I think what's a bit depressing is that it's been 7 years since we were last at a major final. We currently look nowhere near getting to a final again anytime soon...I just hope that we are in a better position financially and playing roster wise soon

It's going to be another tough year for us imo and I think most will agree given where we are at squad wise . I think we realistically it wont be till 2025 that we can mount any serious challenge to the top 6 with some astute signings and the youngsters with another season of experience under their belts .
I think we'll finish around 8th or 9th this time around .

We've a lot of recruiting to do for 2025 to make us competitive, realistically we need to replace:

McIntosh - better off contract options available, not consistently impressed

Hoy (walker is a better FB currently, no evidence to suggests he warrants a high salary/quota spot to be a starting 6)

Houghton - been a great servant but can't see him going round again

Lane - doesn't offer a lot, not strong enough to consistently break lines, defence isn't brilliant

Tuimivave - been a great player but too injury prone now

Brown: likely to only be here one year

Big ask but hopefully we can get started early on recruitment for 2025 and challenge for the cup and playoffs again

I think every other Super League club apart from London have got to a Challenge Cup final since we last did.

Fingers crossed for a bit of luck with the draw and some peak performances.

We will win another trophy before KR will. There, I've said it!

Indeed, spent far too many years hoping untested assistants would become a top coach rather than just hiring an experienced one.

The million dollar question is how many transition years fans and sponsors will put up with, we are a loyal bunch but times are hard and theres much competition to RL for peoples spare time these days. Simply ending seasons well will be a start, even if we win a similar amount of games overall we need to be sending the fans home for winter with some wins and optimism. I cant remember the last decent August/September home game.

It’s ok getting to a Challenge Cup Final, but if you don’t win, it just adds to the number of years since a club hasn’t won a trophy….

Problem is Chris with the way the player recruitment has gone concentrating on the forwards its left us with no genuine half backs and a very poor threequarter line,so if the club make that the priority for 2025 then we could find the following year we need to replace several forwards so until the club can find some money and equal out the recruitment and adding some quality players then we could be yo yoing for years hoping that we find some gems coming through our system.who are quality enough to fill some gaps.

I wouldn't disagree with most of that , Hoy would depend on how Walker holds up with injuries but then we have Litten .

Really not sure on Litten. He could do with a year in Championship for me

Totally agree....
Pearson and/or Clark have made garguantuan errors, appointing 3 Assistant coaches with zero man-management skills, and another failure to appoint a General Manager, which had similar attributes to Motu Tony.Since Motu left in 2017, our recruitment and retention has been shambolic, this has led us to where we are today.....
Smith is doing a great job,with the available resources at his disposal , however my major concern is the unnecessary pressure from Pearson to make the 6. IF Smith is replaced, I have zero confidence in the hierarchy , to make a suitable replacement .

I agree.Jury out for me on Litten.The more i see him the more i am convinced he will be another who ends up in the Championship.
Not a centre,not a wing so should concentrate his efforts at full back
London have just lost their full back to Long term injury.Would be a decent move for him and the two clubs

Think its pretty harsh to write Litten off yet. He turned 20 half way through last year and looked comfortable in most of his games last season.

Agreed.

Can’t fault his enthusiasm.

But too many mistakes just at the moment which are a result of over excitement.

Played far too many games for his age, started the season really well, but towards the end looked tired or lacked confident, but that could be said about most of the side

We seem to have a gap between the Youth and first team. For me that is represented by the 4 or 5 years of poor first team coaching and lack of opportunities given. If you look at the better sides in the League some of there youngsters are in there third or fourth pre season with the first team. This is a gap Cummins and Smith needs to plug, which looks like something they are doing. If you take into consideration the scoreline last time we sent a youth team to Bradford pre season to this season, seems some progress at least.

We seem to have 17 first teamers, a coule of fringe players and the rest is very raw and inexpierenced youth players. That gap needs plugging which im sure if given the time, patience and guidance can happen.

The club just need to stop being spin doctors, come out and say what the long term plan is we are where we are at and what our aim is. Instead of coming out with big statements and just creating unrest amongst supporters when we lose 5 or 6 in a row.

To solve this problem, Pearson has to back Smith till at least the end of 2025 IMO. Not think of pass sales and just the future.

Still a little too early to judge Davy Litten as he was pretty much dropped in at the deep end so to speak.

Think Litten started off well but like most young players coming through struggled to maintain the consistency. That's no slight on him given that due to our lack of depth from poor recruitment and Hoys long term injury, meant he played far more games than Smith would have wanted him too. On top of that he was put in a side that we all know was pretty poor which won't have helped either.

I agree that a season at a Championship club would be beneficial to get regular games which will help in his development.

Bang on about Smith needs a total rebuild and we are one year in.

We seem to have a problem with academy players where they seem to be amazing at academy level, receive representative honours etc, have a great couple of games in first team then either end up becoming an average squad player or being released and playing in the championship/league 1...it's something that the club need to improve on, managing that transition from academy to being a top first grade player.

A start would be having more professional and better first team players.

Agree with all of this. Too much hype resulting in unrealistic expectations. Admit that we are a work in progress building for the future and must be patient. No more capitulations at home!

It's a hard balancing act for Smith. He has to remain positive for this year yet I imagine it's gonna be next year before we can start to see the real benefits. Saying that I do expect us to be better this year although can't see us in top 6 ATM but stranger things have happened. Everyone writing us off so let's see ?

Whilst of course we all want the club to be competing for silverware I think most of the fans that follow the club and attend games will probably, like me just settle and want/be happy to see the team compete for 80mins win or lose and no longer see the towel being thrown in from mid July this season.

If we can see the club is genuinely making progress on the field from the past 5/6years then its a big plus. In reality we know we are a ways off yet and it will take another off season and recruitment cycle at least before we can genuinely consider a top 6 finish such was the state of the squad that Smith inherited.

Patience is key but its a commodity that is understandably in limited supply due to the seasons witnessed from 2018 to present day, which is why the fans need to see that things are moving forward for the better from the start of this season.

I just want to see us compete in every game and not get to the end of August and be desparate for the season to end.

A bit of luck too with injuries and fewer stupid bans and we can hopefully edge further up the table. Sixth looks highly unlikely but 7th/8th would be a reasonable finish given the task Smith took on and the limitations of the current squad.

As we've seen in recent years the Challenge Cup is a great chance for clubs other than Wigan and Saints to get to a final so fingers crossed things go our way in that competition.

The onfield discipline has to be addressed otherwise we will burn out again in the second halfs of matches due to having to do more energy sapping defending