Loop fixtures: Hull KR, Leeds (home), Catalans, Warrington (away). Magic: Promoted team

Not bad that, AP will be delighted with 2 home derbies and a decent chance of a Magic win - ker-ching.

Away derby on Good Friday presumably (29th March, which would likely be round seven) so I guess the home derbies maybe June/July and September.

should get a decent summer fixture in Perpignan too!

so they play the Hull derby at a peak attendance holiday weekend at a ground that holds only 12000.
Hull city are playing that day at home so why not move the fixture to Sunday at the MKM.
minimum attendance 18000 and with HKR going well and if our new look team start well could be looking at 20000.

The clubs swap who has the home derby fixture at Easter each season.

But for KR it makes no difference as its a sell out anyway.due to their ground capacity.
Would also be better playing the first at the MKM due to the loop fixtures which mean we get two home games later in the season.

Always been that way and it’s fair tbh. Why would KR want us to get a bigger windfall from hosting the Easter fixture?

Also not necessarily. This season we played Leeds 2nd game of season and week after Easter, both away. We could open with KR at home.

As mentioned, the thought of two home derbies and two home games against Leeds (which have potential to be well attended) will keep AP happy. The very good chance of a mid-summer visit to Perpignan will be nice after having them so early this year. Fev the most likely opposition for Magic, put that on the last game on the Sunday and I cant see it being well attended.

It's very early days still, but if we was to look at ambitions for 2024, then making top 6 has to be the objective. No slow starts and no horrendous finishes. A good cup run wouldn't go a miss either!

They need to get some fitness into the squad from day 1,none of this build up as the season progresses nonsense.
The club staff should also be working on adding pace and speed to the players which is something else we have been missing.
Put another yard on Martin in pre season and he could be an ideal replacement for Swift

They might go for an early derby again as that went well in 2020 before you know what hit. It was a big crowd and we were all hyped for the return of Fonua off the bench, time flies...

But yes extra Rovers and Leeds games at home is a big boost to the finances.

We've surely had enough of being the last Magic slot on the sunday, id even take being 1st on the Saturday ahead of that. Big question marks over when and where Magic will be though. Football grounds will only want to host end May/Early June due to pitch work and concerts over the summer and I cant see them wanting it near the CC final. Early September would be a good slot before games become dead rubber (well we might have swtiched off by July as per

)

Yes and no, its better for morale and playoff chances to peak later. We want to end 2024 with people keen to buy tickets for 2025. But we seem incapable of performing after July so maybe racking up the wins early is a better tactic!

With regards to the magic weekend, we all know we're on last most years because we take the most fans so the ground looks fuller for longer. Imagine essentially being punished for generating the most money and selling the most tickets every year.

I think we’re all forgetting the benefit of been last. The earlier we’re on, the earlier our weekend is ruined. Nice to enjoy games as a neutral before reality sinks in.

Yep, same for Rovers too who were used to get the ground full at kickoff this year

Swift giving Smith a lot of praise in a Hull Live interview, stating he is confident he will turn it around, and as he's going with little chance of returning (his Hudds deal is 3 years) theres no agenda for him to say that

What is everybody's target/aims for 2024. Unless youth surprises us I don’t think we’re a team who can challenge yet.

Realistically I just want us to compete in every game, play and exciting style of rugby and be around the play offs.

I think 2025 is the year we need to see the squad actually evolve into a challenger.

Bottom 4 again for me. Less blow out scores with an improved attitude. We might nick 6th if we do well.

I can cop a defeat like the Catalans game at home, its the Salford home game and Cas away game that get me.

Can't see us top 6, but this season with our fixtures, we should have been closer, so fight until the end, no blowout scores would be nice too.

Got to see an improvement, in terms of performances, more youth development, more wins and points too.

Think Smith needs another year if recruitment to get us challenging, unless he pulls out a couple of suprise signings, but for thar it would need Pearson to back him, which I don't think he will do.

Biggest question, can the fans wait another season or even Pearson.

I think one of the most important things we get out of next season is to win a couple of games in late August and September, it can't carry on just fading out of seasons every year.

I expect us to be in the bottom half but I expect us to still be in with a shout for the top6.

The CC is a better opportunity, particularly as the final will now be in our peak month of June!

Get them ultra fit for the start of the season and cut out the indiscipline then we wont fade away.
If Cator and Lane are not in the team then that will eliminate most of our six again calls

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/170 ... Sj07A&s=19 Be interesting to see how things go if, as expected, Castore are the kit suppliers next season. Aston Villa don't seem happy. Newcastle have had supply and quality issues too

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/170 ... Sj07A&s=19 Be interesting to see how things go if, as expected, Castore are the kit suppliers next season. Aston Villa don't seem happy. Newcastle have had supply and quality issues too

The aim has to be to finish in a play-off spot.
Whether we are good enough for that is a different matter entirely, but we should be targeting/striving for top six at the very least.

I always believe that a team at the start of a season, any team not just ourselves, should aim to be at least one notch above what they realistically think they can achieve.

Obviously, it would be preposterous for any of us to start claiming that anything short of a Grand Final would represent total abject failure, but I do think we really should be at least aiming to make some progress on this year, irrespective of changes in personnel. The major question is, will we!

It all depends on how much I ignore cold-hard reality as to how well I think we will go next year!!

The Cup is slightly different. A bit of luck in the draw, a couple of decent performances on the right afternoon, and almost any of the SL clubs can find themselves walking out at Wembley, so there is a certain amount of hoped for glory for most supporters there.

That's why this season has been such a big disappointment.

With Smith in charge I was expecting to challenge for the play-offs no more no less.