I can see this going the same way as when we used to have club games against the Aussies. A great idea in concept, but once you get regular drubbings, it will get dropped and revert to one-up, one-down, with a Championship grand final.

I know we are partly to blame, because of the interest in the "million pound game" created by our late season run in 2006, but if no surprises are thrown up, and no super league team ever gets relegated (and they win each million pound game convincingly), it won't last long.

The problem is that they messed up franchising by making it about reconsideration. We were dead men walking in 2011 due to our perceived exit. It should have been about expansion only, not about replacement, which would have encouraged investment. The only thing they would need to do then is work out how to make the bottom half interesting once the season wore on.

I agree about the reconsideration issue. Teams should be allowed to build their businesses and benefit from a consistent background. The league should be added to as and when a team feels ready for the top flight, whether they be traditional or expansion teams. As numbers grow conferences ought to be introduced to keep season length down. To keep interest in the lower half a secondary competition running alongside the grand final should be brought it.

No neither did I, in fact quite the opposite.

Who'd have thought at the start of last season Cas would have had the season they had or Widnes making the 8, not many. Going off what the bookies say is pretty stupid imo and doesn't tell you that much at all.

As others have said there are so many twists and turns in a season, it's very hard to say what's definitely going to happen, especially in the half of the table we'll be competing

I'm not optimistic for the season ahead, if I'm honest. The end of season saviour one year is often the pariah the next. 2004 play-offs to "out, out, out" in 2005. Tony Smith kept us up in 2005 but was out on 'arris mid-season the following year. Even Agar showed promise in 2012, although to be fair most people regarded that as unexpected, a blip before we went back to "out, out, out".

The first part of the season will make or break Webster, I suppose. Keeping up the end of season form is hoping for too much, but I'd take wins against the teams we should be capable of beating (the two Hull clubs, Widnes, Salford, Cas, etc). The fitness reports do concern me though, because it reduces the chances of hitting the ground running.

On the other hand, with the new structure, momentum at the back end of the season is better than at the beginning. I'm expecting to be in the middle eight. Anything above that is good.

That's my take on it, momentum at the business end is key. To start like a house on fire and fade just when it matters most would be a killer.

I am optimistic, but only as you say because my expectations are of middle 8.
If we remain in the last 4 of super league year on year, I'll be happy.

Problem with that is that if then Hull game is rearranged for the world club challenge weeked as mooted then 5 of our first 6 games will be against teams that based on predictions would probably be classed as 'bottom half' sides. A slow start could give us too much catching up to do and a bottom 2 finish in prospect giving us a disadvantage come those 7 'middle 8' games and a large target on our heads for the championship sides. If anything for me we should aim for a fast start then target certain games throughout the season, resting key personnel in selected games where a positive result is less likely so the guys can fire towards the end. Running with a small squad then the management of our major players workload has to be key if we want to avoid that 4th/5th place play off lottery.

This year is a tricky one for us.
To finish in the top 8, we pretty much need everything to go well for us.
7th or 8th would be the highest possible finish from the optimists at the club.

We are more likely to finish 10/11/12. Therefore it is better that we start slowly and finish strong and try to take as much confidence and
momentum into the middle 8 qualification league.

If things go well in the early part of the season maybe we could change our outlook but, it does appear that we will be doing battle with
the Championship pretenders.

Although there could be some exciting games in there, the new structure is just contrived nonsense and it doesn't really give clubs at the lower end of SL chance
to improve and develop, because there will be a relegation league to escape every season.

Equally, for the clubs at the top end of the Championship who may one day gain promotion, they will be back in the qualification league the following season.
This is of course better than no promotion at all but, 1 up 1 down (or 2 up 2 down) would have been a far more sensible option.

After watching the third try down Owens wing go in, I did say out loud, " why is he first choice winger with a three year contract" To which a guy who might be a fan of our team but probably knows little about rugby argued that it was the centres fault everytime for not tackling his man... he seemed a know it all but I'm sure that a winger should keep his line and stay out wide. He did some basic wingman stuff quite poorly. I like being supportive of the team and hope owen proves us wrong but when a young lad like that Johnston plays well like that makes it hard to justify playing Owen over him.

So when we drop say Smith and Godinet for the Leeds game, making it clear we are not figuring on winning, who is going to turn up?

For me, if they are fit, the best possible team plays.

And if they are not playing 100% healthy, which happens often and is what i am getting at, then do we risk them or get the fully fit for the crucial games?

If everyone is fully fit then great, they play. But as the season progresses that rarely happens and given a squad low on numbers and genuine quality throughout then we need to box clever with our key men when they aren't.

Surely a contributing factor must be that Wasbrook was his centre?

At last some one with a brain

Wooah there. Lets not be rash!

They train to be man-on-man, but if someone misreads in the middle, then everyone has to go in one and try and shut out the gap whilst preventing the overlap.

Sometimes, however, the winger panics and goes for the glory of the intercept, or doesn't trust his centre enough and goes to help.

I can't imagine Owen volunteering to go in for a tackle, unless helping someone else was a better option to facing a one-on-one.

Ha bloody ha.

Washbrook was solely responsible for the first try his read in defence was awful. Couldn't really comment on the second half as it was on the opposite side from where I was sat.

It's a while ago now but I am sure Trinity brought a young lad on partway through the first half inside Owen who also looked a little out of his depth in defence.

Would that be Harry Swann

Big big lad but very young at just 17/18, I say that because even though he plays centre he plays a power game which requires a bit more maturity

Jordan came on for Kirmo,back end of the first half and I'm sure put him at centre.I don't know if he's the lad you mean,but when I asked him about a try conceded down his side in the second half he said he was telling Richard Owen to stay out but to no avail.With all the commitment and effort in the world,I know through Jordans career he is no centre,but to wear a Wakey shirt I'm sure he'd play anywhere.

I saw Leeds players run through Owen on more than one occasion like he was a revolving gate regardless of who his centre was. With ball in hand he was also completely ineffective. Johnstone however looked a handful for the full 80 minutes..

Quote ="Khlav Kalash"I recall a few years back the fitness of the side was criticised for being heavily cardiovascular based and not enough emphasis was based on strength meaning teams powered through the defence due to shear size. As ever their needs to be a happy medium.'" www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-w ... -1-7039216

Quote ="Khlav Kalash"I recall a few years back the fitness of the side was criticised for being heavily cardiovascular based and not enough emphasis was based on strength meaning teams powered through the defence due to shear size. As ever their needs to be a happy medium.'" www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-w ... -1-7039216

Nice. "Laid back" isn't a phrase I'd like to be used about my training sessions if I was in charge.

That's what I thought. It's a little concerning if it's believed.

If that's true then it needs to change immediately!

I wouldn't read the throwaway comments of a former player as a scientific analysis of our training methods - when they do these mini-interviews to pad out a story, they have to say something, and a comparison with where they've come from is the low hanging fruit; clearly they're going to imply that their new employer is better than their old one in some way - who wouldn't?