Preview of the 2022 Betfred Super league season

 Amid a season dominated by St Helens and Catalan Dragons, Leeds managed to finish in a very encouraging  5th position, sandwiched between Wigan and a resurgent Hull KR. They finished with a total of 13 wins from the 24 games they played. Albeit playing through another covid affected season, a second successive season finishing in a playoff spot should leave Leeds fans hoping that the previous relegation threatened seasons pre covid are a thing of the past. 

One of the main factors in this success include a strong showing from a forward pack led by the veteran Matt Prior and Leeds Rhinos player of the year Mikolaj Oledzki. Matt Prior showed why he played over 250 matches in the NRL and appeared in the blue of New South Wales. Watching the games last season it felt like Matt Prior was involved in almost every second tackle and never shied away from making the hard yards when coming out of the Rhinos own half. On the other end of the spectrum, a player at the start of his career also excelled. Polish born Mikolaj Oledzki topped a career best season with a maiden appearance for his adopted national team.  A rampaging force in attack and a rock in defence, he appeared in 16 games in the blue and amber over the course of the 2021 season. Mikolaj and his fellow forwards combined for a number of tries scored in and around the ruck area, something they will aim to continue this in 2022.

Furthermore, two players really stood out as key members of an often injury hit starting 13. Firstly, for a second season running, Richie Myler more than ably deputised for the injured Jack Walker. He appeared in 20 of the games Leeds played crossing the white line on 9 occasions as well as assisting many more.  As well as proving to be a solid player under the high ball in the back field, Richie’s main contribution came in attack. By playing effectively as an extra half back in attack he was able to insert himself into the attacking line and become an integral part of an attacking game that appeared to be far more structured and effective than in previous years. This allowed the team to regularly exploit gaps in opposition defences. His form has continued into the 2022 pre-season and he is arguably the first choice to start the season at half back given that Jack Walker is returning from a long injury layoff.

Perhaps the stand out player for the Rhinos last year, and newly appointed captain for the 2022 season, Kruise Leeming proved to all what a shrewd signing he was after a stuttering first season impacted by covid. He was an almost ever present appearing in 26 games in the season in both league and cup. Although playing primarily as a hooker, Kruise also played at half back during the second half of the season, covering for the injured Luke Gale. A constant menace around the ruck who never misses an opportunity to run himself from dummy half. He and Brad Dwyer were the architects of the many tries mentioned above scored by the forward pack.

Amid the positives, it can’t be ignored that the Rhinos lost nearly half their games in the season. Although this percentage may have improved drastically if not for Leeds Rhinos  being on the other end of several 1 point reverses (most notably the loss to Warrington in round 17 to a George Williams drop goal). One of the main struggles, and a constant frustration for fans, came from a leaky edge defence that all too often capitulated under the pressure from opposition attacks. Undoubtedly, this frailty wasn’t helped by the ever changing personnel due to injuries.  

Like a lot of teams in the league, the Rhinos defence was at times too easily broken down. Leeds over the course of the season conceded 18 points per game in comparison to a measly 11.45 by the 2021 grand final winners St Helens. And, as a former school coach told me ‘if they don’t score they can’t win’, a 7 point difference that needs to be made up per game is a mountain to climb in order to  push for a top 4 spot. In this coming season. This average though was heavily affected by a number of large defeats to St Helens during the regular season, highlighting the gulf in class to the top 2.

Looking ahead to the 2022 season, Leeds have made a series of high profile signings. A dual signing of former NRL players in the halves, a flying tongan winger and most notably the signing of one of the biggest prospects in Super league from grand final winners St Helens.

Starting with the half backs, the Rhinos have signed Blake Austin from Warrington Wolves and Aidan Sezer from Huddersfield Giants to replace the outgoing Luke gale and Rob Lui. Both made the move to England after making over a 100 appearances in the NRL including both being part of the Canberra Raiders team between 2016 and 2018. This familiarity with each other is something that Austin has cited in the Yorkshire Evening post as a reason why he is so positive that the new pairing can gel quickly going into the new season. This means that Leeds fans can hope to see an attack spearheaded by a pair of experienced halfbacks and could be the key to a successful 2022 season.

The highlights reel of David Fusitu’a tells a story of what Leeds fans can look forward to from the flying Tongan winger. Over an 8 year career at the New Zealand Warriors Fusitu’a has become one of the many wingers in either hemisphere that continue to make the extraordinary look as everyday as a simple touchdown under the posts. He scored 61 tries in 108 appearances for the Warriors and is also known for his hard running on kick return as well as the aforementioned spectacular finishing.

 

He has already garnered praise from former full back Richard Mathers on twitter after his first preseason who is predicting that Fusitu’a will light up the coming season. Playing alongside Ash Handley this season there is potential for a potent wing combination to form and take advantage of the platform hopefully laid by Austin and Sezer. A hat trick hero during Tonga’s famous win over the Kiwi’s in the 2017 world cup, a strong season with the Rhinos will help to ensure that he is included in Tonga’s squad for the upcoming world cup.

Arguably the most exciting signing for the blue and amber this season is the capture of James Bentley from rivals St Helens. The Irish international has shown over the last two seasons what an asset he is to any side. Able to play on the edge as a second rower or centre, he has also covered at hooker in the past. He is one of a group of special players in the league who are able to produce something out of nothing. Possessing both speed and strength as well as a rugby league IQ beyond his years one of his greatest assets is his ability to run intelligent support lines that can find even the slightest weakness in a seemingly impenetrable defence. Leeds however, will hope both a wretched string of injuries and an at times questionable disciplinary record will not limit the 24 year olds appearances this season.

The net result of these transfers is that the men's first team squad is looking as strong as it has been for a number of seasons. Depth in almost all positions means that short of an injury crisis of epic proportions, there appears to be a natural understudy (and understudy to the understudy) in every position to be called on. 

The most interesting position may possibly be in the centres after the departure of crowd favourite Konrad Hurrell to St Helens. Liam Suttcliffe has been named alongside Harry Newman as first choice in the centres based on the squad numbers released, however there are a number of other candidates who are in with a shout of starting in the back line on the 12th February. The most likely of these is Tom Briscoe who finished last season playing in the centres and showed he has the potential to move inside from his usual wing spot on a more permanent basis. This a move that could be the best way to maximise the 31 year olds game time given that it is clear that he is no longer first choice for a spot on the wing.

There are also a number of  first team players who will be hoping to have a much improved season compared to last year. Chief in point being Zane Tetevano. A blockbuster signing from Penrith in 2021, a number of disciplinary issues and injuries led to a disrupted season made up of only 14 appearances in all. Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening post, he is hoping that being able to complete a full pre-season with the squad, something he missed out on in 2021, and having a more settled family life will mean that consistent performances follow in the coming season. Being handed the 13 shirt once again, it is clear, given the experience and skill level he brings to the team, that he is unsurprisingly a big part of Richard Agar’s plans for 2022. 

There are also a number of very promising youngsters also included within the first team squad who will be hoping to get the opportunity to show what they are capable of if required. Some players, such as Jack Broadbent and Morgan Gannopn, have been on the fringe of the first team for the last couple of seasons and will be hoping to force their way into the first team squad on a more regular basis. With a good pre-season Broadbent could even find himself starting the season in the centres if Harry Newman is unable to overcome a muscle injury sustained in the pre-season friendly against Hull FC.

The most high profile newcomer  to the first team squad is of course Jack Sinfield. Son of Leeds legend Kevin, he has already shown in his brief pre-season outings that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to talent. Predominantly a half back, he was the architect of a late try against Wakefield on boxing day and also displayed a kicking style that is as equally metronomic as his father. Jack can expect to spend the majority of the season playing in the academy and reserve teams, however previous seasons have shown that plenty of opportunities for first team action may be available near the end of the season.

Despite a comfortable loss to Hunslet by a Leeds reserve team, the first team squad can look back at a successful pre-season which included two comfortable wins against super league opposition. The most notable of which was a 38-06 win against Hull FC in Tom Briscoe’s testimonial game. What is most pleasing about this performance, and in the previous games, is that Leeds' attack appears to be firing on all cylinders with the first team crossing for 30 or more points in all 4 games. In the Hull game especially, it was also heartening from a fans point of view to see the team able to absorb waves of pressure from a normally classy attack in the first 20 minutes of the game. 

The only downsides from the pre-season is that Blake Austin is set to miss the season opener against his former club after picking up a one match ban and also the injury to Harry Newman.  Although a blow, it may also make Richard Agar’s life easier as it appears to make the selection of his spine easier on Saturday. With Austin unavailable, the best option for the team would appear to be a 6 and 7 combination of Aidan Sezer and Richie Myler with Jack Walker slotting back into the number 1 spot.

Looking ahead to the 2022 season, what constitutes a successful season for the club? Given the previous two seasons and also the off season transfers mean anything other than a playoff spot would be a disappointing season for the club  Ideally fans would also like to see Leeds push to become part of Super Leagues top 4 rather than scraping into one of the final playoff berths. 

 A top four spot is definitely possible however it does rely on the new halfback combination hitting the ground running early, something that is never guaranteed. Another important factor is the injury list. Although injuries are inevitable in a collision sport like rugby league, fans will be hoping that the Rhinos key players will remain fit for the majority of the season. If the stars line up and both of these things happen fans can look forward to a successful season. 

As well as success in the league Leeds are also potentially set up to put together a strong Challenge cup run this season. The team is full of players who have played in cup and grand finals in both hemispheres, and therefore have the experience required to win in one off knockout games. It also will give fans as good an excuse as any to visit the fantastic new Tottenham Hotspur ground.

Looking at the 2022 season as a whole, there is an unfortunate inevitability to the fact that St Helens and Catalan will once again be the teams to beat this season. Catalan have replaced James Maloney with a perhaps even more decorated playmaker in Mitchell Pearce from the Newcastle Knights. They also have finally seemed to have put together a well balanced team of experienced players as well as bringing through a number of exciting French talents.

St Helens have managed to  maintain a squad that have shown for the last three years are able to relentlessly win week after week under Justin Holbrook and now Kristian Woolf. They also have the added motivation of sending James Roby out on a high after he announced that he will be hanging his boots up at the end of the year.

At the other end of the table, two teams are in real danger of dropping down to the championship. These are Toulouse Olympique and Wakefield Wildcats.

After an unbeaten season in last year's championship, several high profile departures in the weeks leading up to the new season have the potential to derail the club's season. Jonathon Ford, the team’s talismanic halfback, has been released due to refusing to take the covid 19 vaccine and comply with France’s hardline approach to vaccine rules. Similarly it is reported that the clubs starting fullback Mark Khierallah will follow Ford out of the club for the same reason. Losing two key members of the team this close to the season will deal a huge blow to the team's chances of Super league survival. These positions can be deputised ably by Tony Gigot and Lucas Albert but a depleted squad in such an attritional league is never a positive.

Unlike Toulouse, Wakefield have established themselves as a perennial super league survival club. This could however be the year that they finally drop out of the country's top tier competition. Comparing the team's squad to others in the super league, they are lacking depth in many positions. Lee Gaskell, although a very astute signing from Huddersfield, is their only incoming player of note and if previous seasons are to go by the team will struggle once their starting 13 is affected by injuries. 

Depending on your affiliation you would think that most fans would prefer Toulouse to avoid the drop as a trip to the Pink City in the south of France is more appealing than another short trip down the M62.

In conclusion, the 2022 Betfred Super league season is set to be the start of one of the most exciting years in rugby league for many years, both on and off the field. As well as the super league season there is also the Rugby league world cup to look forward to after the domestic season. Off the pitch, a new broadcast deal with channel 4 is hopefully the dawn of a new, more enticing package for armchair fans and will help bring more casual eyes to this exciting sport.

There is also the hope that we can look forward to a season that is disrupted far less than the previous seasons by covid-19. Most spectators, players and coaching staff will have had the chance to have the vaccine and fingers crossed less players will be forced to miss out on games because of contracting covid. Also more significantly for fans, trips over to France to follow teams in Perpignan and now Toulouse should be possible unless restrictions change.

Predictions

League Leaders - Warrington Wolves

Super League champions - St Helens

Challenge cup winners - Leeds Rhinos

Relegated team - Wakefield Wildcats

Thank you for reading and remember all Leeds aren’t we.