One thing's for sure, the legendary nine-game barometer in 2025 is pointing towards sunnier days ahead, unlike the past two years where all it was indicating was storm clouds gathering!


We're way ahead of expectation, of anything any of us could have dared hope for. Even if we had won four of these opening nine (Leigh, Hudds, Wakey, Cas) I would have taken that as a positive start. When I viewed these opening fixtures I had real concern we could find ourselves nought from nine and rock bottom again! It was more fervent hope rather than expectation on my part before the season started. All I was looking for was some commitment and organization and, by and large, we've had that most weeks from this team.


We've had three unexpected big wins, Catalans and Wire away plus the Wigan cup victory. The only really disappointing performances for me have been the rovers cup defeat and yesterday's loss, and I think yesterday we simply ran out of a bit of gas when coming up against the best.


Looking ahead, the remaining fixtures are a lot more even than these opening nine. Think the games against Saints, Leeds, Leigh, Wire and Cats will decide whether 2025 turns out to be a totally unexpected excellent year or merely a slightly deflated so-so one in the end. If we can continue to pick up these away wins, then we will be in a strong position when that run of home games kicks in the latter part of the year.


There's still an awful lot of rugby still to be played (18 games) and ultimately we could finish anywhere from third to ninth. Realistically, I think we'll be somewhere between fifth and eighth. Injuries (or lack of) will play a major part in how we go, a couple of key players missing for an extended period could harm us badly. I also wonder if we can maintain the necessary level of performance needed to keep racking up the wins. Don't think it would take too much of a drop in performance standard for us to become vulnerable, particularly in those games I mentioned above.


I had us tenth before we started. I honestly believed we were in too big a hole to be able to climb out of it in one go, so these opening nine games have way exceeded my expectation. Still a long way to go and still a lot of hard work and good recruitment to complete before we can truly compete at the upper end again, but for encouraging signs these opening nine games have been hard to beat.


Let's hope the 18-game barometer still registers 'sunny days ahead'!! 

Top 6 was always achievable.SL standard is probably at the lowest level it’s ever been. 

I still see 4th !! I really do 

May the 4th be with you! 

The Richter scale shock to the Barometer woke me up during the 
Night 
Ooooh the barometer didn’t see that coming 
We had to WIN that one for sure 


That could well see us in 5th at the end of the season / it was a serious 


HAVE TO WIN if we are to finish 4th

Let's be honest, we'd all have taken 11 points after 10 games if offered it pre season.


We need tomsort our discipline. No red card today and we likely win that game. No yellow cards v leigh and we probably win that game. With those 3 points we're clear in 3rd.


We have the most red and the most yellow cards in the comp. You can  say some are harsh but the fact is that we're continually seeing penalised and they're not all wrong.


Add in errors and penalties, 6 against and we continually put ourselves under pressure.


Sort that and we'll win more than we lose between now and seasons end.