As an aside, I don’t think Ive looked forward to a season as much as this for a long while, new players, new stands - just hope it’s not a disappointment! I’m perfectly happy to not win any silverware but really want to see a change in style/culture

Obviously we’ve lost hall and the impact he brings bringing the ball back from our own line at the starts of sets. I wonder if koni will be used in this way instead of whoever plays left wing.

For what it’s worth, I’d go with golding left wing. I think walker is a class above golding, but I think golding is a class above handley and L briscoe.

Walker
T Briscoe
Watkins
Hurrell
Handley
Tui
Myler
Cuthbertson
Parcell
Peteru
Ward
Ablett
Merrin

L Sutcliffe
Ferres
Jjb
Crosby

It is an interesting season in prospect. Much will depend on injuries as ever. Every team thinks it will go well at this point just before the season begins; but you would have to expect Leeds to be at least better than last year and away from any relegation nonsense.

Wire by 24

Question marks on the wings and at prop for me. Not got anything like a replacement for hall and not one prop last year was half decent. Maybe peteru will add some strike and Crosby may stiffen up the defence in the middle. Interesting to see.

Wire faves for title for me followed by saints.

This is a hard first game up. Beat them there last year was it first game then too? But new regime then and this time they are settled and have Austin who i think will tear up SL and win MOS.

Concerned about the front row personally i think we are at least one quality prop light but am excited to see how Furner has us playing and hopefully we will be looking to unleash Watkins and Hurell at every opportunity that is where we will have a clear edge on every team in SL this year.

To be fair I have been banging on about prop for weeks, but we haven't seen enough of Peteru and Crosby yet. Oledzski and Singleton are alright - Singo was winning MoM awards at times when fit last year. With Holroyd and Dupree coming through, and potentially with Mullally and Cuthbo options, we may not be all that bad. Will be very interesting to see what Furner does with Cuthbertson. Our back row should be the strongest in SL this season so we might gain a bit there compared to front row. Parcell needs a good season with Dwyer and Johnson behind him, but again he's more of a front-foot kind of hooker who will struggle to make an impact in a beaten pack.

Words of caution: I think both Marquee signings have had injuries in their careers, and of course are likely to pick up something else through the course of this season. If Hurrell stays fit I would agree he'd have to have a big, positive impact. He won't look so good if we're getting mullered up front again and coughing up stupid penalties and errors again as a team.

Watkins is coming back from a major injury, and each player is different in how they pull through. We should be prepared to be patient with both centres.

Furner has a lot of decisions to make through 2019 on players' futures. We also have to plan to leave some cap space for the academy lads coming through who are going to have their heads turned at some point. The club will be expecting results on its large investment for 2019; I think we're still a few players short but if we play to our strengths and are luckier with injuries, it's not a season to write off yet.

Really looking forward to seeing how the 1st team shapes up with the new signings though I have to say.

The game is on Sky Sports Mix and Arena at 5pm for anyone that cant make it.

Has there been a better opening weekend than Saints-Wigan, KR-FC and Leeds-Wire with York-Toronto thrown in for 4 days of RL on the bounce?

Cannot wait!

its a good start, i am looking forward to the new season but really wish the season would start a month later and even then CC for first couple of weeks then Super league mid march onwards.
Think we will go ok once we get going. Not a bad tome to play them as they have a new halfback combo and injuries i think we may sneak it and set our stall out, but we must get off to a good start and make them chase the game.

I reckon the supporters will need patience this year. If we'd got Ikahihifo over the line I'd have been more confident - but we didn't.

Lots of positive noises coming out of the camp, but then you would 100% expect that with a new season round the corner, new coach and some new high-profile signings.

Confidence is such a big thing in this sport and neither coach nor new-look Leeds team has a muscle memory of success yet. I also think with a lightweight-looking front row the heavy ground conditions in the early year may actually not suit us. It's also not the best conditions for open, running rugby generally - and that seems to be the intention of Leeds this year.

The reality is that we're still 2-3 players away from a top class side, and we have way too much resource in backrowers compared to any other position. If any of our new 3 overseas signings get an injury, we're immediately quite a bit weaker. Quite a few players remain under injury clouds and need to prove fitness in 2019.

There are plenty of positives, and I think the side starting 2019 is different enough to the one ending 2018 to expect a difference, but Furner doesn't have much latitude on getting his selections or tactics wrong.

Abletts confirmed hes still a few weeks away from being fit.

We went from where you finished last season to competing two finals the next season with a very average team so anything is possible! You's will deffo be in and around the top 4/5 this season with the names you have brought in.

Our team is likely to look something like this:

Ratchford

Lineham
Goodwin
Atkins
Charnley

Austin
Patton

Hill
Clark
Cooper
Clarke
Hughes
Murdoch-Massila

Walker
Philbin
Akualoa
Tasi

Question marks over who will play at Scrum Half now we've lost Brown. Could be as simple as Patton straight in or move Ratch to 7 and play Mamo at 1.


Hope its a good turn out in front of the cameras, decent K.O time on a Saturday so should be no excuses from both sets of fans. Safe trip over!

I`m going for a Warrington win by 12.
Hopefully it will be a good crowd but it being on Sky and Leeds United also on Sky might knock the crowd by a thousand or two.
I know there`s a fair bit of negativity around Patton mainly from his own supporters.
But whenever I`ve watched him he has always looked a pretty decent player.
Him and Austin in the halves should be a good combination.

It seems Ablett, Sutcliffe and Crosby will be missing for Saturday. Will Tom Briscoe be available?

Based on squad selections so far, I believe the team will be:-

1. Walker
2. Briscoe (Newman is Briscoe unfit)
3. Watkins
4. Hurrell
5. Handley
6. Lolohea
7. Myler
8. Oledzki
9. Parcell
10. Singleton
11. Ward
12. Ferres
13. Merrin

14. Dwyer
15. Cuthbertson
16. Peteru
17. JJB

Personally, I'd have Smith in ahead of JJB but suspect JJB will get the nod. The only other question will be which props start and which bench.