There are four matches on a busy Friday night of Super League action with a televised Yorkshire derby and three other juicy looking games as the season continues at a relentless pace.
Leeds vs Huddersfield
The televised game sees the bottom two in action as both the Leeds Rhinos and the Huddersfield Giants look for their first points of the campaign after the two teams have made very poor starts to the season.
Injuries have been a large reason for their struggles and both sides still miss some key men for this fixture. Leeds do have Liam Sutcliffe back but the likes of Tom Briscoe, Carl Ablett and Danny Maguire are still missing.
Huddersfield hope to have Danny Brough back for this match and they will need him not just because of their struggles but because they have lost the other half of their half back combination in Jamie Ellis. He has a shoulder injury and joins Scott Grix on the sidelines.
It is hard to assess these two sides with so many injuries so I’m going to take a watching brief here although if I was forced I would probably take Huddersfield with the 10 start as they still usually defend well. I’m not betting though.
Hull FC vs Wigan
Two sides who have begun the season well meet here at the KC Stadium as Hull FC host Wigan. Hull FC lost their 100% record when Castleford stole one late on last week but they put up a spirited effort in defeat.
Wigan have won all three matches they have played in the Super League this season but as yet their largest winning margin is six points so they are battling their way to wins with their attack not quite as cohesive as they would like.
I would probably fancy Wigan here but I expect this to be quite tight and as such it is another match I’m not going to bet on. I don’t see many points and the odds are about right.
St Helens vs Castleford
Here is where my betting begins on the night. St Helens bounced back from three pretty ordinary results with a win at Hull KR last week but until Albert Kelly went off at half-time Saints were very much second best in that match so I’m not convinced they are back to their best just yet.
Castleford are going along nicely already this season and even the absence of captain Michael Shenton and winger Joel Monaghan hasn’t detracted them on their road to improving on last year’s excellent season.
Saints do have James Roby back now and his presence will probably ensure the hosts win this match but Castleford roll over for nobody these days and I certainly think they will have their moments in this match. The Tigers get eight points here and that is enough to get me involved.
Widnes vs Hull KR
Widnes are another side going really well this season and the emphatic nature of their win in Huddersfield on Sunday highlights the confidence they are carrying and I think they are good things here on their own patch.
Hull KR went into last week’s match with St Helens low on confidence and without a permanent coach. They responded well in the first half of that match but they are so reliant on so few men that when Albert Kelly went off they collapsed and that didn’t help their cause.
That cause isn’t helped here either as Kelly is going to miss this match and that is a massive blow especially as the likes of Terry Campese and Josh Mantellato are also missing for Rovers.
You don’t want to go to Widnes missing the spine of your side and that is what Hull KR do here. I see nothing but a comfortable Widnes win and one which covers three scores. We should be looking at a 20+ point win against a side who have a poor defence and lack invention in attack without Kelly.
WON – Back Castleford (+8) to beat St Helens for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Titanbet
Back them here:
Back Widnes (-18) to beat Hull KR for a 4/10 stake at 2.00 with William Hill
Back them here:
