And you say we're optimistic?

I think it's the fact that there's so much change, as well as new coaching staff, it will take time to gell. Although they have signed some half decent players none are stand outs that drastically improve the squad.

1 Warrington
2 Leeds
3 Saints
4 Wigan
5 Hudds
6 Cats
7 FC
8 Bulls

9 Cas
10 KR
11 Wakefield
12 Salford
13 Widnes
14 London

Is that quote drastically different from what we've done though? Whilst we have definately strengthened, we've only improved the squad just enough to be challenging for 8th in my opinion. We are ok - just as Cas, Wakey, Hull KR, Hull etc are.

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

I'd say your squad already had a bit more quality to it before taking into account the additions. Arn't Wakefield's 1-13 squad numbers all taken up by new signings? I just think that's too much of an overhall at once. Plus, said new coach at Wakefield dosen't exactly have a brilliant record at getting the best out of players according to the fans of his previous club.

For me I've got you challenging for 8th place, along with KR, Cas and possibly even London, who have made a few astute signings. I think there will be a bit of a gap between the top and bottom half, although I can see it being very tight from places 8 to possibly 12 or 13. The only teams I can't envisage challenging for the play-offs are Salford, who appear to be in dissaray as a club, and Widnes, although I'm not so sure they'll be the whipping boys everyone is predicting.

All in all I'm just hoping for a more competitive Super League, with less blow out scores against teams who come the secon half of the season are already shot.

Who have Bradford signed to suggest you will make the play offs this season

Hope this is just wishful thinking on your part and not a genuine indication of complete idiocy.

A better halfback pairing in Gale & Sammut and some players who are meant to be able to defend and attack better on the fringes in Purtell and Lulia.

Having said that we're weaker in the forwards. I think 8th is the best we can hope for.

Whilst it is commendable to big-up one's own during pre-season, I am somewhat surprised many on here believe the Bulls will make the play-offs (some predicting as high as 6th).

The recruitment of Sammut and Gale will of whetted your appetites but the loss of Andy Lynch quickly dampens any raised spirits.

Kopczak will step it up this year. He showed he can mix it with the Aussies and Kiwis and hopefully will continue that form along with Kear on the wings.

It might be more a case of who we've replaced rather than who we signed. Herbert was the worst scrum half in the comp and yet we were far from the worst team so any improvement, and I think Gale and Sammut are improvements, would be expected to have a very significant effect. Again, our centres were poor in attack and defence so Lullia who looked very good for Newcastle in the second half of the NRL season will also improve us. I'm less convinced by Purtell but he simply must be better than Sykes and Platt. Kear looks a good lad who can play wing or fullback.

I don't necessarily think we're weaker in the forwards as I thought our pack was poor last season and that included Lynch. Optimism is based upon a group of young emerging forwards the best of whom are Kopczak, Whitehead and Burgess. We're definitely a good prop short but I've thought that for six years. If Langley and Scruton play 20+ games I think we look a top 8. Take them out and we look very light up front. My sense is there's the makings of a rugby team if we get a fair wind with injuries as in the key positions of 1,6,7 and 9 we're the strongest we've been in years.

very nearly the complete answer, MB, a bit of expansion on the injuries needed imo. You have mentioned Langley , he looked good Boxing Day, and Scruton, theres also Walker Ainscough (he showed what he could do with the right service on Boxing Day) Diskin L'Estrange that had significant time out last season (or just as bad, played with injuries - cant wait for Diskin to be fully fit). Hargreaves looked very fit too, looks like hes up for proving a point this season. I think that if Langley and Scruton play 20+ games then Elima will have less cause to spit his dummy out as he did on occasion last season in frustration.

I'm going to resist the temptation to project an exact table, simply because the middle part of the table - into which the Bulls fit - is almost impossible to predict.

I think its more or less a given that the so-called 'Big 4' will occupy the top 4 positions, and that Wakefield, Salford and Widnes will occupy the bottom 3 positions (in whichever order)

The difficulty is predicting 5th down to 11th. Catalans look solid enough to be at the top end of that, but beyond that it really is going to depend on form, fitness, coaching ability, bounce of the ball and any number of imponderables. Personally, I think Huddersfield are going to struggle this season, so I'd lump them into the middle group

For me, Catalans, Huddersfield, both Hull clubs, Cas, London are all in the mix with ourselves for the slots 5 through 11. With everything going our way in terms of injuries, refereeing decisions in close games, weather, lucky breaks etc I genuinely think we can be comfortably in the 8, and even up to the heady heights of 5th or 6th. But equally well, if everything goes badly wrong - and it easily could - then we get be scrabbling around 10th or 11th and failing to make the play offs yet again.

Most fans from other clubs are saying we are light in the forwards. Lynch being the obvious loss but i actually think we are stronger with Koppy possibly the most improved Prop in the comp and young Burgess looking to kick on from last season.

Add to this the return of a fully fit Scruton and hopefully Manoukafoa being a success? throw Hargreaves into the mix we look to have good cover in the front row for mine, also a massive boost is having both Diskin and L 'Estrange fit for the start of season, both were injured for long periods last year.

Commendable? Note to Peter Hood and Mick Potter - we're being patronised by Hull KR fans.

Most Wakefield fans have us finishing 12th and them 8th.

Well Wakey will definatly finish below us. If we have half the injuries we had last season.

Being patronised by Hull KR? Laugh if we put 40 past them this year.

Bold but Bulls WILL finish 6th.

As much as Lynch carried the pack at times during last year, the PTB will speed up now he's not here. He's not the quickest at playing it and Heath and Diskin will prefer speed at the PTB to get forward

I admire the optimism of those on here. I hope you're right but I have sewious weservations.

With a bit of luck as people have said with injuries, bounce of ball, ref decisions etc, i think comfortably we will get in the 8, if push comes to shove i`d play Langley at prop due to injuries so Bateman plays at loose forward.We`ve got better half-backs, Centres, and plenty of cover for 2nd Row when Whitehead`s ban is over. Lets see how Olbison, Donaldson go with a full pre-season. Elima to come in when fit, Joseph?

I'd forgotten you had Elima. Lynch was good but not as good as the amount Hull paid for him IMO. When I've seen the Bulls on Sky he did seem prone to errors and coming up with dumb attacking plays (e.g. going for glory from 5m out on the last tackle etc).

I think if Bradford can stay within touching distance of the top 4 by Easter they should be able to avoid the customary slide in the summer, assuming the signings in the backs and halves are as good as they seem to be on paper.

No doubt I'll be proven wrong about Hull. Perhaps the new coach will 'do a Maguire'.

to be honest i dont know why bradford have struggled the last couple of years they have had a good team on paper enough to make the top 8 at least when you came to craven park last season i was suprised how easy we beat you and at odsal come to think of it

We became experts at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, wilting in the face of adversity and (most seriously of all, obviously) generally leaving us fans the laughing stock of the competition.

But the minutes of a secret board meeting have just come into our possession. And now we know the truth.

It transpires was it all a cunning, long-term plan to lull the rest of the competition into thinking they could safely take us for granted because we were a totally spent force.

So that this season, we could storm back and steal a good dozen games or so and be sitting near the top of the table before everyone else even realised we had been kidding them...



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bit like us then except our plan was win everything in the eighties be crap for the next twenty years be the butt of all the jokes to our scum neighbours then to p**s them off by getting in super league and going to there place hammering them 42-6 to save our super league status