Betfred Super League: key points ahead of the weekend's action
Tom Carnduff looks at the weekend's Super League action and the key points to look out for from this round of fixtures.
Huddersfield Giants and Hull KR kick things off on Thursday evening as two sides in the bottom four meet.
That's followed by Salford Red Devils hosting Hull FC and St. Helens facing Leeds Rhinos on Friday night, the latter of which is live on Sky Sports.
Warrington Wolves travel to Catalans Dragons and Wakefield Trinity host Widnes Vikings on Saturday before Castleford Tigers come up against Wigan Warriors on Sunday to conclude the weekend's action.
Tom Carnduff looks at some of the key points ahead of the weekend.
Huddersfield look to move back into top eight
Huddersfield Giants will be looking to move back into the top eight of the Betfred Super League table when they host Hull KR on Thursday night.
The game, which is live on Sky Sports, sees two teams who both sit in the bottom four of the standings.
Rick Stone’s Giants side snapped a two-game losing streak when they beat Widnes Vikings last week, despite coming into the game as outsiders.
Sky Bet: Jake Mamo & Danny McGuire Both To Score A Try is 9/1
The Giants Head Coach has made just one change to his 19-man squad from the Widnes victory with Jordan Turner replacing Michael Lawrence.
Tim Sheens sees his Hull KR side come into this one with just one victory so far this season, but have failed to pick up any points away from home.
The Rovers boss has made two changes to his squad that faced Catalans Dragons on Saturday, with skipper Shaun Lunt ruled out with lacerated knee and Danny Tickle dropping out of the 19. In their place come James Donaldson and George Lawler.
Unsurprisingly, the Giants come into this one as clear 1/4 favourites with the -12 handicap having them at 10/11.
They’ve also been boosted with the news that Danny Brough has committed his future to the club, signing a 12-month contract extension at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Huddersfield should secure victory here as they aim to overtake Warrington ahead of their clash with Catalans on Saturday evening.
Saints aim to continue perfect start against Leeds
It’s provided little surprise that St. Helens currently sit top of the standings after five games, being the pre-season favourites to secure Grand Final success.
They’ve already seen off top-eight opponents in Castleford Tigers and Warrington Wolves and will be full of confidence when they come up against Leeds Rhinos.
It’ll be the third away game of the season for the Rhinos so far, a surprise defeat to Widnes coupled with narrow victory over Warrington at the start of February.
Sky Bet: Mark Percival to score a try anytime against Leeds is 5/6
Brian McDermott will be without prop Mitch Garbutt as he is ruled out with a knee injury suffered in last Thursday’s win over Hull FC at Headingley. His place in the 19-man squad is taken by youngster Cameron Smith.
2018 Super League Grand Final winners (odds via Sky Bet)
St. Helens - 6/4
Castleford Tigers - 7/2
Hull FC - 9/2
Wigan Warriors - 9/2
Leeds Rhinos - 11/2
Warrington Wolves - 12/1
Hooker Brad Dwyer is fit to return after missing the win over the Black and Whites last week. Jack Ormondroyd is included after becoming a dad for the first time last weekend whilst Mikolaj Oledzki retains his place in the squad after helping Featherstone to victory last week as part of his dual registration deal.
For Justin Holbrook’s St. Helens, Jon Wilkin returns to their 19-man squad for the clash and he comes in for Alex Walmsley who suffered a neck injury in the win over Warrington last Friday.
Mark Percival currently sits as Super League’s top try scorer with seven from the opening five games, which includes a hat-trick against the Wolves last week.
Sky Bet: St. Helens to win by 1-5 points against Leeds Rhinos is 7/1
He’s been an impact player alongside Ben Barba, who was the pre-season favourite to secure the Man of Steel award and has so far lived up to expectation.
Saints are 1/3 favourites for this one, but it could be a close encounter as we saw between these two last season. All three games of the 2017 campaign were won by a margin of just two points.
Watts forced to watch in Castleford on Sunday
Liam Watts will have to wait for his Castleford Tigers debut when they face Wigan Warriors on Sunday.
The prop moved to the Jungle on a three-year contract until the end of the 2020 season, with the West Yorkshire outfit beating Championship side Toronto Wolfpack for his signature.
Watts is currently serving a three-match suspension for headbutting Dom Crosby during the Black and Whites' 21-12 victory on Friday March 2 - his fourth red card in less than 12 months. That means he can't make his debut until they face local rivals Wakefield on 29th March.
Speaking about signing, he told castlefordtigers.com: "I'm really excited to be joining Castleford. It's a move that has come around quickly but one that I couldn't let pass me by. I'm looking forward to getting started and pulling on the famous jersey.
Sky Bet: Castleford are 8/13 to beat Wigan in Super League on Sunday
"I'm really looking forward to linking up with the rest of the forwards here at Cas. If there was one team in the league that was going to suit my style of play then it's definitely Castleford. They are a big set of lads here but they are a good set of lads also."
Challenge Cup holders Hull FC had grown frustrated with Watts' on-field and off-the-field behaviour and told the prop that he was no longer need at the club.
On the depature, Hull head coach Lee Radford said: "I would like to wish Liam all the best moving forward and hope he can find some consistency off the field to benefit his career in the future."
Salford begin life after O'Brien
Salford Red Devils will have their first game after Gareth O'Brien's departure when they host Hull FC on Friday night.
The 26-year-old departed the club earlier this week to join Championship side Toronto Wolfpack,
The Canadian outfit are thought to have paid a fee of around £100,000 for the former Warrington full-back, who signed a new three-year contract with the Red Devils just under 12 months ago.
Discussing his decision to move, O'Brien said: "It was a decision that me, my partner Chloe and my family are really excited about.
"The club has a lot of ambition and I'm hoping I can contribute to their success. I can't wait to meet the boys and get started."
That move led to Salford Red Devils managing director Ian Laithwaite stating that they do not have to sell to survive.
"We didn't have to sell him," Laithwaite said at the launch of Salford's Club 13 at the AJ Bell Stadium. "He wanted to go and talk to Toronto and they've offered him more money, so good luck to him.
"I'm sure we've all moved jobs for more money at some point in our lives and he's no different.
"It was a tough decision but, when the player wants to go, we had to take it."
Related links
MOST READ
