Super League 2020: Alternative Predictions
28 Jan 2020
As ever, pundits, ex-players and fans have been predicting how they think the Super League season will play out.
We at superleague.co.uk have done the same, but with a twist.
Underachievers
OL: This is really tricky as it feels so unpredictable heading into the season. However, I'll go with Catalans Dragons. They certainly have the squad to compete for a play-off place but I am not convinced they will be consistent enough throughout the season.
WH: Warrington Wolves will be the biggest underachievers this year. Their halfback partnership in Blake Austin and Gareth Widdop is arguably the best in the league. However, how many games they will play alongside each other is questionable.
Biggest win
OL: After a couple of difficult away trips at Castleford Tigers and Leeds Rhinos in March, St Helens host Hull KR at the Totally Wicked Stadium and they should put on a show in front of their fans against a KR side that are expected to struggle.
WH: Huddersfield Giants play Wigan in Round Five and then St Helens away in Round Six. A trip to Saints the week after will be too much for Giants, and Kristian Woolf’s men will announce themselves on the scene this season.
Best game
OL: The 2019 season was packed with unbelievable matches and 2020 should be no different. Hull FC and Wigan had a couple of good clashes, both were settled by just one point and their match at the KCOM Stadium in June, when the weather should be at its best, could be another.
WH: Friday 4thSeptember: Wigan Warriors vs St Helens (Round 28). This will be the title decider. The two best sides in Super League go head to head in the second to last round of the season. Wigan to beat Saints in the last 20 minutes.
Best post-match interview
OL: Brian McDermott always has something to say and I am sure throughout the season he will give a few interviews that make the headlines.
WH: Brian McDermott after his Toronto Wolfpack side suffer a heavy loss to Leeds in Round Six.
First Toronto Wolfpack win
OL: Toronto face a baptism of fire in their first ever Super League season. Their first five matches coming against all of 2019’s play-off teams. They may have to wait until March to pick up their maiden victory and I think it will come in their visit to Hull KR.
WH: Toronto could not have asked for a tougher start to the season. They don’t return to Canada until Round 11. Their first 10 games are all played in the United Kingdom or France. They have also got to play Castleford, Wigan, St Helens, Warrington and Leeds in their first six games. McDermott’s side will pick up their first two points in Round Eight against Wakefield at the York Community Stadium.
First Catalans Dragons away win
OL: The Dragons’ struggles on the road are always well documented but they may well pick up an early win away from home. They beat Wakefield in one of their trips to Belle Vue in 2019 and I think they can do the same in their first away match of the season.
WH: Catalans Dragons will chalk up their first away win in their first game at Wakefield. It’s a tough place to go on a winter’s day and, historically, Catalans have been poor away from home. This year will see that change.
First St Helens loss
OL: Away trips to Warrington and Hull FC make Saints’ first month of the season a tricky one. They only lost three times in 2019 in Super League so they could well come out of both matches unscathed, but I think the Wolves will have a point to prove and could hand Kristian Woolf his first loss as St Helens coach in just his second match.
WH: If Justin Holbrook was still in charge, Saints would have gone 2020 unbeaten. However, a change of coach will hinder them in the first couple of rounds until they get used to the way Woolf plays. Three key players are out in; James Roby, Tommy Makinson and Morgan Knowles. They’ll lose to Hull FC in round three but have a similar season to last season as the league’s frontrunners.
First golden point
OL: The golden point was a great addition to Super League last season and certainly added some drama to matches that would have previously ended in draws. It took until round three for the first golden point in 2019 and it really is a lottery when it will happen in this campaign. So why not in the first game? Wigan against Warrington is sure to be a closely contested match and a golden point could be the way to settle it.
WH: This is the most exciting game of Round One with both teams evenly matched and debuting exciting new signings. Luke Gale or Mark Sneyd in a golden point, it would be a dream start for Gale on his return to his boyhood club.
Last team to lose
OL: Wigan Warriors, by their own standards, had a disappointing 2019. But they have recruited well in the off-season and should get off to a good start. If they can get through their first two matches against Warrington and Castleford, they could go on a bit of an unbeaten run.
WH: The league will be between St Helens and Wigan. Warrington, Castleford, Hull FC, and Catalans will be fighting for the remaining play-off positions. Wigan will go unbeaten until round four when they’ll lose to Hull FC.
By Oli Lathrope & Warren Holmes
