Top of the league and all's well with the world

, best way to start the week.

I stand to be corrected here by those with a better memory than myself, but I can only recall two, maybe three, seasons since 1960 when we've hit the top spot in the second half of the year. The years in question being 1982,1983 and possibly 1991 (when Brian Smith left for St George).

The only other times I can recall us sitting on top of the tree have all happened in the first few weeks of the season, certainly in the summer era. I know, technically, it isn't the second half of 2016 until this coming weekend, but there is no need to split hairs on this.

Can we stay there through until Game Thirty? Who knows! I certainly don't. All I know is we're in the mix, we're playing well, there's a good feeling surrounding the club and for the first time in probably ten years there is a sense of genuine excitement amongst the faithful.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for this to continue over the coming months and maybe, just maybe, 2016 could be the start of something very special in our long and (sometimes) proud history.

We all need to stop being so arrogant!

Ha ha I think.you deserve to be top, I think warrington wigan cats and yourselves will make up tho top4 in what order will depend greatly on injuries and grinding out the Close games.

Not seen many ull games but what have seen definitely looks the real deal unlike previous seasons as a club u may not have the bigger game experience but there are. Players in the side that have and they will be key during top8s and possibly the gf!!

If were not there I'd love a hull catalans final!! The game needs new faces in.the final and certainly a new name on the trophy!! Good luck I hope that u do well just not as well as us ;-p

What you say there is so true, exactly the way I follow rugby. Obviously if they aren't playing us, I will always go for whichever new team could make the greatest stride forward. Been looking at Catalans closely this year for example. I always look at the nrl and see 13 different teams in their final and then ours and see 6 so Catalans are our best opportunity for a new team in the final and should they play us or Warrington we will be guaranteed a new winner, so exciting times in 2016!

Great to see other sides in the mix for it, as well as Cas, Wakey & Salford posting plenty of wins.

Still a long way to go this year, so enjoying it while we're up there. I've got a horrible feeling that Wigan are going to finish the season really strongly and win the GF.

Yeh me to, cant stand wigan, but have a feeling their will win it this year

Not a chance!! Even with all their players back it won't change the predictability.of their play, I don't think they would be able to bully.your pack about and we have beaten them twice showing a defence that almost knew what they were going to do.

The injuries are masking wanes shortcomings and stubbornness!! Their own fans are bored of watching them even when they win no way can them winning be good for marketing an exciting game

SportsBet must have read my post and not Doom & Gloom's LOL

Hull are now favs then Wire then Pies

LONG LONG , too long , to go to 30 games. World Club Challenge anyone ?

Just enjoy it while it lasts. I think wire and wigan will be the teams to beat come the business end of the season but if we can stay relatively injury free we're in with an outside chance. I do fancy us to do well in the cup this year. I think the performance level lifted a notch at saints and maybe this is an indication of us targeting the comp.

Agreed, it would be crazy to think we can go from 7th to winning the comp in one season. Catalans cup game is massive IMO.

Still a long way to go,
As long as the boys keep their feet on the ground, take one game at a time, stay focussed. We'll be OK.

Found this on the Cream site ;

Like Arthur Bunting Hull have a coach in Lee Radford who is now acquiring his more than justified praises. Bunting came into the role a legend whereas Radders has had to endure a lot of stick – some of it certainly unfair – but now along with Andy Last and Motu Tony, he has built a squad capable of winning titles.


Until Yeamo found that sublime pass to Shaul on Good Friday we were looking at comparisons to Len Casey !!

I think he wrote that piece late on Sunday night

Just worried the doom and gloomers will be out in force if we don't win anything now, reckon if we lose a couple in a row it'll be back to radford out and Standee might even reappear.

enjoying the ride atm, maybe top for one week, maybe 3 or 4 or rest of the season, not very often as fc fans we can walk around with huge grins atm

the old saying has never been true though, take one game at a time

Question. Is this team better then the 2006 team that got to the Grand Final?

The team that played at Old Trafford was:
Briscoe, Tony, Domic, Yeaman, Raynor, Cooke, R. Horne, Dowes, Swain, Carvell, McMenemy, Radford, Washbrook. Replacements: Whiting, G. Horne, Wheeldon, King

I think only Raynor, Cooke, Swain & Carvell were better then what we have now, I know Brough had fallen out of favour by then (Richard Horne at Scrum Half anyone?)


As a side note how good was the 2006 Saints team?

Wellens, Gardner, Lyon, Talau, Meli, Pryce, Long, P. Anderson, Cunningham, Cayless, Gilmour, Wilkin, Hooper. Replacements: Roby, Graham, Bennett, Fa'asavalu. 

That bench is unreal!

Peter Sharp was a very under-rated coach and did fantastically well with what he had in a very very short space of time. Even more so given how tight the Hetherington's were.
I'd have Domic over Fonua, 2006 Yeaman is still head and shoulders above 2016 Yeaman, 2006 he was on fire and bags more pace.
McMenemy is as hard working a 2nd row as you'd want and versatile enough to put in kicks too, a bloody good tackler and very decent passer of the ball and would be miles in front of Washbrook both then and now.

Saints were a team full of top top players though

I would have 2006 Richard Horne in my side now

As an aside, thin it will take a long time to forget the scenes in the concourse after the match sunday. Epic.

Interesting context from Cooke on Radford, Pearson, Tony and Last and the challenges faced: m.hulldailymail.co.uk/Paul-Cooke ... story.html

Interesting context from Cooke on Radford, Pearson, Tony and Last and the challenges faced: m.hulldailymail.co.uk/Paul-Cooke ... story.html

I think my combined side would be.

Shaul
Talanoa
Domic
Yeaman (2006 version)
Raynor
Horne
Sneyd
Taylor
Swain
Watts
Ellis
Minichiello
Cooke

Houghton
Carvell
McMenemy
Pritchard

Think it's too soon to be making comparisons to 2006, that side won a Challenge Cup, finished 2nd and made a Grand Final, this team is on a very good run but hasn't done that YET! There are some comparisons with the team showing similar hard work and team spirit though, McMenemy for example wasn't the most skilled player but he gave us 100% every week.

On another note that Saints team does show how SL has declined IMO, almost all of that team are international class, household names, whereas now the league is more competitive but has less stars.

There are parallels with SL in 2006 where we took advantage of an unexpected drop off in form by leeds and bradford while wigan were floundering at the foot of the table. Before this season, no one would have predicted leeds and huddersfield in the bottom 4 at this stage of the season which has created a good opportunity for someone to step up. At this stage it could well be us if we can keep the momentum going.

I don't actually think we're playing that well consistently but we're playing with a lot of belief and resilience and we're looking really good in patches. I think the saints game showed what we're capable of if we actually put a performance together.

Signs are good but I still think wigan and wire will be firing at the end of the season and with sandow back wire will be a tough side to beat.

On the flip side though that Saints team was probably the best of the SL era, and we were the only team that really came close to challenging them. This year we have imo a much stronger team on paper than the 2006 one.

Some teams have less quality in their squads than 10 years ago (Saints have probably fallen the furthest in this aspect, Bradford aside), some have an awful lot more. I think the standard of the top handful of clubs has indeed slipped, but the quality across the board is better, and that makes for a much more interesting comp.

I'm not sure there is more quality but the game has moved on and there is much less of a gap between the top and bottom team than there was in 2006. Then, there was no real likelihood that a bottom side would beat a top one unless the better side just didn't turn up on the day. Now, any side can genuinely beat any side which is what we've been wanting in the game

Interestingly Salford have won their battle to have their 6 point deduction appeal heard by an independent body. If revoked they'd be back in the top 8. Been a really surprising season so far.

Got to agree with come on you hull... While its great to be top of the tree for me its all about opening up a gap to 5th so we have a bit if breathing space come the 8's . when and we will taste defeats its about how we bounce back (I'm very confident we will if I'm being honest)
Long way to go but things ate looking better than I've seen in many a year .. Coyh