THE 2023 Super League season is less than a month away now and predictions will continue to come in thick and fast before a ball has been kicked.
Looking ahead to the new season, St Helens will be aiming for a fifth successive Grand Final win as Wigan Warriors will be wanting to defend their Challenge Cup title.
With one of the most competitive Super League seasons of the summer era expected, just how might the top four look at the end of 2023?
1. Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield have been building extremely well under head coach Ian Watson in recent seasons, so much so that I predict the Giants will end the season first. In doing so, it will be the West Yorkshire club’s first piece of silverware since finishing top a decade ago. Why will they finish first? Watson has installed a very noticeable work ethic and playing style that is built on grinding teams down – a perfect recipe in close games throughout the season. Add into the mix the likes of Jake Connor, Tui Lolohea, Will Pryce and Theo Fages and Huddersfield have notable stars that can change games in an instant. The Giants really are building something special.
2. Wigan Warriors
Building on a fantastic 2022 season will be a challenge for head coach Matt Peet, but it’s one for which he will certainly rise to the occasion. A Challenge Cup winner and a top four place in his first year in charge of the Wigan Warriors is no mean feat and that level of consistency is likely to be present once again in 2023. The Warriors finished second last season and have been predicted to do so again this year. With the likes of Bevan French and Jai Field in their ranks, Wigan have arguably the two greatest and most influential players in Super League. Peet has also bolstered his backline with the signing of Jake Wardle and Toby King with centre an area which Wigan needed to fill.
3. St Helens
Travelling over to Australia for the World Club Challenge and then being thrown right back into the start of the Super League season is a difficult baptism of fire for any coach, let alone one without any previous head coaching experience. That being said, Paul Wellens has been understudy to both Kristian Woolf and Justin Holbrook at St Helens so he has been learning from the very best at perhaps the most crucial time of his development. There is no need for an overhaul of style or tactics but it may take some time to get over the rigours of the February trip to the other side of the world, something which could explain a third-placed prediction here.
4. Leeds Rhinos
It really was a tale of two halves of a season in 2022 for the Leeds Rhinos. The first half was dreadful whilst the second was quite remarkable. Rohan Smith’s appointment came as a surprise to some considering his lack of Super League experience, but it’s fair to say critics were soon eating their words as the Australian guided Leeds to a Super League Grand Final within months of joining. To build on that success will be key in 2023, but with Smith having a full pre-season with the Rhinos, that can only benefit the club moving forward. A top four place is certainly within reach and with the likes of Harry Newman, Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer hopefully fighting fit, another shot at Old Trafford glory is not out of the question.
