Reply With QuoteWhen do they play all in the same stadium?
Well there's only a few weeks to go until the kick off in Superleague.
My team St Helens play their first match of the season against Leeds on Thursday 9th Feb.
It a make or break season for club legend Keiron Cunningham, it's his 3rd season as coach and for two seasons, 4th in the league and semi final of the challenge cup has been his pinnacle up to yet, which compared to his playing career where he won everything (several times!) and we're up against Leeds who fell spectacularly from grace to be battling in the bottom half of the table last season and have lost their star from last season James Segayaro who's refusing to come back from Australia to fulfil his contract.
After 3 months of watching repeat games and grand finals on Sky catch up I'm revved up for the new season!
I know Paul Walker is a Wakefield fan (they finished 8th last season which was a fantastic result for a team tipped heavily for relegation) but are there any other fans on here looking forward to the new season?
COYS!
When do they play all in the same stadium?
Magic weekend is may bank holiday, at St James park.
Was much better when it was at your place!
Yeah I thought it was at the Etihad. You going St James?
I'm a Leeds and therefore have no interest in the sport anymore.
Very happy to see Wakefield and Castleford coming good the last few years.
@wes depends on work/mates work commitments.
Thing I don't understand @leeds is that you've lost 2 if not 3 of the greatest superleague players at the end of a successful 2015 and not recruited to replace them. Add Hardakers strop into it, McGuire and halls injuries and you've really lost a huge part of the team.Originally Posted by SteveR
I'm certainly looking forward to it. I support and work for Warrington Wolves, and I can still recall all the times Saints have pipped us in the last minute.
We travel to Catalans for our first game, and like last year, we will be travelling there and back on the same day. Last year was the first time we tried it and it worked well IMO.
Looking forward to seing how Brown goes for us as well since Sandow left us in the lurch, although I do like the look of Dec Patton and hope he doesnt get his nose pushed out.
Stuart
I think their lack of form last season was mainly down to lack of leadership on the field, Sinfield and Peacock especially. Not sure if McDermott ever has a plan B when things aint going right and thats where Sinfield and JP excelled for mine. Still I hope they struggle again, as a Leeds time on form is a dangerous side !!
Stuart
Yes we love going to the HJ, but we were on the receiving end of some poor decisions in the semi but as KC said we've had it go our way in the past...... always a good game against Wire but I think Tony Smith has taken you as far as he can, I enjoy his interviews and he always seems honest....
I had the pleasure of meeting LEE Briers at a charity do in Sept, one player we should never have let go....
What do you do at warrington??
Ps Sandow is a scumbag imho, for what he's done to you.
Yeah the HJ is a class stadium. Good viewing from all around and close to the action, like your place actually.
Briers was without doubt one of the best signings we have made. As I recall, he filled in for Goulding when he was injured and then got dropped for a big game, maybe a final or similar, and thats what prompted him to move. Does that ring a bell?? Probably the most deserving half back to not get a regular place in GB or England teams. The coaches should have bit the bullet and put aside their prejudices and played him. I remember him owning the Aussies for 65 mins at Huddersfield, was that in 2000 world cup, but the Aussies true to form turned it on in the latter stages.
It was more how Sandow did what he did that I cant get my head into. But hey, hes gone now and he'll probably find it difficult to get back into the game due to his reputation.
Stuart
The three players they lost to retirement were all massive massive losses individually, so all three going together was a killer. It wasn't a surprise and the management of this transition has been woeful.
Not just on the pitch but off it too, they were genuine leaders and it's no coincidence that Hardaker fell apart after they'd gone. There were serious off pitch issues for him but I feel having those players around would've helped him out a lot.
Challenge cup in 1997, he was playing his heart out in the semi against Salford, then got dropped for the final, allegedly wasn't taken to Wembley even though he'd been instrumental in the semi. He spat his dummy (imho with fair reason) and asked for a transfer to wire.
A St Helens lad, it was a shame for him to go but the club felt that with Goulding, tommy Martyn and Sean Long having just been brought in from Wigan we had enough in reserve in scrum half/stand off
Positions....
Our loss and all that!
Super league is so last year. As a Hull KR fan I'm looking forward to the middle 8s.
You'll need to be in the top 4 in the championship first, and seeing as you've lost your best player in Albert Kelly (over to HullFC of all places of course) and Adam walker to us you've got a bit of work to do. I thought you'd stay up if I'm honest, I expected Salford to implode but I can see Catalan struggling this season. Who have you guys recruited for 2017?
Magic weekend won't be the same without you guys :-(
The hull derby is always a good watch.
I think we'll make the mid 8s, Kelly isn't real loss to us, very bad nfluence and dropped for the last few games. Great player, poor character. Can't blame Walker for leaving and he'll do a good job for you (just make sure he hasn't got snap chat anymore).
We have made a few signings and I've got a lot of faith Tim Sheens has brought a few in, Adam Quinlan at full back looked good in the pre season "friendly" against FC, Moss just signed from Bradford and should help us in the backs.
We still need a few forwards, particularly as Tilse isn't coming back. It seems the plan is to strengthen further as we move towards the business end of the season, we are nowhere near cap (aparantly).
It should be an interesting season, we should at least win a few games and gives us something to play for rather than just a cup run and a struggle to make the 8.
Season ticket holder at DW Stadium & Central Park before that, Wigan Warriors.
Already booked for the Catalans trip in July, looking forward to Micky Mc`s testimonial match, our World Club Challenge with Cronulla, and a good hard well-fought season.
Bring it on.
Obviously I only see Kelly when he's playing well and not every week but we were looking at him at one point at the end of the season as a backup player when we didn't know what was happening with Walsh
Quinlan did a good job for us when we were struggling for a FB but he's very small and his tackling technique isn't brilliant however going forward he's quick and hard to hit, like Burrow at Leeds. He scored a hat trick on his debut for us and we would have kept him if it wasn't for us having Lomax to come back..... he'll be a good player at championship level, and into the 8's but was found lacking in SL.
You missed MickyMac last season and had some howling losses (Wakefield springs to mind) but eventually your grind won through in the end. Let's hope Wane is looking at putting some entertainment on (as I hope our lot do!)
Will Sam T ever be the player he was? Will you miss Charnley? Sarginson has gone but I don't think it will matter too much and Your steady Eddie scrum half has come back "home"
To be fair you won so you're the team to beat, I'll be there on Good Friday for the hostilities to resume!
- - -
Kelly needs a firm manager, Radford at FC doesn't take any grief so will either kill or cure his discipline problems.
For us the problem with last season is we wrote it off halfway through when we sacked Chester and appointed Webster as interim.
We need decent players who can up their game a bit when they face the decent competition, we are still a full time squad and most of the noises coming for the club is very "do or die" which is great.
As for super league, I'd really like to see the wolves do well, I think Wigan will probably be champs again with Fc or the wolves second with cas making the top 4.
Bottom 4, probably Huddersfield, Wakefield, Catalan and Widnes.
Last edited by Barton Red; 15th January 2017 at 22:25.
Evening all, another RL fan. Warrington Wolves fan here.
Good to see a few of us around this place. Should be an interesting season with walkout Sandow gone and Patton looking promising towards the end of last season. Let's see how Gidley holds up though.
Yes we missed Micky Mc, any team would. He should play in the testimonial but then needs an op to remove plates from his ankle the a 4 week lay-off.
Sam T, lost his nerve, his speed, his swerve, miss Charnley - maybe but Budgie is back . Sarg gone , he blew hot n cold with no consistency, bigger problem is Manfredi out for season.
As for Matty Smith, he was OK, but never a real quality leader of Wigan quality, won`t be missed, we`ve enough good youngsters waiting to come through.
It's no secret most of us Saints didn't really want Smith back 'cos he's a grind player and KC seems to want to take us down that route but with Fages at stand off and Robes hopefully back to his best we've got skill-rich players there, and with Walmsley and Amor established and Joe Greenwood we can play an expansive game with Smith steadying the ship.
Well I hope it comes out like that anyway, but KC and Wane seem like good mates with similar philosophies for the grind and one-out.
We shall see!
Gidley was a great signing. His bro was great for us, it wasn't a surprise he did well for you.
Sandow though. What a grub.
You seen what Sandow has been up to at home? What a clown
Yes. Got away with a fine after agreeing to become a "conflict advisor"
You couldn't make it up!
As a Wakefield fan I'm accustomed to adversity, but I`m feeling cautiously optimistic this year. We've recruited well, we have real pace in the threequarters and probably the biggest pack we've had for years. Plenty of depth in the squad too. My worry is that we lack the really classy players that are proven matchwinners, it's all about effort and endeavour and that requires the squad to bond well and perform greater than the sum of the parts.
Our biggest problem is the long-running issue with the ground. The future is still uncertain and that's having an unsettling effect on the club and supporters. We need to resolve this before we can move forward in my opinion.
I think we can scrape into the top 8 again, that would be a fine achievement given the club's limited resources.
Paul
^whats going on with Belle Vue?
I thought you were ground sharing with dewsbury so you could get a new ground???
Seen this online poking fun at the Wolves:-
Star man Chris Sandow decided he would rather be repeatedly punched in the face in the street than spend another year in the town, which speaks volumes.
I wondered how long it would take for the Saints fans to start having a pop at Warrington!!
In all seriousness he has always been a loose cannon and has form for walking up on clubs. Although there is conflicting reports about his street fighting, in that either a) the guy he was fighting had kicked it off by smashing a Sandow family member with a plank of wood (not sure why!!) and b) at the end of the video he is seen to pick the guy up off the floor and move on, so not as serious as initially though. I am not sure what to believe, although I get the feeling he is not the most stable.
The ironic think is, Chris Sandow presented the team that I coach with their Warrington kits to play in the Warrington club challenge final at the HJ and he was a real gent!!
Nowt to do with Saints, it's off "18th man" website and we don't come out unscathed, renaming us the entertainerzzzzzz after last years bore fest
God only knows what's going on with the ground! The new ground scheme at Newmarket (middle of knowhere) is dead in the water as far as I can see. Belle Vue and the adjacent land has been sold to a new company who initially showed enthusiasm to redevelop the ground but I sense that's not progressing. The club agreed a short term deal to continue as tenants but that runs out around easter time. Ground share with Dewsbury isn't feasible without improvements (capacity 5100.....it's small). Hopefully our chairman has a trick up his sleeve but if he has he's being extremely coy. Ironically, we've assembled a decent squad and signed a couple more very promising youngsters from the academy, but the ground issue is casting a long shadow and until it's resolved the future remains uncertain. Best option IMO is to redevelop Belle Vue and stay there; sadly the local Council are being less than helpful but maybe that's no surprise. ...Council leader's a Cas man!
Belle Vue is reputedly the oldest rugby league pitch in the world, dating back to around 1870, and it's one of the best pitches too. It would be a huge loss to see it go but the current state of the ground isn't pretty.
Paul
I'll take a look at that site, I wasn't aware of it.
Thanks
http://the18thman.com
Thanks, it's got some good info on there. Have bookmarked it and will keep up to date with goings on!!
I can't wait for the season to start. Hull FC fan here so hoping we can push on from our Wembley win and win another trophy or 2 this year. Very happy with our signings, I think Kelly will add all sorts of flair to the team and by all accounts is looking the perfect match for Sneyd. Griffin is a brilliant signing and a back line that contains Fonua, Talanoa and Griffin will rip plenty of teams a part. Connor from Hudds is looking good too. I can't remember a season where we've had so many options at halfback. I think if key players manage to stay fit we should easily make the top 4 and a final or 2.
Saints fan here as well! Big season for KC and the club going forward. We really need to be able to keep up with the consistency and intensity of the wolves and pies throughout the whole season to stand a chance of any success. The days of Goulding, Martin, Long, Lyon seem but a distant memory for most saints fans these days.
One thing for sure is that, regardless of which team you support, RL is a great sport which has been let down by poor marketing and dinosaurs running the game for so long.
Roll on 9th Feb!
I'm a Saints season ticket holder, and I can only echo the above.
Big year for KC, but with some decent signings I'm hoping we can keep up with the pack this year
- Ian
I'm a Saints season ticket holder, and I can only echo the above.
Big year for KC, but with some decent signings I'm hoping we can keep up with the pack this year
- Ian
Welcome guys!
Not a season ticket holder personally (although I'm a member) because I work weekends and up till 7 in the eve in Stockport so it's hard sometimes. Conversely, I'm off Thursday's so enjoy the Thursday night games that lots of people hate!
Are you guys on Redvee.net?
Back to the team, if Jonny can stay injury free, Fages can get some consistency, and Robes can have a rest/get spelled during games we might have a chance. But we lack craft imho, since Smith is as average as his surname suggests....
I've just hearing that Matty Smith has broken his ankle or leg in our friendly against Widnes today.
Great!
The Saints Scrum Half curse strikes again!
Heard its a broken leg.. Unfortunate for him, but I spotted something on redvee about it being a good opportunity for Danny Richardson to be brought into the halves.
Failing that there always Wilkin!
KC will probably play LMS there and Jonny Lomax as a second row forward.Heard its a broken leg.. Unfortunate for him, but I spotted something on redvee about it being a good opportunity for Danny Richardson to be brought into the halves.
Failing that there always Wilkin!
JW rarely lets us down with his effort, he's just past his best.
Here we go!
Squad for tonight
Lomax
Makinson
Morgan
Perceval
Swift
Fages
Richardson
Douglas
Roby
Amor
Greenwood
Wilkin
Knowles
Bench- walmsley walker lee Thompson
COYS!
Wakefield are at home to Hull FC on Sunday. I'm hoping to be there. currently recovering from a combination of the winter sickness bug and a heavy cold that's left me with sinus problems. This started 2 weeks ago and I feel absolutely drained. Hopefully I'll pull round by Sunday, I'll go if I feel upto it and the weather's not too bad.
I'd prefer to start the season with a tough away game at Warrington, Wigan or Saints where we never win. However, if we beat Hull I'll change my tune; it's a game we should have a fair chance in but the first game of the season is always unpredictable.
Paul
I cant wait for tonight. I'll be watching on the box of course being a Wire. Then on Saturday, off to manny airport at 7.30 for our trip to Catalans. There and back same day, its a long one.
Heres hoping for a cracking opening to the season,
Stuart
I'm a Leeds fan and I'm just not bothered sadly. Starting the league off with this fixture on a Thursday night is just crap.
I am just glad it's back!
He who pays the piper, calls the tune!
We can't take Sky's money then expect to dictate.
I think cross pennine fixtures should be on a weekend tbh. Either Saturday or Sunday. Travelling over to anywhere in Yorkshire, on a Friday on the M62 is an absolute nightmare, and I'm sure its the same for Yorkshire teams coming to our side as well. Yorkshire teams should play their near neighbours on school nights, same with us lot on the proper side of the pennines as well !!. It would be better encouragement for the fans as well,
Stuart
Ouch!
I've done the Catalans trips a few times watching Saints, staying in northern Spain and travelling up on matchday. I couldn't do it in a day though! I remember doing a similar thing years ago watching Saints v PSG (96-97ish?) and it was a killer trip on a coach.
-Ian
The start of the season has come around quickly and I am looking forward to watching tonight.
Also, I am looking forward to seeing how Leigh get in after finally getting promoted..
Bring it on, come on you Wire!!
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