Quote: Mr. Zucchini Head "Another year, another failure in the international arena. Let's forget about England for a while (that's what the RFL are going to be doing afterall) and look domestically again.
Yes it's still a few months away, but teams are already back in preseason, kits are out, recruitment is mostly complete and the first friendlies are little more than a month away.
Surely we can't all be as bad at this as we were last year.
1. Hull FC - A bit of club bias here of course, but I really like the squad this year. Probably would have finished top last year if not for the cup distraction. Kelly should add some flair to go along with the brute force and the kicking game, Griffin and Connor are handy additions too. If we manage our resources a bit better this time I just think we have the edge over the rest.
2. Wigan - A couple of quality additions to go with Mickey Mac's return. They will probably be inconsistent, and fans will want Wane out sometime around July, but still the team to beat in a big game.
3. Warrington - Man for man they have the most skillful team in the league, but for me they still have that soft underbelly when teams really get stuck in to them. It will be very tight between the top three.
4. Leeds - False position last year, and they improved no end with Segeyaro (sp?) coming in. Fewer injuries and a better pre season will see them back at the right end.
5. Saints - Don't have the pack to be a proper force IMO, but they'll claim some scalps.
6. Cas - Great to watch, but the you score 6 tries we'll score 7 approach doesn't really work in the crunch games. Got to find a balance.
7. Salford - They should never have found themselves in the position they were last year, points deduction or not. Too much quality for that. I think they might finally give the long suffering fans a couple of things to smile about this year.
8. Leigh - Impressed with some of their recruitment, and they've got the winning habit. I can see them entering SL on the crest of a wave and being top 4 around Easter. They will slump but will already have enough banked to cling onto the 8's by their fingernails.
9. Catalans - I've given up predicting that the dragons will do anything. Useless coach, too much reliance on Aussies who don't really care, and much of their French talent out the door.
10. Huddersfield - They finished where they did last year for a reason, and I don't think they will make significant enough improvements to avoid the 8's again.
11. Widnes - Started like a house on fire last year and that was enough despite barely winning a game after Easter. There's some very good players in the squad, but quite alot of dross aswell.
12. Wakefield - Sorry wakey fans but someone has to be down here. Similar to Widnes, you got on one run of form and managed to ride it into the 8's last year. For much of the rest of the season you were poor. Wakefield won't be whipping boys, there isn't really a bad team in the league, but I do think they are the weakest of the bunch.
Elsewhere, I think the top 4 in the championship will be Rovers, London, Toulouse and Fev, but unless one of them recruits very well towards the end of the season I don't think we'll see anyone promoted. Toronto should stroll through Champ 1, potentially unbeaten.
As for the cup, I'd love to see Hull defend it, but I quite fancy Wigan this time.'"
Saints don't have the Pack
Walmsley
Amor
Douglas
Walker
Thompson
Greenwood
Wilkn
LMS