Everyone stays fit, I reckon we will be competing around 5th/6th with a chance of top 4 IF any of our major competitors have a real bad injury crisis.

IF we get the sort of long term injuries to key players like Saints had last season and the teams below us last season really improve (ie Salford/Hull/Widnes/Hull KR) then I could see a scenario where we fail to make the 8 at the split

Possibly 3rd, more likely 4th is what I'm guessing and no silverware. I'll be happy with that providing I'm left with the feeling that the team's going forward - unlike last the arsse end of last season. If we don't win a trophy, dodging the friendly element of 2016s WCC would be good.

Think if we avoid an injury period where we have upto 7/8 guys missing like in previous years then we'll make the top 4. After that with such a shortened playoff system it really could go to any of the 4 (which I think will include Saints, Wire and Wigan).

When it's come to crunch time over the years then the likes of Hudds and Catalans (the biggest threats to the top 4) have more often than not been found wanting....and by quite a margin at times, so I think there's more question marks about whether they can handle the bigger teams when the importance of league games kicks in than whether or not we can. Also whilst disappointing at the time to go out of the playoffs so early, the extended pre-season that came from it and with so few on England duty and 3 of our rivals having to get up for the WCC series then I think we have a few positive factors in our favour. Previous years it often felt like the guys had barely been back together for 2 minutes before the season started and we had to get up for facing the Aussie champions.

One thing I noticed last year when reading/listening to the players speak was how they would constantly mention about how they're targetting the CC and LLS. At first I though it was refreshing to hear them make mention about the LLS and wanting it. However as the year went on they I couldn't recall any mention of the words "playoffs", "Grand Final" or "Old Trafford" by any of them, almost as if that wasn't the important goal of the side. It was for that reason and not really our form in the previous few games which meant that apart from the first few minutes after the final whistle that I wasn't really shocked that we crashed out of the playoffs. However this year already I'm reading/hearing them talk about the playoffs and Old Trafford and making that top 4. Last year showed by winning the CC and having the LLS in our grasp until we sacrificed for the cup, that this team still can either win or get extremely close to the targets they set.

For me this is a Year where i expect the the major transition to begin with hopefully players like Sutcliffe ,S.Ward ,Singleton firmly establishing themselves as 1st team ever presents whilst i'd also like to see the likes of Yates ,Walters ,R.Ward & Minchella et al get more gametime.
Any Trophy this year is a bonus but i at the very least expect improvements in performance from how we finished in SL it's a massive year for us in terms of the "Next step" towards phasing out some of the "Old Guard" and Genuine Club Immortals but it can't be delayed any longer imo if that means 1 or 2 yrs of not challenging the elite then so be it.

I just don't see McD as the man to transition us into anything other than a mid table team. Sorry Brian, I always had my doubts about that while respecting the man himself. I think it's beyond him and there is nothing wrong with that, there are limits to what anyone is capable of in their job. Last season his weakenesses, which had been on display since he started the job, were found out, the run in was truly diabolical in what was (IMO) the weakest league competition I've seen for some time. Playing anything resembling decent rugby we should have finished top 2 and walked into the GF. Instead we set new club records for poor performance in SL with our worst finish ever.

He can't do it. I'm not being pessamistic, I am just sure he can't build a new team with the young players we have - I can see us signing more Richard Moore's rather than use our academy. We are also not recruiting right, our demise in SL conincides with the hooking situation and the slow decline of Danny McGuire. The lack of any quality in probably the most critical position in modern RL over the last 2 seasons has made it impossible for us to maintain a serious challenge. I cringe when I hear posters talking about shoehorning second rows into the 9 spot as if he's just another forward. Aiton is so ordinary, he has no pass and no cleverness around the ruck and Rob Burrow should never start there, again he has no pass. I was never a huge fan of Lunt when he was at Leeds but crikey once he left it wow, did we miss him.

There are some great players at the club, no doubt, and some special talents but in the middle of the field we are looking weak. No decent 9, McGuire not able to produce consistently and not able to dominate up front. We will get some good results, but we will see a lot of disjointed and poor performances. We could win things, the competiton is not great, but it won't be pretty even if we do.

I agree with you regards Mac DHM,not the man to see us through the transition.he has full filed his job requiments on the whole during his tenure,and achieved more than most ever will as a head coach but i think we need a clean slate in the coaching department aswell as the playing one going forward.end of this year or next for me

With that squad? Expect some trips to Bradford and Leigh in August.

Anything other than making the Grand Final would be a failure.

High expectations from Dave.

I reckon you'll be disappointed.

The

Do you remember when BM took over and he was telling anyone who'd listen about his attacking philosiphy and how teams win games by scoring more points than the opposition. We then started 2011 by playing 'hot potato' rugby and shipping a shed load of points. It's amazing how different his 'philosiphy' seems to be now, and how boring we have become to watch.
I agree with you, I just don't think he has the nous required to take us any further than he has.

So if McDermott isn't the man to take us forward into a new era. Who is?

Well it should & could have been Daryl Powell but that bus has left.