The Super League play-offs are finally here with the first game set for Friday and the bookmakers have outlined their fancies for silverware.
There’s no surprise that the outright favourites to win the Grand Final are reigning champions Wigan Warriors with Matt Peet’s side aiming for a historic sixth consecutive piece of silverware.
Dating back to last year’s League Leaders Shield victory, Wigan have won the 2023 Grand Final, 2024 World Club Challenge, 2024 Challenge Cup and the 2024 League Leaders Shield.
Victory at Old Trafford in just under three weeks time would mark a sixth trophy in just 386 days and the seventh of the Matt Peet era. Currently, they’re priced as even money favourites to achieve that on Super League sponsor Betfred’s ‘Outright’ market.
It’s unclear who Wigan will play but we know that they will play on Saturday, 5th October at The Brick Community Stadium against the lowest-ranked side meaning they will definitely avoid Warrington Wolves, a team who beat them 40-4 in that stadium just two months ago.
The bookies have now ruled on who is likely to progress from this week’s play-off matches and how the odds stack up to lift the Grand Final at Old Trafford.
Who is the favourite to be crowned Super League champions?
Credit: Imago Images
Game one of the Super League play-offs comes on Friday night with Salford Red Devils hosting Leigh Leopards and despite the home advantage and the fact they were able to rest their entire first-team squad, Paul Rowley’s side are outsiders.
Both coaches have claimed the title of ‘underdog’ but per Betfred, Leigh are slight favourites at 4/5 compared to the hosts at 11/10. That is then reflected in the outright odds to be crowned Super League champions with Salford the longest price at 25/1 whereas Leigh are fifth-favourite at 20/1.
A big boost for Leigh is that star centre Ricky Leutele has evaded a ban after his controversial sin bin but considering one of those teams must make it to the semi-final and be just one game from Old Trafford, perhaps they’re both being overlooked.
The second play-off match this week pits Warrington Wolves against St Helens just three weeks after the sides met last. Warrington won that game 16-2 and have since won 66-0 and 54-0 meaning they cruise into the game with impeccable form and having not conceded a try for over three matches.
It’s therefore understandable why they are 2/5 favourites and Wellens’ Saints are over 2/1. That game will be aired on BBC Two as well as Sky Sports when it kicks off on Saturday at 5:30 pm.
Despite their huge favouritism to beat Saints, Warrington are only third favourites to be crowned Super League champions at 9/2, with Hull KR deemed as Wigan’s biggest challengers at 11/4. Meanwhile, St Helens have been priced at 12/1 despite being close to full fitness.
Super League Grand Final Winner odds courtesy of Betfred
Wigan Warriors – 1/1
Hull KR – 11/4
Warrington Wolves – 9/2
St Helens – 12/1
Leigh Leopards 20/1
Salford Red Devils – 25/1
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Eric T Cat
September 25, 2024 at 3:09 pm
I suspect it will be arranged so Wigan play Warrington in the final, so that will boost the Las Vegas game by providing Grand Final footage in front of a 50,000 crowd. They can class it as a rematch of the English Titans that way. Be prepared for baffling decisions, disallowed tries, and worse. Year by year the RFL sap my belief in the sport, I’m reduced to watching by habit, and far prefer the NRL, Union is a step too far,
I remember my ban from them. They may have issued a blanket reprieve, but given they tracked me down to ban me, they should have done the same to rescind it.