Coach: Francis Cummins
It’s been another turbulent off-season for the Bulls, with questions surrounding their ownership arising again.
However, astute close-season signings of Garreth Carvell, Dale Ferguson, Luke George and Lee Gaskell amongst others should help them push for the top eight. That could all be dependent though, on whether their financial troubles stay away.
Prediction: Financial issues may well hinder their play-off push
Coach: Daryl Powell
Tigers boss Daryl Powell has been busy since the end of last season, signing a whole host of new faces for the 2014 Super League season.
Luke Dorn returns to the club from London, while Andy Lynch and Brett Seymour are two of their big name acquisitions. Liam Finn also joins Castleford from local rivals Featherstone to add even more competition in the halves. They finished 12th last season, and despite the new faces, a top eight finish might be too much to ask this time around.
Prediction: Fall short of a spot in the play-offs
Coach: Laurent Frayssinous
Catalan lost Steve Menzies, Damien Blanch and Remi Casty at the end of last season, but have gained Jeff Lima, who proved a big-hit during his last spell in Super League with Wigan.
They finished 7th in 2013, a disappointing finish considering their growth over recent years, which saw them finish 4th the year before.Their home form will be vital if they are going to push further up the league this time around.
Prediction: Play-offs, but not pushing for top 4
Coach: Lee Radford
Lee Radford has stepped up from assistant to head coach following Peter Gentle’s sacking after Hull FC’s embarrassing 76-18 play-off defeat at the hands of the Giants last season.
Radford has wasted no time in bringing in a whole host of new faces, including Mickey Paea from city-rivals Hull KR, Chris Tuson, Tom Biggs from rugby union and former Wigan forward Iafeta Palea'aesina. Their business should make them strong enough to secure a play-off spot again.
Prediction: Between 6th and 8th
Coach: Craig Sandercock
Like their rivals, Hull KR have made a number of new signings for the 2014 season, including Papua New Guinea captain Neville Costigan and former-Bradford man Jamie Langley, whilst Ben Cockayne returns to the club from Wakefield.
They finished 8th last time around, but will have a tough ask to make the play-offs again, given the loss of key man Michael Dobson as well as Salford’s big-spending and expected rise up the Super League table.
Prediction: Just miss out on the top 8
Coach: Brian McDermott
The signing of England winger Tom Briscoe from Hull FC means Leeds should have one of the most potent back lines.
Brian McDermott has also brought in hooker Paul Aiton from Wakefield, with Paul McShane going the other way. They should score plenty of tries with their youthful, pacy backs, and as usual, they will no doubt be in the mix at the business end of the season.
Prediction: Top 4 with another play-off surge
Coach: Tony Rea
There was speculation London might not even compete in Super League this year, but the capital club confirmed their desire to take part, and also announced a groundshare with Barnet FC.
They suffered a mass exodus after the 2013 season, including captain Tony Clubb and Dan Sarginson to Wigan, and Chris Bailey and Antonio Kaufusi to Huddersfield along with many others leaving the club. Their recruitment includes former Giant Scott Moore, George Griffin from Hull KR and a number of loans.
Prediction: Bottom
Coach: Brian Noble
Salford owner Dr Marwan Koukash certainly has big ambitions for his club, and he put his money where his mouth is in the close-season, allowing Brian Noble to bring in a number of high-quality signings.
Rangi Chase, Adrian Morley, Gareth Hock and Harrison Hansen were among those signed from Super League clubs, whilst Junior S’au and Steve Rapira have joined from Down Under. With a number of experienced players in their ranks, they could well be a real force this season.
Prediction: A top 6 finish
Coach: Nathan Brown
After a sluggish start to life at Saints in 2013, former-Huddersfield coach Nathan Brown’s side found their feet as the season progressed, and suffered a heartbreaking 11-10 loss to Leeds in the play-offs.
Big-name NRL signings Luke Walsh and Mose Masoe from Penrith will add to an already talented squad, who could push for a trophy in 2014.
Prediction: Just miss out on top 4, but challenge for silverware
Coach: Richard Agar
Richard Agar has had to contend with losing a number of his main men in the off-season, but importantly, he managed to keep hold of talismanic captain Danny Kirmond.
Paul McShane has been brought in from Leeds, as has Samoa international Pita Godinet. The loss of influential players will probably stop the Wildcats from mounting a play-off push.
Prediction: Second bottom
Coach: Tony Smith
For the first time in over 15 years, Warrington will have to do without Lee Briers, who announced his retirement from the game after the 2013 season. They also lost experienced forwards Adrian Morley and Garreth Carvell to Salford and Bradford respectively.
Tony Smith surprised many by bringing speedster Kevin Penny back to the club, but new signing Matty Russell impressed immensely for Scotland at the World Cup. Roy Asotasi joins from South Sydney Rabbitohs, and once again, the Wolves will be serious contenders for both major trophies.
Prediction: Top
Coach: Denis Betts
Widnes have gradually improved under Denis Betts since returning to Super League, finishing 10th last season.
The signings of Paul Johnson and Danny Tickle from Hull add experience and depth to their pack, while they’ve also brought in Danny Galea from NRL side Canterbury Bulldogs.
They may well spring even more surprises in 2014, but could just fall short of making the play-offs.
Prediction: More improvements, but no top 8 finish
Coach: Shaun Wane
Wigan have lost a number of their key men, none more highly documented than Sam Tomkins’ world-record move to New Zealand Warriors. But, they lost important players before the start of last season, yet still went on to win both the Challenge Cup and the Grand Final.
Tomkins’ replacement - Matty Bowen - is their high-profile signing from the NRL, whilst they also shelled out a transfer fee to bring in highly-rated John Bateman from Bradford. Despite their losses in personnel, Shaun Wane will no doubt make his side a force to be reckoned with once again.
Prediction: Top 3 finish
