Championship top 4 predictions after 5 games

[Snowman123]

What's your prediction based on the first 5 games?

Here's my top 4 forecast after 5 games :

1. Hull KR  [ looks like they are scoring double the points of the next team - so a dead cert for me ]

2. London Bronco's  

3. Featherstone

4. Batley

I can't see Toulouse playing well enough away from home, or with a big enough squad to get the points required.  Maybe they will make position 5-7

Rochdale could get in. They've surprised me with their gutsy performance this last weekend over Fev.

 

 

 

 

[jim_57]

Hull KR

London

Featherstone

Rochedale

 

Agree on Toulouse, I think 5-8 at this rate. If they can get a few on loan from Catalans to help their depth it could really help though, maybe once St Esteve finish in elite 1. I think KR and London will be top 2 then the next few spots are really up for grabs.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Toulouse just beat Halifax away. They're learning to travel and will only get better. They look virtually unbeatable at home. I think they'll be in... Just.

Rochdale have really surprised me. I'd love them to do well. They could be a sleeping giant in that area which has been starved of top flight rugby league for so long. Think they'll just miss out to Featherstone in the end though.

London and Hull KR are certainties.

1. Hull KR 

2. London Broncos 

3. Toulouse Olympique 

4. Featherstone Rovers 

[Snowman123]

On 3/6/2017 at 6:02 PM, Wellsy4HullFC said:

Toulouse just beat Halifax away. They're learning to travel and will only get better. They look virtually unbeatable at home. I think they'll be in... Just.

Toulouse need to have stronger wins than this. The game was too tight to think this away form will get them into the top 4 in my opinion.  

Rochdale look better at this stage, especially with their win over Fev.

 

 

[GeordieSaint]

On 06/03/2017 at 7:02 AM, Wellsy4HullFC said:

Toulouse just beat Halifax away. They're learning to travel and will only get better. They look virtually unbeatable at home. I think they'll be in... Just.

Rochdale have really surprised me. I'd love them to do well. They could be a sleeping giant in that area which has been starved of top flight rugby league for so long. Think they'll just miss out to Featherstone in the end though.

London and Hull KR are certainties.

1. Hull KR 

2. London Broncos 

3. Toulouse Olympique 

4. Featherstone Rovers 

Agree with this post. If conditions dry up here in England, Toulouse will get better on their travels and I think they'll win enough away to supplement their excellent home form (I think they'll get beat by Hull KR and London at home but that's it).

Fourth for me is a toss up between Featherstone, Halifax and Rochdale.

For the Hornets fans on here, is there much latent support and opportunity to grow the club if success continues? 

[Wolford6]

4th place is a long way up the table, even with binoculars.

[jim_57]

13 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

Agree with this post. If conditions dry up here in England, Toulouse will get better on their travels and I think they'll win enough away to supplement their excellent home form (I think they'll get beat by Hull KR and London at home but that's it).

Fourth for me is a toss up between Featherstone, Halifax and Rochdale.

For the Hornets fans on here, is there much latent support and opportunity to grow the club if success continues? 

Toulouse play away to Featherstone and Rochedale consecutive games after a home game against Swinton. Those 2 away games will tell us a lot about their top 4 aspirations.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

I'd say HKR, London and Toulouse for the top three, but I think that there are quite a few clubs that could sneak into fourth - wouldn't like to say which one will make it.

[Hornetto]

47 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

Agree with this post. If conditions dry up here in England, Toulouse will get better on their travels and I think they'll win enough away to supplement their excellent home form (I think they'll get beat by Hull KR and London at home but that's it).

Fourth for me is a toss up between Featherstone, Halifax and Rochdale.

For the Hornets fans on here, is there much latent support and opportunity to grow the club if success continues? 

We've never been massively supported in a town that's pretty apathetic towards sport (the football club are playing at the top end of League 1 these days and crowds are still the lowest in the division at around the 2,500 mark) - but there is plenty of room for improvement. When we got promoted to the top flight in 1990 (jeez, that long ago), we struggled then to crawl above 2,000 - and we've had 20-odd years of under-achievement after that to overcome - but we're seeing some old/new faces at games and the Halifax game drew a crowd close to double any we had last season (The Hull KR game was an anomaly - they're very well supported). But if we can edge closer to that 1,000 mark over the next couple of years (which will entail staying in the Championship), that'll be a great base to build on. Batley got in the top four last year with sub-1,000 crowds, so it is doable.

The benchmark everyone goes back to (wrongly, I believe) is the 1989 boxing day clash with Oldham which drew a crowd of 8,500. I think those days are gone - but we have hard-working board and volunteers who are nudging crowds up season by season - and there is a noticeable 'buzz' around the town this year (pun intended).

One pleasing thing is that there has been a noticeable increase in the away following this year - and while, comparitively we may be few in number, we are huge in heart and voice.

Things are looking up and we're a very happy bunch at the momenrt. Onwards and upwards.

[Tre Cool]

KR, London, Fev, TO  Nobody to get promoted.

 

[stevereed100]

That is tre uncool! KR London or Toulouse all in with a shout.....Several poor teams in SL to target....Leeds Salford Warrington Huddersfield Wakefield Widnes Leigh....The list is endless!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

1 hour ago, stevereed100 said:

That is tre uncool! KR London or Toulouse all in with a shout.....Several poor teams in SL to target....Leeds Salford Warrington Huddersfield Wakefield Widnes Leigh....The list is endless!

Surely the list can only be a maximum of 12?...

[Blind side johnny]

No change for me:

KR

London

Fev

Batley

Only KR have the slightest hope of promotion. It all depends if the playing or financial wheels come off a SL club in the meantime.

[Manfred Mann]

Hull KR

London

Toulouse

Featherstone.

 

One or two to get promoted.

One or two of Widnes, Wakefield and Leigh to get relegated.

[Oh Sully Sully]

Toulouse have looked excellent on their drier track, and their only truly disappointing result was in the mudbath against Sheffield at Belle Vue. Even the Bradford game, they started poorly but seemed to grow mentally as the game went on. I'd back them to get a number of good results on the road through the summer months.

I'm also hoping they don't finish fourth or else Rovers will end up playing them away in the middle 8s if they come top, which will be no gimme.

1. HULL KR

2. LONDON BRONCOS

3. TOULOUSE

4. FEATHERSTONE

[westlondonfan]

Sadly not Bradford.

1. Hull KR 

2. Broncos 

3. Toulouse (I hope)

4. Featherstone Rovers 

[Trojan]

On ‎3‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 10:06 AM, Hornetto said:

We've never been massively supported in a town that's pretty apathetic towards sport (the football club are playing at the top end of League 1 these days and crowds are still the lowest in the division at around the 2,500 mark) - but there is plenty of room for improvement. When we got promoted to the top flight in 1990 (jeez, that long ago), we struggled then to crawl above 2,000 - and we've had 20-odd years of under-achievement after that to overcome - but we're seeing some old/new faces at games and the Halifax game drew a crowd close to double any we had last season (The Hull KR game was an anomaly - they're very well supported). But if we can edge closer to that 1,000 mark over the next couple of years (which will entail staying in the Championship), that'll be a great base to build on. Batley got in the top four last year with sub-1,000 crowds, so it is doable.

The benchmark everyone goes back to (wrongly, I believe) is the 1989 boxing day clash with Oldham which drew a crowd of 8,500. I think those days are gone - but we have hard-working board and volunteers who are nudging crowds up season by season - and there is a noticeable 'buzz' around the town this year (pun intended).

One pleasing thing is that there has been a noticeable increase in the away following this year - and while, comparitively we may be few in number, we are huge in heart and voice.

Things are looking up and we're a very happy bunch at the momenrt. Onwards and upwards.

They certainly made a lot of noise in  a tight game at P O Road, which deserved a bigger crowd than it got.

[Hornetto]

2 hours ago, Trojan said:

They certainly made a lot of noise in  a tight game at P O Road, which deserved a bigger crowd than it got.

Cheers Trojan - thought the Fev support was a bit flat and when it became clear that the game was going to be a tight one, the Fev fans round us just started getting on their team's back a bit. When we went behind, our response was to give it a bit more welly.

We're the club in microcosm, really. Small, big-hearted and always willing to give it a dig because we think it makes a difference. Couldn't 'speyk' Monday morning.

See you at ours later in the season.

[Oh Sully Sully]

On 08/03/2017 at 10:06 AM, Hornetto said:

We've never been massively supported in a town that's pretty apathetic towards sport (the football club are playing at the top end of League 1 these days and crowds are still the lowest in the division at around the 2,500 mark) - but there is plenty of room for improvement. When we got promoted to the top flight in 1990 (jeez, that long ago), we struggled then to crawl above 2,000 - and we've had 20-odd years of under-achievement after that to overcome - but we're seeing some old/new faces at games and the Halifax game drew a crowd close to double any we had last season (The Hull KR game was an anomaly - they're very well supported). But if we can edge closer to that 1,000 mark over the next couple of years (which will entail staying in the Championship), that'll be a great base to build on. Batley got in the top four last year with sub-1,000 crowds, so it is doable.

The benchmark everyone goes back to (wrongly, I believe) is the 1989 boxing day clash with Oldham which drew a crowd of 8,500. I think those days are gone - but we have hard-working board and volunteers who are nudging crowds up season by season - and there is a noticeable 'buzz' around the town this year (pun intended).

One pleasing thing is that there has been a noticeable increase in the away following this year - and while, comparitively we may be few in number, we are huge in heart and voice.

Things are looking up and we're a very happy bunch at the momenrt. Onwards and upwards.

Thought it was a real shame the Hornets underestimated the number travelling from East Hull. Bar staff were completely overrun, there was no food, hot or cold, left by half-time and there was a general feeling of bewilderment at the size of the crowd. The bar staff were saying they'd been told to expect 300 away fans, but there were over 1,500 coming in and both clubs were well aware that it would be nearer that figure given Rovers' appeal.

I'm not necessarily saying that treating people from East Hull well would boost local appeal in Rochdale, but there's a sense in saying that if you do everything you can to make the matchday experience as positive and comfortable as possible for both sets then you have more chance of growing a buzz around the place.

Aside from that, my wife is from Rochdale and had barely any knowledge of Hornets' existence until she met me so there is clearly more to be done in the community too.

[stevereed100]

Welcome oh sully sully!

Dewsbury are well warned,have advised Rovers fans of the bars etc in and around both stands,including a bottle bar that should be well stocked .....Budweiser doesn't go off so no excuse if run out.

However gates don't open till 1.30 so missed opportunity there!

We need to get the 2 points but take nowt for granted, away games are never easy!

[Oh Sully Sully]

11 hours ago, stevereed100 said:

Welcome oh sully sully!

Dewsbury are well warned,have advised Rovers fans of the bars etc in and around both stands,including a bottle bar that should be well stocked .....Budweiser doesn't go off so no excuse if run out.

However gates don't open till 1.30 so missed opportunity there!

We need to get the 2 points but take nowt for granted, away games are never easy!

Agreed, I'll never take anything for granted. There are still periods of games where we're not controlling the ruck speed and are dropping our level generally. That will come in time, and before then a few matches might be a bit closer than people would expect.

Saw Dewsbury's game at Toulouse and although they started well their edge defence got hit time and again. I expect Minns to do well out of it on Sunday!

[Hornetto]

23 hours ago, Oh Sully Sully said:

Thought it was a real shame the Hornets underestimated the number travelling from East Hull. Bar staff were completely overrun, there was no food, hot or cold, left by half-time and there was a general feeling of bewilderment at the size of the crowd. The bar staff were saying they'd been told to expect 300 away fans, but there were over 1,500 coming in and both clubs were well aware that it would be nearer that figure given Rovers' appeal.

I'm not necessarily saying that treating people from East Hull well would boost local appeal in Rochdale, but there's a sense in saying that if you do everything you can to make the matchday experience as positive and comfortable as possible for both sets then you have more chance of growing a buzz around the place.

Aside from that, my wife is from Rochdale and had barely any knowledge of Hornets' existence until she met me so there is clearly more to be done in the community too.

So not getting a pie ruined your day?

Given where we've come from since 2009, I think we're doing ok.

Better to be a small club heading up and finding ways to handle the big time than a big club heading down and struggling with the small time, I reckon.

I'll bring a bovril over to yours for you - make up for your disappointment.
 

[GaryO]

On 08/03/2017 at 5:16 PM, stevereed100 said:

That is tre uncool! KR London or Toulouse all in with a shout.....Several poor teams in SL to target....Leeds Salford Warrington Huddersfield Wakefield Widnes Leigh....The list is endless!

And that is your hope Stevie.

After 2015 it was said that under this system that no one could/should be relegated from the SL, that KR managed to buck that thought process was down to no one but themselves, whether that was complacency, lack of preparation or has I thought a major factor in the mix, the dropping of Albert Kelly.

I should think that the management/coaching staff of Any SL team that is going to be competing in the 8's will be analysing and going through KR's demise with a fine tooth comb and preparing accordingly, and I would not be surprised to see those preparations start from as far away as round 15 if the bottom 4 is more of probability than not.

One thing that is for sure is that I doubt any of those teams will be ridding themselves of their potential match winner. 

I know that on this site I am probably in a minority, but I like this system.

[Oh Sully Sully]

1 hour ago, Hornetto said:

So not getting a pie ruined your day?

Given where we've come from since 2009, I think we're doing ok.

Better to be a small club heading up and finding ways to handle the big time than a big club heading down and struggling with the small time, I reckon.

I'll bring a bovril over to yours for you - make up for your disappointment.
 

It didn't ruin my day at all, that was far from my point. I was just saying that it was possibly a missed opportunity on the Hornets' behalf to really leave a lasting impression on anyone based locally who was visiting Spotland for the first time.

The big club, small club argument is one I make a point of not being drawn into. It was simply an observation as somebody who wants the Hornets to excel.

[stevereed100]

1 hour ago, GaryO said:

And that is your hope Stevie.

After 2015 it was said that under this system that no one could/should be relegated from the SL, that KR managed to buck that thought process was down to no one but themselves, whether that was complacency, lack of preparation or has I thought a major factor in the mix, the dropping of Albert Kelly.

I should think that the management/coaching staff of Any SL team that is going to be competing in the 8's will be analysing and going through KR's demise with a fine tooth comb and preparing accordingly, and I would not be surprised to see those preparations start from as far away as round 15 if the bottom 4 is more of probability than not.

One thing that is for sure is that I doubt any of those teams will be ridding themselves of their potential match winner. 

I know that on this site I am probably in a minority, but I like this system.

Albert Kelly was sacked. Given compassionate leave returned late. Drink an issue.

Had only played half the games, giving him too much credit if you think he was the cause of our demise.

Scoring one point too few in the last 3 games had a lot to do with it.