Re: Is the Challenge Cup important anymore : Mon Aug 23, 2010 8:41 am  

Omar Little wrote:

In order of importance it's clearly:

Grand Final
Challenge Cup
...
...
...
(Big Gap)
...
...
Championship Grand Final
Northern Rail Trophy
SL Hub Cap (Token gesture unless you win the follow on competition)
Championship Hub cap (as above)

Where do you rate the WCC?

Re: Is the Challenge Cup important anymore : Mon Aug 23, 2010 8:47 am  

When we had this debate at the beginning of the season I said I would rather win the cup this year just because it has been so long and I think this group of players deserve it.

But that is just this year and whilst I think it's a long way from any "mickey mouse cup" I do think the GF is more prestigious now days.

Re: Is the Challenge Cup important anymore : Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:04 am  

gulfcoast_highwayman wrote:

Where do you rate the WCC?

How did I miss that one!

The problem with the WCC is that it's not a true competition in that it's a closed shop and to participate you already have to have won the greatest prize of all.

It's a nice to be able to participate in and great to win but to be brutally honest I'd be hard pressed to put it higher than...erm...well...dead last!!

If the Aussies would consistently take it seriously and also host it now and again I'd move it up the list (even as a Leeds fan with a soft spot for the Broncos, I though it was awesome when Wigan won it in Brisbane) .

Re: Is the Challenge Cup important anymore : Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:20 am  

Tony Soprano wrote:

When we had this debate at the beginning of the season I said I would rather win the cup this year just because it has been so long and I think this group of players deserve it.

At the start of the season if I had a choice I'd have taken another GF win simply because the history of winning 4 in a row would be quite a legacy.

That's not to say I don't want us to win the CC, I do, and, being greedy, doing both would be nice.

Just if I had to make the hypothetical choice of which I would prefer.

Re: Is the Challenge Cup important anymore : Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:26 am  

G1 wrote:

At the start of the season if I had a choice I'd have taken another GF win simply because the history of winning 4 in a row would be quite a legacy.

That's not to say I don't want us to win the CC, I do, and, being greedy, doing both would be nice.

Just if I had to make the hypothetical choice of which I would prefer.

I'm easily pleased and would be happy with anything.

Just getting all misty eyed again, isn't it great that we can even consider winning the big trophy's, what would southstander.com be like if the interweb was alive in the 80s and early 90s.

Re: Is the Challenge Cup important anymore : Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:42 am  

Tony Soprano wrote:

Just getting all misty eyed again, isn't it great that we can even consider winning the big trophy's, what would southstander.com be like if the interweb was alive in the 80s and early 90s.

It most certainly is. This is a very special time to be a Leeds fan and a very special group of players..............and Ian Kirke.

Re: Is the Challenge Cup important anymore : Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:35 am  

SaintsFan wrote:

I don't know whether you've been to the new Wembley before but if you haven't you will find the atmosphere outside the stadium to be a a crushing disappointment.

last year it was buzzing outside wembley. think it might just been when you went there but it was a great experience going down there outside the stadium and init. hopefully the better team wins on saturday and it's one of thebest finals ever.

Re: Is the Challenge Cup important anymore : Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:35 pm  

BaldRick wrote:

In order of importance (my opinion)
League leaders . Finish top over 27 rounds and you are the champions of SL

No you're not and for the very simple reason that the rules before a ball is kicked at the start of the season says so.

Change those rules and we'd have a different emphasis on league games and potentially a different outcome come the end of the 27 rounds.

Re: Is the Challenge Cup important anymore : Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:44 pm  

tvoc wrote:

No you're not and for the very simple reason that the rules before a ball is kicked at the start of the season says so.

Change those rules and we'd have a different emphasis on league games and potentially a different outcome come the end of the 27 rounds.

Completely agree mate the path to be Champions is very clear and the best way to go about it imo whilst the fixtures remain unbalanced and the play-off system remains in place.

Re: Is the Challenge Cup important anymore : Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:14 pm  

I posted the following on the VT which sums up how I feel about the CC compared to the GF.

El Pac Carnegie wrote:

I've been to both finals and I find the GF to be the one that really gets the juices flowing. The CC is a nice day out but defeat in it, while painful, is nothing on losing a GF. With the CC there's always the thought that there's the GF to come for redemption. The GF is do or die and decides the champion team of the year. As has been said earlier I'd rather see us lose Saturday and win the GF than the other way round.

Exactly... 2005 for example.

I left the Cup Final feeling slightly disappointed at our last minute loss to Hull but soon got over it on the way home. Contrast this to my feeling of total devastation at the final hooter in Old Trafford against the Bulls. I felt that the Bulls had been nowhere near us all year only to snatch it off us when it really counted. I have never been as gutted after losing a game as I was that night.

Also I was at the cup final in '99 that we won and as good as the day was and as nice as it was to win ATEOTD it was just the cup to me. Again contrast this to 2004 when McGuire went over to seal the title with a few minutes left and its the only time I have ever cried at a rugby league game.

For me its the SL Title every time.