XIII Oceans

Hull (12th) v Harlequins RL (9th)
Harlequins RL need a win desperately.  From looking like certs for the play-offs they now loom dangerously close to missing out.  Fortunately for Harlequins RL Catalans and Castleford face difficult games so I can see any two point cushion remaining by the end of the weekend.  A four point deficit might be too much to overcome which is partly why I’m hoping for an away win.  To do that I know I have to back against Harlequins RL so they can fulfil their destiny.  Sadly I can’t write positively about Hull.  Good recruiting next for year should have Hull mentioned more often in Super League XV.  Inevitably I’ll be writing about Richard Agar and failing to live up to expectations.  A bit like Matt King being coached by Paul Cullen or James Lowes.  Hull by 2.

Salford (13th) v Hull KR (4th)
Test of Rovers mettle here.  It’s not good jerking off the big boys if you get strap-on-ed by a crack whore.  That’s no good for anybody, except maybe Lolly Badcock.  Huddersfield have the easier final two games but they’ll need three to be sure of third.  Justinho still believes his team can become champions and you know what?  I’m inclined to agree.  The biggest block in the way of that is Leeds’ improving form.  A red hot Leeds team stands to be too hard for any of the contenders.  Great review I know.  Hull KR by 8.

St Helens (1st) v Huddersfield (3rd)
Typical isn’t it?  We get a match up like this on Friday night football and it ends up being a week before a Saintsless Challenge Cup Final.  Nathan Brown, quite rightly, looks to be giving some much needed recovery time for some of his players.  Likely that such a decision will present Saints with a chance of both revenge and confidence building.  I can’t see it being so easy though.  A nervy home outing can give the Giants reason to concentrate on their game, however if they repeat the same amount of handling errors as they did in the semi-final Saints can’t be as merciful.  There’s no use in complaining about the cup final robbing us of one of the year’s prime time collisions because the probabilities  are that these things happen.  Even now though that Huddersfield defence lurks in the back of my mind and any defence like that can keep you in a Super League game.  I hope the Giants dip last week doesn’t get too comfortable though.  Saints by 6.

Warrington (10th) v Wakefield (6th)
Here’s an intriguing one.  Tony Smith knows his team are drifting in the league and defeat here will surely leave them with too much to do.  Last week was pathetic and you cannot just turn on the form tap when you want to.  It is worrying me for next week’s final.  I want both teams to be thrashing the life out of the other which means we need more than some effort here.  Coming into the semi-final Warrington managed to avoid stumbling into the game.  Their line-up for this one indicates Smith is going for this one.  Playing Celtic is like having a week off for some teams and has probably come at the right time for Kear’s men.  I fancy them to be flying around the pitch determined to win and when Wakefield hit their best form they are one of the most entertaining teams in the league to watch.  You may not think this is that interesting.  It is.  Warrington by 2.

Celtic Crusaders (14th) v Leeds (2nd)
Leeds quest for the top continues in South Wales as they embarrass the home side by sticking at least fifty on them.  Leeds by 54.

Bradford (11th) v Catalans Dragons (7th)
The French are fighting, refusing to bow out of the play-off hunt and as mentioned last week they need to take one of the next two games to make it.  It’s not guaranteed in the same way that victory in Bradford isn’t.  The carefree Bulls are spoiling everyone else’s party although even three miracle wins is unlikely to see them in the postseason action.  You all believe that the spoiling will carry on forcing the Dragons into what should be a belter next round at home to Wakefield.  Warrington’s Wembleyitis might just see them fall out of the play-off picture which should also mean one of Catalans or Harlequins RL will do battle beyond the regular season.  Fair play to the Bulls.  They’ve been crap for most of the year and still manage to generate more than two lines of writing.  Perhaps they deserve it.  Perhaps I should write about how terrible a season it has been for them.  My Name Is Earl.  Bradford by 6.

******GAME OF THE ROUND******

Castleford (8th) v Wigan (5th)
Wigan have made it.  A lollercoaster of a season looks set to end with a Brian Noble inspired surge to Grand Final defeat.  When you consider some of the histrionics rampaging across their forum earlier on in the season Noble must have proved some doubters wrong.  Darren Lockyer Jnr’s flashes of quality have given our former glamour boys hope for the next few years.  Similar can be said for Castleford who should be interesting next year when their good youngsters are a year older and a year closer to turning into game winning players.  At the moment Matterson can’t rely on such individual magic which is what makes this one of those great contrasts.  Over the years it was rare that Wigan would find it tough against a well-drilled side usually because of the dearth of them.  We are still some way from every side being able to at least defend each match.  We are not some way from Wigan finding it tough.  Improvements in the consistency of the less talked about clubs have brought us a competition where no brand is too big to be beaten.  Edge of our seat stuff.  Wigan by 1.

Leeds by 8 (won by 64)
Wigan by 6 (won by 20)
Catalans by 6 (won by 12)
Harlequins RL by 8  (lost by 4)
Huddersfield by 2 (lost by 10)
Wakefield by 18 (won by 34)
Rovers by 4 (won by 16)
Reasonable week last time out with 5-2 when I should have backed the Bulls like I almost talked myself into doing.  90-67 (57% which is quite a bit down from last year’s efforts).