Bottom 2 Relegated

Quote: Wakey Til I Die "FWIW these are my probably mis-guided musings....

Warrington, Wigan, Saints, Leeds & Huddersfield will be the top five again, so what about the others?

Hull - As you were. Should do better given their size and resources. They have lost some key players in Holdsworth, Briscoe & Tickle but their recruitment will keep them at a similar level. They will make the 8 think but another year of under achievement beckons.

Catalans - Possibly due to their set up the biggest set of playing resources in the league. They beat London in a friendly last week with a team that had just 11 out of the squad with superleague experience. 16 potentail first choice players didn't play yet they still looked quite impressive. Always hard to beat at home and will be a top 8 team again i reckon.

Salford - Major recruitment drive and the have bought well. Yes a few of their players are nearing the end of their career but they still have enough in the tank and bring bags of experience. May take them a while to gel but they won't be even close to the bottom end of the table come september. They may start slowly but ultimatley the play offs are a realistic goal.

London - Are, in my opinion, a shoe-in for bottom spot, their team of youngsters will struggle and strength in depth will be a major issue. They may surprise a couple of teams along the way on their new home patch but there will be some good thumpings as well. Time for them to rebuild the brand for a few years in the championship.

Cas - The loss of Chase will be a big one, is Brett Seymour really the man to replace him? They seem to have gone for quantity over quality, signings like Wheeldon, Gibson, Dorn, Finn, Sneyd, Channing all from the bottom two teams or the championship from last year and are all very average. Lynch is getting on a bit and Mariano, as we know, can be hit and miss. The partnership between Carney & Webster is crucial for them if, and its a big if, they are available. Powell will toughen them up and they will be too good to go down but not good enough for the play-offs.

Hull KR - Yes they have lost Dobson and will miss him, but they have recruited well and have plenty of depth. Keating is a decent replacement and guys like Costigan, Langley, Weyman, Cockayne & Poore will have them close to the 8, if not in it.

Bradford - All depends whether the financial issues bite. If they can keep their current team togther then the top 8 is a chance and relegation won't be an issue as they look stronger than last year. If they have to lose a couple or more of their key players then it could be a different story and a struggle could be on the cards. Personally think they will miraculously manage to hang onto their main men and finish 9th or 10th.

Widnes - The one people seem to be over-looking. I don't really see much improvement in them from last year. Yes Tickle is a good pick up for them but they have lost Hock to mitigate it, and Winterstein always did a decent job for them. I rate Hanbury highly at fullback and Brown & Mellor are a good halfback pairing but a couple of long term injuries and they could struggle. If their key players stay fit then they should be ok but they won't break any pots.

Wakefield - So onto us. I really want to be optimistic and say we can defy the critics, backs to the wall style, Wakey spirit etc, etc but I am genuinely fearful this time round. Our first choice team will be competitive no doubt but the squad looks painfully thin in areas and our key signings from overseas have yet to even get on a plane here. It really isn't helpful to have your potential halfback partnership sat waiting for visas/passports so close to the begiining of the season. It looks like they will have no pre-season game match practice and precious little training time before the start of the season, making it likely that it will take longer for the team to get the combinations right. Last weekends cancellation hasn't helped the prep, neither has the cancelling of the pre-season camp. And with games against a still gelling Salford, a troubled Bradford, Catalans at home and London in the first five rounds then a good start is vital but we look up against it from the start. With only 2000 season tickets sold it seems like crowds will be down so Belle Vue won't seen particularly intimidating to visit. The Wakey fan in me says will a bit of luck with injuries we will sneak 12th and be ok. But in all honesty if I was a neutral i'd be tipping us for that second relegation spot. Either way its going to be a very tough year. Fingers crossed.'"

good post this, I would agree with about 95% of it. I just don't think Hull will make it into the 8

It's exciting, you can't deny that! I'd tip London and you guys (and I don't think I'm alone) but realistically anyone not in the top 8/9 could slip away....

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