Ian Millward [url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugby-league/news/article/480/9137865/wolves-and-saints-to-dominatethinks[/url we'll finish fifth and struggle without the players we've lost. In his opinion we over achieved last season and if we win anything this year it will be a massive achievement.

Between this nonsense, the renewed optimism of the St Helens fans, the reports coming out of our camp about preseason and new players I really can't wait for the season to start.

For me we'll be right in the mix for trophies but given the WCC might not finish as high up the league as we otherwise could. Wigan, Leeds and Warrington are the only teams with any significant trophy winning experience and I think it will take a lot for anyone to break these teams hold on the silverware. Despite St Helens' signings and Huddersfield's recent improvement I'm not sure they've got enough to get them past these teams.

Oh, and Garry Schofield tipped us as the best team this year in League Express.

The policy of tipping the season's success based on league position is meaningless. Last time we finished 4th and won the double; Leeds, as we have been told time and time again, won the big one twice from 5th.

Agreed that's why I talked about teams trophy chances and it was more Millward's assertions that we overachieved last year and would be outside the main contenders this year that I thought were daft.

Having said that, Millward's logic seems flawed as he is saying that the untried Wire youngsters will push them to the top, yet the Wigan kids who have won 5 of the last 6 titles, will struggle.

Millward tips us to lose almost on a weekly basis in that column. What's more worrying is Schofield backing us, he's obviously trying a reverse psychology tactic!

For me there are 5 main contenders in us, Saints, Wire, Leeds and Hudds with two dark horses in Hull FC and Cats. It's difficult to put those 5 in order because they all have big question marks. We don't know how we'll get on without Tomkins and we don't know our best left edge combo (plus we've got a trip to Sydney), Saints are still a half back short IMO and Walsh is being hyped-up before he's played a game, Wire don't know how they'll get on with without Briers, Morley and Hodgson, Leeds have got a quality backline but are the halves and forwards good enough to allow them to be utilised effectively and Hudds have still got to get rid of the playoff bottlers tag.

To be fair, Walsh is being hyped up due to his performances last season. Anyone voted 7th in the Dally M rankings is doing something right.

Yeh I keep reading that, and he may well be an excellent signing for you. But we've seen so many bigger name Aussies come over here and bomb, I just think some of the hype for Walsh has been a bit premature.

joint 7th with 3 other players. so basically ranked in the top 10 players which is still good. But wasn't tim smith ranked highly the season before he came to Wigan? Some reason he thinks there will be less pressure playing for Saints maybe he will be wrong.

I'm not sure if Tim Smith was ever a top 10 NRL player to be honest, I genuinely don't know.

With regards to the comment about pressure, he was referring to the pressure from the media and the publicity that RL players have over there. He won't have that same problem here.

Regardless of how well saints do next season, there won't be the media attention there is in aus, which is what he doesn't like. Seeing the first couple of interviews with him, I can see why.

You're right in that for every successful NRL signing, there are probably 2 or 3 bad ones. I think most Saints fans are realistic in terms of expectations with Walsh. He has the ability and the credentials to be in top 2 or 3 half-backs in Super League but it may take him a few weeks to settle in.

If he replicates his form from last season in 2014 then he will make a big big difference to us.

Wonder if Brett seymour would agree.

What an extremely inappropriate thing to say.

and whys that? he clearly accepted he struggled with the pressure at hull.

What IM is not seeing is the bigger picture. Last season we did not have the best 1-13 but our squad is the best in Super League. Super League is not won by the best side if that was the case Wire would have won the GF for the last 3 seasons.

We have lost Sam and he will be a massive loss but apart from his goal kicking Richards was not a massive threat last season. Replacing Pat of 2013 is a hell of a lot easier than the one in 2010.

Mossop will be missed as will Hansen. But i feel that Taylor was bought in as his replacement as most knew Mossop was going to the NRL last year.

Hansen will be missed for one of the best players we have had and very rare did he have a bad game. But Bateman looks a very good player and remember a year ago when the Wire were apparently signing him how good they think he could be and is. Of all the new players we have Tony Clubb will be the biggest impact this season no one is expecting much from him given his London form and his desperation to leave.

We will not finish top Wane will not allow that to happen if we finish top it will be that we win virtually every game from now until mid July. Wane will do what he did last season get top 4 and rest as many as he can.

For the record i think we will finish 4th and make the GF again.

You are comparing somebody who was suffering from depression and tried to kill himself to somebody who just said that the media attention back home is a bit much. Quite a contrast.

We'll go well again I'm sure. Every year we (or I do anyway) seem to have this down period after the season when you see some top players walk through the door and the replacements tend to be what you'd consider 'cheaper options' but then pre season comes and that feeling of excitement kicks in again.

I have full faith in Shaun Wane and his coaching staffs ability to improve not only the lads that have come in, but also those young players that will be another year on in their progression to the top. The new signings will all go well IMO but it's the young lads like Hampshire, Burgess and Manfredi that excite me the most. These lads will take that next step this year and they're that good that if they don't help us win trophies this year, then they will in the future.

Add in the improvements I expect to see from younger players like Crosby, Dudson, Thornley, Hughes, Burke, Sam Powell etc and this squad has the depth, talent and desire to compete in all competitions.

Yeah and he struggled with the pressure at hull with contribute to his depression which i never mentioned. If luke walsh thinks there will be not stress playing for st helens he is deluded. Playing for super league clubs and living in the same town where they become local celebrities in my opinion would be more stressful that seeing bad reports on tv.

I wasn't going to talk on this topic but I think you're missing the point.

Just imagine how big a news story it would of been had seymour done what he did whilst in the nrl. The story would of been massive. And it's that type of scrutiny that players can be become opposed to (just like footballers in this country) - there is no comparison in the "celebrity status" rugby league players have here and in Australia. Walsh, hardly strikes me as a charismatic man, and struggles with that. It doesn't mean he can't handle the st.helens public, but he won't have national media hound him every dropped ball/ night out/ relationship.

He's played half back all his life, and very much strikes me as the type to do his talking on the pitch. I'm sure he's aware of the pressures of playing in a successful side (but that's very different to the pressures described above) - and will know what is expected of him - all be it without a camera shoved in his face.

None of this means he's guaranteed to be a success over here, but he will handle the pressure (on pitch) better than people seem to think.

The comparison to Seymour is unnecessary and irrelevant.

i seriously don't see how it is? One player saying he's looking forward to playing with out the pressure in super league and another one had serious problems playing in that same competition.

Personally i don't believe luke walsh got better because the pressure was off i believe it was more to do with Penrith actually improved massively last season and luke walsh benefited from other players playing better. But it still doesn't the change the fact if he believes there will be no pressure for him to perform he is deluded. Superleague clubs are predominately in small towns and pressure from fans in those bubbles will be just as intense.

add to the fact he doesn't even have a halfback partner and being a big signing at a big club that has underperformed for the last 6 years the pressure will still be there.

Seriously can't wait for the season to start

Why do you keep repeating this??

He hasn't said there will be no pressure playing for Saints! You can't just make things up!

he clearly said the pressure is off and is looking forward to less pressure over here.

You have taken a small part of an interview and interpreted the wrong way. He was discussing the media spotlight and the publicity in Australia. He said there would be less pressure over here with regards to those things I have mentioned. He has never said there is no pressure on him playing for Saints.

As we know it is not about finishing first but about finishing strongest. I think that we have enough talent in the squad to rest and rotate players. The youngsters coming through have already, largely, been blooded. Even some of those who still qualify for u19s are seasoned professionals. There is no reason for anyone to burn out as we have back up.

Does anyone know where we are going to be sending our fringe players this season?