Betfred Super League season betting preview, tips & analysis

Best bets

St Helens to win Grand Final
2pts each-way 11-4 BoyleSports

St Helens to win regular season
4pts each-way 2-1 general
Back this tip with bet365
Hull FC to win regular season
1pt each-way 12-1 Coral, Ladbrokes
Back this tip with Coral
Toronto to finish bottom
1pt 6-1 Sky Bet
Back this tip with bet365

Super League verdict

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it was the mantra employed by St Helens in the off-season as the Betfred Super League champions opted against bringing in any new faces following their romp to regular-season and Grand Final glory in 2019.

On the pitch, that is.

Head coach Justin Holbrook departed in a blaze of glory to take over the reins at NRL side Gold Coast Titans and leaving the only question mark next to last season’s runaway champions.

Holbrook’s replacement, however, looks tailor-made for the six-time Super League champions. Kristian Woolf, heads to the Totally Wicked Stadium with his reputation sky high having turned Tonga into one of the leading nations in the international game.

Woolf led the Tongans to victories over Australia and Great Britain in 2019, while their World Cup semi-final appearance in 2017 also caught the eye.

Reports around the Saints camp suggest Woolf has changed very little and if the Red Vee hit the ground running as they did last year they could be hard to catch once again.

Such was their dominance that they finished 16 points clear of bitter rivals Wigan at the end of the regular season and their stroll through the playoffs into the Grand Finals was almost a mere formality.

Disappointment arrived in a defeat to Warrington at Wembley in the Coral Challenge Cup final, but that aside, it was almost a perfect year for the super Saints.

Their fast, attacking rugby was a joy to watch and the retention of all of their key stars suggests more of the same in 2020 and it may pay not to look beyond the obvious at what remain decent prices.

It’s 3-1 they win at Old Trafford in October and 2-1 that they finish top of the pile at the end of the regular season.

Saints were so far ahead of the competition last year they are unquestionably the ones to beat again this season, and while they haven’t made any new signings, the chasing pack have been forced to mix it up in a bid to narrow the gap.

Wigan at 3-1 are expected to be the main rivals to Saints’ regular-season crown, and the same price to go all the way to claim their sixth Super League crown.

The Cherry & Whites have splashed the cash in a bid to usurp their old foes and they look in better shape for a tilt at the title then they did last year, when a slow start left them playing catch-up.

A late charge took Adrian Lam’s men to a second-place finish but they were stunned in the playoffs with a defeat to surprise finalists Salford.

Ian Watson’s side shocked everyone by reaching the final and much of it was down to the inspirational performances of half-back Jackson Hastings.

Hastings was crowned Man of Steel for his efforts, while Wigan awarded him a bumper deal to make the short switch to the DW Stadium, and, along with fellow new signing George Burgess there is plenty to like about Wigan’s chances.

Warrington have also spent big, as they often do, in a bid to threaten the top spots but despite winning the Challenge Cup last season it was felt the Halliwell Jones outfit had come up short once again.

The Wolves are never afraid to show their teeth in the transfer market but they are yet to savour the taste of league glory.

Gareth Widdop has been brought in to form a mouth-watering partnership with Blake Austin at half-back and if they can hit it off the 9-2 about Steve Price’s men will look a juicy price.

Widdop, however, will miss at least the first week due to injury and that could leave the Wolves chasing their tails and it may pay to look a little further down the list.

Only four names have been etched on to the Super League trophy – St Helens, Wigan, Leeds and Bradford – but Hull FC look a big price to finally break into that elite group.

It has been something of a revolving door at the KCom Stadium as new faces have been ushered in to replace old ones as the quest for league success goes on.

Not since 1983 have the Airlie Birds finished on top of the perch with solitary Grand Final appearance in 2006 ending in heartbreak at the hands of St Helens.

Lee Radford’s men landed back-to-back Challenge Cup wins in 2016 and 2017 but the league has avoided them, however, the arrival of star names Manu Ma’u, Ligi Sao, Tevita Sate, Mahe Fonua and Josh Jones show they mean business.

Radford looks to have one of the biggest and best squads at his disposal and if his powerhouse side build up a head of steam they make take some stopping.

Hull start their campaign at Leeds on Sunday, with a derby dust-up against Hull KR next Friday, but if the Black & Whites come through those games unscathed the 12-1 about them claiming the League Leaders' Shield after 23 rounds should start to plummet. Whether they can go all the way and finally land the title remains to be seen.

Leeds go to post at 12-1 to land an unprecedented ninth title but there are too many questions about a side who have flirted with relegation in recent years, while Catalans are best left alone at 14-1 to break their duck.

The Dragons are notoriously bad travellers away from their Perpignan base and often run out of puff with the finish line in sight.
State of Origin star James Maloney possesses Man of Steel potential but may be let down if his side start to falter.

The furore surrounding the signing of disgraced rugby union star Israel Folau means Cats start the season under a cloud and it may be one that takes time to lift.

Castleford look weaker than previous seasons and don’t appeal at 20-1 to be champions, while Salford are unlikely to repeat last season’s heroics at 50-1 minus departed stars Hastings and Jones.

That leaves the bottom of the pile and it could be an almighty scrap to avoid the wooden spoon.

Injury-hit Hull KR are 9-4 favourites to be relegated, with Huddersfield next at 3-1, but, preference is for league new boys Toronto Wolfpack to drop straight back down to the championship.

Much has been made of the Canadian raiders’ foray into the big time with superstar rugby union convert Sonny Bill Williams in tow, but Brian Noble’s men kick off the campaign with one of the smallest squads in the competition and if injuries start to bite the Wolfpack may be gobbled up.

While the Saints may be lauding it at the top, Toronto could be left saying their prayers at the bottom.

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