https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... s-30408218

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... s-30408218

Leeds and 3 of the tougher teams with the exception of Wigan to follow to complete our first 4 fixtures I’ve heard.

It’s a good time to play Leeds I think as the conditions will be terrible and they won’t have had time to fully gel.

It’s a tough first month back in the top flight, or so I’m lead to believe.

Just hope the fans stick with us through what promises to be if what I’ve been told is right will be a baptism of fire.

Nice to see that the travelling Trinity fans get the buzz of the opening fixture. Friday night too I would guess so double joy.

Call me cynical but I did expect a rough first set of fixtures so no surprise. The jury still out on Leeds though. They’re mid table and haven’t been a top team on the pitch for years.

I think Leeds will be much improved this year. Signed well and in the areas they struggled.

Probably best time to play them though first game if the season.

I expect t then to be top 4 in 2025.

Very big jump and claim to have Leeds top 4. They’ve not been close recent years.

I can’t see it personally. I don’t particularly rate their spine in being consistent. Players like Cam Smith, Oledski and Bentley are bang average and I think are nowhere near good enough even for mid table SL.

I can’t realistically see them mid table again. Who knows though, you could be right.

To be fair this year there aren't many week teams. Hull, Leeds and Hudds will be better. I don't see Cas been much better unless they strengthen their pack. Westerman and Watts at prop is a high risk. We will need our team to gel quick, Leeds should give us a good marker where we are.

For me our biggest focus needs to be on integrating the pivots into the team. That will be the biggest challenge. There are a number of familiar faces in the forwards who know the standards expected. Integrating a few forwards into that shouldn’t be too hard.

Some big decisions pre season on halfbacks to make but this is where we absolutely need to have some level of cohesion and plays ready for round 1. Having new faces link with Max well will be paramount.

Huddersfield will be a much different and tougher proposition in 25

I think they will be stronger too.

I know I shouldn't read too much into it, but I saw a video on SM, showing Ken Davy go into dressing room at the end of their last game of 2024, and he gave the team a bit of a pep talk, and said basically, that they are a club on the rise. There was just something in his body language.

There were 5 teams vying for the last 3 play off spots last season, I think there will be more.

I also think those that finish bottom will pick up more than London last year, and us the year before

I'm pretty confident Ken will do that every year.
I'm sure they'll improve though. They've made some decent signings.

I personally think Hudds will miss playoffs and be around 10th next season. They are going backwards from a few seasons ago. They’ve made a couple of decent signings though so it wouldn’t surprise me too much for them to be within touching distance of playoffs end of season.

There’s a lot to improve on though. They were poor when I watched them a few times last season.

I'd be happy to wager a bit on Huddersfield finishing 11th. They've lost their best back (Marsters), best forward (Hill) and signed poor man's replacements in Jacob Gagai (28-year-old who's played 17 NRL games) and Tom Burgess, who struggles to play more than 40 minutes. They've also lost Connor (maybe for the best), and Russell, leaving them with Lolohea and Clune as their only recognised playmakers. It's looking like Gagai will play fullback - a position he's never played at senior level. I live on the other side of Huddersfield and their fans are completely dejected ahead of next year.

Cas 12th - until they signed Rimbu I felt they might only win 4 or 5 games.

It would be the shock of the season if Leeds finish in the top 4. It's not that their squad is particularly bad, and Arthur will get them playing well, I just don't think they've got the talent in key positions to finish higher than Wigan, Saints, Warrington, and Hull KR.

Catalans are a nit of an unknown and could finish anywhere between 4th and 10th. Leigh and Salford will drop off. Hull FC will improve but not enough to finish higher than us. That's what makes this season pretty exciting for Trin - the pressure's off, and as the top 4 is sewn up we could finish anywhere between 5th and 11th. I'm a believer!

Agree with a lot of what you say, however I think Wire are going to be the team to slip down the ladder. I think their recruitment has been poor to average at best.

Saints have improved their backline but their forwards still look average too.

Wouldn’t shock me to see Leeds above both those 2 come the end of the year.

First few rounds are always difficult to call as most teams are 'bedding in' new players and combinations. I hope that our pack can perform as well in this league as they did last year, and I'm pretty confident that they will. That'll hopefully give our new halves and backs time and space to really get going. I think we'll be a force to be reckoned with from day 1, I'm looking forward to a SL season for the first time in ages!