BY GARRY SCHOFIELD
I tell you what – Hull must be big backers of IMG, because if it wasn’t for the arrival of the club-grading system, they would be in real danger of relegation from the top flight.
While Hull might have reason to like what IMG are doing, I certainly don’t, and the ridiculous situation London Broncos have found themselves in this season is part of that.
The great story of their against-the-odds promotion back to Super League immediately fell flat when the system brought in by an organisation who had spoken of the importance of growing the game in the capital meant that they were pretty much relegated before their first game kicked off.
It left the Broncos in a very difficult position, with no incentive to invest significantly in their playing squad, but knowing that a struggling side would do nothing to bring in the new fans we all thought IMG were trying to attract.
It’s a great opportunity kicked right into touch, and meant all coach Mike Eccles and the Broncos players, a good few of whom I believe are still part-time, could realistically do was embrace the challenge of being where they are, make the most of the experience and work their socks off to avoid finishing bottom and so underline how ridiculous club grading is.
That’s what they seem to be doing, and it was great to see them get that first win when they beat Hull at Plough Lane.
They weren’t far off defeating them at the MKM Stadium earlier in the season, since it was only right at the end of the game that Hull scraped their sole victory.
Mike deserves praise for the way he is working – and let’s not forget he has had the additional problem of a string of injuries – and while it will remain tough going, hopefully there will be a few more capital gains still to come.
The Broncos’ next test, at home to Hull KR, is a significantly tougher one, and even though they have had a week off while Rovers were in Challenge Cup action, I foresee an away victory by 20 points.
As for Hull, it’s a trip to Castleford, which they will see as winnable, but as I’ve said, it will take a big improvement to achieve that, and I think that particularly on their own patch, Craig Lingard’s side will have the edge, by 14.
Huddersfield host Leigh, who I reckon will benefit from their blank weekend and continue their recent run of improvement, bettering the Giants by 14.
It’s another St Helens-Leeds showdown, and having won at Headingley in both the league and Challenge Cup, it’s a Saints treble for me, this time by 28.
Catalans-Warrington is another one which seems to come around with regularity, and after victories in Perpignan and at the Halliwell Jones, I think it will three out of three for the Dragons, by a margin of ten.
That leaves Salford against Wigan, and while the Warriors might have had their semi-final while the Red Devils had a weekend off, I predict a Wigan win by seven.
