The 2022 Super League campaign is just around the corner, with a repeat of last year’s Grand Final kickstarting the new season.
St Helens will host Catalans Dragons on Thursday night, a game Kristian Woolf’s side are expected to win at 20/59.
It promises to be a huge 12 months for the sport of rugby league, with the 2022 World Cup bringing the year to a close.
Rugby league will also return to terrestrial TV this year, and we preview the upcoming campaign, with several teams itching to close the gap on St Helens.
History on Saints’ Mind
St Helens made history in 2021, becoming the first team to win nine Super League titles as they beat Catalans at Old Trafford.
Their latest success means they have now won the last three Grand Finals, but that doesn’t mean they are in the mood to stop there.
No team in Super League history has ever won four titles on the spin, and at odds of 2/1, it would be hard to back against Woolf’s side, who have signed the likes of Konrad Hurrell, Will Hopoate, Curtis Sironen and Joey Lussick in the offseason.
Leeds Mean Business in 2022
Leeds Rhinos shared the record of eight Grand Final wins with Saints before last season, but Richard Agar’s side will fancy their chances of drawing level after a busy off-season.
Leeds’ last Grand Final success came in 2017, and after a few years in the wilderness, the Rhinos look primed to strike over the next 12 months.
Agar tempted James Bentley to leave St Helens for Headingley, while Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer are bound to cause chaos in the halfback spots.
Leeds offer good value for punters at 13/2, but they are one of several teams who will feel they can challenge St Helens.
Catalans Dragons retained the services of coach Steve McNamara, and after reaching last year’s Grand Final, they will have the confidence to at least repeat the feat going into this season.
Warrington Wolves are 4/1 to win the Grand Final, but questions need to be answered by new boss Daryl Powell. The same can be said for Wigan Warriors and Castleford Tigers, who are trying to prove their worth with a new coach in the dugout.
Toulouse’s Introduction a Chance for the Game to Grow
There will be two French teams in Super League in 2022, after Toulouse beat Featherstone Rovers in the Million Pound Game last year.
Fans can now look forward to some thrilling derby games against Catalans, but Toulouse will not just be there to make up the numbers.
They will feel they can avoid the drop, with Salford Red Devils and Wakefield Trinity also vulnerable at the wrong end of the table.
Hull KR surpassed expectations 12 months ago and the jury is still out on Tony Smith’s side ahead of the new campaign, which promises to offer so much potential before the World Cup in the UK takes centre stage.
*All odds correct at time of writing