After 23 rounds:
-------------------
Saints
Castleford
Leeds
Hull FC
Warrington
Wigan
Wakefield
Huddersefield
Catalan
Hull KR
Salford
Widnes

Top 4 after Super 8s
-----------------------
Saints
Leeds
Hull
Warrington

LLS: Saints
GF: Leeds
Challenge Cup winners: Saints

Relegated: Widnes

after 23 rounds

1: st helens
2: hull fc
3: tigers
4: rhinos
5: wolves
6: wigan
7: wakefield
8: huddersfield
9: catalans
10: salford
11: hull kr
12: widnes

top 4 sides after super 8's
1: saints
2: hull fc
3: rhinos
4: tigers

lls: saints
cc: tigers
gf: rhinos

no relegation for 2019 imo as it will be a 14 team competition

Far
To
Early
To
Make
Predictions
When
Nobody
Has
Played
Yet
Widnes.

It looks like another season with question marks hanging over it. Re sructure will we have a relegation and so on. On the field quite a few teams gave those same questions.
Well top half of table before a balls kicked and in no order would go like this.
Leeds have decent strength in depth but what will be their best team? They have lost all the old spine now but its hard to predict how they will go. Myler and Moon
dont seem in the mould of Sunfield or McGuire in guiding a team around.

Cas played great last year except when it mattered. The loss of Zak H will be a blow but they look to have enough quality to be in top half of the table will teams find them out? Well coached entertaining will it last and can they get over the finush line when it matters? I think they may find the SL tougher but I would not be suprised to see them lift the CC

Saints new coach seemed to help them later end of season I think it was more down to one thing though James Roby he played more minutets and Saints game was built around him add to that Barba and you cant imagine they wont be around in the games that define the season. The other big factor is Walmsley will he head off down to the NRL after this year and with a little more responsibility how will he respond.

Wigan last season after defeating Cronulla not many would have been suprised to see a clean sweap. What happened? Was it a case of win WCC at all costs or the shocking injury list or appathy. A mixture of all is what I will go for.
Is the loss of Gelling Mcloram massive I dont think so TL to 9 will make them more of threat. Sarge is like for luke with Gels. A fully fit SamT Escarre Flower and
Clubb whos had a shocking year off field says they will be back.

Hull the big Hull pack will be a little less with the loss of G Eliss but they have a front row that will always lay a decent platform. Watts was to me the biggest omission from the world cup likewise so was the amount of time Taylor got to play. At some point in a game these two will lay a platform to give you a chanceof a win are the backs good enough to take rhat consistently.

Warrington new coach new team you would imagine with playing roster and coach that Wire will go well but as we have seen nothing of this they to me along with Leeds are the two unknowns will this be there year ...... again?

Bottom six

Catalan again a bit unknown new coach with a full pre season a very good full back and Mclorum and Bird will make trips to France tough. Anyone thinking the Dragons have added nothing to SL now? Well at national level maybe not but we have a lot more SL standard players from France now than in the past and a good sprinkling at English based teams.

Widnes great young players coming through well coached decent stadium could make Widnes a bit of a suprise. If Betts can have a bit more luck with injuries and the development of some of his youngsters continues the plastic pitch will be even more uncomfortable for visiting teams.

Salford I do worry for Salford without the doctors cash and with rumours of players wanting moves and injury this season may not hit the heights of last they still have a team capable but with a poor homebase uncertain times ahead.

Wakey the over achievers last season the loss of Kear may be huge for a team that alwas seem more dependant on the failings of others than achievment themselves. The constant stadium issues always cast a shaddow over a lot of peoples sort of second team. If SL structure does change will all the pieces be in place in time if not how many if the better players will stay when the bigger clubs come knocking?

HKR good to have the Robins back I think it may be tough but with the uncertainty of structure this season this may have been the best one for a rovers return.

Most of the posts about Hull are about missing Ellis and the pack being weaker for it. A name that has barely had a mention is Mickey Paea. He was one of the better props in SL before he left and he looks in as good a shape as ever. So yes Ellis' leadership will be missed, but if anything we have even more forward firepower this year, and if Abdull gets a run at 13 as I hope he will we will also have an extra attacking dimension.

And Huddersfield?

Thanks thats what I was going to put for the Giants (:

Haha brilliant.

Although tbf I think they will go ok this year.

Still bitter about being humiliated twice by Wakey - the failings of others ha get a grip you tool and get used to iticon_lol.gif

Bit sensitive Vasty?

He's right though

Class response with the insult

get a grip, it's one man's opinion fwiw.

You couldnt be further from the truth. Like I say for years Wakey have always been like a second team. I think it was maybe the picture my dad and grandad painted of when you was a real force, maybe watching Richard Harris in the only RL film when I was a kid . I would love to see you up there with a new stadium with teams and crowds to match. I really mean that . Your response in a way almost is that shadow that in my time watching RL as followed Wakey. Its such a shame that you have to celebrate two good victories against Wigan with such vigour but then theres not been much else over the years?
Anyway good luck for the season ahead I hope you get your stadium sorted and also keep the good players and add more . I was not being deliberately negative to your team just honest look at the other assessments are they far off the mark? and I have only got it in for Wakey?
Yours sincerely the Tool ××

Good post, a reasonable assessment of all the clubs involved.

A well measured mature response.

Im taking it your a Bradford fan .... The same applies for the Bulls rugby league was all the better for having a strong well supported Bradford I really hope you can get sorted and get back up there. I may not be an average fan, not that I dont want my own team to win but having real strong well supported teams is whats needed If RL is going to kick on and thrive I would love to see a NRL type scenario of strength through the league with money in place to tempt top players. Hull, Warrington and Castleford seem to be getting there now Leeds; Saints and Wigan
Are consistant but we need worldclass players if we can get 14 or even more in the future thats got ro be the way. I really hope some teams dont miss that boat.

Saints - big pack with some great backs if they stay fit
Hull - same with Hull but will lack consistency
Warrington - a few changes this year and look better
Cas - losing Zak will drop us down a bit
Leeds - so so
Wigan - not as good as recent Wigan teams
Wakey - a solid year but slack off super 8s time
Catalan - a better year. Scrape the 8
Hudds - not much different to recent years
Hull KR - aging McGuire won't be enough for top 8
Salford - poor year and no fans
Widnes - not a great team

Can't see Hull KR finishing that high in the league, they will be lucky to avoid the million pound game.

What million pound game

Great young players? Are we talking "Class of 92" level here? They had a couple of decent prospects last year but nothing more and In all honesty their team was generally a shower of shoite and I see very little to have changed that. As for the "very well coached"....again that's just waffle mate as they were a complete shambles most of last season.

As for Salford. We don't have a Homebase, nor a B&Q.

We have a couple of cracking Wilkos tho so that more than makes up for it.

Btw, there's an amusing thread on the Wire board about pre-season odds where a few of their deluded fans are tipping them for the treble at something like 150-1.

Did I miss them signing Slater, Inglis & Smith during the off season?

Thanks for that info saleslim- (I've counted just 2 people on that thread who have said they've put money down on that bet!). They're having a punt saleslim- it's just a bet and bares no resemblance to a person's realistic view on the team's chances.

And only one of those two expects nothing less than a top 4 finish whilst the rest of us are predicting 5-7 ish. But I don’t want to let the truth get in the way of a dig at a club’s fans.

Oh don't worry Wire fans are one of the easiest to have a pop at!

Sandwich short of a picnic are we SaleSlim?

Looks like HKR failed or we over achieved not sure - which one is it brain of Britain. Tbf they are the only team you ranked below us.

As an aside do you think Wigannwill actuallly manage a point at BV this season - it's been nearly two years