Leigh have stolen the show in Betfred Super League this year by surging towards an improbable play-off place in their first season back in the top flight.
With the Leopards looking strong alongside Catalans Dragons, Wigan and St Helens, a furious battle is developing for the final two post-season slots – not to mention a potential twist at the bottom of the table.
With 10 weeks of the regular season remaining, the PA news agency runs the rule over the 12 teams ahead of a potentially pivotal weekend of action.
CATALANS DRAGONS (Pld 17/Pts 26)
Steve McNamara’s men head into Saturday’s home clash with Huddersfield on a high after seven straight wins.
Boosted by the exuberant form of winger Tom Johnstone and underpinned by the ever-evolving Arthur Mourgue, consistent Catalans look strong bets to land their second League Leaders’ Shield.
LEIGH (17/22)
Spectacularly bucking the trend of previous promoted teams, Adrian Lam’s side are riding high in second place as they prepare to head to struggling Castleford.
With yards from John Asiata, points from Josh Charnley and precision from Lachlan Lam, there is little sign of the Leopards losing their spots.
WIGAN (17/22)
Matt Peet’s men go to resurgent Wakefield on Friday on a high having rebounded well from last month’s mauling by St Helens with two straight wins.
With Jai Field back in his favoured full-back role and Bevan French busier in the halves, the Warriors look in good shape for another post-season assault.
WARRINGTON (17/22)
Four league defeats from five and the embarrassing exit of Josh McGuire have rendered Warrington’s eight-game unbeaten start to the campaign a distant memory.
Another loss to St Helens on Friday would pile more pressure on boss Daryl Powell, with his side facing the real possibility of sliding all the way out of the top six.
ST HELENS (16/20)
Some recent displays suggest Saints are once again coming good at the right time but last month’s surprise blip at Hull indicates Paul Wellens still has some work to do.
A win at Warrington would ease those fears and arguably confirm Saints’ status as favourites to reel off a fifth consecutive Grand Final triumph.
SALFORD (17/20)
Paul Rowley’s men face Leeds on Sunday in a match that could have a major say on which team goes on to seal a play-off slot.
Despite once again defying the odds for much of the campaign, back-to-back heavy losses – most recently at rock-bottom Wakefield – have raised questions over the Red Devils’ ability to stay the course.
HULL KR (17/18)
Injury-ravaged Rovers have shown signs of buckling in recent weeks and head into Sunday’s derby with scant hope of repeating their 40-0 humiliation of Hull at the MKM Stadium in April.
Jordan Abdull is their latest big loss, but despite a major battle to retain their top six slot, Rovers’ fighting spirit cannot be questioned.
LEEDS (17/16)
Unfathomable for much of the season, Rohan Smith’s men finally appear to have found their groove, thanks in no small part to the superb form of Blake Austin and the muscle of mysteriously departing prop Sam Walters.
Heading to Salford on Sunday, the Rhinos’ traditional late-season surge is under way.
HULL (17/14)
Even last week’s gutsy defeat by Catalans could not disguise the significant improvements made by Tony Smith’s side since a torrid start to the campaign.
With halves Jake Clifford and Jake Trueman outstanding, and homegrown Brad Fash typifying their fresh impetus up front, FC could end up running the top six close.
HUDDERSFIELD (16/10)
Huddersfield’s only solace in a season to forget is that there are two teams below them who have been much worse.
But with Wakefield stirring, under-pressure Giants boss Ian Watson needs to summon something from his tired side, unrecognisable from that basking in a Wembley Challenge Cup final just over 12 months ago.
CASTLEFORD (17/8)
Cas are capable of summoning good days – see their Magic Weekend win over Leeds and the recent success against Warrington – but remain ravaged by inconsistency and, despite the encouraging loan signing of Riley Dean, have every reason to be looking over their shoulders with increasing alarm.
WAKEFIELD (17/4)
The top flight’s great escape act are at it again, if last week’s thumping win over Salford is anything to go by.
Fully behind boss Mark Applegarth and galvanised by the recent arrival of Luke Gale, Wakefield would issue another major statement if they manage to get something from Wigan on Friday night.
Leeds twice blew a double-figure lead as Huddersfield hit back to claim a spectacular 30-24 Betfred Super League win at Headingley.
Adam Clune burst across the halfway line in the dying stages to put the seal on a dramatic win that piles the pressure on Leeds head coach Rohan Smith after the Rhinos’ fourth home loss in a row.
The hosts led 12-2 after a forgettable first half but spectacularly combusted after the break and handed the Giants the chance to build on last week’s brilliant Challenge Cup quarter-final win at Catalans Dragons.
Tries from Paul Momirovski and the returning David Fusitu’a had given the Rhinos a sizeable lead after a relatively serene first period in which Jake Connor kicked the Giants’ only points, and which offered no indication of the drama to follow.
It was a different story early in the second half as Leeds lost then duly retrieved their double-figure lead before the hour-mark.
Out of nowhere, Esan Marsters shrugged off three feeble challenges on the Leeds left to grab Huddersfield’s opener, then three minutes later, Adam Swift pummelled the same flank to set up a diving effort in the corner from Elliot Wallis to improbably haul Huddersfield level.
Only a poor night with the boot by Jake Connor – who would nail just one of his six conversions – prevented Huddersfield gaining a stranglehold and the Rhinos were quick to respond, Momirovski crossing for his second of night then Jarrod O’Connor charging through a flat-footed Giants rearguard to put them back in control.
Rhyse Martin’s fourth straight kick look Leeds 12 points clear but home hopes that they had learned their lesson were spectacularly disproved as more shocking defence allowed Swift to squirm over from dummy-half and keep his side in with a shout, eight adrift with 15 minutes remaining.
Incredibly within three minutes Huddersfield did it again as Swift was again allowed to make inroads before feeding Harvey Livett for his side’s fourth, cutting the Leeds lead to four.
Huddersfield were level in the 70th minute, Clune’s ball to the right was brilliantly touched on by Connor for Kevin Naiqama to surge over, but Connor’s problems with the boot continued as another missed kick left the game all-square at 24-24.
As Leeds collapsed, Miller was pushed almost 10 metres over his own try-line and his subsequent drop-out failed to go 10 metres, giving Connor the simplest of chances to send Huddersfield two points clear from in front of the posts.
Clune put the seal on a remarkable evening when Naiqama intercepted a pass from Cameron Smith and survived shouts for a knock-on as he juggled the ball out to his team-mate to finish the job.
Ashton Golding relishing his ‘Grand Final’ return to Headingley with Giants
Ashton Golding has vowed to put thoughts of overdue silverware aside as he prepares for a match that means more to him than any other when Huddersfield face Leeds in the Betfred Super League at Headingley on Friday.
For Leeds-born Golding it does not get any bigger than a return to face the Rhinos, his boyhood idols and the club for whom he made more than 50 appearances before making the difficult decision to leave to further his career in 2019.
“This is my personal Grand Final,” Golding told the PA news agency. “There’s no other game in the calendar that beats it. I live two minutes away from Headingley and I love Leeds, it’s my city, I was born there and I will probably die there.
“I’ll follow anyone that plays for any Leeds team. I’m fond of the Rhinos any day I’m not playing them, but as soon as it’s game day against the Rhinos, they’re my enemy and I’m a Giant.”
Having played at full-back for Leeds, Golding has proved a versatile interchange under Ian Watson as he looks to re-establish himself after two years battling a series of minor injuries.
The Giants too have shown signs of rebounding from a disappointing 2023 campaign and go to Headingley on the back of two straight Super League wins plus a stunning 34-6 success over Catalans Dragons in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
It was a result that raised plenty of eyebrows outside the Giants’ dressing room, but Golding added: “We know our own ability and we don’t need everyone else telling us how good or how bad we are.
“We understood that last year was not reflective of us and the work we had put in. We’ve got a group of good honest players who know they can all depend on each other, and we are excited to find out how far we are able to go.”
Huddersfield will face Warrington in the semi-finals next month as they look to book a second Wembley trip in two years. And victory would finally snag some silverware for Golding, who admits his experience at Leeds, when he was often benched for the biggest games, instilled him with plenty of hunger for more.
“I have absolutely fond memories of playing for the Rhinos, but it is also the experiences when I didn’t play that helped me overcome adversity in certain situations,” Golding said.
“Missing out on the Grand Final in 2017, 18th man in the World Club Challenge, it either makes you or breaks you and I felt like it gave me more. I think it was the best thing that I took away from Leeds and I can’t wait to go back there and play in that brilliant stadium again on Friday night.”
Head coach Tony Smith leaves Hull FC after poor start to Super League season
Hull FC have parted company with head coach Tony Smith following a disastrous start to their new Betfred Super League campaign.
Smith’s side were thumped 56-22 at home by Huddersfield on Saturday, leaving them second from bottom of the table with just one win from their first seven games.
Smith and his assistant Stanley Gene have left their roles by mutual consent, with assistant coach Simon Grix and head of emerging talent Francis Cummins taking charge on an interim basis.
Hull FC chairman Adam Pearson said: “On behalf of everyone associated with Hull FC, I would like to thank Tony and Stan for their contribution to the club during their time with the first team.
“They have worked tirelessly and it is disappointing to have had to come to this decision, but it is one I feel is right at this time. I wish them both well for the future.
“There will be further restructuring of the club in the coming days and we will update further in due course.”
Smith, 57, made a controversial switch from rivals Hull KR at the end of the 2022 campaign but his first season in charge did not go to plan and included an embarrassing 0-40 derby defeat at the MKM Stadium.
The 2024 season has brought further heavy losses, with the single exception of a hard-fought 24-20 win over relegation favourites London Broncos in early March.
Smith, also the vastly-experienced former coach of Huddersfield, Leeds and Warrington, said he was disappointed not to get the chance to try to turn the club’s fortunes around.
“I want to wish the club and all of the players well for the future,” he said.
“It is disappointing not to see the job through, which was always going to be a challenging project, and I was relishing the opportunity to see it through.”
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