***The Officially Official 'Rugby League in 2023' Thread***

JRS

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:)

1) Your team? Catalans Dragons.
2) Your highlight of last season? The second half of the Warrington match at Brutus in May. 6-6 at HT, things a bit tight, then we start actually playing rugby and nil'ing them for 40-6 FT.
3) Your expectations this season? Playoffs.
4) Your most anticipated new signings? Manu Ma'u.
5) Who you think will win the league leaders shield? St Helens.
6) Who will be the dark horses of the competition? I'd been saying for a couple of years that I wanted to see Huddersfield back up there, and then they finished ahead of us :D Sooo...Warrington and Trinity both can't have seasons as bad as last year, can they?
7) Likely starting line-up? We'll see once they're finished tweaking the squad.
8) Final league position of your club? 3rd.
9) What (or who) will be your clubs weakness next year? Travel, same as always.
10) Who promoted from Championship? Well, this one's going to be interesting with the IMG-led rebuild. But I want Toulouse back in the top flight.
 

TonyM19

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1) Your team? Wigan.
2) Your highlight of last season? Just not being rubbish like the previous year - the whole year was a pleasant surprise tbh. Maybe the late winner in the CC Final.
3) Your expectations this season? Playoffs.
4) Your most anticipated new signings? Have played a couple of seasons with non-specialist centres, and have high hopes of Wardle (in particular) and King.
5) Who you think will win the league leaders shield? <sigh> St Helens.
6) Who will be the dark horses of the competition? If Warrington don't start well. they will be looking for a new coach. I think they'll be good this year
7) Likely starting line-up? Field, French, Wardle, King, Marshall, Cust, Smith, Byrne, Powell, Cooper, Farrell, Bateman (another year if the rumours are true)/Pearce-Paul, Smithies. A bench of Mago, Havard, Singleton and O'Neill
8) Final league position of your club? Top 4.
9) What (or who) will be your clubs weakness next year? The club seems to have released a number of its younger forwards and looks to be focusing on a stronger top 20. Have to see how that works out with injuries etc. There's a young second row (Nsembe) who is very highly rated
10) Who promoted from Championship? Hopefully Toulouse, but probably Fev
 

TonyM19

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He came back to 'spend more time with his daughter'. He's obviously had enough of that :)

Good luck to him. Its a short career, his partner is from Aus and they have a kid.

His stats have been good whilst he's been back, but he's not been the standout he was before he went to Canberra and when he was at Canberra.
 

keithcun

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1) Your team? Warrington
2) Your highlight of last season? LOL, probably it finishing!
3) Your expectations this season? Playoffs.
4) Your most anticipated new signings? Probably Josh Drinkwater.
5) Who you think will win the league leaders shield? St Helens.
6) Who will be the dark horses of the competition? Can I say Warrington? It is always our year anyway!!
7) Likely starting line-up? Christ knows
8) Final league position of your club? 5th.
9) What (or who) will be your clubs weakness next year? Belief
10) Who promoted from Championship? Widnes, want that derby back!
 

TonyM19

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Rocky Hampshire? On the same day that Ian Lenegan said this was the best Wigan squad for 10 years?

I suppose he covers lots of positions in the backs, he must be on a low salary and he can kick goals. If he's a first team regular things will have gone pretty pear shaped though
 

physichull

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1) Your team? HKR
2) Your highlight of last season? Probably beating Hull with 15 men for the the whole game towards the end of the season!
3) Your expectations this season? Playoffs
4) Your most anticipated new signings? Tom Opacic - very highly rated centre could tear up trees
5) Who you think will win the league leaders shield? Saints - no contest sadly.
6) Who will be the dark horses of the competition? Maybe Leigh? Not in terms of winning anything but I reckon they could surprise a few folk.
7) Likely starting line-up?
Full-back - Lachlan Coote
Right Wing - Ethan Ryan
Right Centre - Tom Opacic
Left Centre - Shaun Kenny-Dowall
Left Wing - Ryan Hall

Stand-off - Mikey Lewis
Scrum-half - Jordan Abdull

Prop - George King
Hooker - Matt Parcell
Prop - Rhys Kennedy
Right Second Row - James Batchelor
Left Second Row - Kane Linnett
Loose Forward - Elliot Minchella

Bench -
Jez Litten,
Frankie Halton,
Sauaso Sue,
Sam Luckley
8) Final league position of your club? 5/6 - would love that.
9) What (or who) will be your clubs weakness next year? New coach - bit of an unknown but I'm trying to remain optimistic
10) Who promoted from Championship? Featherstone are looking really good this year.


In other news....Joe Westerman...:eek::rolleyes::eek::rolleyes: Absolutely foul if anyone was "fortunate" enough to see the viral video...he is going to be in for a LOT of stick from the crowds this year.
 

physichull

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Not a game for the neutral this zzzz

Leeds been abysmal. The worst I've seen from Leeds in many years. Picked up where they left off from the friendly against Rovers.

Myler having a nightmare.
 
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JRS

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Mixed news in the TV department for les Dracs. After IMG took over the negotiating of cameras at Brutus and broadcasting of Catalans games, beIN have pulled out. But L'Equipe have stepped into the fray, which for them - normally fans of the other code and until very recently only barely accepting the existence of Rugby League - is a pretty big deal. Now we just need people to tune in and let L'Equipe think it's worth it :)

Sadly, L'Equipe geoblock their livestreams. But there are, of course, ways around that.
 

Vanquish-Storm

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JRS said:
Mixed news in the TV department for les Dracs. After IMG took over the negotiating of cameras at Brutus and broadcasting of Catalans games, beIN have pulled out. But L'Equipe have stepped into the fray, which for them - normally fans of the other code and until very recently only barely accepting the existence of Rugby League - is a pretty big deal. Now we just need people to tune in and let L'Equipe think it's worth it :)

Sadly, L'Equipe geoblock their livestreams. But there are, of course, ways around that.
Click to expand...

Is that ALL Catalans games then?
 

JRS

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Penrith vs. St Helens has been a belter so far. 6-12 with 12 mins to go.

So much for Phil Gould's prediction that Penrith would be well ahead at HT!
 

JRS

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Saints take the win in Golden Point ET. I've not stopped smiling about that :)

KR good value for the slender 13-12 lead at HT against Wigan. Both sides playing pretty well.
 

physichull

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Very scrappy from Rovers in the first half but dominated the second. SKD is simply a man possessed, surely one of our best ever overseas signings. Linnett doing his best to write himself into the overseas history books with Newton and Galea.

Wont be a popular opinion but I quite like the arrogance of Mikey Lewis...he gets in opponents heads and we've not had that for a long time.
 
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