Squad watch: Super League Round 5 squad news, TV coverage & predictions

Here is everything you need to know ahead of Super League Round Five, including squad news, television coverage and our predictions.

Castleford continue to search for their first win of the season and kick-off the next round live on Sky Sports with a home fixture against Leeds.

It’s another tough challenge ahead for the Tigers, with Leeds heading into the fixture with back-to-back victories.

There are three games on Friday, including the televised fixture between St Helens and Hull. Both sides go into the round having suffered defeats last weekend. Leigh fought back against the world champions on Friday, while Hull were humiliated 60-14 by Salford on Saturday.

Catalans host Hull KR on Saturday, while the Red Devils face winless Wakefield.

Super League Round 4 squads:

Castleford v Leeds (Thursday, 8pm, live on Sky Sports)

Interim boss Andy Last has made two changes to his Castleford squad. Alex Sutcliffe misses out after failing his head injury assessment in the loss to Huddersfield. George Griffin also drops out. Jamaica international Jordan Turner is back in the mix, alongside youngster Sam Hall.

Leeds are without winger Ash Handley due to an ankle injury, with Luis Roberts named. Derrell Olpherts has been included and could face his former club for the first time.

Justin Sangare and Kruise Leeming also return to Rohan Smith’s 21-man squad.

Castleford: Eden, Turner, Fonua, Faraimo, Widdop, Miller, Lawler, McShane, Edwards, Mellor, Westerman, Massey, Milner, Broadbent, Vete, Mustapha, Smith, Matagi, Hall, Qareqare, Watts.

Leeds: Myler, Fusitu’a, Newman, Macdonald, Austin, Sezer, Leeming, Tetevano, Bentley, Martin, Smith, O’Connor, Lisone, Olpherts, Sangare, Holroyd, McDonnell, Walters, Roberts, Donaldson, Johnson.

Predictions: Castleford are low on confidence, and it’s hard to see them picking up a win here, despite being at home. Leeds by 16.

Huddersfield v Wigan (Friday, 7:45pm)

Huddersfield are without injured trio Joe Greenwood, Matty English and Theo Fages for their home fixture with Wigan. Fiji captain Kevin Naiqama returns to the 21-man squad, while Jermaine McGillvary continues to rehab a slight hamstring issue.

Seb Ikahihifo and Harry Ruston have been included and are in line for their first competitive appearances of the Super League season.

Wigan boss Matt Peet has once again named an unchanged 21-man squad.

Huddersfield: Marsters, Naiqama, Bibby, Lolohea, Hill, Peats, Jones, McQueen, Yates, Golding, Rushton, Trout, Ikahihifo, O’Brien, Wilson, Cudjoe, Livett, Russell, Mason, Ashworth, Pryce.

Wigan: Field, French, King, Wardle, Marshall, Cust, Smith, Singleton, Powell, Byrne, Isa, Farrell, Smithies, Cooper, Ellis, Havard, Pearce-Paul, Mago, O’Neill, Miski, Nsemba.

Predictions: This is a tough one to predict. But we’ll go with Huddersfield by eight.

St Helens v Hull (Friday, 8pm, live on Sky Sports)

St Helens welcome back Curtis Sironen following his one-match suspension. Lewis Baxter makes way, while Wesley Bruines stays in and if selected will make his Super League debut for the Saints.

Sione Mata’utia and Konrad Hurrell will both serve their final match ban during this Super League round.

Tony Smith has made just one change to his Hull squad as Harvey Barron replaces Jamie Shaul. Carlos Tuimavave, Liam Sutcliffe and Jake Trueman remain unavailable through injury. 

Mitieli Vulikijapani is unavailable having been selected for the British Army Rugby Union side to face the French Army Rugby Union side in Aldershot on Wednesday evening.

St Helens: Welsby, Makinson, Percival, Bennison, Lomax, Dodd, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Knowles, Lussick, LMS, Sironen, Passi, Wingfield, Bell, Norman, Davies, Royle, Ritson, Bruines.

Hull: Hoy, Swift, McIntosh, Clifford, Sao, Houghton, Satae, Savelio, Lane, Fash, Lovodua, Cator, Evans, Scott, Brown, Griffin, Litten, Barron, Gardiner, Taylor, Dwyer.

Predictions: Hull will be hurting from their 60-14 defeat at Salford, and it doesn’t get much harder with a trip to the Totally Wicked Stadium. St Helens by 18.

Warrington v Leigh (Friday, 8pm)

Joe Bullock has dropped out of Warrington’s 21-man squad and has suffered a thumb injury which will sideline him for an estimated four-to-six weeks.

Joe Philbin has been named for the first time since his season-ending ACL injury last June. Gil Dudson has also been included for the first time this year, having made the move from Catalans during the off-season.

Wigan’s Joe Shorrocks has seen his loan extended with Leigh beyond the initial two-week period. Joe Wardle drops out, with Aaron Smith and Nathan Wilde both included.

Meanwhile, Jacob Gannon has made a short-term loan move to Halifax in the Championship.

Warrington: Ashton, Clark, Currie, Drinkwater, Dudson, Dufty, Hayes, Kasiano, Mata’utia, Mikaele, Minikin, Nicholson, Philbin, Ratchford, Russell, Thewlis, Thomas, Vaughan, Walker, Whitehead, Williams.

Leigh: Hardaker, Briscoe, Chamberlain, Leutele, Charnley, Mellor, Lam, Amone, Ipape, Mulhern, Hughes, Asiata, Nakubuwai, O’Brien, Davis, Smith, Nisbit, O’Donnell, Wilde, Seumanufagai, Shorrocks.

Predictions: Warrington are enjoying a perfect start to the season, and we’ll back them by 18. This will be an entertaining one.

Catalans v Hull KR (Saturday, 5pm)

Catalans are still without the likes of Sam Tomkins, Mitchell Pearce and Matt Whitley. Alrix Da Costa and César Rougé are back in the squad and replace Matthieu Laguerre and Loan Castano.

Jordan Abdull and Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e both return to Hull KR’s 21-man squad. Matt Parcell and Matty Storton drop out through injury.

Catalans: Mourgue, Davies, Keighran, May, McMeeken, McIlorum, Bousquet, Seguier, Garcia, Da Costa, Goudemand, Rouge, Chan, Romano, Taukeiaho, Dezaria, Johnstone, Scimone, Ma’u, Tison, Zenon.

Hull KR: Coote, Opacic, Hall, Abdull, Sue, King, Halton, Minchella, Litten, Kennedy, Batchelor, Keinhorst, Dagger, Lewis, Milnes, Hadley, Senior, Wood, Johnson, Luckley, Laulu-Togaga’e.

Predictions: It’s always a tough trip for any visiting team to Perpignan, and we’ll back Catalans to make it five from five in 2023. The Dragons by eight.

Salford v Wakefield (Sunday, 3pm)

Salford coach Paul Rowley has confirmed they will be without Ollie Partington for up to 10 weeks, with the key forward requiring a knee operation. Danny Addy has also been included in the squad for the first time since last July.

Lee Gaskell is sidelined for the foreseeable future with a pectoral injury. Harry Bowes is back in the mix, with Sam Hewitt set to make his Wakefield debut.

Salford: Brierley, Sio, Watkins, Lafai, Croft, Sneyd, Ormondroyd, Ackers, Vuniyayawa, Stone, Atkin, Addy, Dupree, Wright, Sidlow, Longstaff, Bourouh, Williams, Costello, Hellewell, Cross.

Wakefield: Taufua, Hall, Lyne, Lino, Battye, Hood, Whitbread, Ashurst, Pitts, Crowther, Kay, Atoni, Kershaw, Smith, Butler, Bowes, Eseh, Windrow, Butterworth, Pratt, Hewitt.

Predictions: Salford by 22 in the last game of the weekend.

READ NEXT: Dan Sarginson shares heartfelt message after calling time on his career