Must admit looking at our competitors I'm worried about getting in top 4 next year.

Why? We've got a decent coach and we're actually planning to go into the season with a full back, scrum half and stand off unlike this year.

Smith's put together a side that looks on paper more willing to play for the shirt than a number of outgoing players.

Just wait and see is all anyone can do

We had a crap season and a poor coach for most of it and still could have easily got into the top four.
This year we have a decent coach and hopefully a smaller squad that wants to be there.
I have no doubt about it. I actually think we can finish second and even push HKR all the way. We have key players this year that killed us last year and before that. Our backs and halves are very good for this league.
I am confident about our pack but will not say too much about them till I see them over a month or so.
I am more confident now than for a few years. Fingers crossed.

Im not too worried. We have a better coach and better players in the key positions of 1, 6 and 7 than we had at this time last year. If our pack competes we'll make the 4.
Hull KR will be competitive but their squad looks worse than Leighs from last year IMO, London will be strong if they don't get injuries as I don't think they have much depth beyond the 17 and soward is a loss, Sheffield and Halifax are going backwards and although Fev and Batley will be strong I suspect Fev will be relying on DR again so who knows how consistent they can be and Batley have new coach Diskin and we'll have to see how big a loss Kear is to them - did he have them punching well above their weight? And can Diskin do the same straight away? No idea about Toulouse tbf.

All to play for for the top 4 and we should hit the season with confidence. Im looking forward to it, shaping up to be an interesting season I reckon.

Why?

On the plus side we have the following:

- A coach that the players seem to be responding to.
- More pace at fullback. Remember this time last year we had Mathers.
- More pace on the wings. Ryan, Clare, Macani and Caro are all v quick.
- Pace and experience at halfback, in fact PROPER halfbacks. This is massively better than last year.
- A decent first choice front row.
- Some genuinely talented and enthusiastic young players coming through.
- A less bloated squad.

On the minus side I see this:

- We still lack a bit of firepower up front. However I expect the new lean and mean Peltier to be better than Lauaki/Crossley/Fleming etc.
- A bit of a lack of size and experience in the backrow if we lose Burr, Mellor or Joseph to injury.

I'm more optimistic than I was last year. The hangover from the 2015 MPG is long gone. Players that had got too used to disappointment and losing have been let go. I'm sure we'll get in the top 4, but another couple of forwards wouldn't go amiss.

I agree with Duckman's assessment of the competition. HKR and London will be in the 4, no question. Batley and Fev will be good too. Fax always cause us difficulties but I think we're better able to cope with them next year if we muscle up in the forwards. Sheffield I think will be weaker due to the problems they've had and players departing.

Yeah, pretty much agree with Bullseye.

The toughness [or otherwise] of the forwards will be shown when we start playing and that is my only real concern on how we'll do. I think we've got decent skill in the forwards but we'll pretty much need the pack, as a whole, to be both up for it, and in good form imo - not to mention be fortunate with injuries/suspensions. Rohan did say there was another signing to come, so let's hope it's a big bruiser up front.

I've no quarrels with the make up of the rest of the side though. I'm ready to light the blue touchpaper and let it rip!

I'm not 'worried' about finishing Top 4, I think we'll comfortably make it - albeit some distance behind Hull KR and London.

However, I don't think we've got any chance whatsoever of getting promoted with the current squad.

I agree that promotion is very unlikely indeed next season but top 4 is highly likely. Promotion is more likely in the next few years if we progress in the right ways bringing players through. It'll free up money for quality signings.

I'm more worried about getting to the start of the season...

And then finishing it.

Agree with Bullseye on our squad, and Duckman's assessment on opposition.

The other thing to think about is (picking number out of the air) say that this squad is assembled for £500k less wages than last years squad? Not completely out of the realms of possibility. That makes it look even better.....

I'm quietly confident for next year. As Bullseye said, our spine this time last year was Mathers/Gaskell/Addy. Next year it will be Moss/Pryce & Keyes/Chisholm. Our backline looks superb and is probably the quickest in the championship. Probably a forward or two light in the pack, but i'm sure we can get some SL props on loan who aren't getting game time.

Rohan will get a full pre-season with them and stamp his mark on the team. They will probably be a determined attitude this year after being humiliated last year.

I think we'll be be pushing the top 2. I see no reason why we can't go to Hull KR and win and set our stall out. Im sure there is plenty of recruitment to be done by all but noseying on the KR board, their strongest side (according to them) looks something along the lines of the below. I wouldn't have any of their 1-7 over ours aprt from maybe Minns. They have the bigger pack, but not a massive bench. KR are obviously favorites, but i don't think there's a huge difference.

1. Matty Marsh.......................................... 1. Kieran Moss
2. Ben Cockayne........................................ 2. James Clare
3. Andrew Hefferman................................. 3. Alex Foster
4. Thomas Minns........................................ 4. Kris Welham
5. Ryan Shaw............................................ 5. Ethan Ryan
6. Jordan Abdul......................................... 6. Leon Pryce
7. Jamie Ellis............................................ 7. Dane Chisholm
8. Nick Scruton......................................... . 8. Ben Kavanagh
9. Shaun Lunt........................................... 9. Adam O'brein
10 Mitch Clark............................................ 10 Adam Sidlow
11. Maurice Blair........................................ 11. Tom Olbison
12. James Greenwood................................ 12. Alex Mellor
13. Danny Addy ....................................... 13. Lachlan Burr

14. Dane Tilse........................................... 14. Joe Lumb/Phil Joseph
15. George Lawler..................................... 15. Ross Peltier
16. Chris Clarkson..................................... 16. Jon Margrin
17. James Donaldson................................ 17. Jason Walton

Think the thing that HKR will have is that they're still used to playing SL opposition and haven't been acclimatized (dragged down) to championship level yet.

Sensei Bull's point is well made but I think if we can make it until the start of the season without financial/off field mishap we'll be ok once we have the cash coming in from regular games.

I don't think our pack is strong enough yet. If you recall, Leigh spent most of the regular season last year with a decimated back line yet a hard, big set of seasoned forwards which pretty much was the beating of all the Champ teams they came up against. They didn't even get their half backs in place until the middle 8's really. Our pack looks to be too small and too young at the moment.

I actually think our pack might do ok, especially when you think about what we were running with for most of last season.

Sidlow, Kavanagh and Joseph are three solid, hard working props who all have SL experience.
Roche put something on his twitter the other day that made me think the rumours are true, so he'll be another solid addition.
I'll admit that Magrin and Peltier are relative unknowns, but surely they will still offer more than Lauaki/Clough/Fleming?