Young: My best squad ever
Cardiff boss Dai Young says he has the strongest squad of his reign available as he prepares to try and win the Magners League with Cardiff.
Young has been involved at coaching level with Cardiff since 2002 and says that the club are in a better position than ever before to try and win the title this season.
However, there are some very strong teams in the Magners League this season and Ospreys have done nothing to convince many that they will give up their title without a fight by spring next year.
There are many reasons why Cardiff could do very well this year because they have a great group of players and coaching staff. However, other sides are better equipped to deal with the problems that often arise during a season.
Reasons Cardiff should do well
Cardiff have a very young and attack minded squad that is capable of blowing away any team if they are given half a chance. They have the likes of Tom Brown in the middle who can control central areas of the pitch.
They've also got plenty of pace and venom out wide. Tom James and Richard Mustoe are players who could score a lot of points over the course of the season and their pace across the turf will give opposition defences plenty of headaches.
A lot of people often focus on the players in a team and forget about the coach. Young is a very good tactical coach and can make match winning changes in the middle of a game. He's also very good at getting the most out of players who may have started to believe that they are not up to the standard required.
Young said: "This is by far the strongest squad that I've had to coach since I've been at the Blues. We have certainly got strength in depth in most positions now and that's all you want as a coach. We're in a far better state going into our first game this season than we were last season."
Problems likely to arise
There are a number of problems that are likely to arise over the course of the season. Injuries and suspensions are common in rugby and can quickly pile up in two or three weeks.
Ospreys look as though they have the most complete squad this season. They have worked hard all summer long to make sure they have the quality cover in the most important positions. Cardiff do have a very good squad but number eight and full-back are two positions they could use an extra body in.
Young added: "You can train all you like but you need to put all the things you've practised in the summer under pressure - and playing against local rivals the Dragons you're always going to get that intensity. Last year we lost our first two pre-season games and we didn't recover until after Christmas. Now I think we're in a good place, we've got strength in depth which we haven't had for a while."
Betting advice
If you fancy Cardiff to do well this season then by all means have a punt on the side. They do have the quality and if things go their way they could build a very good lead by Christmas that they're unlikely to give up.
There are a number of players in the side that you could back. Tom James should score a few tries as he plays out on the wing and if he does get over the line frequently then he could be top scorer at the club by the end of the season.
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