So with 12 games gone and 11 left before the split, what are your thoughts on the season so far? Who has impressed and who will make the 8?

Agree entirely with Thelonius and Bren2k.

And sadly it's an ongoing issue.

Saw part of an u11's game at the weekend. Parents and coaches screeching and screaming on the sidelines.
Coaches abusing the 12 year old ref (who handled the situation fantastically well).
The kids hyped up and more aggressive because of the attitude of their coaches.
Plus of course the usual issues of passing it to the big kid, who mysteriously, never gets subbed.

The terrible state of the amateur game in the heartlands is, in my opinion, one of the biggest factors as to why we have only average crowds and very low interest levels in RL. It's also the reason why we don't have better players and a big reason as to why we don't have better referees.

Sort the amateur game out and the game will reap the benefits many times over.

Until Sandow was injured he was supposed to be.

Sandow when he returns, will pick back up where he left off, and let's not forget Ben Currie.

Too much mediocrity, too many teams in Super League. Catalan have a good chance of winning silverware if they keep it up and don't lose any more key players...

Agreed, we need to get rid of dross like Leeds and Huddersfield who are dragging the overall league down.



In all seriousness, I think defensive standards are down, but there does seem to be a style change where teams are far more eager to throw the ball about. We are seeing soft tries, but lots of really good ones as well. Are we seeing too much mediocrity? Well maybe, but we are also seeing lots of entertainment which is what the fans (especially those just discovering the game) want to see. Wigan play the "NRL way" more than most. It's obviously effective as the table proves, but most of their games have been mind numbingly dull.

It's hard to see anyone who isn't currently in the top 5 having a say in the playoffs. I think the top 4 are all pretty well matched, then there's a small step down to Saints (I'll be interested to see how they go now some players have returned though), and then there's a bit of a gulf to the rest. We are in a situation where anyone can beat anyone in a one off, but those sides from 6 downwards don't seem capable of putting a telling run together.

Catalans have been the surprise package for me. We knew Warrington and Wigan would be near enough, and whilst it was only a friendly I saw enough from Hull v Rovers in pre season to know that Hull would go well. But I didn't expect Catalans to rectify their away form so dramatically. That said I'm not as convinced about them as many seem to be, but they should still make the 4.

By the end of the Super 8's I'd say:

Warrington
Wigan
Hull
Catalans
Saints
Castleford
Leeds
Widnes

I don't expect any of the bottom 4 to have too many difficulties in the middle 8's.