With round one of Super League in the books, we’ve picked out five players who will feel they have a point to prove this week.
Of course, we’ve only seen one round of a 27-round competition with Grand Finals won in October and not February, however, there are a number of teams and players who will be eager to get back on the field and right the wrongs of round one.
Hull KR as a team will certainly want to bounce back after their shock defeat to York Knights last Thursday and as if they didn’t need any more motivation anyway, they actually contest the World Club Challenge against Brisbane Broncos this Thursday.
That will be a monumental game for the Robins with Willie Peters’ side needing massive improvements, which they certainly will make, if they’re to challenge.
Friday night then saw Catalans defeat a defensively determined Huddersfield in the mud of Perpignan, before Leigh beat Leeds and Warrington stretched their winning run against St Helens to eight in a row.
The promoted teams were impressive once again on Saturday as Bradford pushed Hull FC but Will Pryce, the son of Bulls’ legend Leon, put the game to bed before Toulouse shocked Wakefield in the late game.
Wigan then wrapped up the weekend with a win over Castleford, who looked very good for long periods but were punished when it mattered as the Warriors won 26-16.
After the first seven games of the season, we’ve picked out five players who tasted defeat who will feel that they have a point to prove in round two.
Super League stars set to bounce back
Mikey Lewis
The most obvious candidate is Mikey Lewis whose performance wasn’t necessarily any better or worse than any other Hull KR player, however, it was all about his moment of madness.
A deliberate trip on Liam Harris just before the hour mark swung the game completely with Lewis sin binned and York able to find their way back into, and eventually win, the game after they scored whilst at a man advantage.
Willie Peters has called on his star half to learn from that moment and it’s now up to Lewis to meet that challenge in Thursday’s World Club Challenge after he avoided any ban.
Jackson Hastings
Arriving with big fan fare, St Helens and Jackson Hastings struggled on Friday night against a Warrington side who were too big in the pack and were able to control the game from there.
A half of Hastings’ ability can certainly turn games like that on their head when on top form, but no Saints players were at their best on Friday. For Hastings, it’s a similar tale to Mikey Lewis in that he got sent to the sin bin with the NRL recruit putting a late shot on Cai Taylor-Wray. For that, he landed a five-point charge but no ban.
He led the side out as captain in the absence of Matty Lees and will want to make his mark next week in another tough test against Leigh Leopards.
Brodie Croft
With Jake Connor one of several Leeds first-teamers missing, Croft was tasked with stepping up for Leeds as he played alongside rookie half George Brown.
The Australian did score a try but he struggled at times, especially with his kicking game. Leigh’s pair of Adam Cook and Lachlan Lam outkicked him by 185 metres on the same number of kicks (16).
With a home game against York Knights coming up, Croft will hope to put Friday night behind him and show the true depth of his talents, particularly given the fact he is in a contract year.
Mason Lino
Yet another half on the list but the lack of control is what lost Wakefield the game. At one point, they even opted against the bench’s advice of taking an easy two points only to then drop the ball three plays in. Lino, as one of the leaders will have certainly been involved in that call.
Moreover, his point to prove hails from the fact that Trin have signed Jack Sinfield, a player who Daryl Powell has tipped to become an England international in the future which showcases the belief he has in the ex-Leeds man.
The half also gave away an unforgivable play the ball penalty and missed five tackles, the most of any player bar Seth Nikotemo.
Adam Keighran
Keighran is the exception in this list in that he is not a half and he also hails from a winning team but Sunday wasn’t his finest day. The centre made the second-fewest metres of any Wigan player but he also made four errors, the most of any wearing cherry and white.
One of those errors was a knock-on over the line for a simply try whilst another was his sin bin, sent for 10 for a high shot that resulted in three penalty points.
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