Super League 2022: St Helens are favourites for four titles in a row

Winning four titles in succession may be unprecedented in the Super League era, but St Helens have every chance of achieving that astonishing feat.

As the 2022 season dawns, they will start as justifiable favourites to lift the ultimate crown at Old Trafford next October.

And there is a very good reason for that. They are very good at what they do both on and off the field.

In the last few years they have hit the sweet spot for recruitment of coaches and players as well as developing their own delicious pool of talent.

Justin Holbrook revolutionised St Helens to the point that when he left few doubted whether new coach Kristian Woolf could match him.

But the Tongan national team boss has taken them to another level, certainly in their defensive approach.

When full-back Ben Barba lit up the competition, it was wondered whether he could be replaced effectively. But in came Lachlan Coote and added a different dynamic and balance to the side.

So Saints fans will have every confidence that the latest batch of signings, to replace some of those who helped the side to a three-in-a-row title success last year, will be just as exciting.

Coote and Kevin Naiqama, two real showbiz players on their day, have gone.

But despite that, and on paper, the champions appear to have had the best recruitment campaign of any club in the off-season.

Will Hopoate and Curtis Sironen look like excellent imports from the NRL. James Bell was a stand out at Leigh last year. A re-energised and fitter Konrad Hurrell could be set for the start of an Indian summer. Joey Lussick, as back up for the veteran James Roby, would seem an astute buy.

Will Hopoate, Curtis Sironen, James Bell and Konrad Hurrell are among the new faces at champions St Helens

But as much as Saints supporters, and Super League fans generally, will be excited by the new faces from outside, it's the young guns from within who are probably creating even bigger expectations.

Jack Welsby, an already proven talent at just 20 years of age, takes the number one shirt in place of Coote, who has joined Hull KR. Many expect him to be pushing for an England World Cup place this year as well as building further on his star status.

Lewis Dodd, also only 20 and now first-choice scrum-half, is slipping effortlessly into the permanent position that many have been predicting for him for what seems like years.

And there is a good crop of youngsters on the fringes as well. Keep an eye out for teenage hooker Taylor Pemberton who, in the first-team squad for the first time this year, could get an opportunity to show why a lot behind the scenes are getting exciting about his development.

So the challenge for the rest of Super League is to try to match Saints' soaringly high standards.

Questions to answer for the main challengers

Best placed are Catalans Dragons, given the most recent evidence. Their League Leaders' Shield success and narrow Grand Final defeat by Saints last October was no fluke of form.

Many may worry about how they kick on, especially given the retirement of Aussie half-back James Maloney, taking with him all his wile, grit and experience.

But the arrival of Mitchell Pearce, albeit on the back end of a terrific NRL career, gives them a re-injection of flair and know-how at the heart of things. Tyrone May comes with a little baggage, but he and Dylan Napa both add NRL Grand Final-winning experience to an already more-than-handy squad.

As ever at this time of year, it's just fascinating to ponder how some of the other sides in Super League, with an added dash of unknown, will fare.

Daryl Powell will start the new season at Warrington having left Castleford at the end of the last campaign

Can Warrington finally cross the finishing line in first? Daryl Powell's arrival as coach from Castleford certainly makes them ones to watch.

How will Matty Peet prosper as head coach at Wigan? The sounds from within the club are very encouraging.

Can Leeds begin to rise from the pack and prove to be a powerhouse once more? In newly arrived half-backs Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin - recreating a partnership first forged at Canberra - they have every chance.

Will Hull FC finally get things to consistently click under the undoubtedly talented coaching of Brett Hodgson?

Can Hull KR kick on again after last season's eye-catching form and finish, which saw them reach the play-off semi-finals?

Ian Watson now has "his side" assembled at Huddersfield after more than a year in charge, so can he ignite a Grand Final fire at the Giants, just as he did at Salford?

How do Castleford go after the Powell era and under the guidance of Lee Radford, fresh from a year away from the intensity of the head coach's hot seat?

Home form 'vital' for Toulouse

Toulouse beat Featherstone in last season's Championship play-off final to reach Super League for the first time

And while many may dismiss Wakefield, Salford and Toulouse as unlikely to be involved in anything other than a relegation battle, we have seen so many sides before buck ]pre-season predictions.

Wakefield could have played a blinder in the appointment of Willie Poching. A lovely bloke, with more than a decade of assistant coaching behind him at a plethora of clubs, he could be the right man in the right place.

Similarly Paul Rowley at Salford could be just the right answer for the Red Devils. Possibly (probably) playing their final year as full-time tenants of the AJ Bell Stadium, they will be anxious to ensure they take Super League status with them to their next home. And given Salford's recent history, you would not be surprised to see them higher up the table than expected.

And finally Toulouse.

It will be a tough year for them. The off-field issues - losing the talismanic Johno Ford - and with other difficulties swirling around the club concerning Covid and vaccine laws in France, they do not have a settled base to build from.

But they were the best team in the Championship last year, and the confidence of that fact should lift them in the early weeks at least.

Home form will be absolutely vital for them. And they know they will have a lot of moral support from a lot of general rugby league fans, excited by having a second French team in the Super League.

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