*** Official Rugby League SLXX Thread ***

Soldato
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Here's the new thread for the Rugby League Season SLXX and as usual we start it off with a bit of Q&A:

1. Your team?
2. Your highlight of last season?
3. Your expectations this season?
4. Your most anticipated new signings?
5. Who you think will win the league leaders shield?
6. Who will be the dark horses of the competition?
7. Any updates from your club, new ground etc?
8. Final league position of your club?
9. What (or who) will be your clubs weakness next year?
10. Here's what the bookies think, is it fair on your team?
11. Best first 17?

Wigan Warriors 11/4
St Helens 7/2
Warrington Wolves 4/1
Leeds Rhinos 9/2
Huddersfield Giants 14/1
Catalan Dragons 12/1
Salford Red Devils 20/1
Hull FC 33/1
Castleford Tigers 33/1
Hull KR 66/1
Widnes Vikings 100/1
Wakefield Wildcats 150/1

FORUM MEMBERS AND THEIR TEAMS
  • physichull - HULL KR
  • Evil^ - BRADFORD
  • kidloco - WARRINGTON
  • Fuggan - LEEDS
  • Wonder_Lander - HULL KR
  • TonyM19 _ WIGAN
  • PudWud - WIGAN
  • hoppyintheuk - BRADFORD
  • kefkef - WARRINGTON
  • Dave26 - WIGAN
  • Viper2 - WIGAN
  • cheets64 - WIGAN
  • hargi - CASTLEFORD
  • Vanquish-Storm - WARRINGTON
  • Landy - CASTLEFORD
  • Xinn - LEEDS
  • Lefty - WARRINGTON
  • Serverman - WIGAN
  • SMN - WIGAN
  • gumbald - HULL KR
  • ristac - LEEDS
  • Gilly - LEEDS
  • Kemik - WIDNES
  • Funktopus - WIDNES
  • shawsy109 - BRADFORD

My answers:

1. Hull KR.

2. Probably knowing finally that we had no chance of reaching the playoffs! A pretty dismal year all round.

3. To make the top 8. I've given up aiming for higher. Going to be a tough start, especially with a number of new signings but they managed to get it together a bit at the end of the friendly against FC today and managed to pull out a win (for what its worth) of 22-28.

4. Well I got it completely wrong in my backing of Kris Keating last year. He was pretty terrible and I can't really remember a moment where he excelled. Travis Burns was much the better player but even he was unconvincing and often went missing when somebody was required to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. I'm actually glad he's gone, to be honest. He was one of those troublesome ego players who thought they were better than they were and probably unsettled the team. I know Chris Chester was certainly pleased to be shot of him in the end. The less said about Langley and Jonathan Walker the better, frankly.

Anyway, enough of last years woes and onto this years woes! We have signed around 13 new players, of which the pick has to be Terry Campese at 7 and Albert Kelly at 6. Both players come with very good reputations and going on todays display Kelly could look to be a cut above most. Other exciting oversees signings are Ken Sio (FAST winger) and Mitch Allgood (prop). Kieron Dixon should add some much needed pace to our sluggish backline of last season and also has a decent boot. I think Greg Burke and Mantellato could also be ones to watch out for and Ryan Bailey, well, I'm not sure (I'm sure he will do a good job for us, but I'm not convinced Leeds fans will have lost sleep over him leaving). We also now have a variety of kicking options with Mantellato, Dixon, Campese, Blair and Kelly all very decent with boot to ball.

Our new assistant coach in Willie Poching from Warrington (and formerly Leeds) could prove to be our most astute acquisition this year. He knows what it takes to win things and that experience could prove vital.

5. Wigan, Wire, Saints, take your pick from one of those. Too tough to call again this year.

6. I say it every year (and ever year it never quite happens), but Salford could be a thorn in a few sides this year. Signing Michael Dobson will be key but as brilliant as he was for us, he did start becoming a little one dimensional and his kicking deteriorated badly towards the end. He's a quality player, but I think his time at Rovers is now well and truly over.

7. For once, nothing to really report!

8. 7th.

9. Hooker, dummy half, the number 9 postion, whatever you want to call it. But Josh Hodgson has left some massive boots to fill for Keal Carlile (who I don't think is up to it) and new signing John Boudebza (from Toulouse, bit of an unknown quantity, but looks alright/average from what I've seen so far). It could prove to be our key weakness this year and indeed it may be that Cockayne ends up playing there for a bit but he isn't getting any younger so will find it harder and harder.

10. I think Salford are given overly good odds and Rovers dealt with slightly harshly. It will be tough for Rovers though, to get all these multitude of players to gel.

11.

1. Dixon
2. Sio
3. Goulding
4. Blair
5. Mantellato
6. Campese
7. Kelly
8. Weyman
9. Boudebza
10. Allgood
11. Larroyer
12. McCarthy
13. Burke

Subs: Green/Donaldson, Walker, Bailey, Cockayne
 
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Associate
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1. Wigan
2. Magic weekend. The lowlight came exactly 2 minutes into the GF - a game that was there for the taking.
3. Top 4, but there will be at least 5 teams with a realistic chance of getting these places
4. Wigan haven't exactly gone mad on recruitment. The 2nd row from Wakefield (Tautai) looks promising
5. Teams should take league games a bit more seriously this year and I can't see it going outside Sts, Wire, Leeds or Wigan
6. Catalan - Todd Carney is an excellent player, they have Willie Tonga in the centres and Remy Casty back from the NRL. They will be a real handful, especially in France
7. Nothing major. Some new young lads with squad numbers who look promising but aren't quite ready for a regular spot (Oliver Gildart in particular). Interestingly, Steve Ganson's lad (Josh) is now playing in the U18s
8. Top 4 (hopefully)
9. Stand off (they haven't replaced Blake Green with any quality) and they look a bit lightweight in the front row. They seem to have a lot of converted second rows and may struggle against the bigger packs
10. I'd put Saints as favourites (although it pains me to say it). They have recruited well and they have key players coming back from injuries.
11. 1.Bowen
2. Charnley
3. Gelling
4. Sarginson
5. Burgess (who has bulked up in the off season)
6. Hampshire (although I suspect Williams will play there)
7. Smith
8. Crosbie (or Flowers once he returns from his 'holiday')
9. McIlorum (a massive loss in the GF)
10. Mossop
11. Tomkins
12. Farrell
13. O'Loughlin (I suspect his appearancs will be 'managed' this season)
 
Soldato
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Is that what Joel Tomkins now is? A converted second rower from centre?

Its going to be much harder this coming season with no "easy" games, instigated primarily by the fact that there are two less teams in SL. It only really dawned on me when perusing the fixture list this morning and reflecting on the fact that Rovers seemed to have a tough starting set of fixtures. Its only when I carried on looking down the list that I realised that it wasn't getting any easier!

Looking forwards to the Magic Weekend in N'castle!
 
Soldato
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J.Tomkins has gone full circle, he was a converted centre from the second row when we lost Gleeson (I think it was). Will probably see him back at centre for a few games next year.
 
Soldato
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1. Your team?
2. Your highlight of last season?
3. Your expectations this season?
4. Your most anticipated new signings?
5. Who you think will win the league leaders shield?
6. Who will be the dark horses of the competition?
7. Any updates from your club, new ground etc?
8. Final league position of your club?
9. What (or who) will be your clubs weakness next year?
10. Here's what the bookies think, is it fair on your team?
11. Best first 17?

1. Widnes Vikings
2. So many. Really happy we finished in the play offs and made the CC semi-final.
3. Top 8 again.
4. We haven't really had many...
5. Wigan.
6. Us judging by those odds...
7. Same as last season really. Nothing has changed!
8. 7th
9. The fact we haven't cycled any new players. Injuries could really be a cripple!
10. Considering how well we performed last year I would be half tempted to put money on at those odds!
 
Soldato
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The team I really can't place at the moment is Cas. I know they have lost Sneyd to "them over there" but I can't see them being able to keep up their momentum from last year. But what do I know, they'll probably still take 4 points from us! Haha!
 
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Cas have lost Huby as well - not sure about any signings. Powell is a really good coach though and has his finger on the pulse of good players at Championship level. A trip to Cas will be as tough as it always is.

Warrington have made good signings. Interesting to see how Asotasi plays in his second year. He couldn't scatter pigeons last year despite his reputation. If him and Ashton Sims play to their potential with Clarke scooting out of dummy half, that will be a pack and a half.

Joel Tomkins has always been a second rower who played a bit of centre. The fact that he could actually time a pass was enough to get him a centre spot in RU. I think Jon Bateman might get a few runs in the centre at Wigan
 
Soldato
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Brutal game so far and its starting to turn a bit nasty, some high shots, pushing and shoving that's only a straw away from breaking into a fully blown scrap! Wigan looking comfortable for the lead and a now as I type a red for Ahvan....somehow I don't think this is going to be Widnes' night. Perhaps a little harsh for a red, maybe a sin binning would have been more appropriate.

Game over I think now, especially with Brown off the field injured.
 
Soldato
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How about that. What do I know eh?

Nice comeback, especially 1 man down!

Appalling stuff from Matty Smith kicking out at the Widnes player during the try celebration. Really, really bad that and massive over reaction from Joel Tomkins. Utterly baffling.

And a yellow for Smith!?!? Completely inconsistent given the sending off of Ah Van earlier.
 
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Soldato
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Bullet points are all I'm capable of right now;

  • Widnes fan
  • Tripping balls on adrenaline
  • Hoarse from roaring like a ****ing warlock
  • Outraged and/or furious at the standard of refereeing
  • Feels weird to actually be proud of where I'm from
 
Soldato
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i didnt get to watch it all. wigan seemed to be getting rub of the green

To say the least! I feel the SL have serious questions to answer about the onesided-ness and blatant inconsistency of some of the decisions made by Child's. For instance, Patrick Ah Van getting sent off for a high tackle in the heat of the game, yet several Wigan players getting off Scott-free for quite deliberately setting about Camron Phelps after he remonstrated with Matty Smith for trying to ankle tap Rhys Hanbury while he was celebrating that last Widnes try.
 
Soldato
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To say the least! I feel the SL have serious questions to answer about the onesided-ness and blatant inconsistency of some of the decisions made by Child's. For instance, Patrick Ah Van getting sent off for a high tackle in the heat of the game, yet several Wigan players getting off Scott-free for quite deliberately setting about Camron Phelps after he remonstrated with Matty Smith for trying to ankle tap Rhys Hanbury while he was celebrating that last Widnes try.

Although it doesnt directly benefit Widnes, I am sure there will be a number of players up against the disciplinary panel next week and possibly facing 1-2 match bans.

Entertaining game for the neutral though.
 
Soldato
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Bullet points are all I'm capable of right now;

  • Widnes fan
  • Tripping balls on adrenaline
  • Hoarse from roaring like a ****ing warlock
  • Outraged and/or furious at the standard of refereeing
  • Feels weird to actually be proud of where I'm from

This.

My GP would not be impressed with my blood pressure last night. Words that left my mouth should never be repeated. I've seen bad refing before but that took the biscuit. The sheer number of professional players stating such on twitter after that call should really crystalise that statement.

Childs was never in control of the game. That red was uncalled for. How can they miss late, high shots and then red that? State of Origin would be cancelled if that was the standard of allowable tackles.

Then a simple yellow for the constant foul play by Wigan? Crazy. I'd be interested to hear what Hanbury said to trigger it though :p

In all, really really happy we got the draw. RFL have to sort out the refs in this game though. It ruins a perfectly good match.
 
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im not sure if its bias or just a very low standard of refereeing. the touch judges are useless and do absolutely nothing.

with ahvan its dangerous contact with the head so a red is likely.

impressive by widnes to get a draw.
 
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