As a wire fan i see all of us north west sides as the main challengers. i think wigan have made some excellent proven signings and with MM's guidance they have to be favorites.
We weren't great in the playoffs apart from the first 10 minutes v saints and then the usual saints scenario happened. i would
never underestimate saints. they have lost cunningham and gidley, but Josh Perry, LMS and shenton are damn good signings. When
perry is at full fitness, he will join graham and roby. that is arguably the best front row although morley, monaghan and carvell
are right up there. you chaps have lima, another top quality prop and hoffmann who could potentially be the next
fitzgibbon for hull. finch is injured, but an outstanding player. Every season is worth looking forward to, but there is
something about this season which could be special. There isn't much between the top sides. Huddersfield should
also be mentioned. As we know from the playoffs and saints in their semi know that they are a formidable side.
Leeds if they have some of their players fit can't be written off. Really looking forward to it and may the best
team win.

Thanks for that, its nice to know the opinion from a Wire fan that isnt bitter. Agree with everything you said.

to be honest, most wire fans arn't that bitter. were really happy with things at the moment and couldn't of dreamed of being
in this situation (winning something!) but i would also say that I and many other wire fans said nice one one after you had
won the GF. i remember the topic on wigan's gf on this forum few months back, and was pleasantly surprised
by the number of wire fans who posted and said well done. i'll try and track back and find it but nice one.
Really looking forward to start of the season and some great derbies between the lancs clubs.

It's too hard to predict this year IMO but the league will be split into 4 different mini leagues IMO, they could finish in literally any order.

Wigan
Saints
Wire
Leeds

These 4 will be fighting for top spot, but too hard to predict which order they will finish, it will depend on head to heads, injuries and how each team deals with their 'bad spell' of the season. Leeds will improve on last year I have no doubts. We have strengthened in a few areas and should improve. Wire have got rid of their worst player and brought in one of the best FB's in super league, I think they are the main challengers to Wigans title defence. Saints have lost experience but in super league they always field a good squad, I can't see them finishing below 4th.

Hudds
Hull

These two are pretty similar on paper, last year Hull were superb when at their best but had too many poor games. Hudds had alot going on behind closed doors last year and struggled at times but I think this season they could finish fifth again despite losing Hodgeson. Both can match the big 4 on their day but both are not as consistant, therefore they will both miss out on the top 4 IMO.

Bradford
Hull KR
Salford
Catalans

These 4 will fight for the last 2 play-off spots. Bradford and Salford have both made some good signings and got rid of some poor players so I think they will be in with a shout. Hull KR have been there or there abouts in the play-offs and will challenge again, they have a decent squad with some classy players. Catalans, well I don't know but I just have a feeling they may pull something off this year. They don't have a poor squad and if they can sort their naughty boys out and use their home advantage well then I can see them making a charge for the play-offs.

Crusaders
Quins
Cas
Wakey

The last 4 teams are either just as poor as last year or have lost some decent players.

My prediction of how it will pan out is.....

Wigan
Wire
Leeds
Saints
Hudds
Hull
Hull KR
Bradford
Salford
Catalans
Cas
Wakey
Crusaders
Quins

This will hopefully provide us with some more nail biting play-off fixtures again.

Wigan v Saints
Hull v KR
Wire v Leeds
Hudds v Bradford

Proabably even better than this years!

In conclusion I think every team has arguments as to why they will have a cracking season and every team has a chance of things not going their way whether that be new signings not gelling or expectancy being to high etc. I think this is the hardest super league season to call and the first time we have had 4-5 maybe even 6 teams with a shout of Old Trafford at the end of the year. We certainly have 4 teams who could realistically win the compeition, I dont think we have had that since 2004 when the old big 4 was in place before Wigan and Bradfords demise. Wire have IMO replaced Bradford to form a new top 4 which will stick around for a few years yet I think.

Big question for me is still how saints cope without cunningham there were so many games last year when he went off and they were poor and he came on to boost them without that impact I'm not sure how they will cope

Alot of what you said is spot on.
that playoff scenario sounds great as well.

I can see saints topping the table this year. I think they have been given new life by a new coach. A lot of players and fans weren't happy with miick. And their new players are great.

Could be wigan and wire fighting for 2 and 3 i think Wigan might get second but Wire have improved this year.

Think it will bee leeds and hudders fighting for fourth and then hull, hull kr and probably bradford.

There may be some transition in a couple of years as wire change the old guard though.

Garbage.....what arrogance/ignorance from you! you surely have not seen the squad cas have assembled then. it is far more balanced and has real strength in depth in comparison to the last 8 years! granted the squad is not as strong as wigans for example but it is as strong but stronger than all of the teams you list in the league fo 4 aqbove with the possible exception being Hull KR. Salford squad is poor, you could argue an ok starting 13 but after that it's poor.

i guess the proof will be in the pudding but i would comfortably say we will finish in the top 8 this year unless we are crucified by injuries!!

Calm down. Only one mans opinion. Cas have lost two of their most influential players and have brought in garbage like Mathers. Can't see Cas getting in the eight, they don't have a squad as good as Hull KR, Bradford and Hull IMO.

Mathers isn't garbage, however, he does need to have some top class players around him to allow him some confidence, which he had at Wire & Leeds and didn't have at Wigan or won't have at Castleford either.

He won't struggle or indeed be 'garbage', but he isn't the type of signing to suddenly make a side significantly any better.

I have never doubted his hunger or his effort but a proffesional rugby league player should be dropping easy catches on a regular basis and looking scared to go for the ball. He is a poor player, why else would Tony Smith get rid and replace him with someone better, he was the only weak link in the wire defence. His tackling is poor and he even throws out stupid passes. He doesn't score enough tries from a FB and doesn't link up in the line to create tries like Tomkins, Hodgeson and Webb.

End of the thread.

.....He is not garbage.....Any player who has the bottle or talent to play at Super League level is definitely not garbage and you are a fool for even daring to use that term for ANY player.

Yes, us non-Wiganers all get it....Mathers had a rough time of it at Wigan, of that there is no doubt, but just because he dared to under-perform for you lot does not make him garbage.

Being a Warrington fan, if we are using your analogy, then there are plenty of players who I could diss over the years, as being awful players, if I based their talents on their Wire performances.....Steve Roach, arguably the best prop forward in World Rugby in the 80's, was an absolute donkey in a Wire shirt, yet I wouldn't even consider questioning his talents....David Kidwell, unrecognisable from the NRL version of the same player, could be cited as being 'garbage' by some Wire fans....The list goes on, and the same probably applies for most clubs, but to simply label somebody garbage is insulting and disrespectful.

And just because Tony Smith chooses to replace him with 'someone better' does not make him a poor player....We have replaced Hicks with Joel Monaghan....Does that make Hicks a poor player?.....Similarly, we replaced Martin Gleeson with Chris Bridge in the centres and suddenly we have 2 Challenge Cups in the trophy cabinet.....What does that make Gleeson?...

A Super League Champion...

Exactly, and definitely not a poor player based on the thinking of some, who think that a released player automatically makes them that....

To be fair, Mathers was utter garbage at Wigan, he used to shy away from catching bombs, & making one on one tackles, what kind of fullback does that? Then he goes to Wire and plays like he did at Leeds, its pretty justified why Wigan fans feel so annoyed with him.

But some players just cant handle the pressure at such a big club.

He was far too mistake-prone, both at Wigan and Wire, to make up for any of the positive things he did. You could guarantee 2 or 3 "Bloody hell, Mathers!" moments in every game.

One of my favourites from last season is the fumble that allowed Pat to go in from 90 yards against the wolfs...

Talk about a kettle blowing off steam.

What are you on, mate?

Were you one of those deluded Wire chumps who was loudly trumpeting that Warrington had got the best part of the deal when we swapped Mathers for Gleeson? Is that what this is about? Are you just not prepared to admit you were wrong?

I'd generally agree that no-one who plays in SL can be total garbage. But I also used to think that no-one could play full-back who routinely missed tackles and dropped high balls, and yet Mathers proved the exception to that rule too.

And come on ... comparisons with Steve Roach and David Kidwell! Give me a break. They were donkeys in your shirt because they were here for a holiday, and the only people who didn't seem to realise that were you lot.

Cheers cause I couldn't be bothered.

What is the problem with you lot accepting that Mathers is not 'garbage'......Yes, we've had it until our balls ache from you lot, about how rotten he performed in a Wigan shirt, but considering that within 3 months of leaving the JJB (or whatever you call your football stadium) he had a Wembley winners medal, then he can't be that bad.....Also, add to this he has been signed up by 2 highly respected coaches (Noble & Smith), tells me he can't be total garbage?

As for the deal and who came out best?.....Well, at the time it was convenient for all concerned....You needed rid of a confidence-shattered Mathers,we wanted rid of a bad-influence Gleeson, a bit of cash thrown in and all things considered, both sides have come out smiling, with trophies aplenty.....



Just as one extra thing on Mathers?.....If he was really, really garbage (as you Cherry & White experts say), then why does he continue to have a Super League career?....I hate to be patronising, but if you lot knew as much as you all reckon, then you'd be running the clubs instead of the guys who continually give Mathers contracts.

So has Ricky Bibey...........

Don't forget his last act in a Wire shirt, throwing the pass that Cudjoe intercepted!

And continually fail to renew them. How soon before it happens again?

We didn't miss him today. Granted, it was a match against Championship opposition but we just looked refreshed. We thought we would miss Longy when he went but we didn't. Leon just stepped right up. And he gave a commanding performance today too. It is possible that losing Cunningham could be very good for the team as a whole as it will allow other players to spread their wings a bit. Things might change next week when we meet a first team Hudds but we didn't look remotely lost today. Far from it.

For such a bad player, he'll have had a far better Rugby career than any of us who slate him on here?....

Those two idiots Jedward are and will be more successful in the music business than anyone else who posts on here.

Doesn't make them any good though, does it?