With Wigans squad being in decline and being far inferior than last year and other squads improving what are people's thoughts on next season's top 8 ?
I would go
1, Wire
2/3 Saints
3/2 Hull
4, Leeds
5, Catalans
Mini league then with 4 teams which are similar in strength imo
6/7/8Wigan
6/7/8 Hull Kr
6/7/8 London Broncos, Wakefield

Wigan will be top 3
Warrington will be top 3
Saints will be top 3
One of Leeds or Hull or Catalan will be top 4

Widnes or Salford will finish bottom unless they start making some in-roads recruitment wise
The rest will be just that

Wigan the same strength as Hull KR, London & Wakefield? Put the glue down.
Sam Tomkins will probably win more games on his than them 3 combined.

1-3 Wire/Saints/Wigan
4-6 Catalans/Leeds/Hull
7-9 Hudds/Bradford/Wakey
10-12 London/KR/Widnes
13&14 Cas/Salford

I'm confident in the brackets, maybe one or two to move between, but in what order is anyone's guess.

i dont care.... i just wish it would hurry up and start again.

Leeds to win final at Old Trafford again ?

I think that's a given.

Have u actually looked at Wigans squad for next season ? Mediocre at best !

its going to be tight at the top end with the likes of wire saints wigan leeds scrapping it out for the top 4,maybe hull will have a go at breaking into this group..can see hudds and cats around halfway..wakey could cause a surprise again..i`ll be happy to see us contest yet another final

1. Saints
2. Wire
3. Wigan
4. Leeds
5. Hull FC
6. Catalan
7. Huddersfield
8. Bradford
9. Wakey
10. Hull KR
11. Cas
12. London
13. Widnes
14. Salford

Got to agree with Alfie Langer, come on Padders, pass the Evo Stik, don't hog it all yourself. My thought is that an awful lot of people are looking at Hull to break into the top 3/4, but once again they've had a clear out and it will take them a while to settle. I wouldn't look beyond Saints, Wigan, us and Leeds.

Pies have lost a lot of quality in Smith .Carmont .Leuluai. Lima probably Hock and not replaced them with anywhere near the same quality imo look how they struggled last year without Leuluai missing n Green is nowhere near as good as Smith so imo they'll struggle with the a squad they have got for next season imho

Padders is right (apart from I think he means Finch not Smith).

Brett Finch > Blake Green
Thomas Leuluai > Matty Smith

While Carmont, Lima and Hock haven't been replaced at all yet. If I was a Wigan fan (thank f*ck I'm not) I'd be worried.

The last few years in the off season there have always been people saying this will be the year Saints are back, and I've never really been convinced. But this year I think Saints might do something, under Nathan Brown. I still think looking at squad strength we are right up there. My long distance prediction at this point would be us and Saints to be top two. Wigan and Leeds not to be underestimated. Hull - its a bit early for them to break into the top group but the club appears to be on the up.

Wigan will play to the same structure as last year that only seemed like we could negate (and Leeds in knockout games). Dummy runners that look like genuine ball carriers with Tomkins out the back. His pace, step, skill and strength creates too much space for his outside backs. I'd score a bucket load outside that bloke.

They are weaker than last year, no doubt, but the competition as a whole is really in terms of quality. Probably only Hull, Saints, Leeds & Widnes I can think have genuinely strengthened.
Our team is one year older, others will argue 1 more year experienced.
Catalans have a new coach, so nobody knows how that will pan out.
Hudds have a new coach and seem to be weaker. Bradford too.
Wakey don't seem to be up to much, one more year experienced together really. Beginners luck last year or will they push on?
Hull KR look worse off compared to last year.
London will go better, but no major recruitment to back that up.
Cas look weaker. Millward is my tip for OBE.
Salford aren't a patch on their squad from last year either. My tip for bottom.

All in all, SL will have a similar feel to it again in 2013 I reckon.
Potential surprise package IMO, London.
Hull will need to gel fast if they want to finish ahead of the "big 4" clubs. Or they could just hang out for 5th and be guaranteed an SL title


I'll go Saints to finish top but genuinely don't know between Wire and Wigan too!

Wigan are weaker on paper, Cherry and White are on suicide watch, and any side with Laughable Matty Smith as their fulcrum are going to need snookers to dominate games. That said, there is still more than enough quality in that side to cause anyone problems and they'll challenge on all fronts again.

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

Looking at a few of squads, and there is huge talent gulfs from where they were last year. Salford especially. Wigan have been lucky in a way to even keep the rest of their good players if Hock would have left there would have been trouble. But to me the squad looks underdone. The genuine class rests on Tomkins, Hock and O'Loughlin. Huddersfield were treading water last year, and look in for a tough year.

Still, who knows. No one predicted Wakefield doing what they did last year, so anything can happen!

If Tomkins gets a long term injury then Wigan’s hopes of winning any trophy disappears there and then. I cannot think of any trophy challenging team whose threat on attack is so dependent upon one player.

If he stays fit (and they all kiss and make up) Wigan will be in the mix for all the trophies.

Shaun Wane OBE (Out before Easter!)

1. Wolves (win treble)
2. Rhinos (grand final runners-up)
3. Dragons (challenge cup runners-up)
4. Saints
5. Broncos (the dark horses!)
6. Hull FC
7. T Wildcats
8. Warriors (Wane sacked on round 13)
9. Giants
10. Hull KR
11. Bulls
12. Vikings
13. Tigers
14. C Reds (if gone before rnd 1 then Halifax to replace them)

Howz that?

Top 4 same as this year apartb from 4,5,6 being from Hull, Leeds and Catalan.
Not sue on the 1,2,3 Heart says Wire, Saints, Wigan, but depends if onyone goes for the Leaders sheild or does a Leeds and concentrates on the Grand Final.

It's easy to predict who will be in the top 8, what order is very difficult, i don't think many clubs will be to bothered which position they finish in, here's to another mediocre league season!

I've been waiting 30+ years to experience mediocre seasons like the last two or three.

Amazing that crowds and tv figures were both up when the season was so meaningless bar 5 weeks and mediocre.

You'll be right at home on the Cherry and White board.

If we wanted to win the LLS we would do.

Wigan's players who will really be missed are Carmont and Leuluai.
Lima has been replaced by Taylor and Finch by Green.
Taylor is around 6" taller than Lima and a lot heavier plus being more athletic.
Green has pace over Finch but not the experience. Brett had a poor end of season though.
Carmont has not been replaced and the 4 shirt has gone to Hughes with Wane saying Iain Thornley will get a good spell at 4. George could be a big miss.
Smith is nowhere near as good as Tommy but could add something if he brought a good kicking game to the park. There was no such thing as TL's kicking game, it simply did not exist.
Wigan will have a massive pack with a great balance of youth, experience, skill and pace, this will IMO provide a lot of go forward. What the half backs and threequaters can make on the back of it remains to be seen.
As a Wigan fan I agree with those who say Wigan will be in the top three. Just can't see there being four teams better than Wigan next year.

Id go for this for the final table:

1 - Wire or Saints
3 - Leeds
4 - Catalan
5 - Wigan
6 - Hull
7 - Huddersfield
8 - Wakefield
9 - Bradford
10 - Widnes
11 - London
12 - Hull KR
13 - Castleford
14 - Salford

As for how we'll do? we were two wins away from the treble last season so I see no reason to be anything other than optimistic for next year