Championship Table 2015

[BatleyFanAndy]

How do you think the Championship table will look going into the middle eight?

[greydog]

Bulls

Leigh

London

Fev

Fax

Eagles

Rams

Batley

Dons

Hunslet

Town

Haven

[BatleyFanAndy]

Most people predict that same top four.

Mine goes:

Bradford

Leigh

London

Featherstone

Sheffield

Batley

Dewsbury

Halifax

Doncaster

Workington

Hunslet

Whitehaven

[9' oller]

Very little will be a certainty next season except leigh will give the top 2 plenty to think about.

Dogs and rams will kick on and eagles/fax will have plenty to prove

[buford t justice]

London Bradford & Leigh top 3

Hunslet will get relegated.

The rest could finish in any order from 4-11.

[ramsfandan]

1 bradford 2 leigh 3 london 4 rams 5 sheffield 6 fev 7 batley 8 fax 9 haven 10 donny 11 hunslet 12 workington bit biased and hopeful lol 

[9' oller]

1 bradford 2 leigh 3 london 4 rams 5 sheffield 6 fev 7 batley 8 fax 9 haven 10 donny 11 hunslet 12 workington bit biased and hopeful lol

And deluded. Rams have only just shed their divisional yoyo

[The Blues Ox]

I keep changing my mind because Fev keep signing players.

 

1. London

2. Bradford

3. Leigh

4. Fev

5. Fax

6. Dewsbury

7. Sheffield

8. Workington

9. Doncaster

10. Batley

11. Haven

12. Hunslet

 

I think you can swap the top 2 around and maybe depending how Leigh start for me they are the team who could miss out on top 3. 4th through 6th could probably be in any order as I dont see much between these three teams quality wise in their squads and at a push Sheffield could get in to that group but I just dont see the quality in the team that they had maybe 2 or 3 years ago. Workington and Donny are strange ones as their final position could very much depend on how well they work the DR system again and if their parent teams give them the same quality as they had last season. If Donny get that they will be pushing for that second group of clubs again, if they dont then they will be in and around 7th place, where as If Worky get that then they wil be pushing for round about 7th place but struggling near the bottom if they dont. I cant see the bottom 3 any other than what I have put its just in what order they finish. Hunslet have made a few shrewd signings but lack any real strengh in depth, Haven will be very reliant on teams struggling when they have to travel to them and for me their team looks weakest on paper but that factor could keep them off the bottom. Batley have not recruited well and I can not see any reason at all why they would break out of that bottom 3.

[BatleyFanAndy]

Batley have not recruited well and I can not see any reason at all why they would break out of that bottom 3.

Why don't you think Batley haven't recruited well? New signings the likes of Mitchell, Ainscough, Southernwood and Hirst would say otherwise, plus the return of arguably the most dangerous back, Mr Jonny Campbell.

I'll admit that we didn't recruit well for the 2014 season (but still managed to beat Fax) but the team looks a hell of a lot stronger for 2015.

[TheTerminator]

Why don't you think Batley haven't recruited well? New signings the likes of Mitchell, Ainscough, Southernwood and Hirst would say otherwise, plus the return of arguably the most dangerous back, Mr Jonny Campbell.

I'll admit that we didn't recruit well for the 2014 season (but still managed to beat Fax) but the team looks a hell of a lot stronger for 2015.

I think Halifax fans should be extremely apprehensive in terms of their sides 2015 prospects. Browny and Greenwood will do well for them, but the remainder of their recruitment looks fairly underwhelming in terms of proven Championship credentials. Richard Marshall is also an untried and untested coach. Will he turn out to be another John Bastian? Who knows.

[hunslet ramone]

Bulls

Leigh

London

Fev

Fax

Eagles

Rams

Batley

Dons

Hunslet

Town

Haven

 

Exactly how I see the season ending in 2015 Greydog.

Just looks right to me  from 1 to 12

 

[Mike Garforth]

I can see London slipping out of the top 4

[buford t justice]

I can see London slipping out of the top 4

Not a chance, They have recruited well, wouldny surprise me if they win it.

A few seem to have Workington down as struggling which surprises me given the season they had last year.

[Piggy's mate]

It a very tough league to call imo. And much tighter than SL will be!

 

I hope we have enough to finish in the top eight and other than Bradford & Leigh all the other spots are there for the taking by most of the teams.

[DewsburyRams4ever]

I keep changing my mind because Fev keep signing players.

 

1. London

2. Bradford

3. Leigh

4. Fev

5. Fax

6. Dewsbury

7. Sheffield

8. Workington

9. Doncaster

10. Batley

11. Haven

12. Hunslet

 

I think you can swap the top 2 around and maybe depending how Leigh start for me they are the team who could miss out on top 3. 4th through 6th could probably be in any order as I dont see much between these three teams quality wise in their squads and at a push Sheffield could get in to that group but I just dont see the quality in the team that they had maybe 2 or 3 years ago. Workington and Donny are strange ones as their final position could very much depend on how well they work the DR system again and if their parent teams give them the same quality as they had last season. If Donny get that they will be pushing for that second group of clubs again, if they dont then they will be in and around 7th place, where as If Worky get that then they wil be pushing for round about 7th place but struggling near the bottom if they dont. I cant see the bottom 3 any other than what I have put its just in what order they finish. Hunslet have made a few shrewd signings but lack any real strengh in depth, Haven will be very reliant on teams struggling when they have to travel to them and for me their team looks weakest on paper but that factor could keep them off the bottom. Batley have not recruited well and I can not see any reason at all why they would break out of that bottom 3.

 

Batley should finish higher up than Workington, 

[DewsburyRams4ever]

Bulls

Leigh

London

Fev

Fax

Eagles

Rams

Batley

Dons

Hunslet

Town

Haven

 

1. Bradford
2. Leigh
3. London
4. Fev
5. Dewsbury
6. Fax
7. Sheffield
8. Batley
9. Doncaster
10. Workington
11. Whitehaven
12. Hunslet

[Tom Coates]

1 Bradford

2 Leigh

3 London

4 Featherstone

5 Dewsbury

6 Halifax

7 Sheffield

8 Workington

9 Doncaster

10 Batley

11 Whitehaven

12 Hunslet

[Lone Drinker]

1 Bradford

2 Leigh

3 London

4 Featherstone

5 Dewsbury

6 Halifax

7 Sheffield

8 Workington

9 Doncaster

10 Batley

11 Whitehaven

12 Hunslet

 

If Dewsbury finish five places above Batley I'll buy you a pint.

[Tom Coates]

Deal!

[silverback]

Deal!

if dewsbury finish anywere above eagles i will buy you a gallon. same gallon says hunslet dont finish bottom with flanny and kainy..

[Blind side johnny]

Most clubs in this division are highly dependent upon a couple of key players so, as always, the lottery of injuries will undoubtedly play a major part. How those clubs involved in DR manage to exploit/be exploited by the system is also speculative at most. Whilst the Leigh squad might appear to be slightly weaker than last season they have the key advantage of having a coach in place who has seen them through success in the past and who has a stable relationship with the players. This is not the case at Halifax, London or even Featherstone.

 

I see the top three being Bradford, London and Leigh with Whitehaven and Hunslet at the bottom and everyone else having everything to play for. How the middle and bottom eights will then pan out after the "super sevens" will be a discussion for another day.

[The Phantom Horseman]

 Whilst the Leigh squad might appear to be slightly weaker than last season

hmmm...struggling to see how Leigh's squad is weaker than last season?

[Blind side johnny]

hmmm...struggling to see how Leigh's squad is weaker than last season?

 

 

Time and tide wait for no man.

[The Blues Ox]

Why don't you think Batley haven't recruited well? New signings the likes of Mitchell, Ainscough, Southernwood and Hirst would say otherwise, plus the return of arguably the most dangerous back, Mr Jonny Campbell.

I'll admit that we didn't recruit well for the 2014 season (but still managed to beat Fax) but the team looks a hell of a lot stronger for 2015.

 

Just my opinion but out of the players mentioned I think only Southernwood would get anywhere near the top 5 or 6 teams in the division and even that is pushing it. I guess I just think all the teams I named above Batley look stronger on paper but we will see. It seems to be tradition for some reason that Batley do well against Fax but I would still take finishing higher in the league than say our closest rivals Bradford rather than winning 1 or 2 games against them in the normal season if you see what I mean.

 

Its ok looking stonger but other teams have improved as well now the salary cap is a lot less restrictive it has given teams with the finances available the chance to make big improvements as well. From reading posts by the Batley chairman I would assume they are operating on a similar salary cap to last season where as teams like Fev, Fax, Donny, Dewsbury, Sheffield could be operating on almost double which gives them a big advantage.

 

I think Halifax fans should be extremely apprehensive in terms of their sides 2015 prospects. Browny and Greenwood will do well for them, but the remainder of their recruitment looks fairly underwhelming in terms of proven Championship credentials. Richard Marshall is also an untried and untested coach. Will he turn out to be another John Bastian? Who knows.

 

Im very apprehensive about next season but Im also more excited about a season than I have been in at least 3 years. The difference in coaching styles between Marshall and Harrison is light years apart, i mean we had a team that didnt hear a single word of encouragement in 3 years.   I think we will see the best out of some of our players that have obvious potential and from what i have seen and heard I wouldnt be surprised if RM didnt have a SL gig in a few years time but obviously only time will tell.

 

 

PS thats why I have put Fax in 5th when really deep down after we beat Leigh 2nd game in I think we could push them for 3rd.

[Keith T]

No doubt most of the predictions have been made from ignorance of other squads and with an obvious local bias to Yorkshire.    However, Workington still haven't finished recruiting players and are awaiting two from Oz to join Latu Fifita plus one or two SL academy players on season long loans.   That's without even using DR from Wigan.   Our neighbours Whitehaven could have the second best halfback pairing in the league after Ridyard and Brierley as they have signed Dion Aiye from PNG to play alongside Jesse Joe Nandye and the other halfback being Brett Seymour.    So, I think they could between them be handing out a few shocks if the teams are thinking as the majority on here.