In RL Express this morning Schoey reckons we won't make the 8 again; that we relied on Bradford having points deducted and, probably rightly, that we wouldn't half miss Tim Smith if he was injured!

I should also note that he wasn't making any promises of what might happen if we do make the 8!!!!



Personally, I reckon we will need a little luck with injuries etc but, with that, we could be anywhere from around 7th - the top 6 would be too tough to break into - just yet!

A lot depends on 4 young players making their mark.

Wilde and John need to make their mark if the chance arrives - they should both be really by now and both are yet to really spark.

Goulding, maybe a bit early but fingers crossed,

Wood, hope he comes back and carries on as before.

If any of the above start to fire then we have those extra pivot players so loved by JK to get us moving.

If only we had a Sam Obst.

We are certainly capable of the 8 providing we stay fit and this would do us no harm if there is to be a reduction in numbers in SL in the near future.
Roll on NM and lets hope that we have another great season !.

PS, nobody wants to see Schoey stripping off again !

The form at the end of last season could give supporters a false view of where the club realistically is. Before that Trinity were hovering around London/Cas level and it wouldn't have taken much for the narrow victories to go the other way. I would be delighted with another top 8 finish, but would settle for a top 10. Overexpectation could be the watch word this year.

I reckon we are way better than last year.

However the sting as ever is that probably applies to most teams.

Hey Khlav you are my first "like" of the new RLFans

I have to agree.
Schoey is of course right that we actually finished 9th in terms of on field activities.
This season, we should realise 8th is actually a big step from last season.

Saying that, an extra off season with a very similar squad and more confidence, and in particular a goal kicker from the first game could give us a good chance.
I won't see 10th as failure, especially if Tim Smith misses any games at all.
For me, with Tim Smith we could be a 7-8th place team. Without him we are a good shout at 10th.

Although technically he is right on the Bradford issue, if they hadn't spent money on their squad, that they clearly didn't have, the Bulls would have been lucky to avoid the wooden spoon.
With so much of our attacking play coming through Smith last season, hopefully the return of Aiton and a fully fit Ali, may just take some pressure off the guy.
Equally, it took nearly half a season for the guys to gel last time around, so we should be in a stronger position at the mid point this season.
I'll settle for 9th and a trip to Wembley

For me it as to be 9th/8th place finnish and a good cup run, but we have to Loud n Proudin the stands and fire the players up, roll on Bradford Dulls game

That's the key. Looking at it only Salford stick out as a team who will be worse then last year so it will take a huge effort to achieve an actual top 8 position.

A sense of realism seems to be prevailing on here.
I must admit I am a little nervous about this season.
9th or 10th will do for me with anything higher being a bonus.
As has been said it all depends on the injury situation,particularly Tim Smith.
Lets hope if he does go down the other halves in the squad rise to the occasion.

I think that we should do pretty well. If we can get into form at the beginning we will finish within the 8. Aslong as our pack perform then Im pretty sure our halves will. If Smith and Sykes get injured - time for the youngsters to step up. I'll be happy aslong as we finish above Cas.

I think 7th is very doable. I'm not sure Hull KR will be stronger this year, and Bradford under an ex-assistant might struggle early on. Catalan might slip down the rankings too, and Huddersfield, with new unproven coaches (one of whom took Huddersfield on a slide right down the table). London could be the surprise package under Tony Rea, because they have a decent squad, and he has always done a good job in the past with them.

For me, the team of the year will be Saints. Add Nathan Brown and Willie Manu to what they already have and I think there is something pretty good there. Wigan are consistent but blow it on the crucial ones, and I just think the Wire backbone is getting a little old. Top 4 will be Saints, Wigan, Leeds and Wire, with Hull getting fifth. I think we are reasonably in the pack for the next 3 places, with as good a shot as all of them, and arguably in a more settled position than Bulls, Huddersfield and Catalan. Cas and Widnes scrapping for the bottom again.

As always, September will prove that I'm talking rubbish.

i'd be over the moon with 8th. Of course it is doable, but just about every team thinks they will make it before the season starts and i would say anyone (bar Salford maybe) is capable of making the 8. We need a better start to the season this time though and injuries will be crucial.

Can't see where Bradford have improved so that makes two.

From a Bradford point of view they have two hurdles.
1) They haven't added significantly to their team
2) They won games last year with the "last game ever" atmosphere pushing them through.

I think number two could cause an anti climax this year and they lose some of those games.

For me Forwards are key .......

Our success back end of the season was largely attributed within the fan and media spaces to the brilliance of Tim Smith.. however the platform was absolutley set by our pack - who gave the halves the platform.

If we win the collision, tackle and "go forward" we have plenty of ability in the squad to score points. Looking at our props and back row options, strength we have an aggressive mobile and quick pack...

law of averages states - If we can reduce the points against column and keep the points for where it was last year - we'll definatley make the 8

Yes, Forwards set the platforms. The backs work the magic.

We are certainly a better side than this time last year, as we have gelled, got used to the new coach, and made good mid-season additions with Sykes and Smith. Poore should add a bit of the growl that the front row lacked and I would hope that the second half of the season better reflects the side than the first.

The downside is that the opposition might respect us more and so each game might be a little tougher.

Other teams wont think we are easy beat this time round and know who our playmaker is in Smith and will be out to stop him playing well but as always with class thats easier said than done.We certainly wont be missing goal kicks as we were in the first 8 games last time and we need some luck on the injury front.Yes other teams have recruted well but on the other hand we wont be having the problem of 18 new players getting to know how each plays.Some of those last games we could have lost and not made the 8 but the players showed grit and determination to make it job done.I see us making the 8 again probably in 8th spot again but consolidation this season is the main thing for me and wouldnt complain if we had a good cup run.

All comes down to how lucky we are with injuries for me. We should be challenging for that 8th spot again but we need to stay healthy to get it.

Schoey also seems to be inferring that Castleford will make the 8

Although he is covering all his bases this time out, I don't think Cas will be easy beats.

If Chase is indeed a settled player again and he and Shenton can stay fit, I think they have some strike in the backs. Forwards I'm not sure about but I think if we go into their game thinking we are the dominent team this time, I think we could come unstuck.

I seriously don't see them making the 8 as they don't have any strength in depth at all but I reckon they will have an impact on who does make it as they will take some unexpected scalps. Lets make sure it's not us.

Which is possible the biggest surprise in his selections for the 8. Bradford were tipped to finish bottom last year by Angela Powers and look what happened there.

I'd agree that the Bulls are a little weaker this year, especially in terms of depth. The 1st choice 17 isn't a bad one but I think the pack may struggle against the bigger sides. I think once again the likes of Wakefield, Bradford, Hull KR will be fighting for the 8th spot and luck with injuries will be crucial.

I think you are right that they won't be easybeats, and maybe this will be the year that the league is a little closer. Because I think Saints will be a better side, the top 4 could be the closest contest yet, provided Leeds can avoid a poor start, and with improvements at places like London, maybe the table as a whole will be healthier. It would be great to go into the last few games with six through to twelve still contesting for the three places below the top four and Hull.

I certainly don't think we are much ahead of anyone below us, but I just think we have enough to edge above them, although as everyone has said, injuries might play a part.

Castleford should considerably improve although that isn't to say they'll make the 8. If you look at the contributing factors which resulted in their lowly performance last season e.g. Injuries to key players, Rangi Chase saga, Deadwood and Millward's absence for obvious reasons then it would be hard not for them to improve.

In's - Shenton, Webster, Mason, Hauraki (sp), Tansey etc, they're vast improvements or should i say have the potential to be. The key as others have rightly pointed out is they've sacrificed depth for quality which can work both ways.

I think they'll take more wins but i still don't see there league position changing all that much.

Huddersfield and Bradford are sides i expect to struggle compared to last season as both have young unproven coaches in charge. Not many can make that step up from assistant to head coach especially when replacing experienced ane respected coaches.

London and Hull will be the big improvers in my opinion, i'm not sure if it'll show on the league ladder so much but performance wise i'd expect them to be far superior especially in London's case with Rea in charge.

As for us, i think it'll be much the same. I'd expect us to start better and be more consistent throughout but in terms of where we finish i think 8th would be a productive season.