Yeah, I understand why they've done it (and others have done it before or after the CC final), but that is taking it to an extreme. If they'd just kept Smith [ior[/i Green and Farrell [ior[/i Hansen, it'd have been some sort of fig leaf.

I'm going to the Rovers-London game and I'm a bit worried that it might suit us to play our kids. I'd make the best of it, next generation and that, but it'll drain the occasion of any intensity.

That Wigan U-19's squad has effectively taken away any chance of 5th now. Wane really doesn't know how to respect the competition does he?

It might have made it harder! All the 1st team were still nursing hangovers yesterday so i would have preferred to have played them!!

Only because this squad was planned well in advance. I doubt they would have partied quite so long if they were all due to play on Friday.

This is the most shocking proclamation of the season.



My view on The Pie's squad is that they've got themselves into a position where they can afford to rest players which is down to their own hard work throughout the preceding twenty five rounds.



If we hadn't capitulated at Salford and respected possesion in numerous other games this season we wouldn't have needed to look to Wigan for a favour.



It's a squad game, Wane can select who he likes from that squad, I'd do exactly the same.

Good point Stan. To me this just demonstrates the lack of intensity at the back end of the regular season. Obviously we're grateful if they put out a weaker team but it does reflect badly on the competition.

It will reflect badly if we lose!!

TBH that Wigan side is that poor with players clearly just been rested instead of injured that it is borderline bringing the game into disrespute.



Before anyone says it I know we pulled a similar trick at CP but let us be honest this is on a totally different level.

MMmm its a hard one to call, i can see what wigan er doing, they are going for the 1v4 game rather than the 2v3... It`s because of stunts like this that they should change the format of the play-offs.. instead of a position based draw perhaps a actual 8 ball draw to determine who plays who in the first set of fixtures would be better suited.





..

hard to actually choose who i`d rather play tbh ...ST`s,Catalan or FC...



Do we want another derby in the play offs ? if not i`d throw at least one game so as to assure 8th and get out of the potential derby..



hard to call tbh...so lets just see what happens this round and then we`ll have a better picture.

We now know for certain that Wigan are not fussed where in the top 4 they finish and I have to ask why would Warrington & Leeds feel any differently?



In fact there seems to be a feeling rightly or wrongly that the best position for those clubs to finish is 4th in order to play Huddersfield in the first week of the play offs rather than each other. Whatever, they know that they can't get knocked out in week 1 of the play offs anyway and the worst that can happen is having a home game the week after against a lower placed team. Making the remainder of the regular season just a bit of a nuisance for them, something to get out of the way.



This doesn't bode well for us and more than ever it looks like 8th place and Catalans away for Rovers in the play offs and it's totally out of our own hands. Talk of manipulating our own results to get the play off game we want is probably irrelevant because we are totally at the mercy of other results.



For Rounds 26 & 27 assuming the teams that really need to win do so at the expense of weakened opponents who aren't much bothered then Saints, Catalans and Hull win on Friday.



That would there & then end our hopes of a home play off game but there's worse...........



Those results would guarantee a home play off game for Saints.......... so they in turn are then not fussed in round 27 against Hull and with only a week to the play offs almost certainly follow Wigan's example and pick a mainly reserve team. Catalans though still need to get something from the final game (because they have inferior points difference to Hull) and since they are at home against nothing to play for Warrington they will probably do so.



Leaving a final table of;



5th Catalans............32 points

6th St Helens...........31 points

7th Hull FC...............30 points (walkovers against reserve teams in last 2 fixtures)

8th Rovers...............26 or 28 or 30 points (makes no difference).



To top it off no doubt we'll get a short turnaround and 2 days travel to Perpignan (no direct flights in midweek at short notice) giving us an almost impossible task. We'll have about 10 fans there tops who somehow have the time, money and ingenuity to somehow get over there in time whereas away to anyone else it'd be 3,000 plus.



Hopefully, Warrington & Leeds will prove me wrong by actually caring about winning their remaining fixtures but the decision by a major rival to virtually throw their game against Hull doesn't fill me with confidence. More than ever they won't want to risk injury & suspension to important players in (for them) unimportant games not now that Wigan have acted to avoid that risk themselves.

Imagine the story if we miss out on a home game due to Ganson-gate?

Ha ha loving the pic he defo won't come back on here now

so you are assuming that catalan will win both their last two games against leeds and wire.. a tough ask



you then are assuming that fc will win both last two games wigan and st`s,

which means you have St`s as beating wire this friday...





personally i can`t see catalan getting another point this year... leaving them on 28pts

so my table would be

sts 31pts with a loss to wire and win at fc

fc 28pts wigan win and sts loss

cats losses at leeds and wire

kr 28pts win at london but loss at widness (bad points diff)



only other real poss i see is

sts 31 as above

kr 30pts wins at both widnes and london

fc 28pts wigan win and sts loss

cat 28pts losses



that would be my poss table finishes

looking at the time and date of play off round 1 then I would assume 5 - 8 games will all play on the Saturday so the 2 day turn around will not happen

Was looking good for us 10 mins ago, it's all going a bit Pete Tong now!

Ya jinxing get stan

I think tonights results point towards 7th & a trip to France

6th

That's not in our hands now. 5th has gone and 6th only possible with 2 wins for us and Catalans losing at home next week. Its likely they will be facing an under strength Wire side who literally will have nothing to play for (will be guaranteed 2nd should Hudds win on Sunday).

2 out of 3 went our way, so can't grumble too much. If we don't beat Widnes, I think that means 8th now.

If we do beat them, then to have a shot at a home tie, we'd need Wire to beat Catalans in Perpignan. And as they're now safe in 2nd with only the faintest hope of first, I can see Smith resting plenty.

1 point down, 5 minutes to and Gentle looks half doomed. 1 point win and now they're a home win away from 5th. Those are some fine margins!

If Huddersfield win on Sunday then Warrington can't finish 3rd or 1st and will rest players for the trip to Catalan leaning to a Catalan Victory and 7th place for us, Thats if we win our last two games of course.



Win our last two games and Cats lose to Warrington and we'll ensure a 6th place finish.

Of course, we play after every other game has finished next weekend. Consider this: beat London and go to France, play the kids, lose and go to Hull? That's some dilema.

So Clubcall may start in Round 27 this year

Got to win on Sunday yet. Lose that a Saints and Hull are playing off for the right to host us next Friday.

Obviously got to win on Sunday, then hope Wakey beat Huddersfield leading Wire with a sniff of the league leaders (do they even want it though

) that's how daft this league is. We have to announce our 19man squad earlier than Saturday, If Huddersfield have secured the league, might as well play some kids against London, let's be honest that should be enough to see them off as it is, i'd be gutted if a major player gets injured going hell for leather against London..but...



Just win the next two Rovers and take on whoever, wherever.



Is there any pre-planned play-off schedules anywhere?