The new Super League season opens up with a potential cracker on Thursday night as St Helens host the Leeds Rhinos at Langtree Park. There isn’t a Super League season where these two aren’t eyeing up the playoffs and the big prize at Old Trafford and this is no different so the campaign should be certain to get off to an excellent start.
St Helens
Saints will have gone into pre-season smarting from losing in the semi-finals last year and that will have acted as motivation heading into this campaign. They have managed to keep hold of the majority of the players they wanted to keep although the loss of the half back pairing of Jordan Turner and Luke Walsh is worrying from the outside.
They have signed well in the off season as you would expect a club like Saints to do and they will be looking to hit the ground running here but they have suffered some ordinary opening round results on this ground in the past. That should fuel the fire to perform here but time will tell on that one.
Leeds Rhinos
I don’t think Leeds will want reminding of last season too much but at the same time I don’t think they will dwell on it too much either. In many ways it was a freak season. Not only did the classy Kevin Sinfield, Kylie Leuluai and Jamie Peacock all retire but they had an issue with their training ground which hampered the campaign and they never truly recovered.
Importantly they seem to have all their major players fit to kick off the season and the addition of the likes of Jack Ormondroyd and Matt Parcell should add a bit more spice to their forward pack which at times got overworked last season. It is important for Leeds to start well here to put the horror of last year officially behind them.
Team News
St Helens are going to be without Matty Smith which is a huge blow. He is out with the broken leg he suffered in pre-season. Luke Douglas, Tommy Lee, Ryan Morgan and Adam Walker could all make debuts.
Leeds will be without Brett Ferres and Brett Delaney for this one with Keith Galloway another on the sidelines but Danny Maguire is fit to begin the campaign. Parcell and Ormondroyd are set for debuts here.
Betting
While I think St Helens will have the better season of these two I actually fancy Leeds Rhinos to come through this one. After their horrible year last season nobody really expects them to win this match and that is often when the Rhinos are their most dangerous.
I’m very much worried about St Helens in the half back area with Smith out injured and that is certainly a position that Leeds can dominate with Maguire and Burrow likely to be at their best. I don’t think there is too much between the sides elsewhere on the park so if Maguire and Burrow along with the likes of Watkins and Moon can step up and be counted I think Leeds have enough to condemn St Helens to another opening home defeat.
Tips
Back Leeds Rhinos to beat St Helens for a 3/10 stake at 2.88 with Betfred
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017
