Somehow proved wrong again...
7 Jul 2008 | Alan White
On Friday I claimed the top three Super League places had been consolidated. This may well be the case, but the goings-on within that group and below are very much to be concluded.

It seems now that every week I make an assumption about the league table, and then am proven wrong immediately by the weekend's results. It must be some sort of writer's curse.

I thought Leeds would win at Wigan, Bradford would win at Huddersfield, and Hull KR would beat Castleford. The writer's curse stuck again, as all three sides were turned over in Round 20.

Leeds looked set to turn around a 17-0 half-time deficit at the JJB Stadium on Friday night, and trailed by just a point with 20 seconds to go.

Referee Ashley Klein then awarded the Rhinos a controversial penalty, but after Kevin Sinfield had hobbled off earlier in the second half, Rob Burrow was handed the goal-kicking duties, and his kick fell just short and wide of the posts. So Wigan held on to the narrowest of leads, coming through 23-22 winners in arguably the most electric game of Super League XIII.

Just under 24 hours later, St Helens were extending their league winning run to ten games, with an breathtaking 54-0 victory over Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop.

Their defensive line rarely looked threatened, while some of the attacking play on show was nothing short of extraordinary.

Leeds had the luxury of a ten-point gap a few months back, held a far superior points difference over the trailing pack. They had suffered defeat just twice all season.

That lead was over second-placed St Helens, but having been beaten three times in their last six league fixtures, they now sit behind the Merseysiders, and are just a point Les Catalans in third place. St Helens have even taken on the best points difference in the competition.

How things change. One thing that has remained surprisingly consistent is Les Catalans. Having made it six straight wins with Sunday's 30-18 win at Hull FC, the French side have outstripped the rest of the play-off chasers, and they are deservedly only a few games away from securing at least third place.

Below the top three, Wigan sit pretty in fourth after that win over Leeds, and with a game in hand at home to Huddersfield later this month, look a good bet to have a home tie in the play-offs.

Having enjoyed a good run of form and three straight wins, Wakefield's play-off bid has weakened over the last fortnight, with the 60-24 at Warrington their second on the trot.

John Kear's side stay in seventh place, only by virtue of a poorer points difference than sixth-placed Bradford, but sneaking into sixth spot at the end of the regular season looks like the only realistic option for Wakefield now.

On the other hand, Warrington, look to have put their mid-season woes, brought on by the shock departure of Paul Cullen, behind them, and have won four from five under new head coach James Lowes.

Lowes is a good bet to become the permanent man in charge of the Halliwell Jones outfit, and looks set to steer them to a top six spot come play-off spot.

Bradford were another side who appeared to have overcome their mid-season troubles, and Huddersfield having nothing to play for, this prompted me to forecast a Bradford win.

This season has already shown that no game is a foregone conclusion, and that was again demonstrated at the Galpharm Stadium on Sunday, as Bradford fans were left stunned. A 25-24 defeat at near neighbours Huddersfield saw them slip to sixth place, a position they now cling on to with Wakefield breathing down their necks behind.

Head coach Steve McNamara later branded the match a "pantomime". Referee Steve Ganson showed Bradford's Paul Sykes a red card after the game, sin-binned Ben Jeffries and two Huddersfield players, ands twice placed Terry Newton on report, along with Michael Platt in what was a highly ill-disciplined match.

The win for Huddersfield was nothing more than a boost for pride, as they pulled two points ahead of Hull FC, who saw their cushion over Castleford cut to just two points on Sunday.

Ganson was alleged to have blown for full-time too early, when Bradford were about to fashion a late chance to snatch the game. Sykes was understandably furious and vented his frustration at Ganson. When it seemed it couldn't get any worse for the Bulls, it did, when Ganson showed Sykes red.

Below Wakefield is Harlequins, who suffered their fifth loss in six after the 54-0 trouncing to St Helens on Saturday evening. Their play-off bid is another one which is fast fading away, as they lie four points behind Wakefield and Bradford. Brian McDermott's side are badly out of form, and in need of a minor miracle to sneak into the top six.

Another side terribly out of sorts is Hull KR, whose surprise 18-10 loss at Castleford on Sunday saw them slip five points behind sixth place. They were right in the thick of the play-off picture just a few rounds ago, but have fallen right out of contention and their season will more than likely just peter out into nothingness.

With the threat of relegation completely removed, the win for Castleford, like Huddersfield, was for nothing more than pride, as they aim to avoid the embarrassment of finishing bottom of the pile.

Like every other week, there was always going to be one result that got in the way of a perfect predictions list. The only difference this weekend, however, was that there were three results I got wrong.

It appears now that the only result to call with any confidence is a St Helens match. Now I've said that, though, just watch their form go pear-shaped, too. Apologies to any Saints fans reading this.
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League Tables
Pos Team Pld Pts
1 St Helens 27 43
2 Leeds 27 42
3 Catalans 27 34
4 Wigan 27 29
5 Bradford 27 28
6 Warrington 27 28
7 Hull KR 27 23
8 Wakefield 27 22
9 Harlequins 27 22
10 Huddersfield 27 21
11 Hull FC 27 17
12 Castleford 27 15
Pos Team Pld Pts
1 Salford 18 45
2 Celtic 18 40
3 Halifax 18 38
4 Leigh 18 34
5 Whitehaven 18 32
6 Widnes 18 30
7 Sheffield 18 29
8 Featherstone 18 26
9 Batley 18 23
10 Dewsbury 18 13
Pos Team Pld Pts
1 Gateshead 22 59
2 Barrow 22 52
3 Oldham 22 52
4 Doncaster 22 48
5 Keighley 22 48
6 York 22 42
7 Rochdale 22 36
8 Workington 22 28
9 Blackpool 22 25
10 Swinton 22 22
11 London 22 20
12 Hunslet 22 17
Pos Team Pld Pts
1 Manly 19 28
2 Melbourne 19 26
3 Sydney 18 24
4 Cronulla 18 24
5 Brisbane 18 21
6 St George 18 20
7 Penrith 19 19
8 Canberra 18 18
9 Gold Coast 19 18
10 NZ Warriors 18 18
11 Newcastle 18 16
12 Wests 18 16
13 Parramatta 18 16
14 Souths 18 12
15 Canterbury 18 10
16 North QLD 18 6
Latest Results
St Helens 16-24 Leeds
04/10/08 | Att: | Report

Leeds 18-14 Wigan
26/09/08 | Att: | Report

Catalans 26-50 Wigan
20/09/08 | Att: |

St Helens 38-10 Leeds
19/09/08 | Att: |

Catalans 46-8 Warrington
13/09/08 | Att: 8.442 | Report

Wigan 30-14 Bradford
12/09/08 | Att: 6,806 | Report

Celtic 18-36 Salford
28/09/08 | Att:

Salford 62-18 Whitehaven
18/09/08 | Att: 3,000

Halifax 22-24 Whitehaven
14/09/08 | Att: 2,302

Salford 18-44 Celtic
11/09/08 | Att: 2,607

Leigh 24-30 Whitehaven
07/09/08 | Att: 2,306

Halifax 32-16 Widnes
04/09/08 | Att: 1,931

Doncaster 18-10 Oldham
28/09/08 | Att:

Oldham 38-14 Rochdale
21/09/08 | Att:

Oldham 20-32 Doncaster
14/09/08 | Att: 1,305

Keighley 26-32 Rochdale
14/09/08 | Att: 1,033

Keighley 32-14 Workington
07/09/08 | Att: 933

York 12-28 Rochdale
05/09/08 | Att: 682

Wests Melbourne
14/07/08 | Att:

Brisbane Caterbury
13/07/08 | Att:

St George Canberra
13/07/08 | Att:

South Sydney Parramatta
12/07/08 | Att:

Cronulla Manly
12/07/08 | Att:

NZ Warriors North QLD
12/07/08 | Att:

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