We’ve ranked all 12 Super League clubs by order of how much they’re fancied to triumph at Old Trafford in October’s Grand Final.
12. London Broncos
Unsurprisingly,
London are by far and away the rank outsiders for a Grand Final victory, more than doubly unfavoured by the bookmakers than any other club.
Newly-promoted, in this
IMG era, the Broncos could probably win the Grand Final and still be demoted back down to the Championship for 2025!
Mike Eccles’ men upset the odds to get promoted after a poor start in the year just gone, but there’s not much chance of another fairytale, especially with most of their recruitment coming from the
Championship.
11. Castleford Tigers
Cas had a woeful 2023, but got over the line in the fight against relegation, with Wakefield Trinity the ones to suffer the drop.
As the Tigers enter a new era in 2024 with
Craig Lingard at the helm, improvement is definitely needed, and it’s no surprise they’re not exactly favoured to get to Old Trafford for a second time in the history of the competition.
It’s worth noting that as things stand
in the eyes of IMG, Cas actually remain a Championship level club. That could all change over the next 12 months though.
10. Salford Red Devils
Paul Rowley’s side are given exactly the same chances of a trip down the road to Old Trafford as Cas after a 2023 which saw them narrowly miss out on the play-offs.
Salford have lost
Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers to Leeds this off-season, two players who were vital to the success they’ve enjoyed over the last couple of years.
That, and the club’s struggles off the pitch with their quest for a long-term tenancy agreement over the last few months, are probably contributing factors as to why they’re not among the frontrunners for glory.
9. Hull FC
Like Cas and Salford,
Hull are one of the five clubs who’ve actually been in a Grand Final before, without winning a title. That Old Trafford trip came all the way back in 2006.
Fast forward 18 years and Tony Smith’s side are the fourth-most unfavoured team to go all the way in 2024 after an overhaul in personnel.
The Black and Whites have seen 12 players depart the MKM Stadium,
including top try-scorer Adam Swift and powerhouse Chris Satae, with nine recruited, four of those coming from the NRL.
8. Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield were the team to snap up free-scoring Swift, but like Hull, come into 2024 on the back of a really poor season last time out and accordingly aren’t one of the favoured sides according to the bookmakers.
The Giants are yet to visit Old Trafford, with the closest they’ve come to glory being 2013 which saw them beaten at the semi-final stage by Warrington Wolves after lifting the League Leaders’ Shield.
Notably, head coach
Ian Watson has however taken a team all the way to the Theatre of Dreams, guiding Salford there in 2019 before falling short to St Helens.
7. Leigh Leopards
Favoured narrowly more than Huddersfield are
Leigh, who upset the odds in 2023 having been tipped for the drop, or at least to be involved in the battle at the bottom, this time last year.
Adrian Lam’s side enjoyed a glorious first season back among the elite after a headline-making rebrand, lifting the Challenge Cup and competing in the Super League play-offs for the first time ever, falling at the first hurdle to Hull KR.
Middle of the pile in terms of odds this time around, the Leopards will look to upset those odds once more having recruited well,
NRL star Matt Moylan the pick of the bunch, at least so far!
6. Hull KR
Into the sides who are ‘more favoured than most’ for a Grand Final triumph as we approach the new season, and
Hull KR just creep into that category as Willie Peters prepares for a second year in charge.
His first took the Robins to Wembley for the Challenge Cup final and just 80 minutes from a first Old Trafford trip, beaten by champions Wigan in the semi-finals.
KR are more than capable of a shock, but twice failed to deliver on the big stage in 2023. Losing captain Shaun Kenny-Dowall and veteran Kane Linnett this off-season won’t have helped their cause if those big opportunities arise again this year, but they have added
NRL experience in Peta Hiku amongst a host of eye-catching recruits.
5. Catalans Dragons
Beaten Grand Finalists in 2021 and 2023, the Dragons have lost some of their star quality, with Super League legend
Sam Tomkins probably the biggest loss having called time on his career given his impact both on and off the pitch.
That said, NRL quality has been added in the shape of Tariq Sims (Melbourne Storm), Jayden Nikorima (Melbourne Storm) and Bayley Sironen (New Zealand Warriors), with winger Tom Johnstone – Super League’s joint-top try-scorer in 2023 – amongst the squad.
Accordingly, positives and negatives weighed up, it’s no surprise
Catalans aren’t one of the out and out favourites for a Grand Final triumph in 2024 but are among that front pack. An interesting year awaits in Perpignan.
4. Warrington Wolves
We’re into the clubs with odds in single figures now, so the fact that
Warrington are here means the bookmakers are confident new Wolves boss Sam Burgess is going to deliver a decent 2024 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, though not quite
‘their year’.
The Wire are the club who have been involved in the most Grand Finals (4) without winning one, last featuring at Old Trafford in 2018 against Wigan.
Both
Burgess and the team have enough to prove in 2024 to warrant a bit of ‘pre-season hype’, but no club knows better how quickly that hype can transform into utter disappointment.
3. Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos have signed Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers ahead of 2024
Perhaps the surprise on this list is seeing
Leeds 3rd after not even making the play-offs last year, with Rhinos fans unhappy with both what they were seeing on and off the field throughout 2023.
On the fact of it, some great recruitment has been made at Headingley this off-season including the additions of Croft and Ackers from Salford as well as three from the NRL including
Lachlan Miller from Newcastle Knights.
With those additions, Rohan Smith has the tools at his disposal to try and mastermind an Old Trafford trip as he did in 2022, but whether he manages to is another matter. The bookmakers certainly believe he’ll come close to, the third favourites to win the whole thing!
2. St Helens
Saints have made it into at least the semi-finals in every season since 2014, winning four Grand Finals in a row between 2019 and 2022, and were very close to making it back to Old Trafford again in 2023.
No club have won more Grand Finals (9) in history, so them being 3/1 to do so again in 2024 is no surprise, the second favourites according to the bookmakers. Paul Wellens’ side will be without
James Roby and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook this year though for the first time in what feels like forever, with the two stalwarts hanging their boots up at the end of 2023.
So far, only
Daryl Clark and Matt Whitley have been recruited along with making the signing of Tee Ritson from Barrow Raiders a permanent one.
1. Wigan Warriors
Narrowly ahead of their bitter rivals as favourites are the reigning champions,
Wigan, who notably have never gone back-to-back in Super League titles.
This year could well be the one which sees them banish that hoodoo however, well fancied by many.
Matt Peet‘s side were dominant in the second half of the 2023 season, and never really looked in danger of not going all the way, overwhelmingly stronger than the majority in both defence and attack.
We've ranked all 12 Super League clubs by order of how much they're fancied to triumph at Old Trafford in October's Grand Final according to Betfred.
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