For me there's not much between the starting 17 players or so from both sides, should be close. Probably be a right arm wrestle till the last 30 minutes or so and whichever set of forwards have the upper hand at that point should be able to to give the backs the field position to pull away. I'll go 18-28 Wakey. First games of the season are so hard to call.

Funny thing is for a Wakey first game of the season, this is as settled squad as I've seen in ages. True, Smith and Miller have to gel and full back needs nailing down but apart from that the spine of the team is pretty settled. Like you mention Webster looks to have pinned his hopes on the pack been big and enough and good enough for Tim Smith to do his magic, which imo isn't a bad idea at all for a team like us.

What paper is this, the velvet stuff you wipe your bum with?

There is as far as we know nothing special about castlefords defence any more than ours. Defence is as state mind thing - far more so than attack - in which case all teams at the start of a season are unknown quantities.

As it happens I think cas will win fairly easy. However it's a marathon not a sprint and I think they will fade and we will grow.

Head says cas, heart says wakey but it will be close either way. If i was a gambling man i'd probably just go with home advantage.

First game up last season we lost out to a rebuilt Salford side, with our half backs only arriving 3 days before the season started.
Think Sunday could be another game that we have the opportunity of winning but will slip through our fingers.
Half backs are the key I believe come Sunday.

I'd like to see our team attack! we aint never going to win games with our tight defence.. so we need to outscore our opponents!

The pressure and expectation is very much on castleford after last year, and probably in front of a good crowd . Home game against us is a game that any team with high expectations will expect to win.

Also if either us or Cas get the upper hand this season and take the full 6 points on offer from our games they will be well on their way to top 8 IMO.

Will be a closer game than most think for me. If Cas are going to shine they have to get it to the wingers. I think we should finish some where between 6th and 10th.

I feel more confident about this season than I have for years... this team has some excitement about it, and some football in it...

i am really looking forward to the season.

The top 6 will most likely come from
Wigan Leeds Warrington Sts Huddersfield & Catalan

I can't see Cas finishing above any of these teams, which means Cas will be fighting it out in the bottom 6 with Wakefield

I don't think that they are a shoe in for the top 4 and without a decent start to the season they will be looking at the dreaded "qualification league"

Having said that, the bookies aren't usually too far out and they are offering 2/1 on a Wakefield win.
I hope that we can cause an upset but, unfortunately I think Cas will win (but not by many).

Scott Andersons tweet may just have given Cas the extra incentive and may just make the Cas fans that little bit louder. Silly boy.

I can't imagine it will make that much difference but I reckon he can take it.

Why what's it say because last tweet I can see he made was something about Asian Cup.

Even if it was provacative do you really think a Pro RL player playing in a local derby first game of the season , needs any more extra incentive.

Think you should blame Martin Clawson for that one.