1. St Helens

After a couple of uncertain seasons I feel that everything will click together for Saints in 2012. The dismantling on Wigan two weeks on the trot in the play offs was a message that the Saints are back and that probably means no one will touch them during the regular rounds next year. Unfortunately they’ll keep on choking when it matters in the grand final until certain members of the Rhinos team retire.

2. Leeds Rhinos

Another god awful regular season shouldn’t be on the agenda for Leeds Rhinos in 2012. Leeds have the best and most experience squad members throughout super league. To top it off we have some of the best youngsters emerging in the country. There’s too much going right for the Rhinos at the moment and I just can’t see 2012 been another damp squid.

3. Hull FC

Their new coach comes from a really good fraternity of coaches and will have a first year Michael Maguire effect to a lesser extent on the team. Perhaps Nathan Brown would have been a better comparison? Big things are happening at hull and expect this year to be the start of that.

4. Warrington Wolves

Finishing first will be the last thing on the agenda for Warrington players in 2012. I think that Warrington will have a Leeds Rhinos 2007-esque season where they put in big performances against whoever they think will be in the grand final. In Leeds case it was St Helens in 2007. In Warrington’s case I think it’ll be Leeds they’ll choose to put in the best performances against. They’ll just go through the motions with the rest of super league apart from they bitter rivals of course.

5. Wigan Warriors

Wigan are a spent force in 2012 with so many good players leaving the squad in 2011. There’s a cockiness about Wigan that worked in 2010 and for the majority of 2011 but things just weren’t going right for them at the end and it’ll continue. The pie eaters will have to wait a very long time before Wigan are in the top four and winning things again. Sam Tomkins can’t carry a team on his own.

6. Catalan Dragons
7. Huddersfield Giants
8. Salford City Reds
9. Hull KR
10. Castleford Tigers
11. Wakefield Trinity
12. London Broncos
13. Bradford Bulls
14. Widnes Vikings

1. Warrington Wolves
2. St Helens
3. Leeds Rhinos
4. Wigan Warriors
5. Hull FC
6. Huddersfield Giants
7. Catalan Dragons
8. Castleford Tigers
9. Hull KR
10. Salford City Reds
11. London Broncos
12. Wakefield Wildcats
13. Bradford Bulls
14. Widnes Vikings

1warrington
2 rhinos
3wigan
4saints
5hull
6 Catalan
7bradford
8hull kr
9huddersfield
10salford
11widnes
12castleford
13london
14wakefield

1....St Helens
2....Warrington
3....Leeds
4....Wigan
5....Catalan
6....Hull
7....Huddersfield
8....Hull KR
9....Bradford
10..Wakefield
11..Castleford
12..Widnes
13..Salford
14..London

Bulls dropping down to 13th even with an improved squad?! wishfull thinking..

Whilst not thinking Bradford will finish 13th, is Bradfords squad really much of an improvement on last season?

1 wolves
2 saints
3 rhinos
4 warriors
5 giants
6 dragons
7 hull fc
8 tigers
9 bulls
10 hkr
11 broncos
12 salford
13 wildcats
14 vikings

Yeah, it is. We seriously, seriously were short of quality in the halves last year. The recruitment of Gale and Sammut, as well as the further development of Briggs puts paid to that. I aren't suggesting they're world class half-backs, but they're a damn improvement on what we had. The recruitment of established NRL players such as Purtell and Lulia also adds more depth and strength to our backline.

Saying we'll finish 13th isn't wishful thinking, it's just plain moronic.

Adding any HB with a decent pair of boots would improve your squad on last years.
13th may be "moronic" but you'll lose alot more than yer win again and still having players like Platt ,Sykes ,Ainscough ,Sibbitt and Herbert in your squad shows a squad that's still lacking real depth and quality.

Thats what I was thinking too, especially with the loss of Lynch and to be honest I'd never heard of Lulia & Purtell.
However I'd take Aaron's point that the halves should be a big improvement.

I disagree - Gale is OK but only OK, Sammut was a bit player at Crusaders and Briggs will never make a SL half. Dale will only be OK if the forwards give him the time - I honestly can't see where the forward drive is coming from - Bradford have as bad if not a worse squad than last year.

Potter will not see the season out - sadly Bradford are a club in terminal decline - my tip to lose their licence in the next round.

For a start Herbert has gone. As for Platt, Sykes and Sibbitt, unlikely to be first choice if they feature at all with Purtell, Lulia and Kear being brought in and our backrow options looking really strong (Elima, Whitehead, Langley, Olbison, Bateman, Donaldson, Addy etc)

And i disagree about Ainscough, he has some quality and will score tries if given the opportunities.

"Forward drive"? = Kopzcack, Burgess, Scruton and hopefully Manoukafoa? although losing him for the start of the season is a blow.

I like Whitehead ,Elima is too inconsistent ,Addy is nothing special imo and Langley is more biscuit boned than Sculthorpe was prior to retiring without the class inbetween.
As for your other BR options i know Donaldson is highly rated but have Bateman and Olbison done enough to suggest that they'll be the top quality so galringly lacking within the Bulls squad?
Ainscough is a poor mans Rivett and will end up at Dewsbury or keighley ,Kear has potential but isn't a top 6 winger/FB as yet and in terms of imports will they bring enough quality to get you into the 8 and avoid injury?

I doubt that unless a decision is taken to significantly reduce the number of teams from the current 14.

Why is it moronic? You signed the halves from the clubs that finished 12th and 14th last season. You've signed some players from the NRL but, so what? You signed some NRL players last season and it didn't improve your league placing. I understand you have very little quality coming through your junior ranks to improve your first team in the short term.

You finished two wins ahead of last seasons 13th placed team and I'd wager Wakey's fans think their team has improved and made sigings.

I'm not saying I agree with the prediction, I think Potter is a good coach and thought he'd do better last year but it's neither wishful thinking or moronic to think you might drop a few places. In fact, it's quite a reasonable prediction, however much it may irritate you.

You're right to put a question mark after it. Where is Bradfords forward drive going to come from. That is quite a weak bunch of props. With an only steady backrow.
Id suggest that's one of the weakest sets of props in the league.

There's so much rubbish in Super League that it's not inconceivable Bradford could scrape into the Top 8 even with their lightweight, paceless, boring, skillless squad. They'll require a lot of good fortune to do so however. OTOH, they could also finish around 12th. Anywhere between 9th and 12th seems the most likely for them.

Another three years as bottom feeders and all those trophies will be a distant memory. Add to that a ground that will not be fit for purpose and a club with a funding issue. I see a merger with Halifax and a move to the Shay.

Its quite predictable to be totally written off by you Whino's, only time will tell. For the record, i'd say you'll finish 4th/5th.

Possibly much will depend on how the likes of Wigan and Warrington react to last season's disappointment.

Losing Buderus and the signing of 2 plodders (Moore & Griffin) won't help your cause. Although Hardaker & Jones Bishop look like they'll provide plenty of potency out wide.

It's not about writing Bradford off, its about looking at their squad and thinking its not very good. As Mr Swiftcorn says, anywhere from 9th to 12th is about right.

I don't think anyone's [itotally[/i written you off. I haven't. I genuinely believe you could finish outside the bottom two.

I'd be more worried about Saints than either of those two personally.

Recruited well and a host of good young players with an extra year's experience under their belts. IMO they'll be the big improvers in 2012, neither Wigan nor Warrington are going to get any better than they were in 2011.