Interesting since scoring is there issue but defensively they are sound.

Sky bet have the Eels at 12/1 to beat the panthers. Very generous for a 2 horse race considering the Eels turned over Melbourne last week.
Cover the bet with the Eels having a 28 point handicap
£10 on Eels win and £11 on the eels with the handicap at 5/6 so even if the eels go down they just have to stay within 28 to get most of your money back. If the Eels win outright you win £130.
I know the panthers are good but with Mitch Moses back from injury and hitting form the Eels will score points.

I thought the handicap was ridiculously generous. Then I watched nrl 360 yesterday and it seems the eels will be resting a lot of their players for this one, gutherson and moses included.

Maybe I should have done my research before I put it on Moe.
Got a bit giddy when I saw those odds.
Never mind.
When the fun stops...

I still think they will cover the handicap. Can't see them winning with half a team out though.

Cas favourite for this one, giving us 4 on Skybet.

Skybet are offering 5/1 on South Sydney winning the nrl grand final. I'll be having a bit of that!

Bennett hasn't coached a team to a GF win since 2010. He will continue his losing streak this season.

Skybet giving kr a 16 start...and Leeds 4

Both teams to score 20 points and wire win 6/1

Warrington -38.5 at 15/2 for me

Wire to score 30 pts or more 4/5.

2022 grand final

Saints 9/4
Wire 7/2
Catalans 11/2
Wigan 13/2
Leeds 9/1
Hull 18/1

Saints & Leeds look the value there.

How anyone can make us second favourites & as short as 7/2 is absolutely crazy. I'd have us at similar odds as Leeds, or slightly longer.

I honestly thought they would be 6/1 or 7/1 behind cats and Wigan

If J Clark re-signs they should shove us out to 66/1

St Helens
2/1
Warrington Wolves
4/1
Catalans Dragons
13/2
Wigan Warriors
13/2
Leeds Rhinos
15/2
Castleford Tigers
12/1
Hull FC
16/1
Huddersfield Giants
20/1
Hull Kingston Rovers
20/1
Salford Red Devils
50/1
Toulouse Olympique
50/1
Wakefield Trinity
50/1

From Skybet.

Oh dear. It just builds up expectation which adds to pressure and bigger disappointment too.
It is always easier to play when the pressure is off. Mind you Saints have done so well when favourites ... but we have to admit they have got one hell of a squad.

I'm not sure that the players will believe and be affected by this. As a fan, I don't base my expectations on what the bookies say and it would appear that others on here don't as we all think the odds are too short?

Is it now fair to say that any expectation that is put on Wire, is pretty much done by people outside our own fanbase?

Apart from the ever optimistic Duckie, I don't know of many Wire fans who genuinely thought we'd be successful this season, and the same goes for next - Is it now just outsiders simply building up the 'Always their year' quip and trying to portray Wire fans as some poor, deluded bunch, when the reality couldn't be further from the truth?

Back onto the gambling though, what price is Dec Patton for Man Of Steel in 2022??...

but here's the 'rub' like a (in hindsight) deluded idiot I did fancy us this year, or for long periods of it....that'll learn me.

We had already beaten Catalans and Saints, the last gasp winner by our new Boy George away at Leeds and the 'respectable' loss (if there is such a thing) V Saints when we were Cooper-less and they were playing like it was their cup final for a change, had me going, despite that showing at Wakefield a one off shirley...more fool me!!

At home to KR just about sums up life as a Wire, so yes I agree that the expectation is greater from outside, can't wait for next year.

I can appreciate the odd result, or a random run of decent wins, can get you dreaming of silverware as a supporter, but surely most Wire fans nowadays are clued up enough to know how the script goes now?



Going into this season, I honestly couldn't see how we were ever going to challenge for trophies, mainly due to having Price at the helm. If anything, with those results against the top sides, we probably overperformed, but ultimately the end was pretty much how I anticipated it going.

Next season?... I think it's the classic season of transition. New coach, a number of new players, new tactics and strategies for the existing players to adapt to. It's going to be inconsistent for the majority of it, I'd imagine. I think we will get the odd glimpse of exciting RL, which will get many (over) excited and we will get the odd performance which will lead to some knee jerkers questioning Powell's position at the club.

Realistically, winning 2/3's of our games will be a good achievement. And just putting up a half decent display in a play off game (If we get there) will be a major success.

I dont feel we are in the hunt in 2022. Its not our year IMO. We have too many injuries already, saints are too far ahead of us and on paper we have a weaker squad than we had in 2021 as far as I'm concerned. Let the bookies make their odds, we are behind saints, Leeds and Wigan. As usual the winner will be one of those 3 teams, its not worth lumping on anyone else. Superleague desperately needs a new name on the trophy but I don't feel that's on the horizon at the minute, especially if saints are going to continually be assigned their pet ref Moore in the big games.

I don't disagree but it's quite telling that we are expecting a "transition year" devoid of success whereas in St Helens transition year they won the GF.

Not sure what you are talking about?.. Saints had quite a long transition period between the late 00's until 2019. Often underacheived and won very little, apart from a gifted GF, courtesy of Ben Flower.