The revised fixture list has been issued. https://warringtonwolves.com/news/2020/ ... announced/

The revised fixture list has been issued. https://warringtonwolves.com/news/2020/ ... announced/

A top 4 play off??... what do people think is the maximum number of games a team can afford to lose and still make the play offs??

I'd reckon 8, 9 at a push, meaning Wire have to win 10 from 15 to be in the final mix.

Our chances??

So, so, hard to call. We're going to be restarting the season with only three weeks training then there are seven games in the last five weeks (7 games in 27~29 days). The same for everybody but it does mean that there will be some upsets. You also have to consider that the rule changes around scrums and penalties mean that the ball is in play for longer and therefore the teams will have to work harder.

Squad depth, fitness, rotation and luck are going to play more of a role than ever.

Well..... < sucks teeth like plumber giving an estimate>, we have played Wigin, Saints, Cas and Leeds who are fairly well up the table. But on the negative side we started poorly and looked a bit short of self belief. I don't think there is that much between the top 8 clubs clubs to be honest so my guess is that it will really depend on us getting a good start and building momentum and confidence. I say that because we only have 15 games left so it's a bit of a sprint rather than a marathon. I hope Price hammers that message home with the players and that we play high tempo with the aim of winning the first 5 games straight off. If we fanny around we will be left behind with no hope of catching up.

I suppose the benefit from a spectator point of view is that, right from.the off, the games should have a watchable intensity and won't have that, casual, early season feel that a lot of pre-Magic matches have, where some losses are almost shrugged off because they will have little consequence in the long term of a season.

From the start, any loss will be significant and momentum will be a huge factor. Squad rotation will be a massive thing too, which, in effect, will make gaining momentum even harder.

Fair to say, the coach and his backroom staff (of every club) will certainly have to earn their money to be successful this year. There certainly won't be any short cuts to the title this season.

To be honest I feel it is all turning into a bit of a shambles.
Not certain if all the players have agreed to take wage cuts.
Not certain if Toronto can actually play all of their games.
Not certain if there will be promotion and relegation.
Not certain if.......

Quite a lot of 'not certains'.

I like the fact that we have HKR first up. I don't see them as a pushover, but that is a good game for us to start with. And if we lose, well I think you can write our season off as the psychological damage will be worse than losing the two points.
I had forgotten about the fixture compression and need for rotation. I am not sure if that will favour us or not. Do we have decent backup in the squad ?

What is taking over from scrums , is it a handover /play the ball ?

I think the fact that we have played Cas, Leeds, Wigan and Saints means that the draw is favourable. I think the 6 to go rule suits us right down to the ground especially with Clark, Ratchford and / Ashton who I guess will be available for selection from the first game back. We have played better in attack when the ball is in play with few stoppages because of the type of players we have and wearing the opposition middles out as highlighted by Philbins try at Wembley. Until this thread the resumption of the season felt like ages away but only a few weeks now.
We should make the top 4 and then who knows. But just our luck there will be another lockdown just before the grand final.

I actually think it will be the opposite. There is a lot more randomness in this season, with the higher risk of injury/lack of availability due to the disrupted preparation, covid still being around and the congested fixtures especially near the end of the season. Much more chance that the best team with the best coach gets scuppered by bad luck right at the end. I remember it happening to Saints one year when they had been the best team all year then lost Long, Albert and Gilmour in the last week of the season and that scuppered them in the playoffs. This year you might get a situation where teams are heavily depleted after the hectic run-in, and someone sneaks in to the playoffs in healthier shape and are then well set.

There will be an art in good squad management and rotation to minimise the risk, but covid and injuries will strike randomly no matter how well prepared a team is, so I think a lot will be about luck. We may see some non-traditional teams in contention at the end.

A tap

< sucks teeth like a plumber also >

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH oo assembled this squad then? its all in the 'alves and wing this, needs a good quality set of baahck up pwops, dont they john ?

the plumber metaphors are strong on this thread.

" Back up props < shakes head> they don't make them no more ..< more teeth sucking >...............this is going to be expensive"