14 Questions for 2023...

Happy New Year! As we enter a new year, that brings new opportunities for clubs across the professional structure and cause for optimism. It's a big 12 months for many teams and, for the game as a whole. IMG will be tasked with negotiating a new TV deal, crucial for the sport's future.

As we attempt to gaze into the crystal ball, let's look at 14 questions which are likely to define the year ahead!

1. Can St Helens make it 5 in a row?

St Helens faced taunts from opponent fans from 2007 to 2011 after five consecutive Grand Final defeats. In 2023, they stand on the brink of five consecutive Grand Final successes. 

All logic says that this cannot be done in a salary-capped sport. Yet when you take this season on its own, St Helens have the best squad and are favourites once again.

Super League champions are not always the best team over the course of the year. That's the nature of our structure. The regular season is akin to a starting grid. St Helens will without doubt be major contenders and tough to stop.

2. Do Huddersfield have the best squad in Super League?

According to new signing Jake Connor, the answer is yes! Whether this is true will be played out over the course of 2023. With strong recruitment, Huddersfield look to have a better squad than last year, especially in the backline.

Huddersfield had a disappointing end to 2022. That shouldn't overshadow the fact that the club overachieved. A near-miss in the Challenge Cup final and a third placed finish were magnificent achievements. This club aims for more though.

3. Will we see a Warrington revival?

It's hard to overstate how disastrous 2022 was for Warrington. A new era under Daryl Powell saw substantial regression. The board showed faith and stuck with their coach, also they have backed him in the transfer market (both allowing him to offload long-serving players and recruit heavily).

It's also hard to see Warrington being as bad as last season. Saying that, for Powell to retain his post, small improvement is not enough. Warrington are a club that should expect to be challenging for and winning major trophies. 

4. Can Salford continue to deft gravity?

Salford were one of the stories of 2022 and were within a whisker of returning to Old Trafford in 2022. This follows up on major final appearances in 2019 and 2020.

Salford often sign players discarded by other Super League clubs. Take Jack Ormondroyd and Deon Cross for example. Or overseas stars like Tim Lafai or Brodie Croft to add some magic. Stars that nobody else wanted to take a chance on.

This approach works well for Salford. They have a particular style which is thrilling to watch. They received an off-season boost with the news that they will remain at the AJ Bell Stadium. I wonder if 2023 is the year that they smash the glass ceiling on the field?

5. Can Leigh survive?

In 2005 and 2017, Leigh returned to the Championship at the first opportunity following promotion. On the latter occasion, they were perhaps unlucky as they finished 11th in the regular season before losing out in the 'super 8s'.

Leigh owner Derek Beaumont has personally led an eye-catching rebrand. It's certainly drawn attention to Leigh, perhaps even overshadowing the strongest Super League squad they have ever had.

Maybe that was the intention. Draw attention to yourself and let the team get on. Wakefield are always a target for a promoted club but Trinity have recruited well too. A tough task awaits Leigh if it's going to be third time lucky.

6. Does Tony Smith still have that magic?

There's never a dull moment in Hull is there? Tony Smith, resigned his post at Hull KR taking a swipe at club management in 2022 and now he's the head coach at Hull FC in 2023!

The Good Friday derby at KCOM Stadium on 7th April has had some spice added to it. The appointment by Hull FC is a smart one. A club that annually underachieves appointing a coach who more often than not overachieves. 

If anyone can get this side firing, you would think it's Smith. Whether related or not, Jake Connor is out of the club. A bold first step. I'm looking forward to the next episode in the Hull FC soap opera.

7. How will the Championship promotion race unfold?

We have a pattern developing in the Championship. The relegated Super League side and Featherstone battle for promotion and the former win.

Sean Long is the next man to try and bring Super League to Featherstone and, once more, the club have invested heavily to achieve that aim.

Toulouse stand in their way. The club will be pleased to have retained Sylvain Houles as head coach and will be favourites to make an immediate return to the top flight.

It's never just the top of the Championship that is interesting though. Batley and Halifax tend to have their say and keep an eye on Keighley. The newly-promoted Cougars aren't here to make up the numbers - I wouldn't rule out a shot at the play offs!

8. Can Newcastle and York halt decline?

It's a worrying time for the Championship's two expansion clubs. Much like with Sheffield a few years ago, a move to full-time hasn't really worked for Newcastle. They've lost players and may face a battle to avoid the drop. Sheffield managed to stabilise following a return to part-time. I think Newcastle must follow that blueprint.

Meanwhile York have lost highly-rated head coach James Ford and their squad looks a tad threadbare and lacking in experience. York have made huge steps in recent years and I hope they can avoid a decline.

9. How will the cost of living impact the sport?

Many complained of high ticket prices for the autumn's World Cup and that was reflected in some disappointing crowds (those attending often packed the cheapest seats, whilst the more expensive seats remained unoccupied).

Money is tight right now. People have less income to spend on non-essentials. In response, several clubs have taken a risk. Batley have slashed ticket prices across the board. Barrow continue with free entry for children. Warrington, London and Bradford have made huge efforts to engage the younger audience.

Times are hard and clubs are doing what they can to help. Let's hope this risk pays off and crowds at least hold steady.

10. What about TV rights?

Like many sports, the value of Super League's TV deal dropped last time around. There were positives too, such as Channel 4 being added to our growing range of broadcast partners.

Strategic partner IMG have been brought on board to assist with the running of the sport. A far smarter move than private equity investment but a subtle admission of failure of governance by the RFL?

IMG's most pressing task will be to assist negotiating a new TV deal - Super League's current deal expires at the end of this year. The value and terms of this deal are crucial for the future of the sport.

11. Is League 1 still feasible?

In December 2022, West Wales succumbed to the inevitable and dropped out of League 1. The third tier is now reduced to just 10 teams. The league is a mix of expansion teams and a graveyard for some older, traditional teams.

With money being spread more thinly, an ongoing review as to the game's structure and ongoing talk of just two divisions containing 24 teams moving forward, it's a worrying time for some of our clubs.

The loss of the likes of Oldham and Hunslet would be heartbreaking. I don't know what the answer is but throwing these clubs to the scrapheap isn't it.

12. Can the women's game stand on its own two feet?

The women's game is moving in the right direction. On the field, we saw the three different domestic trophies won by three different teams.

There is a worry that massive investment in NRLW will leave the women's Super League trailing behind. The optimistic view is that some of our sport's superstars like Hollie Dodd may get the chance to play rugby league as a living going forward by moving to NRLW.

The World Cup semi final between England and New Zealand at a packed out York gave me hope that the women's game is growing. Not just to be a warm up for the men's action but a great event in its own right.

That being said, the opportunity for this year's Challenge Cup finalists to play at Wembley is a huge step forward on just a few short years ago.

13. When will men's internationals be arranged?

England will be taking part in a European Championship, which is a positive. It is believed that this is an 'England Knights' side, though this is only confirmed by newspaper reports rather than by the governing body.

England have confirmed an April fixture against France. This was earlier than normally announced, which was a step forward. The lack of internationals announced for autumn is a worry though.

With all other competitive nations in the southern hemisphere, sourcing regular competitive internationals for England is getting tougher. The long-vaunted regular international calendar is desperately needed.

14. Will the wheelchair game ride the crest of a wave?

Wheelchair Rugby League exploded into life in the autumn, crashing into the conscience of not just fans of our sport who had never seen this variant of the game but the wider public too.

We're not used to success as England fans. So the sight of England winning a World Cup with a late, dramatic try was the source of great joy in November.

In Rugby League, we are experts are hosting a great event and doing nothing to follow up on it. I hope this isn't the case with the wheelchair game.

We are already seeing new clubs popping up and pre-existing clubs expanding. A test series against France to open up the next chapter in that long-standing and intense rivalry would be a dream for 2023.