Interesting how on here most have Wire in the top 2 yet over on their boards they are nowhere near so optimnistic and most have them around 4th/5th. Whilst rightly people are questioning how Wigan will do without Tomkins, have they forgotten how integral Briers has been to Wire?

Also everyone, almost without exception, are predicting a big season for Saints based on Walsh and Masoe (who is currently injured). Is Walsh that good?

The league is likely to be a close contest - perhaps with the leaders losing 7 or 8 games - with most teams being weaker this season than last (excepting Salford and Saints)

FWIW

1. Leeds (best backline) 2. Wigan (lots of depth to squad) 3. Huddersfield (Brough is unlikely to have as good a season) 4. Wire (TS is still a great coach) 5. Saints 6. Catalans 7. Salford 8. Hull 9.Hull KR 10. Widnes 11. Cas 12. Wakey !3. Bulls 14. London

Challenge Cup - any of top 4 depending on the draw
Grand Final Wigan to beat Leeds (it would be nice to see top 2 contest the final)

Hudds
Wig
Warr
Saints
Leeds
Catalan
Hull
Salf
Hull KR
Bfd
Cas
Widnes
Wfld
London

C..C Leeds
G.F Leeds

It would be very similar to the Wigan board at this stage last year, where there was so much disillusionment with the forthcoming season & numerous posters not getting season tickets or only attending certain games. Not so many this year.

That means nothing. The Warrington fans have been sitting in a dark room wollowing in their own self pity since the 2011 playoffs.

Why do you think so many Leeds fans think that Wire will be strong this season then?

If moaning was an Olympic event we'd do pretty well - perhaps along with your annual "McDermott out" brigade!

He's a Cas fan.

McDermott out.

First time entrant

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

CC Leeds
GF St Helens

because he is one person expressing his opinion

That's why I put Warrington down for 4th. I remember them coming to Headingley last year without Briers or Morley and whilst they could still boast a talented team it look leaderless.

Briers and Morley missed a big chunk of the first half of the season and in their absence Wire went W7 L5 in SL and were floating around 4th/5th place. After they were both back Wire went W11 L1 and finished in 2nd place. That one loss came against Widnes at home and guess which two players Tony Smith rested for that match?

All in all a Wire lost 6 matches during the regular season in 2013. Briers and Morley together missed 5 of those. The other defeat Morley was missing and Briers was making his first start for 3 months.

They have the talent, but do they have any leaders left?

Is not just that though is it?

Amor in, hopefully Roby and lomax playing more rugby (with the latter settled in his best partition of fullback), walmsley with another off season at Saints, the emergence of swift as a genuine try-scoring winger, Beaumont to give some size in reserve at prop.

Plenty to be optimistic about and is not all just Walsh and Masoe.

You don't have to explain. Only a Wigan fan could not see further than their own @r5e.

Your smartass comment doesn't answer the question does it? Every poster is "one person expressing his opinion". Are people not allowed to engage in debate?

On the thread roughly 15 posters had Wire in the top 2. I just wondered why about 40% of the poll felt that Warrington would be as strong this season as last given that they have lost Morley, Briers, Hodgson and Carvell and have Asotasi and some untried (though talented) youngsters in their places.

Nice.

Given that Saints were so poor last season it is a huge leap of faith to see them winning anything this season. It surprised me that so many posters see Saints as a bigger threat than Wigan as well. Personally I welcome a better Saints team. Added spice to the derby and all that...

I think Saints had a young squad last year that got better as it went on. It will probably be better still this year. I think it is a year too soon for them to win anything.

As for Wire, we've been told that it's "the year of the Wolf" for about a decade now. No championships. I conclude that Wire optimism is inversely proportional to their championship prospects. Therefore the fact that they're not confident will be the key factor in their success.

Or something.

Predictions are tricky beggars anyway. Neither Hudds or Wigan looked the best teams on paper last year. In the two phases of the season (regular and play-offs respectively) they were the best team on grass, where it counted. Saints, Leeds, Wigan, Warrington and maybe Hudds have the capacity to come out on top this year. It's all about how they knit everything together.

Anyone else think that Leeds' potential is purely down to McDermott?

We have the best back line, its common knowledge.
We have a some very good back rowers.
The props we have are decent, JP, Kylie, Bailey, Singleton are solid enough.
We have 4 halves that would get in most SL sides.

Our only flaw is McDermott and his unstructured headless chicken rugby.

With a decent coach Leeds could finish 1st. With McDermott we will finish 5th.

Saints look great on paper, but again its the coach. Nathan Brown is still unproven for me. Look what Anderson did with Huddersfield after Brown made a complete balls up.

Wigan, they will feel the losses this season. Last year they did well to replace the ones they lost, this year is too much and will struggle to keep pace at the top.

Huddersfield will have another outstanding season, they could run away with it.

I strongly believe McDermott is currently the wrong coach for this club, and has taken us backwards. However, I don't agree with your assessment on the players. Yes we do have the best backline, but I think you are over rating the rest on the post. We have aged half backs who whilst they have the rugby brain do not have the speed that they used to. We have forwards entirely reliant on Peacock who will be performing an ubelievable feat if he can go through the season missing only 8 or 9 games. We have lost 8 players who were used last season, and replaced them with 3, one of whom is out for a long period.

This year coming, because we haven't planned properly, I don't think another coach would make the difference how we will finish. It would however help for future years.

McGuire is the only halfback showing his age. Burrow still looks like a spring chicken. His pace out of dummy half, which created 2 tries, vs Wire playoff was sublime. Sinfield has never had pace anyway and still has an outstanding appearance record. The other is Sutcliffe who is a kid.

The Props, not forwards, may be reliant on JP. I'd have loved to have seen another prop added to the squad but for what ever reason thats not happened. However JP can be rotated, the others can hold the fort against the whipping boys. If JP is not fit for the big games, then we are in trouble, until then....

I've just read a tweet by David Sadler he says Phil Clarke is tipping Salford to win SL.I hope Salford do well,but I wonder if the Prophet Phil has had a revelation from Angel Gabriel

Phil Clarkes predictions arent overly accurate, think he's tipped Wire last few years to win GF..... expect the same level of accuracy this year.

Seem to recall him in the studio after Hull beat Wire at Halliwell Jones in the middle of last season saying he thought Hull would make the GF.

When their's a video ref decision and all the others are saying its a try he'll say it's not, and when they all think no try he'll say it should be given. He's a waste of airtime that would be better given to Carney or Wells.

Clurke's ramblings are those of a man insane www.skysports.com/opinion/story/ ... 31,00.html Pumped-up hedgehogs? WTF's he on?

Clurke's ramblings are those of a man insane www.skysports.com/opinion/story/ ... 31,00.html Pumped-up hedgehogs? WTF's he on?

What's more insane is he calls Lee Mossop one of the best forwards in SL.

Or a revelation & back hander from Dr Koukash.