A lot of buzz started in anticipation of the 2016 Season. I wondered what my fellow posters' predictions are for the Wire next year.

Here goes

Final position - 5th
CC - Semi
Smith - Replaced at end of year.
Overall - Early promise with improvement over 2015 but ultimately falling short again.

Final position 4th
cc - out early if we get SL opposition before the semis otherwise we will get to the final
Smith replaced after 10 games
Overall, poor start but strong finish if we get a new coach

Difficult to argue with this. 5th is realistic. I can see some marginal improvements with us hopefully playing a more exciting brand of Rugby but still don't think we will be strong enough for a top 4 finish. A year of transition.

7th, very underwhelming squad and light in the pack.

1st
1st
1st

Leeds are weaker unless they recruit better, I think Wigan will finish top, Hudds need improve, 2nd for them.
Saints 3rd
Leeds 4th
Catalan 5th
Cas 6th
Wire 7th

Fairly confident if our props stay fit. Can't be worse than last year. Still a year or 2 away from another grand final.

4th place.
A trip to Wembley.

Can see Smith getting another year if we look decent. It's his team now, he'll stay until the job's done. Another like last year and it's good night Tony.

5th or 6th..no finals for us.some decent performances and some woeful ones..

Top 4
Final
Smith stays
Good start, sticky mid season finish strong

I am very ambivalent on our coming fortunes. There are positives. In theory we should be much less stagnant in attack with more natural play-making talent in the halves this year (Sandow/Gidley/Ratchford) and hopefully our changes in back-room staff will mean we'll struggle less with injuries and fitness. We have signed a good prop, but with his injury record it would be optimistic to anticipate a full-strength front row (Hill/Sims/Dodds/Evans) for any significant portion of the season. If we don't sign another prop with more experience than the likes of Evans/Philbin/King I think it's reasonable to assume we will be in trouble soon enough. Another concern is Atkins remaining a first choice centre. For me Hughes/Currie/Ratchford all get the nod over him. He stems our fluidity in attack far too much with his poor passing these days.

Overall though I feel we have strengthened. If you look at the top 6 from last year, on paper they have all taken steps backwards. For that reason I think we will do better next year, but we are a long way from reliving the glory days I fear. I think we may just make 4th, with the ladder finishing something like Wigan>Huddersfield>Saints>Wire>Leeds>Cats. CC is a lottery, though after bottling a dream run of fixtures leading to Wembley this year I am pretty pessimistic. I don't think Smith will be renewing his contract, and I think (hope?) Agar will depart with him.

Top 3 will be
Wigan
Wire
Leeds


CC Saints V Wigan (Wire to lose the Semi)

G/F
Wire Vs Wigan

MOS Hilly
Wire player of the season Sandow

Cant emphasise enough how important Sandow is to our season, if he plays well then we will have a good season. If fully clicks then we will have a great season

We're going to win every game, it's our year.

That's the sprit

All the "Deliverance" style posters will have a field day!

Top 4 this season and some exciting rugby (with occasional blip because we are the Wire after all).

I can't wait to see your entries in the Prediction Comp proper next season

Wigan will win the league at a canter, Catalan for challenge cup,
Grand final Wigan v huddersfield and that will only end in one way

we wont win anything but should comfortably make the 8's.

and that as Wires 71 states will see Smith replaced (by Bellamy) at the end of the season. (and also Cunningham will get the boot at Saints)

Leeds fans will find next season odd....


but enjoy the ride........

Final position - 5th
CC - Quarters
Smith - Replaced about 10 games into the season.
Overall - Poor start, never really get going.. pack will struggle.

Im a hoot at parties me.

Probably 5th, maybe 4th, dependant on last season's top 4 not being as good.
As for the CC, who knows. It's a drawn cup. How can you make a prediction?
Get anything like 4 of the regular 13 injured and we're really struggling
Smith to announce the end of his tenure, around late July, and a big name Aussie coach named within days to secure some big name signings.
If he gets a decent amount of games Penny to be top try scorer.
We'll be lucky to average 9000 attendance, come season end.
I'll still be a realist

Too much negativity on here. Surely we have improved with Sandow, we finally have a kicking game, and the new signings are promising. I would be over the moon with 4th, but expect 5th 6th.

so you agree with us pessimists then..

I think we will be much improved this year but feel we are lacking some size in the forwards. Hoping it will mean a change in style with focus on quick players/quick play the balls and Daryl Clark running riot.

I'm going for:

3rd place behind Wigan and Saints
Final of CC
Semi Finals of play offs
Wire Player of Year: Daryl Clark
Top Try scorer: Lineham

I think people are being a bit over the top with how badly we are going to do next season. Certainly I'd be happier with another experienced prop, but do we really think our pack's worse than the season just gone? NRL Grand Finalist Dodds to replace Asotasi, and you don't think that's an improvement? Also if you look at the stats alone our pack wasn't that bad either (3rd for metres made and 1st for average gain).

Our problem for the last two seasons has been lack of creativity in attack, which was improved significantly with the arrival of Sandow (albeit behind a broken and exhausted team late in the season) and should improve again with Gidley and with Ratchford being more settled in the halves.

My predictions

Final position - 3rd/4th, depending how well Leeds cope with losing Sinfield, Peacock and Leuluai.
GF/CC - One final and semi finals in the other, probably not enough in the tank for both.
Smith - This is his last chance, so I think he'll be gone at the end of the season if we don't get any silverware.
Overall - Shaky start to the season, cue the doom and gloomers, despite us starting every season poorly for years and (except this year) improving later. We'll struggle if we get lots of injuries again, particularly in the pack, but otherwise I reckon we'll be up there competing for trophies even if we don't win anything.

Dodds to miss start of season due to operation, bit worrying when every minute matters.

More worrying when he already has a reputation for being a crock.