Absolutely

It may take a little while for the newcomers to settle in but the squad looks strong enough to take on any team in SL with confidence. Our strong pack should produce adequate go forward to create opportunities for the halves and backs . Mac will be aiming for the team to peak in good time for the WCC with the accent on performance and building momentum, so the odd loss, if indeed there are any, should not be a big concern. It will be interesting to see how soon Sutcliffe returns.

With a new combination at 6,7 and 9 I'm sure Leeds would have liked a sprinkling of "easier" games at the start of the season to give it time to bed in under competitive conditions, but it is what it is.

A good start will give the opportunity for a bit of rotation in those two easier blocks of games, particularly the second one heading into the Super 8s.

Challenge Cup draw could be interesting - the 6th round falls between Huddersfield away and Cas at home, with the quarters between Wakefield away and Widnes at home and the semis between Hull KR away and the start of the Super 8s. So progression in the cup might not be as potentially harmful as it could have been in previous years given the fixtures either side of the big cup games.

We don't exactly have a new combination at 6 and 7. McGuire and Burrow have played together there most their careers. Or if it is McGuire and Sutcliffe we were told last season that they were the best thing since sliced bread and we did not need Sinfield, before he came back in.

Of new recruits, other than Wigan surely our recruitment is less than our competition in terms of numbers. Warrington for example have almost a new team in key areas. The likes of Catalans, Hull, and Saints have a number of new recruits. Saints are still missing Lomax, key to them in terms of strongest side. Therefore each side we are coming up against, can have the very same concerns that we do, we are no different.

slightly off topic but I've just seen Johnathan Thurston has given up the chance of captaining the indigenous side on the NRL all stars game to concentrate on the WCC as it is something he really wants to add to his resume.Looks like we will be facing a pumped up North Queensland team.

Anybody or club that seeks to hide behind the fixture list is just trying to paper over cracks.

It is a tough start in terms of the opponents but it was never going to be "easy" per say simply because we've just lost the biggest "Leadership" cogs in our history that's without considering the other attributes they brought to the team.
I said on another thread this is our biggest transition imo in a long long time and i fully expect a roller coaster of a season as the team evolves and finds it's identity again.
I still think we'll finish top 2 because i believe we are good enough but there will be blips and possibly a rut of losses as well but they'll need time to settle into their new roles in terms of Leadership along with newbies like Falloon Galloway and Ferres needing time to settle into our systems.

I think another thing we've lost that hasn't been considered is a 'surprise' element.

Last year no one could've predicted our attack would play in the style that they did after the frustrating and disappointing attacking style of 2013 & 2014. It must've caught the other SL teams off guard to see such a transformation and it was really those first 10/11 games of the year that set up our season. This year our rivals will know better what to expect when they face us.

.....unless we change our style/tactics again!

I wouldn't be surprised to see some teams applying similar attacking tactics to what we did last year.

you mean play without cuthbo?

I think the first paragraph is a touch unfair on the club. Sinfield had decided he was going to take the Union £. The club need to do something re. the future with him not being there. The fact Sinfield got a reality check was no bad thing for him or the team as it transpired