: Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:40 pm
welovebluey wrote:
Isn't that the problem? To me it seems that the coach and team seem to think that, despite this slump, they will automatically be ready for and will win the GF, so why bother. Arrogance? Complacency? You can't turn form on and off when it suits. You have to work your way out of a slump in form and the present set of players (JP apart) don't seem to want to do that. No problem for them as there is virtually no competition for places.
The fact is that Super League is now so competitive (Outside the top 2) that the team finishing third will probably lose 10 league games this season. If losing to Salford in April means you are in second and as fresh as a daisy as opposed to top and held together with spit and masking tape, surely it's worth doing?
Leeds and Saints both know already that the play offs are a guaranteed outcome. The step up in intensity doesn't need to happen until September, it's the main problem of the grand final system and why increasing the playoffs to 8 teams is stupid, it just rewards poor performances.