Warrington Wolves back in the groove, St Helens slipping: 6 conclusions from Super League round 17
Round 17 produced some major talking points
Round 17 of Super League yet again left us with plenty of talking points as we head into the closing stages of the regular season.
There were wins for Wigan Warriors, Hull KR, Leigh Leopards, Catalans Dragons, Warrington Wolves and Castleford Tigers; and there has been some huge shifts in the race for the League Leaders Shield, the top six and at the bottom of the table too.
Here are our six conclusions from the latest chapter of the 2024 Super League season.
Castleford Tigers on the up
They might be down in 10th, but Castleford Tigers are starting to build a decent run of form heading into the closing stages of the season. Craig Lingard and his band of merry men put up decent fights against both Wigan Warriors and Hull KR prior to the international break, and have since won two games in a row for the first time for nearly two years.
In these past four games, and notably in the London game, there seems to be a new-found desire to attack games and try and get the upper hand. The heroic return of George Lawler after his health scare earlier in the season will undoubtedly be a tone-setter, and Tex Hoy, Jacob Miller and Innes Senior all had a great game too.
The top six is probably a stretch for them, but have a chance to build a good platform ahead of the 2025 campaign.
Warrington Wolves back in the groove
Warrington Wolves struggled for a few weeks after their Challenge Cup final defeat, but their victory against Leeds showed they are fully back in the groove again.
They looked scary good in the opening exchanges, racing into a 12-0 lead after just five minutes, and despite Leeds’ solid fightback were able to hold them at bay.
Against Leeds, their spine seemed to be back playing the rugby we saw earlier in the year. George Williams was deploying his brilliant kicking game again, which allowed Matty Ashton to dot down, and Matt Dufty had one of his best performances of the season in attack too with his brace. Elsewhere Paul Vaughan and James Harrison added some punch up the middle to get them onto the front foot.
Building into the final games of the regular season, Warrington have returned to their best form. Thursday’s win is their third on the spin, but the real tester for them comes in the next two week block, with both St Helens and Wigan on the horizon. These will be tough games, but they are certainly back in the groove.
St Helens slipping
St Helens yet again slipped to a tight defeat this weekend, but it now extends their winless run to three games. This mini slump for Paul Wellens side is very un-Saints like, but it also comes at a time when their playoff rivals are starting to hit some form too.
Their defeat to Wigan on Friday night has seen Warrington and Hull KR leapfrog them in the table, and are only four points above Leeds Rhinos in seventh.
There were signs of improvements against Wigan on Friday night, and they are without a large chunk of their front-line players, but they need to start picking up some wins again soon if they want to stay in the top six.
What to think about Leeds Rhinos
We’ve probably said it a lot this season, but nobody can be sure of what to make of Leeds Rhinos. They are nowhere near the doldrums of Hull FC’s disastrous campaign (despite their defeat to the Airlie Birds last month), but yet they aren’t looking like the top six side everyone thought they would be.
Leeds have shown glimpses of genuine brilliance, namely against Leigh Leopards, London Broncos and Castleford Tigers, but that has been mixed in with heavy defeats to play-off rivals Wigan, Catalans and St Helens.
Their performance against Warrington on Thursday night probably summed up their season, if truth be told. When they were bad, they were REALLY bad; but when they were good they were able to compete with the Wolves and for a moment looked to be within a shout.
Leeds looked completely lost in the early exchanges on Thursday, falling 12-0 down after just five minutes, but when they got going they looked dangerous. This must be a sense of real frustration for Leeds fans.
Chev Walker and Scott Grix have done what was needed. They’ve taken two wins from three, and certainly steadied the ship after Rohan Smith’s exit, but it now lies on Brad Arthur’s shoulders to take them into the top six.
Wigan Warriors putting one hand on the League Leaders Shield
Wigan Warriors already have two trophies to their name thus far, but it looks like they could be adding a third in September. The Warriors win over St Helens on Friday night has put them four points clear at the summit, and what’s more they also have a game in hand on all the teams below them.
Whilst this in itself is a talking point, it’s the manner of the win that we’re going to focus on. There’s no hiding that Jai Field and Bevan French are their danger men, with the pair having a combined 17 try assists thus far in Super League, but with the pair now injured the rest of the squad need to step up. Luckily, they did just that, with youngsters Zach Eckersley and Jack Farrimond stepping in seamlessly into their shoes.
This is a huge testament to the strength in depth at the Warriors, and it could easily guide them to the League Leaders Shield come the end of the regular season.
Mikey Lewis, Man of Steel?
Mikey Lewis is in the form of his life this season, and he could easily be within a shout of the Man of Steel award. The leader board goes dark pretty soon, but at the time of writing Lewis is in sixth place on 14 points, but his performance against Hull FC could see him pick up some more.
His stats this year are also incredibly impressive. In his 16 Super League appearances, the half-back has notched eight tries (including his effort against Hull FC this weekend) and 16 assists (joint third with Brodie Croft in the leader board). He has been so important to Hull KR‘s rise to the third in the table this season, and his performance against Hull FC was the embodiment of this.
Could we see Mikey Lewis crowned Man of Steel at the end of the year?