Super League / George Riley / 04 June 2009 / Leave a comment

Super League's season of surprises has yielded some terrific value for Betfair punters, and the big sides could again be under threat in round 15. So where will George Riley float his fiver this week?

The top three all have tricky away fixtures, with champions Leeds heading to the South of France, St Helens at Hull in a repeat of the 2006 Grand Final, and surprise flyers Hull KR going to fourth place Huddersfield.

All three should win, but I believe one will slip up.

Hull are trading at a ludicrous [5.3] to topple the Super League leaders [1.12] on Friday night. The Black and Whites were visibly fragile in their thumping defeat at Leeds in round 14, but will have benefited from a week off. Saints effectively enjoyed a breather last weekend as they romped past part-timers Gateshead into the Challenge Cup semis.

There's an extra spice about this fixture with Sean Long's announcement this week that he will leave Saints for Hull at the end of the season, and I'd expect him to sparkle in front of his future fans. Few will fancy Hull here, but on their day they can beat anyone in the country, so if Richard Agar's side continue to trade at such value then I'll be floating my weekly £5 gamble at the KC Stadium. Saints are unbackable and should prevail, but on a week in which the England squad was named, expect several players to stand up and make their point to Tony Smith with some eye-catching performances.

Leeds walloped the Catalans Dragons at Murrayfield last month. Their first-half display, which I watched from the touchline, that day was awesome. The [1.22] does appear a little short though for the banana skin trip to Perpignan, and the French side will fancy their chances at [2.58] on Saturday. Rhinos pair Ryan Hall and Matt Diskin will be buoyed by their England calls to play France in 10 days and they will have the perfect chance to see what the France side is all about against a strong Dragons.

I expect this one to be fierce, but the way Leeds have defended their line recently, I can't see Brian McLennan's side coming unstuck, no matter how hot the conditions at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

So of the top three Hull KR are perhaps most at risk of stumbling. The Giants host Justin Morgan's side in Friday night's TV game and I'm expecting a big Huddersfield performance.

The Giants reached the cup semis last weekend, Rovers were knocked out. I like Nathan Brown's side at [2.2], and take them to edge out the [1.91] Rovers. A first ever England call for hooker Scotty Moore, and a cap too for big Earl Crabtree show how dominant the Giants pack has been this season and I think that will give the home side the initiative against high-flying Rovers.

Peter Fox and Shaun Briscoe are buzzing after their England calls for Rovers and they have to continue their terrific attacking efforts if Rovers are to justify their favouritism at the Galpharm.

Wigan play Salford in the night's other fixture, just a week after the Warriors dumped the Reds out of the Cup with ease, winning 28-6. That always looked like being the case in a competition Wigan have owned over the year, but this weekend should be closer. That said I can't see anything changing with Wigan [1.08] to beat Salford at [2.5].

Castleford v Warrington looks a belter on Saturday. The Wolves made history with Lee Briers golden point drop goal to knock Hull KR out of the Cup, while Castleford lost a lead in their 18-6 defeat to Huddersfield.

Warrington are very much a different proposition under Tony Smith these days but their coach has been otherwise engaged in picking his England squad this week. I can tell you Smithy was also livid that his squad list was leaked to the media 24 hours before the official announcement. Wolves are the form horses but I don't like them at [1.51]. I'd make this a 50-50 call at the Jungle, and can't get my head around why Cas are trading at [2.42]. The Tigers are missing Brent Sherwin but Rangi Chase is on fire, and Mitchell Sargent is dominating up front. At those odds I have to go with the home side.

Harlequins at home have to be the call to deny Celtic Crusaders a second win. Quins are unbackable at [1.03], and although [4.3] about a Crusaders side who won at Bradford is hugely tempting, I've seen Quins squeeze teams at The Stoop several times this year and don't expect the Londoners to slip up. Crusaders play with real flair so a couple of quid on those odds may not be a bad shout, but a victory for John Dixon's side would be a surprise.

Bradford and Wakefield complete the round on Sunday. Bulls are favourites at [1.51], but Wakefield finally snapped out of their losing streak by putting 50 on Celtic Crusaders in last weekend's rearranged game at Bridgend. I fancy Wakey at [2.12] but the fitness of centre Ryan Atkins could be a factor. Ryan was bouncing after his England call when he called me on Tuesday but he's worried a rib injury may jeopardise his chances. As such Wildcats coach John Kear says it is Ryan's call as to whether to play this weekend and they may struggle without him.