Take a look at the SL table:

Team P W D L F A Pts
St Helens 9 8 0 1 241 122 16
Huddersfield 9 7 0 2 226 123 14
Wakefield 10 7 0 3 239 181 14
Leeds 9 6 0 3 205 124 12
Castleford 9 6 0 3 217 183 12
Hull K R 9 5 1 3 208 167 11
Harlequins RL 8 5 0 3 230 162 10
Hull 10 5 0 5 214 210 10
Wigan 10 3 0 7 198 213 6
Catalans Dragons 9 3 0 6 198 252 6
Warrington 10 3 0 7 209 296 6
Salford 9 3 0 6 156 305 6
Bradford 9 2 1 6 169 249 5
Celtic Crusaders 8 0 0 8 110 233 0

The ''less glamerous'' teams have started to get their act together and are climbing up the table. Whilst this is great entertainment for the neutrals it seems the previous ''top 4'' (wigan, saints, leeds, bulls) and their previous challengers (Hull FC, wire) are spitting their dummies out and are losing fans FAST! (See Bulls V Wire tonight!)

When will these teams realise they do not have the god-given right to be in the top-6 and will have to fight for their place?

Is this shaping up to be the most open SL ever? (except for Celtic)

It is too early to draw this conclusion.

We have many game yet to be played, and clubs like Les Catalans and Salford are lately improving.

It may well end up in September with Leeds and St Helens at the top again, followed by Les Catalans, with Huddersfield the only new contender for the silverware.

Bar Saints and Leeds at the top and Celtic at the bottom this season is probably the most open ever. You really can't call any of the games with any security like you used to be able to.

I think it shows the salary cap is working. Sure the standards are shocking at the moment, but I don't think that is because of the salary cap, if we didn't have one it would just mean the gap between the top sides and the rest would be massive compared to what it is now.

Weren't you calling for Walters sacking a few weeks back?

Only a fool would do such a thing.

Don't think it has much to do with the salary cap. Teams spending to the full are doing rubbish. Coaching standards are what is evening out the league IMO. They all seem to be equally crap and getting crap out of the players.

is this the sl we dreamed of ????

certainly is not just for fartown , but wakey and cas as well

I was calling for his sacking, and McRae too.

I still think that they were both poor choices. Les Catalans and Salford should have chased Graham Murray, Michael Hagan, or John Lang.

I then said give Walters a few more weeks. If he can improve the team's performance then let him stay for this year. The fact is that on paper the club has a top three team. The coach has done many very bad things, including criticising his players by name in the local papers. That has affected morale. But if he can bring them to the playoffs, then I would keep him till year's end. But his position cannot be considered secure.

It is for some, but it most certainly is not for others, specifically the once almost very nearly mighty black & whites . Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

But IN YOUR WORDS, it's too early to draw a conclusion on a teams performance. How can you do so on a coach's performance?