Widnes had Hanbury, Ottio, Inu, Runciman, Ah Van, Dudson, White, Gerrard, Houston, Cahill, Craven, Leuluai, Albert and Heremaia out who are all first team players.

So without our best player, our best 3 props and best 2 hookers.

No doubting Wire had some missing too but your strength in depth should be much better considering your resources.

Sally, I am not sure about that .....mid table will be disappointing for me. I don't expect to win everything but expect to be more than just reasonably competitive.

The decline I am talking of was of squad quality, rugby quality and entertainment value. Of course Price gets expectations lowered for 2018 - he has only been here 8 weeks - not 8 years.

So long as he doesn't put us into the 2nd tier of rugby again and walk about with a stinking CBA attitude that will be improvement.

We finished 1 point from making the Super 8s last season after having a woeful season. With the recruitment that we have made and with the return of Ben Currie and also the re-starting of Dom Crosby's career at Wire, I am more than confident of a top 4 finish.

You can claim fortune or misfortune in a one off game but you don't finish top over a 30 game season through being lucky.

Anyway I would have said TS was the one with the bad luck - how many times did he have top players lined up to be signed but then things fell through at the last minute?

Of course you can....2016 was a perfect example....we were shat and got lucky....2017 echoed it without the luck...luck not being a word I like to use but your Dad Tony Smith does.
Leeds were the total opposite...they were decimated and finished like us in 17....but their team at that back end would have walked the gf, you could see they were had and shoulders superior, had they have not had a poor run of injuries.
We were feckin lucky against Halifax...and utterly moral losers vs London.

Putting it blunt we were feckin disgraceful.