Championship odds 2023

[crashmon]

We have a better coach and squad yes

However I would argue that most other championship squads are better this year than last year, and I don't see major improvements on the London side.

Again I'd be amazed if London finish above 10th with the squad they have now.  Now if they bring in 2 or 3 players between now and start of season we can revise it

[Guest]

2 hours ago, League of the South said:

Their halfback Oli Leyland is a pal of my son’s from Maidstone Grammar School. I’ve not seen him play live yet but I’m told they have high hopes for him and he may well be capable of playing at a higher level ? Have you watched him play ? 

He is decent and played well after Coleman went when in the halves. previously he has been tried at full back and centre.

Main concern is size, which is why the halves is probably his best position. He looks very decent, but is small and i wonder if that will limit his future.

[Guest]

What happened to Hindmarsh? Had high hopes for him.

Shame Bienek never kicked on and is part time now. He was great last season, but for some reason the move north was a disaster.

Edit: You can add Josh Walters and Tuoyo Egodo into that as well. 

Edited December 21, 2022 by Leonard

[Magic XIII]

6 hours ago, dealwithit said:

Better squad and coach than last year IMO

Theres only 21 players noted on the website of which 9 or 10 are 20 or younger so not sure what you base your 'better squad' claim. We appear to have lost Curran and Siti, but who knows with the Broncos - bottom 4 unless we recruit hard in the next few weeks.

[Mumby Magic]

22 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Leeds DR though innit? Stick 2 or 3 of the Leeds squad numbers 20-30 in every week on top of your new signings and Bradford should be way better than last year. Not 100% convinced by Dunning though but we'll see.

Got a feeling we won't be triggering it too much tbh.

[Mumby Magic]

21 hours ago, Ragingbull said:

You mean like we have had the last couple of years?  

 No doubt we will be better but we cant possibly be join 3rd favourites at the min based on what we have currently have.  

Me thinks they are aware of who's signed that we don't know of. Up to four more apparently.

[Ragingbull]

41 minutes ago, Mumby Magic said:

Me thinks they are aware of who's signed that we don't know of. Up to four more apparently.

Bookies know players that we havnt signed yet? Thats a new one!

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

Odds at this stage last year:

Featherstone Rovers: 6/5

Leigh Centurions: 2/1

Halifax Panthers: 10/1

York City Knights: 12/1

Bradford Bulls: 14/1

Newcastle Thunder: 16/1

Widnes Vikings: 20/1

London Broncos: 25/1

Batley Bulldogs: 40/1

Whitehaven: 66/1

Dewsbury Rams: 80/1

Barrow Raiders: 100/1

Sheffield Eagles: 125/1

Workington Town: 150/1

Edited December 22, 2022 by Les Tonks Sidestep

[Snowys Backside]

Widnes will be no easybeats, and Bradford have made some astute signings.

I think though it could be Fevs year. Toulouse are nowhere near as strong as the previous two years. They will lose a few away from home for sure.

[Fevrover]

12 hours ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

Odds at this stage last year:

Featherstone Rovers: 6/5

Leigh Centurions: 2/1

Halifax Panthers: 10/1

York City Knights: 12/1

Bradford Bulls: 14/1

Newcastle Thunder: 16/1

Widnes Vikings: 20/1

London Broncos: 25/1

Batley Bulldogs: 40/1

Whitehaven: 66/1

Dewsbury Rams: 80/1

Barrow Raiders: 100/1

Batley's odds were way out and Barrow's to where they finished.

Edited December 22, 2022 by Fevrover

[Blind side johnny]

13 hours ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

Odds at this stage last year:

Featherstone Rovers: 6/5

Leigh Centurions: 2/1

Halifax Panthers: 10/1

York City Knights: 12/1

Bradford Bulls: 14/1

Newcastle Thunder: 16/1

Widnes Vikings: 20/1

London Broncos: 25/1

Batley Bulldogs: 40/1

Whitehaven: 66/1

Dewsbury Rams: 80/1

Barrow Raiders: 100/1

Sheffield and Workington were excluded at this stage, then?

[Blind side johnny]

21 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

Batley's odds were way out and Barrow's to where they finished.

Not really - these were for winning: nowt for second place.

Bookies aren't mugs and Leigh hadn't finished their recruitment. I bet the odds were quite different just before the season actually started.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

Just now, Blind side johnny said:

Sheffield and Workington were excluded at this stage, then?

Fixed - they were down the page below even more adverts than Dewsbury and Barrow!

[Harry Stottle]

23 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Well, of the two most prolific Leigh posters on this forum, one thinks Fev will go unbeaten and the other thinks they'll blow out completely

Aye but of the two, I say it how I see it, Craic is well known for his wind up comments.

[The Blues Ox]

Dam I was feeling that we had put together a better team than last year that could compete with this years top 2 but looks like I'm going to be way out and looks like we have slipped well and truly in to the pack. 

[Ovenden Grunt]

3 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

Dam I was feeling that we had put together a better team than last year that could compete with this years top 2 but looks like I'm going to be way out and looks like we have slipped well and truly in to the pack. 

I was thinking the same!

[Daft old hooker]

6 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

Dam I was feeling that we had put together a better team than last year that could compete with this years top 2 but looks like I'm going to be way out and looks like we have slipped well and truly in to the pack. 

Good opportunity to make a few quid tempted to have a couple of quid on Batley at 20-1

[Bring back GB]

Reckon it's about right for Barrow. We've lost that lethal right side combination of Miloudi and Ritson but we've made some decent signings.

[kiggy]

10 hours ago, Bring back GB said:

Reckon it's about right for Barrow. We've lost that lethal right side combination of Miloudi and Ritson but we've made some decent signings.

We will see on the 4th of February, 1st game of the season, how far Barrow have come and how far Toulouse have fallen

[The Phantom Horseman]

18 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

Dam I was feeling that we had put together a better team than last year that could compete with this years top 2 but looks like I'm going to be way out and looks like we have slipped well and truly in to the pack. 

If there were any each-way betting Halifax would be a fantastic bet, and probably value at half those odds. Very hard to see them out of the top 3. They probably need both Fev and Toulouse to disappoint to finish top in the regular season, but unlike those two they have both the nucleus of last year's squad (plus possible improvements) and the same coach, so are probably the easiest team of the top 5 or 6 to predict in terms of how they will go.

[The Blues Ox]

1 hour ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

If there were any each-way betting Halifax would be a fantastic bet, and probably value at half those odds. Very hard to see them out of the top 3. They probably need both Fev and Toulouse to disappoint to finish top in the regular season, but unlike those two they have both the nucleus of last year's squad (plus possible improvements) and the same coach, so are probably the easiest team of the top 5 or 6 to predict in terms of how they will go.

Yeah its similar thoughts as to what I thought last season. Two seasons back we finished 3rd but were nowhere near the top 2 on the field and last year my hope was that come the playoffs we would be in a position to give one of the top 2 a game. As it turned out we never got that chance as York spoiled the party. This year pretty much like you say, its difficult to predict anyone outside Fev or Toulouse taking the top spot so again its got to be a hope of been able to compete in the league games and then have the chance of an upset in the playoffs. 

My bold prediction would be that this year Fax solidify their position as the 3rd best team in the division and clinch a minimum of that spot with 2 or 3 games still left to play. In my opinion anything less than 3rd for us would be a move backwards. It could be the best Championship season in a long time with Leigh out of the way and Toulouse not as strong, there is the real prospect that there could be a shock team makes the move to SL.

[Rockingchair]

5 minutes ago, The Blues Ox said:

Yeah its similar thoughts as to what I thought last season. Two seasons back we finished 3rd but were nowhere near the top 2 on the field and last year my hope was that come the playoffs we would be in a position to give one of the top 2 a game. As it turned out we never got that chance as York spoiled the party. This year pretty much like you say, its difficult to predict anyone outside Fev or Toulouse taking the top spot so again its got to be a hope of been able to compete in the league games and then have the chance of an upset in the playoffs. 

My bold prediction would be that this year Fax solidify their position as the 3rd best team in the division and clinch a minimum of that spot with 2 or 3 games still left to play. In my opinion anything less than 3rd for us would be a move backwards. It could be the best Championship season in a long time with Leigh out of the way and Toulouse not as strong, there is the real prospect that there could be a shock team makes the move to SL.

Fax have two tough games to start the season, Sheffield at home, who have recruited well especially in the forwards , then featherstone away , featherstone too with keighley away and fax at home should give us an idea where we’re at . Hopefully fax get off to a good start ( notoriously slow starters hopefully mitigated by keeping the spine ) Still on the fence with some of fax’s’ recruitment but Grix has a tendency to get the best out of most players.

 

[Harry Stottle]

Fax could well finish 2nd this season, unless Toulouse get into the transfer market in a big way but both are going to be way behind Fev, the Championship will be as much a one horse race this year as it was last year.

[georgeb1]

15 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Fax could well finish 2nd this season, unless Toulouse get into the transfer market in a big way but both are going to be way behind Fev, the Championship will be as much a one horse race this year as it was last year.

It's a long old season, injuries, new signings, form etc. But as it stands Fev have spent big again and its there for the taking this year, fax in my opinion don't have the beef or class in the forwards to trouble many, widnes and Bradford could put the spanner in the works, and toulouse will be there or thereabouts. That's my five, can't see anyone else having more than a brief spurt

[The Blues Ox]

1 hour ago, Rockingchair said:

Fax have two tough games to start the season, Sheffield at home, who have recruited well especially in the forwards , then featherstone away , featherstone too with keighley away and fax at home should give us an idea where we’re at . Hopefully fax get off to a good start ( notoriously slow starters hopefully mitigated by keeping the spine ) Still on the fence with some of fax’s’ recruitment but Grix has a tendency to get the best out of most players.

 

Seems to be the way at the moment that we end up playing Fev away early in the season but that is the worry that we have another slow start like last year. That slow start cost us any chance of second place and we can't afford for that to happen again but like you say we should have a pretty settled team coming in to the start of the season which should give us an advantage. I like our recruitment forward wise and think we will have the best pack we have had in a number of years Id just like us to bring in maybe another centre but if Tibbs keeps progressing like he did last year and can cement a starting spot we have a lot of tries in our back line. Losing Scott Grix to Leeds may have an impact but I imagine he has still had a lot of input in to things and hopefully fitness wise there is no drop off.