Warriors have hit form at an ominous time but Hull KR, Warrington and Salford have grounds for optimism
The Super League playoffs begin on Friday but there is a very different feel this time around. Four of the six sides vying to win the title at Old Trafford on 12 October have yet to win a Grand Final – though to do so they will have to get past the reigning champions and undoubted favourites, Wigan Warriors.
Wigan Warriors (1st)
While there is unpredictability aplenty throughout this year’s playoffs, one constant is the side sitting at the top. Wigan are rugby league’s premier club side once again; they are in possession of all four major trophies: the World Club Challenge, Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and Super League title.
It would take a remarkable effort to prise the latter of that quartet out of the Warriors’ grasp over the next three weeks. Matt Peet’s side have crept into form at exactly the right time and while there are plenty of sides confident of lifting the trophy this year, dethroning the reigning champions will be a formidable task.
Hull KR (2nd)
Is it finally time for Rovers to end their 39-year wait for a major trophy? The evidence suggests it could be. Willie Peters’s side have earned the opening week off by virtue of a top-two finish, their highest league placing since 1985, and while they have been within one game of a maiden Grand Final on three occasions before, this time feels different.
They will host the highest-ranking winner of this weekend’s eliminators at home: and Craven Park under the lights is a fearsome prospect for travelling sides. With the competition’s standout player in Mikey Lewis – surely the Man of Steel elect – hopes are high the Robins can reach Old Trafford at the very least.
Warrington Wolves (3rd)
Sam Burgess has already guided Warrington to the Challenge Cup final in his first season as a head coach but if he is to get to Old Trafford, he will have to do it the hard way. After missing out on the top two, the Wolves have a local derby against St Helens to navigate on Friday. Win that, and it’s an away trip to Wigan or Hull KR for a spot in the Grand Final.
Burgess has transformed Warrington into bona fide contenders but history is against them: they are without a league title since 1955 and have lost all four of their Grand Final appearances.
Salford Red Devils (4th)
Salford will create history on Friday night, with the Salford Community Stadium likely to host its biggest-ever rugby league crowd for their eliminator tie against Leigh. And rightly so: this is a team the public should be backing in their thousands given how they have again defied the odds in 2024.
Paul Rowley’s side were written off before a ball had been kicked but they are one of the competition’s most entertaining teams and a threat to anyone. Only Wigan have won at Salford this season: that alone should leave the Red Devils confident of of a second Grand Final appearance.
Leigh Leopards (5th)
Leigh enter the playoffs for only the second time in their history this weekend, but they do so as the competition’s form side. They sat ninth as recently as July but 10 wins in 12 games have made them a genuine side to fear on the road to Old Trafford.
Adrian Lam’s side will be dismantled at the end of this season, with the likes of Kai O’Donnell and Tom Amone returning to the NRL. That could arm them with extra motivation to mount a title challenge – but a stern test at Salford on Friday night is their first hurdle to clear.
St Helens (6th)
The Saints have maintained their ever-present record in the Super League playoffs, but only after their worst league finish since 1994. Paul Wellens’s side have, certainly in comparison to their rivals, limped their way to the end-of-season shake-up and look anything but credible contenders.
It is a far cry from when the Saints won four straight Grand Finals between 2019 and 2022, but there is a slither of hope. They are near full-strength for Friday’s eliminator at Warrington having had injury problems aplenty all season – but they head to the Wolves as major underdogs. History has proven you can never write off the Saints though.
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