I agree with this but we were unable to change out all the squad due to contracts. The worst of it is Russell and Hughes are here until November 2019. Tony couldn't extend them quick enough. Unless Dom Crosby has a very good season he can leave at the end of 2018.

we are short of a decent prop....end of.
Nobody would argue that when we were at our best a few years back, we had an amazing front row WITH an amazing replacement front row on the bench waiting to come on.....4 top class props and two top class hookers. We are well short of that...therefore we should set expectations accordingly.

Bloody Hell its all doom and gloom.

We're all doomed I tell ya, doooooomed!

Just need to lower expectations
5 or 6th place more likely this year
Which would be an improvement
It will take time for new players to gel
As for Hughes and Benny
Bench warmers at best sorry

Hughes was switching between second row and centre in his early seasons under Shaun Wane at Wigan. I remember us playing Huddersfield when he was there and he played centre there.

He's not suddenly going to become "unsettled" because TS played him a few games there last year. Lots of second rowers who have decent pace cover the centres.

Just goes to show the importance of an intermediate open age reserve level. Nobody can expect kids to be big enough to go straight into super league.

its not doom and gloom..we will be better than last year (not too difficult)..BUT we have to have realistic levels of expectation....otherwise the new coach and the team will be put under too much pressure based on unrealistic expectations.

I expect a top 6-8 finish and a decent cup run....more than that is a bonus IMO....we are building again....heading in the right direction....but I really don't expect us to make the top 4 or a final....because we are still short of enough top class players to achieve that IMO. Hope i am wrong.

"6-8"....
So you're happy if we get one more point than last year and "everything else is a bonus"..?

Ok ... I'm out...but I agree I hope you're wrong.

It's not doom n gloom its maybe a bit like 2009. .... not good enough to win the big prize and we may finish midtable. But with a new coach and still a smattering of quality players we could get to Wembley.....
I expect nothing better because we are a hooker a good prop and a good winger short.

If Price wins a trophy with this team he will have already done infinitely better than Tony Smith.

Rubber, there is a difference between being happy with mid table and expecting it. There was a lot wrong at the Wire and it had been brewing for a while. It will take time to fix that due to hysteresis.

Hysteresis. Now there's a word that you don't see very often on a RL forum.

Woah Woah Woah


We finished 9th one point off 8th and I'm reading posters are happy to finish 8th!

Go away with you all. I've never read such tripe. If I was Simon Middleton and SJM I'd be kicking in my front door, back door, the shed door and the cat from next door with frustration if we improved nothing more that a point and 8th over 9th!!!!

People are judging our squad (and our chances) by 2011 standards. No team has two quality hookers these days....no team certainly has our replacement forwards from 2011, no team has a pair of outstanding centres or wingers either. Ideally we could certainly do with a nasty prop and a few other tweaks....but we're in a fairly low grade horse race with a pretty decent horse, top 3 is EASILY achievable.

Agree with all of that, rf
imo, SL is at an all time low in terms of quality. We have Champions which were easily taken apart at the HJ last season, as well as other places. A Saints side which blows hot and cold. A Wigan side with just held on to 8th place, an over achieving Wakey, Cas, despite playing great rugby for 6 months, ran on empty at the end of the season. Hudds, well, they are what they are. Salford will win 5 on the bounce again, proclaim themselves as big players again, and then struggle to beat St Winifred's School Choir. Hull will just be Hull.

Let's not get all "we're not worthy" simply because we had a 5h1te 2017.
Get off to a good start, and anything is possible.

We have a LOT of players on (I assume) very good contracts who DID NOT deliver, last year. IF these players pull their fingers out, anything is possible.

I believe we have shortcomings in our side. So does everyone else.
No reason why we should set low targets.

AIM HIGH.

Agreed.
No one remembers the runners up.

Really agree with this. I believe we have potentially the best overall squad that just needs coaching and enthusiasm from it's coaches. A lot of people are tipping Saints this season, but have you seen their pack- nothing to write home about bar Walmsley and Roby who is getting on a bit.

How did currie look now hes had a bit of preseason and a few games under his belt?

Well it was good to see the strapping on his leg has gone. I thought he looked pretty fit but at the same time he didn't look 100% committed. However most of the attack took place on the other side of the field so that didn't help his cause.

bits n pieces I took away from yesterday.

Murdoch-Masilla (apparently has been saved in my auto text, phew) tried in the middle, then switched with Hughes to right second row pretty early looks more dangerous out there, doesn't seem like the best tackler.

Hughes seemed bright, whilst he was dog last year, he was a useful part of 2016s squad, let's not forget that.

I went through a myriad of opinion on Cooper yesterday, he started off by running like a fat lad with floppy arms, I wasn't convinced that he deserves the ten shirt, but later on in the game he was shooting out the line and dragging the other middles with him, and tackling pretty well.

It's a trial though, innit.

Morgan Smith gave a fairly good account of himself in spotty minutes at hooker and half, he'a really not afraid at rollicking ppl.

Mitch brown looks like he'll be used as an aerial threat of and when he makes the team, Kev put a few high kicks up for him.

Not sure about pat Moran, finally get to see him, he's very lightweight looking for a prop.

Didn't see much from Luis Johnson, though he got clattered and took abd odd knock not long after coming on field.

Overall I think we look a bit more offensive minded, and tried quite hard to go around the chasers on kick returns a few times.

Currie performance you asked....
Well he put Ratchford in for his try following an initial break from Clark involving Brown.

Anyone else see the 'Watkins-esque' flick pass from Hughes to Russell in the second half?

I did not go to the game. But if I witnessed that I would have fell off my seat. For me Hughes never seems to run hard into contact. He would be a much better player if he run hard into contact and maybe burst through the tackle.

Clean slate and i will reserved judgement until i witness the new and improved player or the busted flush he was last season.

As bad as Hughes was last year I seem to remember him running hard enough to take players over the line with him a few times in 2016.

Our props neither had any pace nor any real raw strength to burst tackles (Hill relies on footwork).

I personally thought Clark was class.

Depending on what we wanted from our second row lacked the movement and ball handling skills in attack to get the outside backs in good positions, Atkins did this for himself at centre on one side and Lineham did it for himself on the wing in the right. But really it’s not their jobs to be doing the second row’s job. Unless the SRs were just there to make metres and the Loose to do the job of creating space and passes out wide. But the SRs never really made any decent metres neither. Westerman was okay with ball in hand.

I think we are still missing pace and line breaks in the props.

I’m hoping Clark will get international recognition.

Our back row is going to be unrecognisable to last year. Currie will make a huge difference in creating space and passes out wide on the left. Murdock-Masilla will bring raw pace and power for line breaks and metres.

I’m really looking forward to seeing our back row and Clark this season and hole our props can make more of an impact as they were well short last year. Hill and Cooper need to improve a lot. Crosby will give us numbers and Akaola should bring a bit of metre making.

Big year for Hughes. Will be playing for his place at the club for me but I think he was good in 2016 so here’s hoping for the lad for this year.

And one other thing, I want Chris Hill to stop moaning at the ref so much and giving penalties away at silly times or in silly areas.

As captain he needs to be calmer and more composed.