LMS and Roby's last league match at home? Or a chance, no matter how remote, of a trophy?

Looks like we're on for some good crowds this weekend. Sell outs at Leigh and Wakefield, Saints are on for 13,000+.

Whichever side gets promoted could do far worse that offering McGillvary a 12 month deal.

I have a degree of sympathy for Vaughan. In the moment, I doubt he would think of similar incidents that were banned in the past. I don't think it was a malicious act at all. You can argue whether it is right or wrong to ban these offences, but the RFL have done this for several years now. To that end, players should know the consequence of these actions. I do also get it from the RFL's perspective. Mose Masoe suffered his life-changing injury in a very innocuous challenge where many may have initially thought he was staying down to slow down an attach. If a Wakefield player had decided to move Masoe, then the consequences could have been even worse. A common argument is that the RFL should apply common sense. But if you do that, expect further inconsistency.

I'd expect the top 3 to remain in the same order, Hull KR to overtake Leigh and Warrington to claim the final play off spot.

Expectations are artificially high at Leeds due to last year, in my view. Leeds are going to finish 8th this year. Looking at the quality of their squad, I'd say it's between the 6th and 8th best in Super League. They made the Grand Final last year but let's not forget, had Greg Eden not sliced a 78th minute drop goal attempt, they wouldn't have even made the play offs. They also won in the last minute against Huddersfield and pulled off a once in a generation level comeback at Catalans. Any of those three events do not happen and Leeds don't make the play offs let alone a Grand Final. I'm not suggesting it was a fluke, Leeds did well towards the end of last season. But you can't rely on a late season surge every year. The truth is the Leeds squad is of mid table ability at best and they are performing accordingly.

What was more nerve wracking, walking out at a Grand Final or being a television pundit?

If it was under the posts, I wonder if a referee would give a penalty and disallow the drop goal, as the greater advantage may be an opportunity at two points, rather than one? Or maybe even give the attacking team a choice?

You've almost described the Jack Welsby winning try at the 2020 Grand Final! Only difference is the ball bounced out and back over the crossbar!

Defensively, we are an incredible side. Our scramble is outstanding when it needs to be and we are very difficult to score again. Come the play offs, that's going to give us a chance against the better sides in the competition. Where we don't quite look as good as Wigan right now is in attack. I suspect that if Wigan had faced that Warrington side, who started terribly, the game would have been over as a contest by half time. Instead, our ultra-conservative approach and lack of cutting edge means that we left an opening for Warrington to make the game a contest, which could have gone either way even going into the final few minutes. That's 14 wins from our last 16 Super League matches and the kind of form you want to be taking into the play offs. Still suspect we may need a bit of improvement if we are to go all the way though, especially when we meet a very strong defensive unit.

Usually, I think avoiding clashes is good. But this is the exception. If kick offs were staggered next week, it means more matches become dead rubbers. If Wigan beat Leigh on Thursday for example, the Catalans and Saints matches if they were on Friday would have less significance attached. Same if, hypothetically, Warrington played Huddersfield on Friday and won, securing the last play off spot. If Salford played on Sunday, their game would be a dead rubber when it needn't be. Kicking off simultaneously means more excitement and probably higher crowds.

Hard to pick a team not knowing which NRL players will be available. I did try and pick a team but struggled! We've got a good amount of depth at centre and wing and some quality players will be missing out. But we are struggling quite badly at prop and hooker!

Wigan have made some very good recruitment and retention calls. I've felt recently they weren't ruthless enough, such as persisting with Sam Powell. Now, Peet has signed a superior player in Kruise Leeming and had the courage of his convictions to promote Brad O' Neill to a more prominent role. I've been impressed with Peet since he came in. He conducts himself magnificently and backed that up with a trophy last year and probably another on its way before too long. I felt that players like Byrne and Smithies were treading water for a while after promising starts to their careers but noticed of late that they are getting better and better, and I don't think that's unrelated to Peet's increasing influence.

I've never particularly rated Harry Smith, that is until this year where he has taken a big step up. Again, perhaps that comes from some impatience and expecting too much too soon. Once Lomax retires, I expect Welsby will move to the half backs on a more permanent basis. Along with Williams, these will probably be the contenders for the next World Cup. I'm not as excited about Pryce as others are but, like with Smith, maybe he'll kick on too because he has potential. It remains to be seen where he will end up.

Dagger is confirmed as missing for a week, not the season. I haven't counted the injuries "caused" by each team, aside from I know that two of our players suffered season ending injuries in tackles by John Asiata of Leigh. Wright is quite a stretch given that it came from an awkward fall. Whilst the tackle was high, it defeats biology that a head high contact can cause a broken ankle. It's a bit of a flawed question in any event. If a player suffers a 2 week injury now, they meet the criteria of being out for the season, in a way that the same or even a more serious foul could not have in March. That's not to take away from the general point that our discipline has been poor all season and, whilst getting better, needs work.