after a long couple of months, the betfred super league is back and rugby league fans up and down the country can rejoice as their sides run out for the first time this season.
with plenty of great matches set to take place in the opening round, we have had a look through to bring you some betting tips for the week ahead as well as our predictions for which team will win the super league. also check out our live betting odds comparison to ensure you get the best value for your bets.
the first match of the super league sees leeds rhinos head to the halliwell jones stadium to take on warrington wolves. having secured yet another title at the end of last season, brian mcdermott will be expecting big things from the season ahead. the blue and amber will however be without two club legends with rob burrow taking up a coaching job at headingley and danny mcguire moving on to pastures new at hull kr.
warrington are a new look side in 2018 with new manager steve price taking the reins in cheshire. he has brought in andrew henderson from london to be his assistant and he also brought a whole host of new players to pull on the blue and primrose jersey.
opening matches are always hard to predict and warrington have been made the 8/13 favourites for this match in front of the sky sports cameras with bet365. however, our tip would be leeds hooker matt parcell to score a try at 2/1 with betfred. the former manly star had a great season last year and will be one to watch in 2018.
the fixture generator drew out a plum tie for the opening week as castleford and st helens go head-to-head at langtree park. the pair met in the play-off semi-finals last year with luke gale’s drop goal clinching a match which will certainly live long in the memory.
saints have only added james bentley to their squad, but the merseyside club improved massively under justin holbrook and they are tipped to perform well this season. james roby appears to have a new lease of life at hooker whilst ben barba is without doubt once of the best players in the world.
castleford will look to go one further than last year but they will have to do so without zak hardaker who is suspended after failing a drugs test. samoan ben roberts will likely slot into the full back role but it remains to be seen how they will cope without the influential hardaker.
at 8/11 with coral and betfred, saints are the favourites and they are probably good value for this. barba, greg eden, tommy makinson and welsh whippet regan grace are all 6/1 with betfred to be the first tryscorer.
hull kr have a tough introduction to life back in the top flight as they take on wakefield trinity in their opener. chris chester’s side were very impressive last term and with tom johnstone returning from a long injury lay-off they will once again carry a serious threat. an already big pack has been beefed up with the signing of pauli pauli and there won’t be many sides looking forward to games with wakey this season.
rovers have by and large stuck with the squad which got them out of the championship, but they do have a key addition in the halves. danny mcguire has made the switch from headingley to craven park and as he displayed in the grand final last year, there is plenty of life left in the old dog. however, he has been cruelly robbed of a first choice half back partner after danny addy suffered a season ending injury during a pre-season match.
efforts to sign salford’s robert lui have been rebuffed and tim sheens remains in the market for someone to play alongside mcguire. that absence of a first choice half-back pairing may well hamper them and we certainly fancy wakefield to win this one. the visitors look good value to win at betting odds of 4/5 with bet365.
chris chester’s wakefield side can be backed to lead at half time and win at 11/8 with betfred, whilst tom johnstone – who scored a hat trick against halifax in pre-season – is 7/1 to bag the first try of the match, again with betfred.
making predictions at the start of the new season is never easy, but there are a few bets which stand out already. for us, justin holbrook’s st helens side look to be the best on paper and we are backing them to lift the league leaders shield. they have quality in every position and they will certainly take some stopping.
saints are priced at betting odds of 4/1 with betfred to lift the hubcap whilst james roby looks to be a tempting pick in the man of steel betting at 20/1 with ladbrokes. the veteran hooker impressed at the world cup and justin holbrook is known to be a big fan.
at 13/2 with betvictor leeds rhinos could well be a good bet to retain their title with a win at old trafford. the west yorkshire outfit seem to peak at the right time and if richie meyler can make a good start to life on the banks of the river aire then they will certainly be a team to watch out for.
away from the bright lights and silverware, there looks to be three teams scrapping it out to avoid being awarded the wooden spoons. salford (7/2 with betfred), widnes (9/4 with betfair) will likely be in the mix, but our pick to finish bottom is hull kr. if they don’t find a replacement for danny addy, it could be a long season for robins fans.
finally, the aforementioned tom johsntone is 18/1 with betvictor to be the top tryscorer and wakey’s style of play will play right into his hands. in the challenge cup, hull fc are 13/2 with betvictor to make it three-in-a-row.