I bought my season pass for this year more out of a sense of duty after the dross that's been served up in the last few years.

I'm pleased I did though as there has been so much more entertainment to watch. I'm just surprised that the crowds aren't drifting back - are people really sticking to their "i'll not go while he's still in charge" line?

There is definitely a big opportunity this year but wigan have plenty of big game mentality and experience and wire have a much better half back pairing than us which I think will probably be the difference when it matters. Still, a top 4 finish would be an amazing turnaround from where we've been and I'm still hopeful that we can maybe have another wembley trip this year

I agree replacing the likes of Ellis & Mini is a very very tough task but maybe this is also one of the reasons Motu was in Oz. I would like to think the coaching staff and club are already planning for that eventuality, especially seeing Leeeds struggle this season.

I do think it's Hulls best chance in over a decade to win serious silverware. As long as we keep the right mental attitude put in 80minute performances it's ours to lose. Biggest tests are Wire away and Catalan in the cup.
In a way the pressure is off a little as the team gave already achieved the goal of top 8 however expectation is now up due to the way they've performed so far.

For me though this season has already made me enjoy coming to see the games unlike the last couple of seasons.

Onwards and upwards COYH

No comparison to Leicester IMO, we've been an SL side since 1998 and have big resources, its just we've under achieved for so long that makes this year a surprise. We're more like an Everton or a Tottenham, used to be trophy winners with big, loyal fanbases but now spend a lot of time in mid-table trying to catch up with the big guns.

I agree Warrington have the edge due to experience, but I also think if Catalan manage to finish in the Top2 then they are odds on for the Grand Final as it'll be very tough for anyone to go to Perpignan in hot conditions in a one-off semi final game.

Isn't the match the weekend of 1st October? Warmer than here, but not July heat intensity I'd have thought.

. The comparison was near bottom of the league to top.

The french aren't playing particularly well and are the club most likely to drop out of the top 4 IMO (other than us when we have our usual meltdown over injuries or some such problem)

As a team you don't have the same experience as Warrington but you have some very experienced leaders in your squad which I think will pull you through

There are also comparisons to be made between the two worst title defences ever!

keep injury free and we are right in the mix

More unimaginable than the treble winners of 2015 playing in the 2016 middle 8s?

There's no reason why Hull can't continue to grow and evolve as a team in the coming years. But this season offers as good a chance as any to win something. Next year, other teams are likely to imitate Hull's and Catalans' big is beautiful philosophy, even with the reduction in interchanges. That means more will be able to fight fire with fire, and the more teams that play that way, the more teams will become familiar with it. They'll still have some catching-up to do, and won't themselves benefit to the same extent, but maintaining that specific competitive advantage over years, is unlikely - if not quite unimaginable.

People seem to have this obsession with our supposedly massive team but IMO it's a bit of a myth. Our props are no bigger than most teams, our back rowers (pritchard apart) the same. We have the likes of washbrook, thompson and hadley playing regularly. ellis, manu and mini are the same size as most back rowers in SL and smaller than plenty. bowden and taylor are pretty big but no more than props elsewhere, green is big but probably the least effective of our props and watts is actually quite lean for a prop. In the backs we only really have the bin man and fonua who are bigger than average but no more than the likes of hall, sau, lineham, carney etc.

Where we seem to have an advantage is in technique, fitness and conditioning. We're not dropping off intensity towards the end of games and we play at a high tempo which is hard for most teams to live with. I don't think we're really doing anything much different to what the rest of SL are trying to do, we're just doing it more effectively

Absolutely. How many teams have won the title from 8th the previous year? Leeds decline is a function of poor recruitment following the release of Sinfield, Peacock, Leuluia, Aiton and excessive injuries. Year over year our recruitment has been good but frankly we've not had injury crises for a few seasons, so that's not a material factor in any progression. It's unimaginable. FWIW I think Catalans and Wire will win the trophies this year, but am simply delighted to have seen such a great string of performances. Even more satisfying on the back of receiving fees for players and at the same time trading up the squad.

So, Catalans, who were 8th after 23 rounds and 7th after 30 last year, will win a trophy, but it's beyond Hull?

I can understand if you're just reluctant to say something that might jinx it.

Or maybe the accusations of arrogance, have hit a nerve, just as you (hull fans generally) do have something to be confident about?

But rationally, on current form, it's very possible. I can imagine it happening, so it is definitely imaginable.