Ian Millward's weekend Super League & NRL preview
Former Super League coach Ian Millward previews the latest round of matches, as well as picking out the best bets from the NRL.
Recommended bets: Super League & NRL
Wakefield (-2) v Leigh - Thursday, 2000 GMT, Sky Sports 2
To my surprise, Wakefield and Leigh are two of the form teams in Super League at present. Wakefield have won two of their last three and Leigh two in a row - the latter in particular have done really well as I thought they'd be struggling.
The problem for the visitors here is they're without former Australia international Glenn Stewart, who has been instrumental in their best performances. He's suspended for a couple of matches and it'll be interesting to see how Leigh cope without him.
Wakefield are hard-nose and uncompromising, which makes them the sort of side to take advantage when their opponents have a key man missing. Combine that with home advantage, and they look good enough to concede just a nominal handicap start and win this game by 5-10 points.
Huddersfield (+6) v Leeds - Friday, 2000 GMT
With Wigan, Warrington and Hull to come after Friday's trip to Huddersfield, this is an important stretch of the season for Leeds - and it's one I think they can come through successfully.
Jamie Jones-Buchanan returns from three games out with a foot injury and that news comes at just the right time for the Rhinos, as he's a massive influence in the back row.
The Giants also welcome back a key man in Dale Ferguson, and they did go 3-1 against Leeds last year, but I'm not fully convinced they've bought into the style of their coach and they're just searching for their identity.
In contrast, Leeds know the game plan and with Jones-Buchanan back to pull the strings, I think they'll come out flying and cover the start, in the process building some momentum for the weeks ahead.
St Helens (-4) v Warrington - Friday, 2000 GMT, Sky Sports 2
One think you've got to understand is that Saints own Warrington in home games - St Helens don't worry about this fixture when they see it on the calendar.
Yes, Stefan Ratchford's return for the visitors is massive - he's going to be key in turning around their season and injecting some life into their attack as they look to climb off bottom.
However, Saints look set to include Matty Smith, who broke his leg pre-season. He'll allow Jon Wilkin to fill in a gap at loose forward and it's difficult to understate the value of a peak-form Smith to this St Helens team.
Sure, he may take a while to hit top gear but his presence in the squad is a boost in itself and his kicking game could take them to new heights.
First, I expect them to win and cover against a side who are still some way from figuring things out.
Widnes (+4) v Salford - Friday, 2000 GMT
One of the surprise packages of the year has been Salford - their form has been outstanding.
Lama Tasi and Josh Jones both return for them here and Todd Carney could play, all of which puts them in a good position to continue their winning streak against Widnes which saw them take all three meetings last year.
Widnes lack presence in their halves and clearly miss Kevin Brown. They've been hit and miss so far and that run against the Red Devils is a concern, but I quite fancy them to sneak this on the handicap even if that means losing the game by a point or two.
Although the spread is a narrow one, the home side look the call.
Wigan (-2) v Hull - Friday, 2000 GMT
This is the game of the round, make no mistake.
The thing that worries me with Wigan is that Sean O'Loughlin is out. He's a massive loss and isn't the only absentee, with Wigan forced to add some academy players to their squad.
Hull are exactly the type of side to take advantage. They're absolutely professional and while they're also missing one or two players, it's nothing like the concern that there will be at Wigan with O'Loughlin missing.
There wasn't much between these sides last year and there isn't much between them now, but Hull's attack is good enough to breach a very impressive Wigan defence and sneak them an important away win.
Castleford (-14) v Catalans - Sunday, 1530 BST
Castleford lost for the first time this season against Salford, in a really hard-fought game, and in actual fact it might serve them well. They say you learn more in defeat than in victory and that could well be the case here.
Certainly, it should remind them that this is a tough league and I would expect them to get back on the bike here, especially with Rangi Chase back in the side to boost them going forward.
Catalans obviously got off to a great start this season but they've not won in three games now and a trip to the Tigers isn't coming at a good time.
Castleford are the highest-scoring team in the division and with Luke Gale pulling the strings, they should be able to boss things on home soil.
NRL
There are two bets I like in the NRL this weekend and they're worth doubling up.
First is Gold Coast Titans, who get a four-point start against North Queensland.
The Cowboys are understandably favourites, but they've got a poor record in this fixture and, crucially, are missing a couple of key forwards.
The Titans have a very strong forward pack and can put them to use on Saturday.
Earlier on Saturday, Manly are worth opposing on home soil where Canterbury Bulldogs are asked to give up a small start.
The Bulldogs have a very big pack and their attack, which has been criticised, is steadily improving.
The Sea Eagles meanwhile have suddenly become a very poor side at home, where they used to be almost unbeatable, and this worrying trend might just continue.
Posted at 1350 GMT on 23/03/17.
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