The 2024 season is now firmly on the horizon, and there will be plenty of teams hoping for improved seasons compared to last year. The 2023 season was incredibly tight right across the league, with the League Leaders Shield going down to the wire, the battle for the play-offs was only decided on the final round and the relegation scrap also went to the final rounds.
Teams across the top flight have also taken the off-season to bolster their squads, or make changes at the top. Warrington Wolves and Castleford Tigers have a fresh face in the coaches office, and Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors and Hull KR have made plenty of quality signings, but where does this leave them ahead of the new campaign?
With this in mind, here are the three Super League teams who will improve the most in 2024.
Warrington Wolves
The Wire had a busy end to the season last year, with confirmation of Sam Burgess joining as Head Coach-and his appointment should massively boost the club’s fortunes next year. Burgess will not only bring his aura with him, but he has also tempted some quality talent to the Wire too. Sam Powell has joined from Wigan Warriors, and will likely fill the void left by Daryl Clark. Furthermore they have brought in Zane Musgrove, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Rodrick Tai, who will really bolster the squad. The return of Grand Final winner Toby King from his loan at Wigan Warriors will also be a huge boost for Burgess’ side this season. There has already been clips of the new boss joining in a pre-season session with his players, which indicates his desire to form a strong culture in the Wolves dressing room, which could go a long way to turning the club’s fortunes around this season.
Leeds Rhinos
The Rhinos had an inconsistent year in 2023, however they have hit the market hard this off-season. They have brought in Lachlan Miller, Matt Frawley, Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers to form a new look, younger spine, whilst still keeping last year’s core of Cameron Smith and Jarrod O’Connor too. These players should help boost the Rhinos this year as they fit the style Rohan Smith has been after. Rohan’s style is very much ‘off-the-cuff’ Rugby, and we saw this in glimpses with Blake Austin when he drove the Rhinos on a good run back in June, however Croft and Ackers were a part of a Salford team that did this for fun. The addition of Miller will also add that extra pace in the back field, which could provide yet another attacking threat. This new look spine will be crucial for the Rhinos next year, and should see a marked improvement on last season.
Hull FC
The Airlie Birds have gone under the radar a bit this off-season, but they could be in for an improved year in 2024. Whilst they lost star halfback Jake Clifford at the end of last season, they have made some really clever signings going into the 2024 campaign. Jack Walker is probably the headline signing, and his time at city rivals Hull KR showed he is a quality operator at fullback. They have also added plenty of overseas talent in the form of Jayden Okunbor, Nu Brown, Herman Ese’ese and Franklin Pele, which could prove vital.
