Catalans? The loss of Maloney will hurt them. Should still do well but I don’t think will be serious challengers.

Leeds? If you read their forum they believe man for man they are pretty much at the level of St Helens. I have no idea how they come to this conclusion. They are not even at the level of Warrington and Wigan. Back on planet earth they are top 4 at best.

Warrington? Look even weaker next season. I think they may struggle to make the top 3

Wigan? All depends how their new management team and signings get on. Still think they will be a long way from trophies.

Rest of the league are not even close.

It’s definitely Saints to lose

Saints will have much stronger playing depth next season, Catalans should be the nearest challengers because sometimes you need to lose a final to win one. That does not apply to Warrington though they lose them all, Powell will need to be a miracle worker there. Leeds could have an outside chance they have the pedigree but need 2 or 3 quality pivotal players. Wigan do look poor and would have to over achieve.

Its going to be Warrington's year.

New officials

I see Bernard has spat his Dummy out too lol

The bookies have published their odds for next season and are rarely wrong. The back to back to back champions and CC holders are quite rightly clear favourites. The bookies also share my opinion on Leeds despite what their fans think and have given them no chance, being 5th favourites

I reckon it will be Leeds, Warrington and Saints battling for a Grand Final place, Wigan looks as though they could possibly really struggle to stay in the top 6.

Don’t think we can include Catalans because their top man won’t let them play in a Grand Final next season.

Wigan has really started to look weak lately...

I'm wondering if the Catalans squad will weaken with players wanting to leave.

If Leeds get another decent prop and a good winger, as is rumoured, they could be in the top 3 with more luck with injuries and a more balanced fixture schedule, but all are big ifs at the moment.

Hopefully.

Leeds fans, in the main, are quite realistic about their prospects. After a few years of a bit of lull in youth output, they’ve got quite a lot coming though with huge potential. To be competitive next season we probably need 2 more quality seasoned pros. That’s what most fans think. You type what you like though.

I agree you only need 2 players (leaders) in the right positions to make that challenge at the top. Ouside looking in I didn't think your wingers and half backs were quite good enough in the 2021 season. There was also a lot errors in the stats, fix that up and the team will look more effective.

I'm enjoying those who have now secured first team spots, so if there are more, then Leeds will be back........

14 comments and not one mention of this years semi finalists Hull KR. Put some respect on their name. Im expecting another great season for the Robins next year.

One season wonders? Coote is a step in the right direction but they have no depth.

Coote has knee and shoulder problems. the saints style of tough rugby has took its toll. Hope he still goes well at Rovers but he is picking up injuries now late in his career.

Tosser.

I mean its not like they made a semi final with 6 or 7 players missing is it?

Taking into account they missed 2 games against Saints, 1 against Hull and 1 against Warrington (in the regular season then didn't pick up a single point from any of those teams), but managed to play Leigh 3 times and then had to rely on Cas losing to Warrington to get them in the playoffs, I don't think they would have even made the playoffs had a full season of fixtures been played. Covid worked in their favour over any other team.
Coote is a decent signing but the test of their signing for next year are pretty poor. Mostly championship players. They will be a fair bit of playoffs next year in my opinion.

Saints will go on to win 4 in a row.

We were a .500 team, so I’m not getting carried away. However, I think the idea that our fixture list was hugely unbalanced is itself unbalanced. We played LLS winners Catalans 3 times and missed out on a second game against a struggling Salford.

Saints, Wire and Hull - you say we were lucky to miss games against them but also make a point about us not taking points off them, when doing so is more difficult when you play fewer games against them. The problem you have is that without Hull the list is short and with them it looks a bit daft.

Hurrell will be a game changer for Saints next season. His missus pointed out on IG that Leeds completely mistreated him. Now he’s in a welcoming environment at St Helens where player welfare comes first he will absolutely shine

Thats one of the big things at Saints, don't look after the one indivual but support the whole family. Once Matt Daniels starts the players conditioning program he will get near to his best phsically, Woolf will also work on his mental toughness and defence liabillties. At the moment Hurrell is nowhere near a first 17 player but we respect him to take up the challenge, the Saints environment will help him to succeed.

Warriors and Titans had him over the years for over 100 games and he wasn't in the end good enough and now he's in his thirties he's gonna be a superstar....

You couldn't make it up.....

That’s why St Helens have been so successful. They have a culture. Just like other top sporting teams like Miami Heat or New England Patriots. Holbrook even spent time with the patriots to get an idea how to build a culture and now St. Helens are reaping the rewards. Compare that to clubs like Warrington who only sign mercenaries or Wigan who only sign crocked Aussies or druggies and it’s easy to see why St Helens are so successful