I have put Leeds in 1st but the top 4 could be in any order. Very interesting season ahead. I think aslong as we don't lose a number of key players we will make the top 2.
1. Leeds
2. Wire
3. Wigan
4. Huddersfield
5. Saints
6. Hull
7. Catalan
8. Salford
9. Hull kr
10.Castleford
11.Widnes
12. Bradford
13.Wakefield
14. Harlequins

dont wish to be a picky sod (unlike some on here) but when you say 6th to 11th should be close,then shouldnt salford be 6th not cats..carry on posting mate..do like reading your posts and im a fan of the smiths my self...the queen is dead is my favourite lp

From a Widnes fans perspective I'm quietly confident about the upcoming season. Last year we improved massively on our first year in the league, and I don't see why we can't improve yet again. Last season we only signed 3 players, Hock, Brown and Phil Joseph and we have learnt that continuity is important for us. This year we have only signed Tickle, Galea, Johnson and Carberry (for when Clarke retires) and these signings will improve our squad massively. We're also after one more prop, with Carvell being watched with Bradford's situation. Last year we lost 12 games when the margin was less than 10 points and hopefully with the squad continuing to understand each other and evolving this will be even less next year. Our 3 main players of Hanbury, Brown and Mellor will be key for us and if they stay fit we'll be play off contenders, without a doubt. The only concern amongst Widnes fans is in the pack, we still need another prop and Carvell could be that player. How anyone can say we'll finish below London is absurd.

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

GF Winners - Warrington
CC Winners - Warrington
MoS - O'Loughlin
SL Rookie of the year - Anthony England
Leading Try Scorer - Matty Russell

Leftfield Prediction - Matt Bowen to retire and go home before Easter
12.

I take it that you have just finished off the bottle of malt that you were given at Xmas.

Thats a very strange comment, Hock maybe a loose cannon disciplinary wise but he can also be a devastating runner and excellent off loader...
Danny Tickle however has been in decline for the last 2 years...Usefull goal kicker that is all...

I'm not sure what you are getting at with Wire's recruitment when we sign players for big money we are accused of trying to buy trophies, We've brought in an experienced forward in Asotasi and two promising lads in Russell and England, with more young lads to be promoted to the 1st team...
The players that have been released or retired are the players that other teams fans were calling too old and the reason (a lot of Wigan fans said) we failed to get over the line in the Grand Final last year...

Now these players have been released all of a sudden (according to opinions i've read on numerous boards) we are now going to struggle with the loss of them and we are now in transition...? Strange...

Despite Shaun Wane's protestations at times Wigan's young lads have done their club proud & pointed the finger at youth development being a better route to success than big name ,big money signings. One of the most important necessities these days is for a player to still have enough left in his tank for 80 minutes.

1 Saints
2, Leeds
3, Hull
4, Wigan
5, Salford
6, Catalan
7, Warrington
8, Hull Kr
9, Castleford
10,Widnes
11, Wakefield
12,Bradford
13, London Broncos

heard it all salford above wire..dear oh dear..lay off the vino if i were you son

Weeellllll, I can't quite make my mind up about Salford. I still think some of their signings are questionable but I'll be happy to be proven wrong, most of their fans a decent bunch, they've had an appalling few years, Wilkinson is a good bloke and they sit astride a huge catchment area so good luck to them.

What I do hope is that the expected improvement at Salford means the competition as a whole is stronger and if that means Salford dishing it out to Wigan, Leeds, Saints etc. but saving their worst for us, I'll be cheering as loudly as anyone outside Barton!

Have you put Wire 7th just to provoke a reaction, if so it's boring.

Prepare to eat your words Salford massive improvement Wire the total opposite imho without P&B tinted glasses on our mediocre and tactically inept half back pairing will be our achilles heel we don't have a leader who can drag a team around the pitch we will miss hodgesons link up play in attack .
we needed a massive replacement for Briers n got mmmmm nobody biiiggg mistake imo we needed Cooper Cronk or someone of the same calibre not doing this will imo cost us dearly I doubt we will go further than first round of play offs and can forget the challenge cup
I'm a realist u lot can bury ur heads in the P&B sand if u want I just call it as it is !

I'd agree with you if any of the main contenders strengthened in an major way.

Leeds have Briscoe but they already had a strong back line
Wigan look weaker
Saints have a half back so they'll improve on last year
Salford have improved but to go from whipping boys to title contenders in one season, can't see it plus how many of Salfords players would a genuine top 5 side want in their side, 3 possibly 4. That doesn't make a team.
Hudds look the same but with a years valued knowledge.

We look weaker but not severely and with a couple of surprise elements (granted potentially negatively) we could really kick on.

I've got a £100 of my money against £50 of yours that says Warrington will still be in the play offs after the first week.

Presume a realist like yourself will be happy to accept the bet as you're not making such statements just for effect and to be controversial?

Hudds to win the LLS again for me, Wigan 2nd. Either 3rd or 4th for us depending
on whether Leeds take February to August seriously or not.

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

I think we're a fair bit weaker this year - Hodgson is a massive loss. Briers is a big loss. Losing Morley and Carvell is a blow.
A lot relies on Higham because I can't see Monas playing so much in all honesty.
It'll take some time for us to become a cohesive unit with those changes. (alhough I have been wrong on more than one occassion!)

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

CC - Wire
GF - Leeds

Now 6 days later I reckon Saints will finish higher then 5th looking at the Makison interview........

Is this a wind-up? Briers has spent a fair amount of time on the sidelines in the last couple of seasons and our win record when he hasn't played has been excellent. We don't rely on him like we did in the past.

Our style of play will be modified to suit the personnel and Russel may not have the handling and vision of Hodgson but he is a devastating runner in broken field.

We have a younger and hopefully fitter squad and I don't expect anything less than than last year and possibly even more with a trophy back in the cabinet.

I think you might be disappointed mate.

The loss of Briers will be felt in the big games where Warrington's lack of invention at half back will be exposed.
Don't get me wrong, Myler and Ratchford are both excellent players, but neither has a stunning tactical kicking game, or does that off the cuff bit of magic, that Briers could change a game with.
I really rate O'Brien and would like to see him get game time, but I am not sure if this will happen without injuries.

The loss of 3 starting props will also be felt, as Wires get out of jail card last season was the interchange, which blew teams away.

They will still be to strong for the weaker teams, and I really rate some of the young players, especially Brad Dwyer, but I think next season will be one of transition.

Briers had such an influence on the team that Myler and Ratchford didn't/ couldn't step up their organisational game. I can't recall last season when Briers had a big impact in changing a game so I am still hopeful that the enforced change may work out positively.

We also have three props to step up in Riley, England and Asotasi.

How do you lose three starting props? Especially when we have retained Hill.

I don't think that's true. In theory, having 8,9,10 off the bench was good and the thought of Morley, Carvell and Monas coming on sounds terrifying, but it often saw us slacken off last year. Only when Hill, in particular, came back on did we tighten back up in defence.

Starting props next year will surely be Hill and Woody with Asotasi coming off the bench in the Moz mould and England and Riley fighting it out for the Carvell role. Riley and England both have the size of Carvs so we shall see if they can step up. Asotasi should provide us with more availability than Moz and hopefully some of his leadership qualities.

I suppose the only question mark will be if Smith wants Asotasi to start?

You've never called it as it is. You make ridiculous statements and then shout others down when they have a different opinion to you. Briers, Hodgson and Morley all missed a lot of games last year and we didn't exactly do badly without them. This will be a season of transition, but we'll still make the top 3-4.

I don't think that I said that very well.
I view the prop/hooker interchange as the starting line up nowadays, as very few play 80 minutes.
The personnel changes for Wire will defiantly mean this is a season of tradition, and it is all just opinion at this point as to how that will pan out.
No one knows if the changes will make the team stronger or weaker, they can't.
But thats why we go on forums, to air our views, and argue the toss with fellow internet know alls.
Happy New Year to you all!

Last paragraph well put.