Rugby League / Graham Cunningham / 07 September 2010 / Leave a Comment

The regular season is over and the giants of Super League are ready to settle down to the fierce heat of the playoff season. All four games will be live on Sky this weekend and Graham Cunningham is looking to Huddersfield and Wigan to offset heavy golfing expenses.

Right, the regular Super League season is over and it's time to crank things up another notch for the playoffs.

But first, the science bit.

St Helens will host Warrington (Friday 20.00) with the winner moving on to week three and the loser getting a second chance in week two.

Huddersfield will host Crusaders (Saturday 15.45) and Hull will host Hull KR (Saturday 18.00) with the winners moving on to week two and the losers being eliminated.

And, last but by no means least, Wigan will do battle with Leeds (Sunday 18.45) with the victor moving on to week three and the vanquished gaining a second chance at home in week two.

Whichever way your loyalties lie a compelling weekend lies in wait and Huddersfield and Wigan look the best bets as they bid to take another step towards the Grand Final at Old Trafford on October 2nd.

For some weeks now I have had a sneaking suspicion that Huddersfield could be a danger to all in knockout football and there is no doubt the Giants are back on top of their game after five consecutive wins - including a shock defeat of Wigan on their own patch - in which they have given up a miserly 42 points while scoring almost 200.

Make no mistake, Brian Noble has done a fine job in getting a cobbled together Crusaders team into the playoffs in their first season based in Wrexham, but Huddersfield had their measure by 18 and 28 points in their two league clashes and I rate them value to win by double figures again this weekend.

With any luck I will be back from a jolly boys golfing weekend in Portugal in time to see Wigan meet Leeds in what promises to be a humdinger of a game at the DW on Sunday.

And, with any luck, Wigan will be at their ruthlessly efficient best to beat a Rhinos outfit who are good but not quite so good as they were when on their way to a third consecutive Grand Final success this time last year.

Granted, Leeds showed the toughness of champions by shrugging off their Challenge Cup final hammering to edge past Hull away last week, but when all is said and done they were all out to beat a side who looked the more likely winners for a long time despite having been reduced to 12 men when Lee Radford was sent off after just nine minutes.

Put simply, I feel Wigan are a fresher, more dangerous side than Leeds at present and it's well worth noting that in three meetings with the Warriors this season the Rhinos have only managed to score three tries.

Of course, it might be different on Sunday night. But I doubt it and Wigan to win by 12 plus appeals as a perfectly sensible call.

Anyone who goes in head down for the games between Saints and Warrington and Hull and Hull KR is taking a real chance for the simple reason that both games look very finely poised.

The baying of a feverish Knowlsley Road crowd ought to help Saints, but the absence of Karl Pryce and niggling problems for Kyle Eastmond and Jonny Lomax are a definite concern.

By contrast, Warrington don't seem to have too many injury headaches and they also have a posse of their best players fresh from a week off.

Much will be made of the fact that Wire nearly always come up just short in this particular Derby.

However, the Wolves have too many big game players to take notice of so-called "hoodoos" and they can take this and in doing so give the demolition mob an early chance to knock down a ground which has been ready for the wrecking crew for years now.

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