with the start we have made would finishing outside the playoffs be classed now as a bad season? Given that we finished bottom last season not finishing bottom again might be classed as progress? What do people think? Know its still pretty early just expectations have probably been made higher due to our early season form.

I don't think not finishing bottom would be sufficient to be honest, since that would imply 13th or higher, which would actually make it possible for us to finish lower than we did last season.

I still think we'll benefit from the warmer conditions through the summer months, which suit our style of play. However I still think our home form could be affected by expectation from the fans and the restrictive dimensions of the playing field.

I said at the start of the season that 10th or higher is where we should be aiming, with making the playoffs a stretch target. I still think that, although our encouraging form over the first 10 games has lead me to believe that making the playoffs is now a more realistic ambition.

i do think the risen expectations of all cas fans would make a 13th,12th,11th or even 10th place finish a disapointing season after the start we have made.

My thoughts exactly, a top 10 finish is my expectation. Playoffs would be an amazing achievement.

Thinking logically, I still don't see more than one team that is significantly worse than us, and I only see one team at the moment that is significantly better. It is a matter of form and consistancy that'll see us finish between 2-13, our lack of depth would suggest we'll finish in the lower half of that range.

Personally, I'd love to see us finish above one team, the Pies. Been following Cas since 92 and never seen us finish above the Pies in the League

Success in many ways would be finishing higher than last season, so as we finished 12th, it would have to be higher than that, but our expectations should be higher than that, given that we really need to be aiming for a play off spot in the next 3 seasons, in order to make our next franchise application a no brainer. Success on the field will help to quell any fears we have about our new ground being up and running in time for the next round of franchises, it will also bring increased gates, increase our revenue and help us secure the signatures of more of our talented local youngsters, as well as keep our established stars.
So for me it has to be a play off place, just for the bigger picture if nothing else.

Now that Shifty has got the monkey off his back, I expect nothing less than a top 4 placing.

A winning appearance in both finals. Anything less and MATTERSON MUST GO!!

For me 10th or above is a fantastic achievement for me. If we overcome Fax we'll be in the quarters of the cup which is also a decent achievement, but semis would be the cherry on the top (final would be cherry and sprinkles).

what would winning it be?

how about beating us?

Nah, we're aiming higher than a small, poorly supported club like yourselves.

Orgasm.

Anywhere in the top 8 would be over and above what i expected this year, was looking at 10th, a double over Wigan a win over Weeds Whinos not bothered bout waky cos they are an irrelivance to the league and wont be in come next franchise.

you got to have your cup final every year! we only care about beating leeds, wakey are nothing

A good season for me is..

1. Tenth or better
2. Hearing something which clinches the stadium build.

A great season would be...

3. Eighth or better
4. Seeing something being built
5. Cup semi appearance
6. A win vs Leeds
7. Double over the Goons

helluva crystal ball youve got there fella! is it your mums?

na, it was borrowed from richardson

What will make this a good season for me is if we look like a SL quality side for the rest of the season. I'm not thinking about positions, play offs or such like i'm just thinking i want my team to look competative each game and give me the feeling that whoever we play we'll give them a game and will get our fair share of good results. That'll obviously enable us to be in with a shot of play offs, and that plus a good cup run would be great, but i'll just be happy we're not routed to the foot of the table and entering every game expecting to get trounced. I'm looking for a season we were used to before 2004 and nothing like any of the SL seasons after that when we have been, on the whole, garbage.

A little bit of consistent quality.

Said at the start of the season that finishing 9th was best we could realistically expect and I still feel that way. A fairly even for/against points tally would be an added bonus as an indication we are becoming more competitive over the distance.

As per the start of the season, top 10 would be a good achievement, top 8 will require a lot of luck with injuries.

A good cup run is now important as well, given the Superleague sides that are out and a favourable 5th round draw.

no mate it isnt but just having one ball is i suppose better than no balls in your case of course

I was hoping for 10th spot and a decent cup run at the start of the season.

We've made a good start, but look at how many games we've won by 6 points or less (won 4, lost 2 (Hudds and Quins)) - we could easily have lost some of those and be down where Bradford are (

). However, the fact that we HAVE won those matches (whereas last year we would probably have capitulated) shows that the squad has improved both mentally and technically. If we can be consistant and have a good run with injuries we should make 8th or better - a real bonus considering that this should be our 'consolidation' season.

As Marshy says - "look like a SL quality side for the rest of the season" and "A little bit of consistent quality" and I'll be chuffed. Next season is when we should have higher expectations.

Would just a tiny bit of punctuation hurt?