Yes because the last few cup finals played between two traditional RL power houses were complete sell outs and looked fantastic on tv...oh hang on.....

Hmmm your types were not saying that in 2007 when Catalans were last at Wembley. Flawed opinion mate. RFL to blame for taking supporters for granted and not promoting the event professionally!

If anything I think Catalans have completely messed up with their recruitment. They made their moves early, when their season was a mess and their side was looking like relegation candidates.

They've brought in Sam Tomkins, when Tony Gigot has been an absolute revelation at fullback recently. Are they really going to shift him to fit Sammy Boy in? Really?

Same with Matty Smith, who Jon Wilkin confirmed on commentary would be playing at Catalans next season. Are they really going to split up Langi and Drinkwater? Really?

They could end up with either 40% of their cap spend not playing, or breaking up the very reasons they've just won their first trophy.

Catalans dreadful start to the season was down to the fact they were playing without half backs.

With Tomkins, Gigot, Langi and Drinkwater or Smith, that won’t be the case next year.

Reasonable points.

I think that in 2019 Samuel Tomkins will be playing no. 6, with Antoine Gigot at no. 1.

As for Samisoni Langi I don't know what contract he is on, but if he is till on contract for 2019 he could be shifted to centre if David Mead was to leave (which I think is unlikely). Otherwise Langi will be a reserve no 6

As for Joshua Drinkwater, he is quite adequate at no 7, with the bonus of being a good goal kicker. I don't see the point of letting him go and replacing him with Matthew Smith.

I believe that Catalans, despite buying Matthew Smith, will be in the hunt for silverware in 2019. There is no point in dismissing them now that they have won the Challenge Cup for the first time. They are a force to be reckoned with.

They’d have been better sticking with Drinkwater

Ignoring the war years, the attendance this year for a Challenge Cup final was the lowest for over 80 years. Warrington played Hull 2 years ago and the attendance was 50% higher.

The people of France, which is an important country located on the other side of the English Channel from Hull. France is a country where the people drink water as well as wine. It is a nation of great culture.

But not great at Geography

You should not always listen to what people tell you john-claude, the Netherlands are on the other side of the channel from Hull, living in Chorley seems to be hampering your education some what, they also eat snails and frogs legs as well probably washed down with wine and water, which I'm sure you've sampled there on your stop overs between Chorley and Kiev.

Our types are bright enough to realise that the 2007 attendance was massively boosted by it being the first final back at the newly rebuilt Wembley.

how dozy can you get

Dozy enough to think the North Sea is the English Channel!

Check your council tax bill, it's just doubled due to the extension of the English Channel up the North East coast!

I should have written "on the other side of the English Channel from Brighton and Portsmouth."

I spend so little time in the United Kingdom, shuttling so often between Carcassonne, Paris, Frankfurt, Kiev, Odessa, Moscow, St Petersburg, Washington, New York, Singapore, Manila, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Hanoi, Hue, and Sydney that I have not yet gained familiarity with the precise geographical parameters of the rugby league playing English cities and towns.

Have you ever thought about writing books for children because you are good at fairytales lol

Have you ever thought about writing books for children because you are good at fairytales lol

I was just in Sydney for 19 days, among other things attending the wonderful NRL Grand Final. I am currently in Siem Reap, as the mods can confirm. I will be back in Bangkok on Friday night local time. But wherever I am I pay close attention to the progress of the Catalans Dragons and Toulouse Olympique.

The busy life of a sex trafficker

In reply to the op.
I dont know if Catalan can win more silverware next season but, you would have to expect them to be comfortably mid table and on the basis that they are unlikely to lose 8 from the first 9 rounds, possibly pushing for 5th spot.

We all thought their coach was bang average and maybe not even that but, to be fair to the guy, he proved everyone wrong.

Speak for yourself. I’ve always rated Steve McNamara highly as a coach, said he should have been kept on as the England coach and said he would achieve great things when appointed by Catalans.

And Chorley. Don't forget Chorley!

I've never been to Chorley. I don't even know where it is.

My only remote connection to Chorley is the upbringing there of our new Catalans acquisition Samuel Tomkins.