The Challenge Cup needs a final next year between two of the big three North West clubs, in order to reignite the old magic.



When you get the likes of Leeds and Huddersfield in the final who hardly take any fans it detracts from the atmosphere and will look poor on National TV. I can't understand the apathy towards RL in the White Rose county, as it's not like they've got any decent football teams to support. I know they're generally a tight bunch, but you should at least make an effort to go and watch your team in the final.

Since when were Leeds not taking a big support? I haven't been reading their forum or checking ticket sales, but they had huge numbers last year.



Have the part time fans (ie the Wembley bandwagon jumpers, not the people who go to Headingley regularly) convinced themselves they're going to get hammered again and decided to avoid back to back Wembley misery?



Personally I think they're going to win.

For me it lost its magic when Wigan got to the final

According to The Rugby League Express Leeds have sold less than 10,000 tickets. Their not a happy bunch at the moment and not looking forward to a 2nd drubbing at the new Wembley stadium. Saying that 10,000 is about right for the regular match goers. It will only be the pot hunters staying away

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I fully agree dont get me wrong i love the cc but it's lost something and it's just not the same



I am looking forward to seeing 50k wiganers all in cherry and white maybe it will spark something back into it for me and many Wigan fans maybe it wont but i'll find out sat

I agree that it might of lost some of it's magic during the earlier rounds , but not with With what you say about it not being a challenge or It's not a big achievment anymore.. Wigan Have Beaten Bradford Away Wire away Saints now they face Leeds in the final .... Come play off time they could face Say Saints x 2 ,Leeds, Wire Lose one of those games and still be Champions... How is that any bigger of a challenge than the challenge cup run they've had .. The Biggest Challenges for me are The league Leaders Shield followed by the challenge cup then the play offs.

50k?

No it's not lost it's magic ! We lost our quarter final that's where the magic went !

Can't bring myself to watch it as I hate the pies with every part of my body but equally hate everything Yorkshire so I will either go to the gym or mow the grass or both !

Lol i'm sure wigan said last week, thursday or friday maybe that they had sold 20k.. Thats some acheivement then to sell another 30k in the week leading upto the match.. I'v got one or two slight doubts about Your numbers !

I'm disappointed if that's true about Leeds' ticket sales. I'm never really a defender of bandwagon jumpers, and I would imagine 90%+ of those who go to Headingley regularly will be in attendance. I do acknowledge that to a degree the finals need those people though, or we might as well just play them in Huddersfield, Hull or Wigan and have done with it. Leeds had about 30-40,000 there last year easily and it made for a far better atmosphere than the year before with Huddersfield's much smaller support.



I think it's fair to say they will have more than 10,000 there for certain as plenty won't have bought from the club - I bought from the RFL in both 2009 and 2010 so wouldn't be counted among Warrington's ticket sales - but even if you double it to 20,000 that's still a huge drop off in a year, considering I imagine a lot of Leeds players and fans probably crave the Cup more than most "big" clubs at the moment after a twelve year drought and four Super League titles.



They really must be certain they're going to lose.

Call me old fashioned here but i still see the challenge cup as the pinnacle of any players career, its been every boy's dream thats ever picked up a rugby ball whether that be in the back garden or on a rugby pitch to walk out and play at wembley.



The SL grand final as i see it is something created by sky with all the the sky production and razamataz behind it, its the glorified premiership that we used to have in the 80's where the top 8 played off. The true champions of the league IMO should be the team that finishes top over the season, knock out rugby can be a lottery where a lot of factors at the end of the season come into play. The play-offs are quite often played in wet conditions due to the time of year that they are played, thats a leveller in itself and it doesn't suit sides that like to throw the ball around. The challenge cup final is now too close to the play-offs IMO, its going to be very hard for any side that makes it to wembley to go on and do well in the play-offs.



You then have the lottery of how fit a squad you have at the end of a long season, saints struggled last year with a depleted squad but its credit to them that they made the grand final.



A lot of factors go into the makeup of potential grand final winners along with getting to old trafford, a knock out competition at the end of the season is what it says on the tin, "a knock out competition" with a twist, you can still lose a game but remain in the knock out competition lol .... So potential grand final winners could still lose a game and become champions, sorry but the word LOSE and champions doesn't quite work together in the same sentence when talking about potential champions of a sport..