As a proud son of Bradford and former Yorkshire captain, albeit one whose last two coaching jobs have been in Wigan and Wrexham, the words did not come easily to Brian Noble. But in previewing the 16th Super League season for the Guardian, the most successful British coach for decades conceded with commendably good grace that the champions will again come from west of the Pennines.
"The north west axis have a very strong chance of bringing home the goods," said Noble, in much the same way that George Bush used to talk of the axis of evil. Wigan, Warrington and St Helens take the place of Iran, Iraq and North Korea in this nightmare scenario for a Yorkie, and when pressed, Noble suggested that Wigan's enviable strength in depth makes his former club the favourites to defend their title – and to win back-to-back Championships for the first time since the last two seasons of the pre-Super League era.
There is much more at stake this season, providing plenty of other opportunities for a few ill-informed predictions that will hopefully stimulate a debate. First there's the gamble of launching the season with the Magic Weekend in Cardiff – barmy, or inspired? There will be no such doubts over the next big event, as in a fortnight we'll be looking forward to Wigan's first World Club Challenge appearance since 1994, against Wayne Bennett's St George Illawarra Dragons.
The Challenge Cup provides a more realistic route to a major final for the majority of the Super League clubs – for some reason Hull KR have that Wembley look about them to me, and Willie Mason might even have arrived by August. Then there is the big question of which of the strugglers will be kicked out to make way for at least one club from the Championship in this licensing year. Widnes in for Wakefield seems the likeliest swap at this stage, but Halifax remain fascinating dark horses – there's even a rumour knocking around that they considered making a bid to bring Wakefield out of administration, and then relocating the licence to the Shay.
Salford seem to have started work on their new stadium, and invested in a squad to provide a fitting farewell season at the Willows, in the nick of time to remove any doubt about their licence. But what exactly is going on at Castleford? Some people, admittedly from Wakefield, were insisting to me the other night that the Tigers' stadium development is nothing like as nailed-on as they've had us believe, and was it significant that the Rugby Football League's chairman Richard Lewis made no mention of it when welcoming the new venues on the way at Salford and St Helens during Monday's season launch at Old Trafford?
Anyway, enough waffle. Time for a rattle through the 14 runners and riders, with Mr Noble as your expert guide. Your thoughts on anything he says are welcome. And one last question for you to ponder – what are the odds on him being back in a Super League job by the end of the season?
Wigan
2010: Champions
Coach: Michael Maguire (Aus)
Captain: Sean O'Loughlin
Ins: Brett Finch, Jeff Lima, Ryan Hoffman (all Melbourne)
Outs: Iafeta Paleaesina, Phil Bailey (both Salford), Shaun Ainscough (Bradford), Mark Riddell (Sydney Roosters), Cameron Phelps (released), Karl Pryce, Joe Mellor (loan to Harlequins)
Main man: Thomas Leuluai
One to watch: Sam Powell
Brian Noble verdict: There isn't a whole lot between the top three on that north-west axis, and in such a long season it could come down to injuries. Wigan probably bat the furthest down the order, with all the young lads they've got coming through plus the quality guys they've brought in. Hard to back against them.
St Helens
2010: 2nd
Coach: Royce Simmons (Aus)
Captains: James Graham and Paul Wellens
Ins: Michael Shenton (Castleford), Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (Harlequins), Josh Perry (Manly)
Outs: Keiron Cunningham, Matt Gidley (both retired), Maurie Fa'asavalu (Harlequins RU), Nick Fozzard, Jake Emmitt (Castleford), Bryn Hargreaves (Bradford)
Main man: James Roby
One to watch: Jonny Lomax
Brian Noble verdict: As well as losing Cunningham and Gidley, they've left Knowsley Road and will be playing their home games at Widnes while their new stadium is built. But there's a real steeliness and resilience at Saints, and James Roby could go for 80 at hooker if necessary. Still dangerous to write them off.
Warrington
2010: 3rd
Coach: Tony Smith (Aus)
Captain: Adrian Morley
Ins: Joel Monaghan (Canberra), Brett Hodgson (Huddersfield)
Outs: Richie Mathers (Castleford), Chris Hicks (Parramatta), Vinnie Anderson (Salford)
Main man: Michael Monaghan
One to watch: Chris Bridge
Brian Noble verdict: Talented enough to beat anyone on any day, easily. Joel Monaghan and Hodgson are a pair of quality recruits. Hodgson is a good leader as well as a good player, and whatever has gone on for Monaghan he's a fabulous player who any of the 14 clubs would have loved to get in their team. They'll be in the shake too.
Leeds
2010: 4th
Coach: Brian McDermott (Eng)
Captain: Kevin Sinfield
Ins: Ben Cross (Newcastle Knights), Weller Hauraki (Crusaders – still awaiting visa), Ben Jones-Bishop (returning from loan at Harlequins)
Outs: Matt Diskin (Bradford), Greg Eastwood (Canterbury), Scott Donald (retired), Luke Ambler (loan to Harlequins)
Main man: Kevin Sinfield
One to watch: Kallum Watkins
Brian Noble verdict: I'd expect them to lead the Yorkshire challenge again, with Huddersfield, but they start the season without Jamie Peacock and Danny McGuire, who are both out until around May after knee reconstructions. They will be big misses. I guess the hope for Brian Mac is that they'll chime into the side for the business end of the season.
Huddersfield
2010: 5th
Coach: Nathan Brown (Aus)
Captain: Kevin Brown
Ins: Luke O'Donnell (North Queensland Cowboys), Jamie Simpson (South Sydney), Joe Wardle (Bradford)
Outs: Brett Hodgson (Warrington), Stephen Wild (Salford), Martin Aspinwall (Castleford), Brad Drew (retired), Paul Whatuira (Parramatta), Simon Finnigan (Widnes).
Main man: Danny Brough
One to watch: Larne Patrick
Brian Noble verdict: You have to start with the loss of Hodgson and how they're going to handle it, because he's been so good at the back for them for the last two years. But with O'Donnell in their pack, no-one's going to be taking any liberties. He is going to add a lot more toughness, and because of the way they defend they'll be a threat.
Hull FC
2010: 6th
Coach: Richard Agar (Eng)
Captain: Craig Fitzgibbon
Ins: Joe Westerman (Castleford), Will Sharp (Harlequins)
Out: Shaun Berrigan (NZ Warriors), Craig Hall (Hull KR), Peter Cusack (retired), Mike Burnett, Mark Calderwood (Harlequins).
Main man: Fitzgibbon
One to watch: Liam Cunningham
Brian Noble verdict: I see both Hull clubs just behind the top five again. Expectations will be high again at the KC Stadium, but they've still got a big issue over their half-backs that tripped them up a bit last year. Losing Berrigan is a blow and leaves even more on the shoulders of Sean Long as things stand, although I expect them to bring someone else in soon to share the load. That signing could be crucial to their prospects.
Hull KR
2010: 7th
Coach: Justin Morgan (Aus)
Captain: Michael Vella
Ins: Craig Hall (Hull FC), Blake Green (Canterbury), Willie Mason (North Queensland Cowboys – still awaiting visa)
Outs: Frankie Mariano (Wakefield), Chev Walker (Bradford), Chaz I'Anson (Widnes), David Mills (Leigh), Mike Ratu (Halifax)
Main man: Michael Dobson
One to watch: Liam Watts
Brian Noble verdict: There's been a lot of talk about Mason, and if he arrives he could be great if Rovers get the explosive rugby league player we've seen over the years, rather than the headlines that have tended to surround him off the pitch. But I reckon Green will be more significant. I tried to get him to Crusaders last year, and his combination with Michael Dobson should give them plenty.
Crusaders
2010: 8th
Coach: Iestyn Harris (Wales)
Captain: Clinton Schifcofske
Ins: Richard Moore, Paul Johnson (Wakefield), Stuart Reardon (Bradford), Hep Cahill (Melbourne – still awaiting visa)
Outs: Weller Hauraki (Leeds), Nick Youngquest (Castleford), Luke Dyer, Rocky Trimarchi (both released), Tommy Lee (Wakefield), Jamie Thackray (Barrow)
Main man: Schifcofske
One to watch: Lloyd White
Brian Noble verdict: Start the season with four-point deduction after going into administration in the winter, but they've still got a pretty good squad with players like Schifcofske and Michael Witt, who was injured for a lot of last year. They've lost a couple of good players but that's balanced by the blokes they've recruited.
Castleford
2010: 9th
Coach: Terry Matterson (Aus)
Captain: Danny Orr
Ins: Richie Mathers (Warrington), Danny Orr (Harlequins), Nick Youngquest (Crusaders), Nick Fozzard, Jacob Emmitt (both St Helens), Martin Aspinwall (Huddersfield), Willie Isa (Melbourne).
Outs: James Evans (retired), Joe Westerman (Hull), Mitchell Sargent (returned to Australia), Michael Shenton (St Helens), Ryan Clayton (Halifax), Michael Wainwright (Dewsbury), Liam Higgins (Sheffield).
Main man: Rangi Chase
One to watch: Joe Arundel
Brian Noble verdict: I quite like the look of Cas this year. There's a few clubs who you would put together just below the big boys, challenging for those lower play-off places, and they should definitely be in the mix. Any team with Rangi Chase playing for them will have a chance, Isa is a great player, and I like a couple of the young front-row kids they've got coming through, Adam Milner and Jonathan Walker.
Bradford
2010: 10th
Coach: Mick Potter
Captain: Andy Lynch
Ins: Matt Diskin (Leeds), Olivier Elima (Catalans), Bryn Hargreaves (St Helens), Chev Walker (Hull KR), Shaun Ainscough (Wigan), Patrick Ah Van (NZ Warriors), Ian Sibbit (Salford), Gareth Raynor (jail), Shad Royston (Halifax), Marc Herbert (Canberra), Kyle Briggs (Featherstone).
Outs: Chris Nero, Wayne Godwin (both Salford), Steve Menzies (Catalans), Stuart Reardon (Crusaders), Glen Hall (North Queensland), Danny Sculthorpe (Widnes), Joe Wardle (Huddersfield), Michael Worrincy (Penrith Panthers), Matt Orford (Canberra), George Burgess (South Sydney), Rikki Sheriffe (Newcastle RU).
Main man: Lynch
One to watch: James Donaldson
Brian Noble verdict: Obviously they've made a lot of changes, and Mick Potter is a good coach who knows the club after spending a year on the staff there with me under Matthew Elliott way back when. I look at their team and see them winning more than they lose, which I guess means I see them getting back in the eight.
Wakefield Trinity
2010: 11th
Coach: John Kear (Eng)
Captain: Glenn Morrison
In: Jeremy Smith (Salford – still to receive visa), Frankie Mariano (Hull KR), Kevin Penny (Warrington), Tommy Lee (Crusaders), Chris Dean, Paul Johnson (both St Helens), Josh Veivers, Stuart Howarth (both Wigan academy), Motu Tony (Whitehaven).
Out: Sean Gleeson (Salford), Kyle Bibb (Dewsbury), Paul Johnson, Richard Moore (both Crusaders), Jason Demetriou (Keighley), Paul Cooke, Tevita Leo-Latu, Charlie Laeano (all released), Damien Blanch (Catalans).
Main man: Morrison
One to watch: Johnson
Brian Noble verdict: They must be expecting to start the season on negative points with Crusaders as they have also gone into administration, and to be honest I think them and Harlequins are two teams who struggled last year and are probably looking at more of the same. They've got to get themselves new owners first, and then there's the licensing thing. It's going to be tough for them.
Salford
2010: 12th
Coach: Shaun McRae (Aus)
Captain: Daniel Holdsworth
Ins: Stephen Wild (Huddersfield), Luke Patten (Canterbury Bulldogs), Chris Nero, Wayne Godwin (both Bradford), Vinnie Anderson (Warrington), Sean Gleeson (Wakefield), Iafeta Paleaesina, Phil Bailey (both Wigan).
Out: Malcolm Alker, Willie Talau, Karl Fitzpatrick (all retired), Phil Leuluai (Lezignan), Luke Swain (Carcassonne), Stuart Littler, Dean McGilvray (both Leigh), Jeremy Smith (Wakefield), Stephen Tyrer (Widnes), Ian Sibbit (Bradford).
Main Man: "General" Patten
One to watch: Jodie Broughton
Brian Noble verdict: Much more cheerful outlook for them. They've signed a lot of players but the one who could set the Willows on fire in their last season there is Luke Patten, a full-back from Canterbury in Sydney who's a real class act. Apparently he is big mates with Holdsworth, who was good for them last year, so you could be looking at big improvers.
Harlequins
2010: 13th
Coach: Rob Powell (Eng)
Captain: Rob Purdham
In: Nick Kouparitsas (Sydney Roosters), Chris Bailey (Manly), Luke Ambler (loan from Leeds), Mike Burnett (loan from Hull), Mark Calderwood (trial from Hull), Karl Pryce, Joe Mellor (loans from Wigan).
Out: Will Sharp (Hull), Luke Williamson (retired), Danny Orr (Castleford), Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (St Helens), Ben Jones-Bishop (back to Leeds), Ben Kaye (Featherstone).
Main man: Chad Randall
One to watch: Luke Gale
Brian Noble verdict: They've lost Brian Mac to Leeds as well as a couple of their better players from last year. But without shouting from the rooftops Rob Powell, the young guy who they've promoted to coach after he's come up through the London rugby league development system, has got a few more bodies on board in the last few weeks. Could still be another tough year.
Catalans Dragons
2010: 14th
Coach: Trent Robinson (Aus)
Captain: seven-man leadership group
Ins: Scott Dureau (Newcastle Knights), Ian Henderson (NZ Warriors), Jason Baitieri, Lopini Paea (both Sydney Roosters), Vincent Duport, Carlos Mendes Varela, Romain Mencarini (all Toulouse), Damien Blanch (Wakefield), Ben Farrar (Manly), Steve Menzies (Bradford), Eloi Pelissier (UTC).
Outs: Dallas Johnson (North Queensland), Steven Bell, Jerome Guisset, Brent Sherwin (all retired), Dane Carlaw (Brisbane), Dimitri Pelo (Montpellier RU), Kane Bentley (Pia), Andrew Bentley (Lezignan), Olivier Elima (Bradford), Casey McGuire, Chris Walker (both Parramatta), Julien Touxagas (UTC).
Main man: Menzies
One to watch: Tony Gigot
Brian Noble verdict: A bit of an unknown but everything I hear about this new coach is good – he speaks French for a start, so they should avoid some of the turmoil they had last year. Of all their new signings I really rate Ian Henderson, who was great for me at Bradford then went back and made a good impact with New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. They've still got Clint Greenshields at full-back too, and if you can be strong at 6 and 7 as well as 9 and 1, you're well on the way.
