Hull will finish anywhere between 6-8 I think. Too light in the forwards to get any higher than that. Feka and Paea on the pitch at the same time is great, but take them off and we struggle. Backline looks strong from 1-5, even with the loss of Briscoe. Talanoa could be a real find.

Rankin, the Aussie schoolboy 6 that we've signed looks promising too, but who do we play with him?

Hooking wise I'm more than happy with Houghton and Heremaia.

Looking at other teams its difficult to predict really. Wigan have lost Tomkins, Warrington have lost a front row and Briers, Huddersfield haven't really lost anybody, saints have recruited the best of any team on paper and I always write Leeds off only for them to prove me wrong.

Ill go:

1 Huddersfield
2 Saints
3 Wigan
4 Warrington
5 Leeds
6 Catalan
7 Hull
8 Hull KR
9 Salford
10 Bradford
11 Widnes
12 Wakefield
13 Castleford
14 London

Don't agree with KR having the best pack in the league at all. I'm a fan of Hodgson and Weyman if you can keep him fit he'll go well for you, Poore is a good signing too but nothing great. But apart from that your pack is nothing special. Costigan is nothing more than a workhorse, same as Langley who's done imo. Who else Larroyer, Cox, Horne, Walker brothers. I don't see how this is considered the best pack in the league?
As for your backs, good with ball in hand. But defensively awful has been for the last few years.

As for Hull, we really lack a player with that X factor who can win you a game from nothing since we lost Manu and Briscoe. Jamie Shaul has this potential and has showed it against quite a few teams including his debut against Wakefield scoring two. He has to cement a place in the first team though.

As for the league;

1. Warrington/Saints
2. Saints/Warrington
3. Leeds
4. Wigan
5. Huddersfield
6. Hull FC
7. Catalans/Hull KR
8. Hull KR/Catalans
9. Salford
10. Bradford
11. Castleford
12. Wakefield
13. Widnes
14. London

Ah Stats, aren't they wonderful?!

The difference is that Morley will be expected to do a lot of work for you and if you look deeper into those stats you'll find Chris Hill had almost 3 times as many carries as Morley (430 against 15icon_cool.gif and made almost 2000 metres more than Morley.
This would suggest that Morley will not give you as much gametime as you would hope, so although his average carry may be better by half a metre, if he can only do it in 1/3 of your games that's not looking quite so good is it.



FWIW I think Salford will be in a group of teams fighting for 7th-10th and if you can keep your players fit and on the field you could definitely make the playoffs, but the same can be said for lots of clubs. Injuries will as ever play a clear part in who makes the playoffs and who doesn't.

Looking forward to Feb 16th to see how my team match up to yours. On paper it looks like it should be a nice easy opening game for you, we'll see if that's how it works out on the field.

I didn't mean in the league I meant in that area of the league. I watched the derby friendly on Hullkr.tv and I would argue that Poore would fit well in to most SL top 6 sides, he is big, aggressive and not afraid to put his body on the line.

You mention our defence being weak out wide, well that has been addressed. Keating is a much better defender than Dobson while Burns was solid last season too. With a good back row looking after the outside backs I think it will knit in well. Hodgson and Cockayne are pretty good defenders although Cockayne can be caught out of position now and then. I expect Sandercock will improve that part of his game.

Our issues in the past few years have been down the middle, letting teams get a roll on and not being able to recover from it. The size of our pack should help in that area. The Walker brothers are big lads, Cox has been a SL regular for a year or so now and looks the part. James Green could certainly be a regular come the end of the year, one of the biggest (in size) youngsters since the Burgess boys.

I really can't see how you can say Langley is done? Give the game last Sunday a watch, he was a rock, defended very well and while his hit ups are nothing special I would still rather have him than say Rich Whiting!

You seem to dismiss the likes of Larroyer, Horne, the Walker bro's and even failed to mention Lovegrove. Very risky when all of them are big lads who each have dangerous aspects to their game. Individually they might not be world beaters but in a side that has the likes of Costigan, Langley, Weyman, Poore and Hodgson, they are certainly going to be good support. Injuries have hampered us over the past few years but with this kind of back up I can't see one or two injuries making much of a difference to our game plans. It means we don't have to rely on the likes of Paterson, Dobson and Newton...etc.

Can't disagree with much of that. I do feel though that if Welham has another season of injury, you'd be better off offloading him, you cant afford to carry players no matter how good they can be. I suppose the same applies to Gleeson.

I don't think there's much at all between Hull and Rovers or Catalan.

That I can disagree with. Langley is miles behind Whiting. Just miles! Langley will defend well and cart the ball up, Whiting does so much more. Not wanting this to sound like a Whiting love in, but Hull are a much poorer team when he isn't in it.

I went on Sunday, and had to ask if Langley was even playing. I agree about Poore he could well play for a top 5 club but he isn't great. That said I would take him at Hull. As for Langley over Whiting you're welcome to him. Whitings a fantastic player.
You certainly have a lot of big players, I was shocked at how big James Green is. He's huge! The Walker brothers are big lads too. Props is the strong postion for you but don't rate your back row there all grafters barring Cox who I don't rate too highly regardless. Lovegrove can't be held in high regard even by Sandercock as he was apparently offering him to Wakefield. Another who is poor in defence.
Your pack is what Hulls used to be, a pack full of workhorses with the odd impact player ala Manu/Cox.

Millwards prediction!

rlhttp://www.sportinglife.com/rugby-league/news/article/480/9137865/wolves-and-saints-to-dominaterl

Shocker Ian Millward ruling out Wigan and even more laughable Wigan over Achieved last season . People keep saying wigan don't have the superstars but are just a consistent team and very well coached, ok so how come every season teams keep poaching our players?

When was the last time he predicated anything right?

Catalans have one of the best centre pairings in Super League with Ben Pomeroy joining Vincent Duport. A big power combo. First choice wingers will be Darryl Millard and Michael Oldfield, with Vaccari and Cardace in reserve. If Scott Dureau can fire this year as well as he did in 2012 then expect the Catalans backs to tear up the opposition.

That is why Catalans will be challenging for silverware this year.

If the game was based solely on the quality of the 3/4 line, Leeds would walk it. Unfortunately/ fortunately, there are 9 other players on the pitch who will also have a say in the matter.

really? wigan was 6 points clear at the top of the league before the majority of the squad got injured. And when it truly mattered they beat all the top clubs. Didn't wigan also have the biggest points difference? when Wigan had the first team out they was defiantly the best team.

Simple answer is no they didn't, wire did. You have just answered the question, at the start of the season they along with 2-3 other clubs could have been there but when they started to get injuries they slipped and a know a few Wigan fans, deep down they wanted to win it all but not many thought they really would, you don't don't like anyone saying things that don't agree with Wigan do you, now they have lost Tomkins one players does not make a team and I cannot stand him, not because he plays for Wigan even though I hate them to, there was just something smarmy about his aura and the bandwagon.
They are big shoes to fill and when he was missing last year you did struggle, I'm not criticism anything bye they way just want to put a point across, towards the end of the season hardly any thought they would win both never mind beat wire in the final I was surprised they won both, maybe not the CC as hull were pants but to beat wire in the SL who I had tipped to win and got short odds on.