Leeds V St. Helens. Fri 4th. 20:00. Headingley.

toomevara

The game of the SL season thus far, and surely the clash that will decide the destination of the minor premiership? Can Leeds end Saints recent stranglehold on the title or will Saints come to Headingley and show the Loiners what's what? Cannot wait for this clash, going to be a massive game....teams to follow...any predictions?

toomevara

Leeds

19 Man Squad; (Kirke and Ablett back)

1.Brent Webb 2.Scott Donald 3.Lee Smith 4.Keith Senior 5.Ryan Hall 6.Danny McGuire 7.Rob Burrow 8.Kylie Leuluai 10.Jamie Peacock 11.Jamie Jones Buchanan 12. Ali Lauitiiti 13. Kevin Sinfield 14. Matt Diskin 16.Ryan Bailey 17. Ian Kirke 18. Carl Ablett 19. Luke Burgess 21. Simon Worrall 29. Michael Ratu


St. Helens

19 Man Squad; (Wilkin out)

1.Paul Wellens, 2. Paul WellenAde Gardner, 3. Matt Gidley, 5. Francis Meli, 6. Leon Pryce, 7. Sean Long, 9. Keiron Cunningham, 10. James Graham, 11. Lee Gilmour, 12. Jon Wilkin, 13. Chris Flannery, 14. James Roby, 15. Bryn Hargreaves, 16. Tony Puletua, 17. Paul Clough, 18. Kyle Eastmond, 23. Maurie Fa’asavalu, 24. Andrew Dixon, 31. Jake Emmitt.

amacachi

I'll make up my mind just before the match tomorrow.

Good to have you back btw. :P

Dozen Wicked Words

St Helens by 6, least that's what I am going to put a tenner on.

Quins v Tigers means a lot more by the way, a win might just scrape us back into the play-offs again (at least for a week). Then the Wolves game the following week will be an absolute hum dinger.

toomevara

dooferoaks wrote: »

Quins v Tigers means a lot more by the way, a win might just scrape us back into the play-offs again (at least for a week). Then the Wolves game the following week will be an absolute hum dinger.

Absolutely (if you ain't a Leeds/Saints fan!), thats where the money games are happening...

Dozen Wicked Words

This is a bit off topic, but is the rivalry more fierce with Leeds/St Helens now than Leeds/Bradford or Wigan/St Helens?

Since they rose to the top the Rhinos and Saints meet each other more often in much more meaningful games than those against mid/lower table Bulls and Warriors.

toomevara

dooferoaks wrote: »

This is a bit off topic, but is the rivalry more fierce with Leeds/St Helens now than Leeds/Bradford or Wigan/St Helens?

I would say it is, although a Leeds/Bradford derby still has its fair share of passion! For the last couple of years Saints have been the team to beat and I've been lucky enough to be in headingley when we managed it and the place went tonto. Funnily enough there's massive rivalry between Leeds and Wigan too. I absolutely love beating them.

eskanw

Don't think there is any rivalry bigger than Saint & Wigan in rugby.

I was born in St Helens & moved to Wigan when I was 18 my boyfriend at the time wouldn't even come to my new house!!

Come on SAINTS!!!!!

toomevara

eskanw wrote: »

I was born in St Helens & moved to Wigan when I was 18 my boyfriend at the time wouldn't even come to my new house!!

Sensible man....:D

amacachi

Not a great match, and I thought there was some unnecessary pettyiness and nastiness from Leeds in the second half in particular. Senior was lucky to only get a yellow card, a high tackle followed by a blatant swinging arm to the face was just a penalty, and tbh a disgusting tackle from, I think, Leuluai on Graham with 90 seconds to go.
Saints were no angels and I suppose it's a handy argument to say that it's the niggly tackles that give them the edge over Saints.

WakeyTyke

Thought it was a full-bloodied, passionate, no-quarter given match that is to be expected between these two top teams.

At times players on both sides walked a very fine line between exceptable aggression and foul play.

Certainly makes for a very tasty encounter in prospect in the play-offs.

Both teams though made enough errors to show that they are certainly not invincible and there may yet be a surprise in who reaches the Grand Final.

amacachi

I can full understand players going a little overboard at times, though with 90 seconds to go and the match won there's no justification for launching at someone's head with your shoulder.

toomevara

Now that was a game of rugby! Full credit to both teams for a massively, ahem, full-blooded, encounter. The forward battle alone was worth the price of admission with Jones-Buchanan,Lauititi, Graham going at it like no tomorrow. Thought Long's kicking game wasn't fully there, unlike the last time Saints game to Headingley, when he tortured us all evening...Kind of game that doesn't really deserve a winner, and to be honest you'd be hard put to see a better 80 minutes of rugby in either code this year.

Great stuff, a credit to the comp and both teams...Bit of argy-bargy only to be expected and really it was six of one and half dozen of the other. To be honest I'm amazed they kept a lid on it for as long as they did....God help us when they meet in the play-offs. also superb performance from the ref....and it looks like Sinfield played for an hour with a fractured cheek-bone..wouldnt happen in any other modern professional sport...

Sure hope Wilkin and Senior can kiss and make up in time for the 4 nations....

Dozen Wicked Words

Thoroughly enjoyed the game, the highlight of an otherwise miserable SL weekend. Getting shut out by Tigers and hammered to boot at home means my SL season is finishing with a humongous whimper. Be glad to finish the season and start again next year. The playoffs should be fun though, ABW anyone but Wigan for me.

WakeyTyke

dooferoaks wrote: »

Thoroughly enjoyed the game, the highlight of an otherwise miserable SL weekend. Getting shut out by Tigers and hammered to boot at home means my SL season is finishing with a humongous whimper. Be glad to finish the season and start again next year. The playoffs should be fun though, ABW anyone but Wigan for me.

Can empathise with you, last season Wakey just imploded at the end of last season, just as Quins have done, but lessons were learned and look at us this season - everyone predicted we would be scrapping it out for the wooden spoon with Salford and Celtic but we could finish as high as 5th:D

toomevara

just cannot understand Quins implosion.What the hell is going on at The Stoop? Looked really good during the first half of the season.A really solid, technically capable, well drilled side with a difficult-to-beat defence...particularly when you came and did a bloody on on us at Headingley...just Bizarre.

Dozen Wicked Words

Its disappointing, injuries didn't do us any favours but to see the wheels come off as badly as they have is a strange one.
I suppose looking at it positively, the reason the collapse has been so obvious is that we were so good in the first part of the season and so terrible in the second.

WakeyTyke

Hull are another prime example of a team's form disintegrating as the season develops.

It's hard to put a finger on what exactly goes wrong but it appears to be a combination of losing key player's, a dip in form resulting in a loss of confidence. The team loses it's momentum and so begin's a downward spiral that is irreversible and everyone is just looking for the season to end as quickly as possible.

Often when the pressure is off at the end of the season the team can come up with a surprisingly good performance so don't be surprised if Hull beat Bradford (though I can't see Quins beating Wires).

Dozen Wicked Words

I cant see us winning a game of tiddly winks! Next season watch us go! I still think we have a good coach and some good players. Would be nice to see them on Sky a bit more next year (and not just against Catalan), but I don't think they really have much appeal for the viewing public!:o