Super League is back for season 25 this week and it promises to be one of the best yet with some huge names secured to play in the competition, some of which are controversial, others exciting, and a new territory for the league to entertain.
St Helens dominated from start to finish last season and rightfully claimed glory in one of the most remarkable campaigns last term, and they will be out to keep hold of the crown, but 11 teams have their eye on Old Trafford glory too.
Recent Winners
2019 – St Helens
2018 – Wigan Warriors
2017 – Leeds Rhinos
2016 – Wigan Warriors
2015 – Leeds Rhinos
2014 – St Helens
2013 – Wigan Warriors
2012 – Leeds Rhinos
2011 – Leeds Rhinos
2010 – Wigan Warriors
The Format
Amazingly we have an unchanged format for once this season. Each of the 12 teams plays the other home and away with six matches added in on top of them. There is the Magic Weekend too which comes to 29 matches in total. The team who finishes bottom gets relegated while the top five head into the play-offs for the race to Old Trafford.
The play-offs last four weeks with 4th playing 5th in Match A which is a straight knockout. 2nd meets 3rd in Match B. The winners of A play the loser of B in week two in Match C while the winner of B travel to the table toppers in Match D. The winner of D go straight to Old Trafford while the loser of it hosts the winner of C in a knockout semi-final to play the winner of D in the Grand Final.
Favourites
St Helens are the 3/1 favourites to retain the crown this season but they will have to do so under a new coach as Justin Holbrook has returned home. Tonga coach Kristian Woolf takes over the reins and looks an inspired choice to keep a largely unchanged squad ahead of the rest. St Helens were miles clear of anything else on show last season and you would have to mark them down as the team to beat even though they have made no additions to their pack going into the campaign.
Wigan Warriors are once again tipped to be their nearest challengers this term and they too are 3/1 to win the Grand Final. The addition of the Man of Steel from last year, Jackson Hastings, has to be seen as a positive as the Warriors have lacked creativity for some time, but the loss of George Williams negates that somewhat. George Burgess is another eye catching addition at the DW Stadium for a team who should go well.
The Warrington Wolves beat St Helens in the Challenge Cup final but never really offered much of a Super League campaign. That is something that is going to have to change this term to justify high profile signings like Gareth Widdop. He is expected to miss the start of the season which is less than ideal but when he is up and running, he and Blake Austin could be the best half-back combination in the competition. It then comes down to the mentality of the Wolves, which is where the question marks are.
Hull FC have been making big strides over the off season to the point where they begin the campaign as 11/1 shots to go all the way this year. They will need to keep everyone fit, which is always a struggle for the Black and Whites these days it would seem, but we know from previous Challenge Cup exploits that they don’t lack a winning mentality when they are at their best. You can file this lot in the dark horses drawer.
Challengers
Leeds Rhinos have been in the doldrums for a while but are 12/1 shots for Grand Final glory. With the situation with Rob Burrow, the Rhinos are not going to lack for incentive, inspiration or motivation this season, but whether that can take them to the title or not remains to be seen. You would expect them to improve on the last couple of seasons if Luke Gale can stay fit but I don’t really see a title challenge coming out of Headingley I have to admit.
Catalans Dragons caused all kinds of controversy in the week leading up to the season starting when they signed the outspoken potty mouth of Israel Folau, the man chucked our of Australian Rugby League for his ignorant comments last season. If you see through that smokescreen though, the addition of him and James Maloney are significant markers laid down in a squad that already had Sam Tomkins, Josh Drinkwater, Remi Casty and Michael McIlorum. Expect a huge challenge from the Dragons if they can sort their wretched away record out.
The Castleford Tigers have been to and on the fringes of the Grand Final over recent seasons but there is no getting away from the loss of Luke Gale. Danny Richardson will do his best to replace him but there was something about Gale at The Jungle that worked. The expansive rugby that Daryl Powell likes to play always carries a risk which isn’t ideal. I don’t expect the Tigers to be any less exciting to watch but a title challenge may well be slightly beyond them at this stage.
The new boys Toronto Wolfpack go into the campaign as the 40/1 pokes for Grand Final glory. They have a logistical nightmare ahead of them but if they can overcome that they should run well. In Sonny Bill Williams they might still have the best player in the league in their ranks and if he plays the entire season someone will do well to take the Man of Steel award ahead of him. It isn’t all about him though with the likes of Matty Russell, Jon Wilkin and Brad Singleton seasoned campaigners at this level but the Canadians have a small squad which is the concern.
Outsiders
Salford Red Devils are in the outsider bracket once again due to their 50/1 quotes of a Grand Final success but they were 80 minutes from winning the title at a bigger price last season, so anything can happen with them. It goes without saying that the loss of Jackson Hastings in particular will be felt hard and he isn’t the only player who has left. The likes of Kevin Brown coming in should keep the Red Devils away from danger but don’t expect another sighting of Old Trafford.
Wakefield Trinity only escaped relegation on the final day of last season so their 66/1 odds to win the Grand Final look realistic. Injuries hampered them for a lot of the campaign last year so it is a positive that they have padded out their squad. That should keep them in the division but were injuries to hit key men again they could be in trouble. I don’t see them being anywhere near the playoffs but an improvement on last season should be expected.
Huddersfield Giants struggled for much of last season too and it is not easy to see immediately where they have strengthened to come away from the threat of relegation this time around. They are another team who are going to need their big players to stay fit if they are to keep hold of their Super League status and it is battling that which is more likely than any fight for the overall crown at the end of the campaign.
Hull KR were the other team safe on the final day of last season and with all the injuries they carry into this term that might be as good as it gets for the red half of the city. Tony Smith has been dubbed a miracle worker in the past and he’ll need more of the same if Rovers are to stay up. Never write this spirited bunch off but it would be a surprise if the trap door is not beckoning for the Craven Park gang this term.
Outright Betting
I think St Helens are all the rage this season and find them hard to oppose but there will be five teams in the playoffs and one of them only has to run hot for a couple of weeks at the right time and being the best team could go out of the window. Hull FC look like dark horses to me but I can’t resist the Catalans Dragons at 14/1 this season. I say it every year and on paper at least they continue to improve, and soon that will be reflected in their results.
Although they come with doubt and controversy hanging over them, James Maloney and Israel Folau should be standout signings at this level and when you throw Sam Burgess and one or two other gun players into the mix, the Dragons really should be making the top five at the very least. Their away form is a concern, as it so often is, but if they can patch that up and just be competitive on the road rather than spectacular then all the ingredients should be there for a big tilt at Old Trafford again.
Top Tryscorer
You can make a case for a number of players when it comes to the top tryscorer this season but I’m going to centre my attention around St Helens, who are likely to continue to play an expansive brand of rugby and who should set the standard over the regular season at the very least, even if that doesn’t necessarily translate into Grand Final glory.
Tommy Makinson is the favourite to lead the list but considering he plays the same position, albeit on the other side, Regan Grace at nearly half the price again looks the call to me. The Wales international will be eager to standout with the World Cup looming on the horizon next year and he has only gone from strength to strength in his short career so far. Only three men scored more tries than him last season so the 20/1 on Grace looks big enough to last us for the season.
Man of Steel
This is another market where you can make a case for a few but you only have to look at last season and the impact that Jackson Hastings made to highlight that the winner doesn’t have to come from one of the big few. He singlehandedly took Salford Red Devils to the Grand Final and was the best player in the competition and while I don’t expect Toronto Wolfpack to make it that far, I do fancy the best player in the league to stand out.
That is of course Sonny Bill Williams, a man who makes offloading look like a piece of cake but who will muscle up in defence and lead by example in that way. There will be a lot of circus attention around the Wolfpack this season so it won’t be difficult for SBW to be noticed. He is one of the best players to have ever graced Super League and while he might be beyond his very best, what he has to offer should be perfectly good enough to win the Man of Steel.
Tips
Back Catalans Dragons to win Super League XXV (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 15.00 with Sky Bet (1/3 1-2)
Back R.Grace Top Tryscorer (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 21.00 with Betfred (1/4 1-4)
Back S-B.Williams Man of Steel for a 1/10 stake at 19.00 with Boylesports
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
