Expectations for the rest of the season : Mon Apr 17, 2017 10:00 pm
So...after Easter, 9th in the table with 7 points from 10 games.What is the rest of the season about?
Top 4 looks unlikely. Both Wigan and Hull (4th/5th) have 13 from 10, it will be a big ask to get more than three clear wins than both those sides in the rest of the season. My guess from here is that Hull will end up overhauling Salford so the top 4 will end up as Cas, Leeds, Wigan and Hull in whatever order.
So more realistically it's about avoiding the Qualifiers and playing out the final games of the season in the anticlimax but relative comfort of being also-rans in the Super 8s, where we could look at some young players and see how they handle SL ahead of next season.
The little mini league of clubs fighting to avoid bottom 4 will be competitive. Widnes look off the pace and are probably destined for the Qualifiers but there are then three clubs all about the same standard - us, Hudds and Leigh, plus a couple who are probably a bit better (Catalans and Saints).
Wakefield are the interesting one. They are on 10 from 10 and their next 5 games are against us, Catalans, Leigh, Widnes and Hudds. If they get 3 or 4 wins they could start putting daylight between themselves and the bottom 4 which will mean us having to not only hold off Hudds and Leigh but also overtake Saints or Catalans. If Wakefield stutter in those next 5 games, particularly if we beat them, they could be our target team to chase down.
My guess is at the season split point we will be somewhere between 7th and 10th. It will probably make the league part of the season more interesting than it has been for a while as this battle to avoid the bottom 4 will be close.