A couple of predictions for 2025.....

[Eddie]

8 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Funny, after I posted that, I saw a post on the Championship thread of a journalist thinking 14 team 2026 is on the cards.

It may be wishful thinking, but 14 teams is also the ambition of IMG and the RFL as I see it. I think 2026 is too early. By giving clubs 18 months preparation, it gives them the opportunity to further solidify their business foundations and best prepare for entry to SL if good enough, whilst also keeping those lower ranked SL clubs on their toes for another 18 months, with any of Toulouse, London, Bradford, Fev, York and maybe a couple of others harbouring reasonable ambitions to make a 14 team cut, even if it means overtaking the score of an underperforming SL club.

Have either img or the RFL said that’s their ambition? Good news if so, I can’t remember it though. 

[phiggins]

12 hours ago, sweaty craiq said:

Leigh T3. Cas and Wakey to scrap with Hull in B4

If Leigh finish in the top 3 I’d be delighted. But if you offered me 8th and key retentions made to go into 2026 with a settled side, I’d probably take that to be honest. 

[phiggins]

13 hours ago, WN83 said:

Looking across the board, a general prediction could be that the 2025 season is looking like being extremely competitive and it should be a good one. You name 7 sides there who will all expect to go pretty well again but I don't see how Hull and Huddersfield won't improve on 2024 and Wakefield will clearly be much stronger than London. There still looks to be some work to do at Cas and that just leaves Leigh, who as you say could go either way but they've made some exciting signings and will hope to make the play offs again. 

Hull will improve, but they will need to improve dramatically to have any chance of the 6, not sure they'll be able to do that much so quickly. Don't know enough about Hudds recruitment to comment, but they were expecting to do better in 24 than they did in 23 and it never materialised. A lot will depend on how good a head coach Robinson proves to be.

It will be a more competitive league, with the bottom two winning more than three games each. But if I had to predict, I would still say that those 7 clubs will be more likely than not to finish above Hull, Wakey, Hudds and Cas. 

[Fly-By-TheWire]

On 18/11/2024 at 18:18, Dullish Mood said:

Mr Pitzfatrick organises some guerilla marketing around a mid season Jake Paul vs Hulk Hogan tag team match

I think you way be missing the point of tag team wrestling.  As in, you need at least two players on each team so you have someone to tag!

[sweaty craiq]

SL to be bought by Musk, entire staff to lose jobs, Netflix documentary on the Leopards and the new billionaire owners and finally deciding ashes test to be played in Miami

[sam4731]

2 hours ago, Fly-By-TheWire said:

I think you way be missing the point of tag team wrestling.  As in, you need at least two players on each team so you have someone to tag!

Who said anything about wrestling? I just want to see them play tag against each other.

[Snowys Backside]

I think it will be a right ding dong season with any of 8 sides going for positions 2 to 9 !!

 

I cant see past Wigan one bit although I sincerely hope they have an absolute stinker round one !!

[WN83]

48 minutes ago, Snowys Backside said:

I think it will be a right ding dong season with any of 8 sides going for positions 2 to 9 !!

 

I cant see past Wigan one bit although I sincerely hope they have an absolute stinker round one !!

I don't think that LLS will be easy for Wigan at all. We won it by the skin of our teeth this season and needed some good fortune to get it done. The trip to Vegas will make things tricky around that period. Funnily enough, the less successful they are in the Challenge cup, the greater the chance of winning the LLS as they won't need to rest players or have those emotional ups and downs. 

[Fly-By-TheWire]

5 hours ago, sam4731 said:

Who said anything about wrestling? I just want to see them play tag against each other.

Fair play!   Is Hulk Hogan even able to run around these days?

[Rene_Artois]

37 minutes ago, Fly-By-TheWire said:

Fair play!   Is Hulk Hogan even able to run around these days?

Unfortunately yes

[sam4731]

1 hour ago, Fly-By-TheWire said:

Fair play!   Is Hulk Hogan even able to run around these days?

Is Jake Paul?

[Snowys Backside]

21 hours ago, WN83 said:

I don't think that LLS will be easy for Wigan at all. We won it by the skin of our teeth this season and needed some good fortune to get it done. The trip to Vegas will make things tricky around that period. Funnily enough, the less successful they are in the Challenge cup, the greater the chance of winning the LLS as they won't need to rest players or have those emotional ups and downs. 

Wigan will lose no more than 5. I hope they don’t run away with it !
 

Would not surprise me to see most teams lose double or more that from 2-4 as I think it will be so much of a tipsy Turvy affair !  

[AB Knight]

Some lighthearted Championship predictions, not to be taken seriously so don’t get your knickers in a twist (Fev fans).

After a shock Challenge Cup exit at home to Featherstone, Brian Noble moves upstairs in an ‘advisory role’ as the game caller says it’s been agreed Brian Smith is the new Bradford coach.

Brian McDermott is promptly announced as the new Bulls coach. Game caller blames predictive text for the Brian Smith prediction.

Fev fans in uproar as they believe the win at Odsal should guarantee them a SL place. Petitions and campaigns start about the RFL being ‘out to get them’ before they lose to Shaw Cross in the next round and all goes quiet.

Anthony Thackeray comes out of retirement for the 9th time to play for Sheffield, his 3000th career game. Meanwhile Mark Aston starts his 7th appeal against the decision to suspend him even though he only has 3 weeks of the sentence left.
 

York Knights announce Russell Crowe is onboard as joint owner, but they forget to tag his 1.4 million instagram followers. When they eventually edit it they accidentally tag Russell Howard instead. 
 

London Broncos announce they will be playing home matches at Bromley which completes their sticker book of lower league London football stadiums. IMG awards them an extra point for doing so.

Barrow remove the roofs on the remaining two stands to create the only roofless championship venue. Another point goes their way courtesy of IMG.

 

Edited November 23, 2024 by AB Knight

[preid]

6 minutes ago, AB Knight said:

Some lighthearted Championship predictions, not to be taken seriously so don’t get your knickers in a twist (Fev fans).

After a shock Challenge Cup exit at home to Featherstone, Brian Noble moves upstairs in an ‘advisory role’ as the game caller says it’s been agreed Brian Smith is the new Bradford coach.

Brian McDermott is promptly announced as the new Bulls coach. Game caller blames predictive text for the Brian Smith prediction.

Fev fans in uproar as they believe the win at Odsal should guarantee them a SL place. Petitions and campaigns start about the RFL being ‘out to get them’ before they lose to Shaw Cross in the next round and all goes quiet.

Anthony Thackeray comes out of retirement for the 9th time to play for Sheffield, his 3000th career game. Meanwhile Mark Aston starts his 7th appeal against the decision to suspend him even though he only has 3 weeks of the sentence left.
 

York Knights announce Russell Crowe is onboard as joint owner, but they forget to tag his 1.4 million instagram followers. When they eventually edit it they accidentally tag Russell Howard instead. 
 

London Broncos announce they will be playing home matches at Leyton Orient which completes their sticker book of lower league London football stadiums. IMG awards them an extra point for doing so.

Barrow remove the roofs on the remaining two stands to create the only roofless championship venue. Another point goes their way courtesy of IMG.

 

All good but they've already played at Orient, against Bradford back in 2012 

[AB Knight]

1 minute ago, preid said:

All good but they've already played at Orient, against Bradford back in 2012 

Not sure what you mean 

[Kirmonds pouch]

On 19/11/2024 at 19:12, Dullish Mood said:

Steady on the personal insults. Just a genuine prediction given (a) the fact you were in the 2nd division (finally after bumping around the bottom of SL for years) up to 4/5 years ago.  (b) your coach.  

It wasn’t personal it was factual, it’s even in your name

[Gooleboy]

23 hours ago, AB Knight said:

Some lighthearted Championship predictions, not to be taken seriously so don’t get your knickers in a twist (Fev fans).

After a shock Challenge Cup exit at home to Featherstone, Brian Noble moves upstairs in an ‘advisory role’ as the game caller says it’s been agreed Brian Smith is the new Bradford coach.

Brian McDermott is promptly announced as the new Bulls coach. Game caller blames predictive text for the Brian Smith prediction.

Fev fans in uproar as they believe the win at Odsal should guarantee them a SL place. Petitions and campaigns start about the RFL being ‘out to get them’ before they lose to Shaw Cross in the next round and all goes quiet.

Anthony Thackeray comes out of retirement for the 9th time to play for Sheffield, his 3000th career game. Meanwhile Mark Aston starts his 7th appeal against the decision to suspend him even though he only has 3 weeks of the sentence left.
 

York Knights announce Russell Crowe is onboard as joint owner, but they forget to tag his 1.4 million instagram followers. When they eventually edit it they accidentally tag Russell Howard instead. 
 

London Broncos announce they will be playing home matches at Bromley which completes their sticker book of lower league London football stadiums. IMG awards them an extra point for doing so.

Barrow remove the roofs on the remaining two stands to create the only roofless championship venue. Another point goes their way courtesy of IMG.

 

Come on, that's going too far saying Shaw Cross will beat us!

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

[doc]

Widnes to finish third, but IMG to put them down to 25th place because the turnstiles don't make the right sound and the pies don't have enough gravy.

[hunsletgreenandgold]

Jackson Hastings back in SL by April/May

Junior Nsemba signed for an NRL team for 2026 

Castleford finish rock bottom 

Warrington....nope still not 

[LeytherRob]

23 hours ago, doc said:

Widnes to finish third, but IMG to put them down to 25th place because the turnstiles don't make the right sound and the pies don't have enough gravy.

Why else do you think London were guaranteed to go down?

[Wilderspoolmemories]

On 19/11/2024 at 16:34, phiggins said:

Think it could be difficult for Wakefield to get into the 6. Wigan, Saints, KR, Warrington, Salford, Leeds and Catalan will all be expecting to challenge for those places. Leigh could go one of two ways, but likely to be a season of transition.

Might need a rethink on Salford? If they have to start selling, they will finish closer to the bottom than the top.