It's that time of year again......

[Blind side johnny]

 

...................when we are all eagerly anticipating the season to come. Have we strengthened the team sufficiently this year, have W, Y or Z recruited better or worse than us this season, was XX's 2021 season a flash-in-the-pan or an aberration? Every club will be confident of consolidating the progress that they have made/ doing better than last year/aiming for the playoffs/confident of promotion to SL this time. But how do we think the league will shape up in 2022? Now that most recruitment is complete this is the time to stick our necks out with some predictions.

I will kick off with mine:

1. Featherstone

2. Leigh

3. Halifax

4. Bradford

5. York

6. Newcastle

7. Widnes

8. Batley

9. Dewsbury

10. Whitehaven

11. Sheffield

12. Barrow

13. London

14. Workington

The top three will probably be most people's forecast with only the order being up for discussion.

Bradford and York have recruited well and both have good coaches together with owners who will be demanding success this season.

Newcastle, Widnes and Batley are solid and well coached whilst being FT this season should benefit the north-easterners.

You can almost throw a blanket over the next four with injuries, weather and luck playing its usual part. I think that Sheffield's recruitment has been quite ordinary but they might get a new ground bounce, they have a very favourable set of fixtures and Tubby has the knack of conjuring performances out of limited sides. I think that Whitehaven will struggle to repeat last year's success but could also benefit from reduced travelling demands.

I expect Barrow to do better out of the promoted teams although both they and Workington will also have an advantage from reduced travelling demands. Workington have struggled to make a dent in the market, limited by both finance and geography, whilst I see London as a bit of a basket case at present.

As always these are predictions made with the dis-benefit of foresight, with no guarantees of accuracy being offered. Use them as the basis of wagers at your own risk - no liability will be accepted.

Edited January 25, 2022 by Blind side johnny

[spanishknight]

Don't think your too far out with your predictions BSJ.

[Piggy's mate]

Widnes looked better than Bradford, but with Lilly back and the 3 Rhinos, who knows. As long as we are competitive and entertaining, I don't really care where we finish  providing is isn't in the bottom two and Dewsbury are gazing up our backside as usual  

[Wakefield Ram]

Think 9th is a realistic aim. Think Fev and Leigh will run away with it given the money they've spent and Leeds and Saints DR. 

[Crown Flatter]

My forecasting is rubbish, but I will offer my two penn’orth. 
 

1 Featherstone 

2 Leigh

3 York

4 Halifax 

5 Widnes

6 Bradford 

7 Batley

8 Newcastle 

9 Dewsbury 

10 Whitehaven 

11 Barrow 

12 London

13 Sheffield 

14 Workington

 

From that, you could switch the pairs from 1 to 10 around, leaving the bottom four to sort themselves out because they seem the ones more likely to upset each other (and the odd one above).

Edited September 15, 2022 by Crown Flatter

[Wakefield Ram]

My hope for this season is that we are nearer the play offs than relegation.

[NickD]

4 minutes ago, Wakefield Ram said:

My hope for this season is that we are nearer the play offs than relegation.

I don’t care where we finish as long as we provide more entertainment than the last few years. 

[Reverend Ram]

Here beginneth the first lesson: and lo it came to pass that the good lord saw fit to bestow his goodness on the uncouth Leythers as the primary team, followed therein by the Rovers of the Feath; then the Chemics, Fax and the Castle New; He saw fit to pronounce the fair York next in line, and indulged with his loyal supplicant to ensure the beloved Rams be considered 7th mightiest team and lo the humble Bulldogs cried yea in fear of the retribution tho they followed but a short distance behind. Ye Bulls flatter to deceive next, then the first of the north west stalwarts known as the Haven. The proud men of Barrow follow and then the southern nomads, then the bitter rivals of said Haven with the steel city finally running out of luck to prop up the rest. Here endeth the first lesson.

[coolie]

Halifax up

Sheffield down

Us mid table 

I'll take that now

[Moscow01]

1) Featherstone

2) Leigh

3) Halifax

4) York

5) Batley

6) Widnes

7) Dewsbury

8 Bradford

9) Newcastle

10) Barrow

11) Sheffield

12) London

13) Whitehaven 

14) Workington 

 

[Therein73]

Top 8 for us would be great ......... Top 10 I'd take here & now......... Bottom two: Sheffield & London ....  Really hope the three Cumbria clubs can stay up .......... Not asking too much is it ???

[creditwhereitsdews]

Flateartherstone to win, Leigh to self-combust two thirds of the way through the season. Adrian Lam hasn't proved himself as a coach, unlike McDermott, and Fev seem to have the bigger pot of cash. Dewsbury to squeeze in the top 10. Bring it on!

[Blind side johnny]

22 hours ago, NickD said:

I don’t care where we finish as long as we provide more entertainment than the last few years. 

Does that include bottom, Nick?

[NickD]

48 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

Does that include bottom, Nick?

It does indeed.  I think I might have mentioned it several 100 times already but a season of winning () a few games in league one would be a nice change from crapping  yourself all season whilst simultaneously watching the one man stuff.  

[Blind side johnny]

So, was anyone close?

Leigh's continual recruitment strategy might have caught a few of us out but, like many others, I was some way off with my predictions.

[Crown Flatter]

Suffice it to say, I only got Workington in the right slot. Barrow being the surprise package this time and can see them beating Batley.

Can Batley transform their recent slump, culminating in their thrashing at Leigh?

[Batley Bob]

On 15/09/2022 at 17:10, Crown Flatter said:

Suffice it to say, I only got Workington in the right slot. Barrow being the surprise package this time and can see them beating Batley.

Can Batley transform their recent slump, culminating in their thrashing at Leigh?

Wrong 

[spanishknight]

Think most people would have picked the Bulls and Newcastle to be fighting for the play offs, Batley always do better than everyone expects, Worky were a shoe in for relegation and I was hoping for the Knights to make the play offs, which we managed,  don't know how.

[coolie]

Will be interesting next season with Keighley spending mega bucks, and either Swinton or Rochdale to come up.. Either of them 2 will be relegation fodder... But who will they drag down with them, Newcastle look likely or London & Whitehaven to join them, top 5 Toulouse, Featherstone, Halifax, Barrow... York or Batley, cannot see Batley pushing like this season purely down to finance, Bradford hit with paying a loan back out of their money will hurt them, Widnes should go better. 

 

 

We shall see

[The Grinder]

2 hours ago, coolie said:

Will be interesting next season with Keighley spending mega bucks, and either Swinton or Rochdale to come up.. Either of them 2 will be relegation fodder... But who will they drag down with them, Newcastle look likely or London & Whitehaven to join them, top 5 Toulouse, Featherstone, Halifax, Barrow... York or Batley, cannot see Batley pushing like this season purely down to finance, Bradford hit with paying a loan back out of their money will hurt them, Widnes should go better. 

 

 

We shall see

What if Batley get promoted?

[the old nine ole]

16 minutes ago, The Grinder said:

What if Batley get promoted?

I suspect RFL will find a reason for them not to be accepted!!!  I also suspect Fev will also have a few hoops to jump through even if they beat Leigh!!  

Edited September 22, 2022 by the old nine ole

[coolie]

12 hours ago, The Grinder said:

What if Batley get promoted?

There is not a chance Batley will get promoted, their cup final will be Sunday Vs Featherstone

Also I don't think for one minute Kevin could support financially a super league season. 

Coming 5th in the championship this season will have serious damaged Batley's financial position.. Unfortunately success comes at a price

[Crown Flatter]

Any Batley fans on here should note that Coolie’s right in his assumption. It’s not a sleight on the club, but a straightforward notion.

There won’t be many clubs that can afford to be promoted and I‘m sure some SL clubs cannot afford to be there either.

[J Phil Loxton]

12 hours ago, the old nine ole said:

I suspect RFL will find a reason for them not to be accepted!!!  I also suspect Fev will also have a few hoops to jump through even if they beat Leigh!!  

Fev were given the green light in 2019 and 2021 had they won those respective grand finals. I can't see a reason why they wouldn't get the green light this season IF and a very big IF they beat Batley and Leigh..... OR York come to that matter.

[coolie]

It's for Leigh to lose... But I just don't see it, Batley have done remarkably well this season but success comes at a price, and Batley would not want the financial burden of going to super league, the rewards are not as lucrative as they used to be, going up could cause damage that it would take years to bring stability back.. A price I don't think Kevin would take, bloke is Batley thru and thru but wouldn't put them in peril for 1 season of super league, Dezzy seems to have money to burn, and new kids on the block Keighley are trying to match him... Again a folly that will end in tears.. Again, there's not enough money in rugby league to make big profits.. Making a profit is hard enough, Can't see Campbell been over joyed next season to pitch in loadsamoney to come second again