What does 2021 have in store?
WILL JACKSON MAKES SOME BOLD SUPER LEAGUE PREDICTIONS
The Super League season is now just nine weeks away and every club is back in pre-season training in a bid to be ready for March 25. Issues such as the length of season are still to be finalised but the build-up towards the new campaign has already begun.
With that in mind, Hull FC reporter William Jackson makes some predictions about the year ahead.
Leigh to compete
The Centurions may have been drafted in to make the numbers up in a lot of people’s eyes, however, they’ve recruited well and it seems they are still working hard to bolster John Duffy’s squad.
They’ve added top-flight experience in Ben Flower, Matty Russell, Nathaniel Peteru, Ryan Brierley and Jamie Ellis, giving them added nous in key areas of the field, while the likes of Jordan Thompson, Junior Sa’u and Iain Thornley know their way around the top flight, too.
While further additions will be crucial, they’ll be confident of holding their own and they’ll pull off a few shocks, too.
Huddersfield to make play-off push
Changes have been made at the John Smith’s Stadium to ensure they head into the new season full of optimism.
Ian Watson has taken the reins and the Giants have backed him when it comes to recruitment.
The likes of Jack Cogger, Josh Jones, Ricky Leutele, Luke Yates and Joe Greenwood have all arrived and with Aidan Sezer holding it all together in the pivots spots they’ll have a chance of picking up points against the big boys this season.
Wigan to go one better
The way last season ended will still sting at the DW Stadium. The Warriors came so close to knocking St Helens off their perch but lost out as Jack Welsby made the most of a favourable bounce of the ball to touch down on the hooter.
As such, they’ll enter the new season with the bit between their teeth. They’ve brought in John Bateman and Jai Field to add to their already stacked squad and they’ll be confident of not only reaching the showpiece event at the end of the season, but also being successful at the end of it, too.
Warrington to wait for Inglis’ best
Wolves got the rugby league world talking when they completed the signing of Greg Inglis.
The 34-year-old announced his retirement from the game in April 2019, but just over a year later, the announcement was made that he would be joining Warrington
Wolves in 2021. It’s not a case of whether he still has it or not. The talent that saw him rise to legend status remains within him, but it may take him a while to settle in wearing primrose and blue.
Young stars to emerge
If last season was good for anyone, it was good for a host of youngsters within the Super League who got their chance during a hectic, coronavirus-hit campaign.
They were called upon to fill gaps and plenty of them impressed, winning the trust of their head coach and team-mates.
Those players will now be looking to cement their reputations, and make names for themselves by having roles to play in the season ahead and plenty will.
Player welfare debate to continue
Of course, it is still to be decided how many games teams will be asked to play in the new season. Last year it was announced that this season would be 27 games long, but another national lockdown and the season being delayed by two weeks might see that altered.
The Grand Final date remains unchanged, with Old Trafford being booked for October 9, so the domestic campaign will be crammed into 198 days.
Should the season remain as it is, players will be put through the mill, with injuries and discussions about player welfare an inevitability.
Should the season be reduced to 22 games, it still promises to be taxing on players’ bodies.
A better product
Optimists will point to the fact that with the season starting on March 25, we could see a better product on the field.
Without the boggy winter pitches of February and early March, teams will be able to play a faster more attractive style of rugby league from the start of the campaign.