With the IMG grades revealed on Wednesday, we’ve used the data available to calculate who could be big losers with Leeds Rhinos a big name.
A team is graded on five criteria (Fandom, Performance, Finance, Stadium and Community) to a maximum total of 20 points and when the preliminary grades were announced in October 2023, it was Leeds Rhinos who topped the tree as one of seven Grade A clubs.
Any club that achieves a Grade A status, which is 15 or more points, is guaranteed a spot in Super League with the potential view to expand Super League beyond 12 teams if more than 12 teams hit that status.
Preliminary scores revealed that the Rhinos scored 17.49 out of 20 with the next best being Wigan Warriors, all the way back on 16.87 points.
Everything you need to know about the IMG grades ahead of Wednesday update
Whilst Wigan Warriors have gone on to have an incredible 2024 in which they will pick up a maximum of five out of five points for the ‘Performance’ pillar, Leeds have had another season without the play-offs.
We do not know each team’s data for four of the five pillars but their Performance score can be worked out with a club’s three-year average position assigning them to a rank and therefore a number of points.
Bonuses are on offer for winning Super League, the Challenge Cup, the Championship Grand Final, League One and the 1895 Cup.
For more information on the process, details can be found in the IMG Grading handbook, but with the paperwork out of the way, we’ll look at five teams who will see a marked drop in their Performance score.
Leeds Rhinos biggest name to lose out big on Performance score
Credit: Imago Images
Leeds Rhinos
Because of the fact that teams are scored on their three-year averages, Leeds are both blessed and cursed. Their 2023 preliminary grade recorded their 2023, 2022 and 2021 finishes of 8th, 2nd and 3rd (highest-ranked semi-final team) to create an ‘average finishing position’ of 4.33.
When stacking up against the other professional clubs, Leeds sat fourth, behind just St Helens, Wigan Warriors and Catalans Dragons. Fast forward a year and their 3rd-place ranking of 2021 is replaced by their 8th-place rank of 2024.
As such, their average position increases to 6 which sees Hull KR (4.67) and Salford (5.33) soar past them, leading to a loss of over 0.2 points. With Wigan gaining the maximum five points for performance and seeing off-field ventures, it’s easy to see that the Cherry and Whites will leapfrog them in the overall ranks.
Catalans Dragons
Now the process is somewhat explained, it’s easier to see how and why Catalans suffer a similar date to Leeds Rhinos with Catalans’ 2nd-place ranking for finishing runners-up in the 2021 Grand Final against St Helens being replaced by a 7th-place rank.
That will see them also drop over 0.2 points, enough to potentially see teams like Hull KR knock on the door and potentially overtake them given that the Robins do rank higher on performance anyway.
Halifax Panthers, Batley Bulldogs and Workington Town
Several other Super League sides will lose minor points but the bigger losses come further down the rugby league pyramid and no more than Halifax Panthers who are set to lose almost 0.5 points.
Fax came third in the Championship play-offs and they will lose that ranking for a lowly ninth in 2024. Pair that with teams such as London, York, Bradford and Sheffield flying up the ranks as well as the fact they lose the 0.1 bonus for their 1895 Cup win, and it’s all bad news for the Panthers.
Batley Bulldogs are another team in the Championship to lose rank, exchanging their fourth-place in 2021 for a 10th in 2024. Workington Town also drop over one-third of a point after their 2021 Championship finish was replaced by another League One campaign.
Whilst these figures may seem small, they could affect a lot given how quickly the landscape can change. For example, Leeds Rhinos would suffer a major drop-off in 2026 should their 2025 season be another without the play-offs. That’s because they will lose their 2022 Grand Final appearance from their record.
