Ian Millward rlthinksrl we'll finish fifth and struggle without the players we've lost. In his opinion we over achieved last season and if we win anything this year it will be a massive achievement.

Between this nonsense, the renewed optimism of the St Helens fans, the reports coming out of our camp about preseason and new players I really can't wait for the season to start.

For me we'll be right in the mix for trophies but given the WCC might not finish as high up the league as we otherwise could. Wigan, Leeds and Warrington are the only teams with any significant trophy winning experience and I think it will take a lot for anyone to break these teams hold on the silverware. Despite St Helens' signings and Huddersfield's recent improvement I'm not sure they've got enough to get them past these teams.

Oh, and Garry Schofield tipped us as the best team this year in League Express.

The policy of tipping the season's success based on league position is meaningless. Last time we finished 4th and won the double; Leeds, as we have been told time and time again, won the big one twice from 5th.

Agreed that's why I talked about teams trophy chances and it was more Millward's assertions that we overachieved last year and would be outside the main contenders this year that I thought were daft.

Having said that, Millward's logic seems flawed as he is saying that the untried Wire youngsters will push them to the top, yet the Wigan kids who have won 5 of the last 6 titles, will struggle.

Millward tips us to lose almost on a weekly basis in that column. What's more worrying is Schofield backing us, he's obviously trying a reverse psychology tactic!

For me there are 5 main contenders in us, Saints, Wire, Leeds and Hudds with two dark horses in Hull FC and Cats. It's difficult to put those 5 in order because they all have big question marks. We don't know how we'll get on without Tomkins and we don't know our best left edge combo (plus we've got a trip to Sydney), Saints are still a half back short IMO and Walsh is being hyped-up before he's played a game, Wire don't know how they'll get on with without Briers, Morley and Hodgson, Leeds have got a quality backline but are the halves and forwards good enough to allow them to be utilised effectively and Hudds have still got to get rid of the playoff bottlers tag.

To be fair, Walsh is being hyped up due to his performances last season. Anyone voted 7th in the Dally M rankings is doing something right.

Yeh I keep reading that, and he may well be an excellent signing for you. But we've seen so many bigger name Aussies come over here and bomb, I just think some of the hype for Walsh has been a bit premature.

joint 7th with 3 other players. so basically ranked in the top 10 players which is still good. But wasn't tim smith ranked highly the season before he came to Wigan? Some reason he thinks there will be less pressure playing for Saints maybe he will be wrong.

I'm not sure if Tim Smith was ever a top 10 NRL player to be honest, I genuinely don't know.

With regards to the comment about pressure, he was referring to the pressure from the media and the publicity that RL players have over there. He won't have that same problem here.

Regardless of how well saints do next season, there won't be the media attention there is in aus, which is what he doesn't like. Seeing the first couple of interviews with him, I can see why.

You're right in that for every successful NRL signing, there are probably 2 or 3 bad ones. I think most Saints fans are realistic in terms of expectations with Walsh. He has the ability and the credentials to be in top 2 or 3 half-backs in Super League but it may take him a few weeks to settle in.

If he replicates his form from last season in 2014 then he will make a big big difference to us.

Wonder if Brett seymour would agree.

What an extremely inappropriate thing to say.

and whys that? he clearly accepted he struggled with the pressure at hull.

What IM is not seeing is the bigger picture. Last season we did not have the best 1-13 but our squad is the best in Super League. Super League is not won by the best side if that was the case Wire would have won the GF for the last 3 seasons.

We have lost Sam and he will be a massive loss but apart from his goal kicking Richards was not a massive threat last season. Replacing Pat of 2013 is a hell of a lot easier than the one in 2010.

Mossop will be missed as will Hansen. But i feel that Taylor was bought in as his replacement as most knew Mossop was going to the NRL last year.

Hansen will be missed for one of the best players we have had and very rare did he have a bad game. But Bateman looks a very good player and remember a year ago when the Wire were apparently signing him how good they think he could be and is. Of all the new players we have Tony Clubb will be the biggest impact this season no one is expecting much from him given his London form and his desperation to leave.

We will not finish top Wane will not allow that to happen if we finish top it will be that we win virtually every game from now until mid July. Wane will do what he did last season get top 4 and rest as many as he can.

For the record i think we will finish 4th and make the GF again.