cas are good on the eye, IMO will be in the mix but wont win anything,Wigan still the team to beat,

Lets not forget that Widnes started last season with 6 wins 1 loss. Including a 56-12 win against Leeds & 46-6 against us. They soon fell away.

Hmm..Cas juggernaut rolls on and depleted Wigan looking very solid. A right scrap at Wakey today. Next few weeks could be interesting, Cas have Salford, Catalans and Huddersfield next so will likely go into Easter unbeaten.

No way Cas are dropping off. They've every thing you want in a team. Millington lynch Holmes Patrick cook massey will have a scrap with you and dig in
Moors macmeekan macshane Lafao will cut you up and pace and flair galore in the backs. Love the look of Minikin. A beautiful balanced winger. Plus the cover in most positions. Especially 1 67 and 9. Can lose either chase or gale and replace with Roberts. Spent most of 2016 with props n hookers playing 6
That said I still think wigan are the team to beat ultimately.

Wigan still the team to beat for me too. Cas won't drop away, nailed on top 4, but I'd like to see how they get on in a proper scrap with the likes of Wigan or ourselves before I start talking up their title chances. Their brand of rugby is great, but it's generally not what wins trophies. Wigan, Cas and Hull will be the top 3 with some breathing space imo. 4th could be very interesting. Widnes aren't in the race for it, and I don't think Huddersfield are either, but you can make a legitimate case for anyone else.

Agree about Wigan. Dour, attritional, relentless and stretching the rules round the ruck to an unacceptable extent IMO but so effective. The difference with Cas this year is their depth and coverage. Looking at last year you needed 10 wins from 23 to make the 8 and 20 from 30 to make the 4. Interested to see how Warrington bounce back, squad is way too good for them to miss out.

Superb effort from Leigh tonight. However disjointed Warrington are at the moment the intensity and cohesion of Leigh was very good IMO in a niggly contest. Lineham could potentially be banned for our game - next week's Wire v Saints taking on real significance. Been a really interesting start to the SL season.

Thought Leigh looked a very organised and disciplined side tonight as opposed the Warrington who looked truly awful and very Agar'ish. They still have a good squad but they seem to be seriously lacking any leadership and idea.

Think both Stewart & Lineham will be up for bans of a couple of games at least if the disciplinary are consistent with the punishments.

As much as I disliked Paul Cooke for leaving the club like he did I do wonder if he would make a difference to our attacking options if he were to be involved in the coaching set up at Hull?

I liked leigh's enthusiasm and aggression which will be difficult for many teams to match. wire are low on confidence but they'll click at some point, probably when we play them

I actually think Leigh have improved more defensively than offensively since Cooke went there, they could always score but struggled once they got into a scrap, one thing they don't lack is a bit of mongrel thats for sure.

Warrington remind me of Hull from a few years ago, seemingly pass the balll side to side then send a big lad up the middle, Gidley has gone from being missed so much that (IMO) him going off was key to you winning the cup, to being the biggest liability out there. Can't see you struggling to defend against them next week especially as Lineham will be banned for at least 2.

Couldn't agree more with you on this point particularly. Watching Warrington lately is like watching Hull FC from when Agar was the Coach, looks like his dynamic coaching is now taking affect at Wire, totally devoid of ideas and look beat before the games even got going.

Good post, I didn't think Leigh Attach was very good, they played to their strenghts, strong forwards and good defence, I suppose a bit like us, but not as good



Agree with your post on Warrington and I mentioned it on the VT, they look like a Agar coached team, wonder if he is having more influence at training etc this season?

Apparently he now takes the day to day training duties.

Whilst Leigh played to their strengths I thought there attack was well structured in the way they used certain players and targetted areas Hocks 2nd try an example of them setting up the play for hock targeting the left edge of Warringtons defence.

Don't think Leigh really had their defence tested as Warrington's attack was just like us under Agar, predicatable and easy to defend against as no real threat from anywhere.

Its odd really how someone like Agar can be so well regarded whilst having delivered nothing of note during his career, his tenure at Hull if even just based on results was rubbish and was only bolstered by a CC final appearance. He was awful at Wakey (in difficult circumstances) and seems to have landed a plum role at wire and that seems to be not too well received by the fan base. Are there so few coaches to choose from that as long as you have a role you'll get another

Maybe it was his record when coaching the French national side................ oh hang on wait a minute.......... errrrm nope not that successful there either.

I agree for someone that is/was regarded well within the game his record of any kind of success is bloody awful and I was astounded by his appointment at Warrington.

Amended for accuracy. HTH

James Rule has his say on Widnes' position. www.widnesvikings.co.uk/article/ ... to-members

James Rule has his say on Widnes' position. www.widnesvikings.co.uk/article/ ... to-members

Quote ="Mrs Barista"James Rule has his say on Widnes' position. www.widnesvikings.co.uk/article/ ... to-members'" injuries or not, i still think widnes are the weakest team in the comp

Quote ="Mrs Barista"James Rule has his say on Widnes' position. www.widnesvikings.co.uk/article/ ... to-members'" injuries or not, i still think widnes are the weakest team in the comp

Undoubtedly, but they may get back to full strength and are seeking to bring more players in. They'll be bottom 4 regardless you'd have thought.

Quote ="Mrs Barista"James Rule has his say on Widnes' position. www.widnesvikings.co.uk/article/ ... to-members'" I really don't like him or certainly wouldn't trust him.

Quote ="Mrs Barista"James Rule has his say on Widnes' position. www.widnesvikings.co.uk/article/ ... to-members'" I really don't like him or certainly wouldn't trust him.

Looks like Rovers will replace them anyway, but having said that I thought they did OK in the first half of our game. I don't mind Betts but I think Rod Studd said yesterday it's 607 days since Widnes won a SL game without Kevin Brown.

I think Widnes will do a Wakey from 2 years ago, except they are in the middle 8's and spend big just before they start (although I expect Rovers do the same)

Castleford really turning on the style to maintain top spot after being 0-14 early on.

I still can't believe we lost to catalans. They may even miss out on the 8 this year

Was just looking at the table and thinking that. Would be a tough place to go in the Middle 8s given their roster, they'll be right when Bird's back though IMO - in the end he did for us in that game.