Trying to predict what is going to happen in any Betfred Super League game this year just doesn’t work.
That’s the view of Warrington Wolves head coach Daryl Powell as his side prepares to welcome Leeds Rhinos in another characteristically eventful week in rugby league.
The RFL announced a huge financial loss - more on that in a moment - while clubs have been hitting the summer sales to reinforce their squads for 2024. All of that against the backdrop of one of the most unpredictable and thrilling title races in recent memory.
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“Form seems irrelevant this year,” Powell told The Sportsman ahead of his side’s clash with Leeds. “Anybody can beat anybody. You just have to turn up with your best game and forget about predicting. Nobody is going to sail through the year.”
That was certainly the case last weekend as Hull FC stunned champions St Helens, Warrington slumped to a surprise defeat at Powell’s old stamping ground of Castleford, and erratic Leeds put half a century on a horrible Huddersfield Giants side to increase the heat on boss Ian Watson.
That Headingley night was wonderful though for other reasons as the Burrow family took centre stage on an uplifting night of family and friendship, and the Rhinos will hope to ride that feel-good factor into that huge game at Warrington.
Quite apt therefore, that former Wolves half-back Blake Austin should rise up as Leeds’ star man in their hour of need, producing one of his best performances in recent years to tear Huddersfield apart.
In fact, after a largely anonymous campaign so far, Austin played like a man looking to shine during ‘signing season’, with a host of clubs this week announcing big-name captures for 2024. Austin could well be on the move.
His partnership with Aidan Sezer hasn’t clicked and I understand Austin has not been happy at Headingley this year to the extent that he is actively putting out feelers to see what interest is out there.
I have even heard talk that he could be keen to go before the end of the season, although should the Rhinos put a trademark run of form together now to hit the playoffs in a few months, that would appear unlikely.
Leeds have done some business this week, not all of it good. Rising star Sam Walters was announced as one of Wigan Warrior’s big new signings which left many Rhinos fans troubled.
The giant 22-year-old is exactly the kind of forward Leeds should be building their pack around and it is never nice to see a star of the future join a rival. Mickael Goudemand is a quality acquisition from Catalans Dragons, but there is plenty to sort out in that Leeds squad before it can realistically challenge for silverware again.
As for Wigan, with a Challenge Cup semi-final and playoff push already booked in for this season, the Warriors are looking formidable for 2024 too. As well as Walters they have swooped for Catalans prop Tiaki Chan and Gold Coast hooker Kruise Leeming, who left Leeds last year after falling out with boss Rohan Smith.
These are three outstanding signings for head coach Matt Peet, and Wigan were ruthlessly efficient on Sunday in stifling the dangerous Salford Red Devils in front of a club record crowd at the Salford Stadium.
Champions Saints are yet to announce any new signings, with boss Paul Wellens telling me this week that he wants to prioritise retention before any thought of recruitment.
His big move has been to extend the contract of thunderous Tonga centre Konrad Hurrell, “an infectious character” according to Wellens.
“You can’t have enough blokes who not only are good players but good people as well,” says the Saints boss.
“When he takes to the field there are very few people like him in the competition, a really destructive player, who brings so much to our team.”
Warrington’s link to Newcastle Knights star Lachlan Fitzgibbon was not denied this week in Powell’s midweek press conference. “We’ve got nothing confirmed at the minute” he said, effectively confirming the veracity of the rumour.
But while Super League clubs are out spending, the game’s governing body has been left with a big financial black hole after announcing a staggering financial loss for a year that included a home World Cup.
The RFL made a loss of almost £1m in 2022, a year that saw the biggest and most inclusive World Cup ever hosted on home soil, and just a year after recording a £1m profit.
The RFL had expected to make a decent profit in the year, but in reporting a hefty loss its report instead described “another challenging year”.
Of concern will be the huge increase in cost of player insurance, which doubled as the sport enters a new era prioritising player safety over the backdrop of a legal fight with former players over concussions and brain injuries.
Of concern too will be that two showcase events - the Challenge Cup Final and mid-season England international - both significantly under-performed. The realignment of Super League with the RFL after an ultimately fruitless and costly divorce won’t have helped the balance sheets either.
It’s a worry, of course it is, even though participation numbers are on the rise.
Indeed when Daryl Powell was asked by The Sportsman this week about both his and Leeds’ recent struggles, he could well have been commenting on the sport as a whole, as rugby league fights for a better future.
“Team sport is about pulling each other through tough periods,” he said.
“Connecting together, helping each other, and being committed to what you are trying to achieve.”
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