The thread is about the odds, it was my thread. The top 2 at the end of the season will be Bradford and leigh, the order is more difficult to predict. I give leigh the preference based on a number of points, squad continuity, experience of the league and the grounds, plus of course being a leigh fan. Going undefeated would be difficult for any team, and only two could do it, will they who knows, but I sure look forward to finding out. If you beat us this season then fair play, you will probably be the best team ever in the division, because from what I have seen this year and last, I have never seen a better in this division than our current team, so that will either continue this year, or we will finish second to a better Bradford team

Think Leigh have the advantage of a settled squad.

From a Bradford pov, after a number of the SL guys left at the end of last season, we've had quite few new faces to bring in, so I think we'd have been happier to have the match up at your place a few games further down the line . Not that we're unhappy with the recruitment - far from it, but obviously the squad has to 'gel' and there are still some we still don't know too much about and that can always go two ways!

Must admit it looks like two leagues in one with the pro sides and the rest but we have to play the hand we're dealt. Looking forward to it.

yes, I keep looking at the Leigh threads to look for all this alleged arrogance, and perhaps i need a new pair of glasses, but the undefeated thread rather than providing any glowing examples of arrogance from Leigh fans shows that they are all pretty realistic, with one exception that they have told us about anyway, Charlie Caroli and his spinning illuminated bow tie and glowing red nose that exceeds even Alex Fergusons conk in his brightest red period, before he discovered AA (Away Aht).

Apologies for rather overstating CC's cuiriosity value.

Huddersfield were described as a one man team by one previewer of SL 2015. That is a criticism that could also be levelled at Leigh. Take out Ryan from last year, where would the team have been? Most tries, most assists gone. Settled can mean stuck in a rut, a rut of Ryan doing it all. What if hes not there either in a game or for the season? What pressure has any team in the championship ever put on him? Take away the one man glue and what have you got?

betting seems to be for a two point win by Leigh. that makes me very happy, put our most defensive side on the pitch, pressure ryan and win by a drop goal to nil.

Easy.

Leigh are a quality side and will take some stopping ... they have a lot of advantages over ourselves and London. However I agree we have a better squad than last year and confident when it matters we will be in a good position to come strong. I personally want to see a sound defence and impeccable discipline.

At last we get some common sense from the Leigh fans - couldn't agree more with that post

That is exactly my point, experience of the teams, Ryan is only a part of it. He may be the one who gets the press, but he did not win player of the year in the league, nor did he win player of the year voted for by the leigh fans. He won young player of the year. Leigh's strength is the team and not any individuals.

Joking and rivalry aside that first game will answer a few questions. Will the privileged and iconic former SL giants be too good for last years championship stand out team? Will the settled side hold all the aces at this stage of the season?

What a great opening game for the Championship and RL in general, hope you bring a crowd with you and we can break 7000 - not long now.

ps ignore Charlie, he hasn't got a clue where the plot is.

With all due respect, the first game is simply that - it's game 1, in a long, long season.

For sure, it will answer your questions, but they are not really questions of any great value - who wins this game and holds 'all the aces' on the opening day are all things which will have little relevance by the time we hit the business end of the season. For all that, I'm sure both sides will be hoping to 'put down markers' and we have the makings of a good encounter. Looking forward to it and I've got my ticket already!

Take the 2005 season, the Bulls were dire at the beginning and being in the GF let alone winning seemed way off the mark, but they got a roll on in late June and took it from there.
On paper it Leigh's to lose and in theory have a settled squad who will be full of confidence, the Bulls will start the season as basically a new side but with the of the last few seasons traumas still echoing.
It should be a close game but it could also be a 2-3 try difference to either side. The uncertainty principle is in full swing.

RL is the sort of game where final scores don't always reflect how the game went. Sometimes the 'blowout' scores are warranted but most often they simply flatter the winners as the losing team goes into all out attack mode and leaves gaping holes in the defensive line with 'hail Mary' plays.

Very true, but can you think of a better opening game to get the contest up and running.

A Bulls loss will be a great confidence boost for all you near neighbours who are looking for your scalp

exactly as stated in press releases, they want to make a point against Leigh without saying they will win, BUT the whole approach and planning to the season is to peak for the super8's. and if there is a question to answer, that answer will be on the 19th July at Odsal, 3pm as that will tell us if either of the teams are up for the super 8s.

This settled thing. We have had an unsettled team for two years maybe more now, due to departures and injuries. Looking at this years squad there are 11 players from last year that are pretty much certs for the 17. The new players would be full back, a wing, a half back, three props. The three props imo will not unsettle the squad, quite the opposite they will settle it. at one point last season we had two specialist props fit (or was it one?) so had Addy, the water carrier, the man on the turnstile playing prop for us. Clough in for Nas, Lauaki in for Fakir, Fleming replacing the loan prop (we only had one at any point in time but how many of them over last season did we have? Mullaney, Nas's mate from Hudderfield, Hughes was it, that lad from Leeds who played for the u19s, etc etc etc) and then in addition Davies and Tahraoui. That leaves three players that could unsettle the match day 17.

The issue maybe more about settled tactics. Last season was a make do, this season they clearly have a game plan that they have chosen the players to match, so its more how do they adapt to the new game plan rather than how many new players there are.

And of course theres that other red herring, the variable quality of grounds in the championship. have they been to the iconic Odsal on a nice day, wind driving the rain across the pitch which is threequarters waterlogged if you can see it for the mist etc etc etc. I think some of these other stadia will be a pleasure to play in after Odsal.

Many of us can fondly recall the day against Wigan when the fog appeared as if from a Horror movie. You'd never get fog that thick in an all-seater stadium. It just wouldn't be the same. It was iconic fog.

I doubt the props will 'unsettle' anything, to be fair. Playing behind some big men going forward is just the way to 'settle' everyone, and also the best way to defend..

" Leigh's game to lose on paper" as Blotto mentioned, Yes and we are certainly not favourites. I can't help thinking that come game time that if things do not go as "perfectly" as the leigh fans and players are being led to believe and expecting, it may well seriously derail there delusions about what Leigh believe is already a certainty. As a fan, I might say "We will see" COYB

Yes you couldn't see a thing from the stand. Literally. We were getting bored and starting to talk amongst ourselves when some comedian shouted forward - extremely funny. I often wandered if the players wondered why the hell the stand was laughing its socks off about.

I remember this well! We only realised when someone had scored at the opposite end when the applause rippled around the (iconic) stands.

I was on the pop terrace that night, pretty much central and about half way back. The fog went in and out a bit, getting thicker then thinning off, but I did see the try, or sort of saw the try, even though it was on the stand side. At that point you could just about see where the play was, and the fact that Bulls players were jumping up and down to celebrate, told me that the team thought we'd scored an iconic try..

I'll have been in pretty much the same place Bulliac (do you recall a lovely young lad, about 16 with a winning smile and Leeds accent?). I know we got a little pass to get in the re-play but am I remembering correctly that the replay had an attendance of 14k? Seemed massive for us at the time.

I still have some of the fog from that match that I collected in a plastic bottle

its the game versus the Aussies with Terry Holmes, iconic capture from clap n kick that sticks in the memory, the wind-and-rainward side of me was wet within a few minutes the downwind side stayed dry all night except for my feet, Aussie players would come dancing out of the fog, skip around a few puddles and disappear, a bradford player with a puzzled look on his face would go in the other direction , then the whistle would go for another Aussie try. Embarassign that they coped with the conditions better than us.

Bulliac,

not shifty, its the nearest I could find for "get some glasses".

You will only find the Leigh fans with little understanding of the game who EXPECT a Leigh win, Bradford are favourites to win the league for a reason and the injuries we picked up last sunday will eventually make you favourites on the day. The division is waiting to see how you cope at this level, should you not cope well and we play as well as we did against Wigan then it could be a wide margin, that could be reversed also. A big loss at LSV would sharpen the fangs of the clubs around you in West Yorkshire as yours is the scalp they want on display
Huge pressure on you guys as a poor show will also hit your walk up support

Thats what is making this game against leigh so intriguing. Parking the favourite tag as I do not agree. Yes we are a draw for the championship and expect competitive games.

Well it won't be long before we know. It has got be worth a full house at LSV..

Don't think we will see a full house due to what's gone on in the past decade, we are getting fans back on the basis of improved performance, matchday experience and now the belief that we could win promotion but 12000 is probably beyond the fixture at this stage

I hope you can bring 2000 and believe we should be looking at 7000+ which will create an electric atmosphere at LSV