In RL Express this morning Schoey reckons we won't make the 8 again; that we relied on Bradford having points deducted and, probably rightly, that we wouldn't half miss Tim Smith if he was injured!

I should also note that he wasn't making any promises of what might happen if we do make the 8!!!!

Personally, I reckon we will need a little luck with injuries etc but, with that, we could be anywhere from around 7th - the top 6 would be too tough to break into - just yet!

A lot depends on 4 young players making their mark.

Wilde and John need to make their mark if the chance arrives - they should both be really by now and both are yet to really spark.

Goulding, maybe a bit early but fingers crossed,

Wood, hope he comes back and carries on as before.

If any of the above start to fire then we have those extra pivot players so loved by JK to get us moving.

If only we had a Sam Obst.

We are certainly capable of the 8 providing we stay fit and this would do us no harm if there is to be a reduction in numbers in SL in the near future.
Roll on NM and lets hope that we have another great season !.

PS, nobody wants to see Schoey stripping off again !

The form at the end of last season could give supporters a false view of where the club realistically is. Before that Trinity were hovering around London/Cas level and it wouldn't have taken much for the narrow victories to go the other way. I would be delighted with another top 8 finish, but would settle for a top 10. Overexpectation could be the watch word this year.

I reckon we are way better than last year.

However the sting as ever is that probably applies to most teams.

Hey Khlav you are my first "like" of the new RLFans

I have to agree.
Schoey is of course right that we actually finished 9th in terms of on field activities.
This season, we should realise 8th is actually a big step from last season.

Saying that, an extra off season with a very similar squad and more confidence, and in particular a goal kicker from the first game could give us a good chance.
I won't see 10th as failure, especially if Tim Smith misses any games at all.
For me, with Tim Smith we could be a 7-8th place team. Without him we are a good shout at 10th.

Although technically he is right on the Bradford issue, if they hadn't spent money on their squad, that they clearly didn't have, the Bulls would have been lucky to avoid the wooden spoon.
With so much of our attacking play coming through Smith last season, hopefully the return of Aiton and a fully fit Ali, may just take some pressure off the guy.
Equally, it took nearly half a season for the guys to gel last time around, so we should be in a stronger position at the mid point this season.
I'll settle for 9th and a trip to Wembley

For me it as to be 9th/8th place finnish and a good cup run, but we have to Loud n Proudin the stands and fire the players up, roll on Bradford Dulls game

That's the key. Looking at it only Salford stick out as a team who will be worse then last year so it will take a huge effort to achieve an actual top 8 position.

A sense of realism seems to be prevailing on here.
I must admit I am a little nervous about this season.
9th or 10th will do for me with anything higher being a bonus.
As has been said it all depends on the injury situation,particularly Tim Smith.
Lets hope if he does go down the other halves in the squad rise to the occasion.

I think that we should do pretty well. If we can get into form at the beginning we will finish within the 8. Aslong as our pack perform then Im pretty sure our halves will. If Smith and Sykes get injured - time for the youngsters to step up. I'll be happy aslong as we finish above Cas.

I think 7th is very doable. I'm not sure Hull KR will be stronger this year, and Bradford under an ex-assistant might struggle early on. Catalan might slip down the rankings too, and Huddersfield, with new unproven coaches (one of whom took Huddersfield on a slide right down the table). London could be the surprise package under Tony Rea, because they have a decent squad, and he has always done a good job in the past with them.

For me, the team of the year will be Saints. Add Nathan Brown and Willie Manu to what they already have and I think there is something pretty good there. Wigan are consistent but blow it on the crucial ones, and I just think the Wire backbone is getting a little old. Top 4 will be Saints, Wigan, Leeds and Wire, with Hull getting fifth. I think we are reasonably in the pack for the next 3 places, with as good a shot as all of them, and arguably in a more settled position than Bulls, Huddersfield and Catalan. Cas and Widnes scrapping for the bottom again.

As always, September will prove that I'm talking rubbish.

i'd be over the moon with 8th. Of course it is doable, but just about every team thinks they will make it before the season starts and i would say anyone (bar Salford maybe) is capable of making the 8. We need a better start to the season this time though and injuries will be crucial.

Can't see where Bradford have improved so that makes two.

From a Bradford point of view they have two hurdles.
1) They haven't added significantly to their team
2) They won games last year with the "last game ever" atmosphere pushing them through.

I think number two could cause an anti climax this year and they lose some of those games.