English Super League Starts This
Weekend

Bradford Bulls kick-off Super League IX when they take on Wigan on Friday in a repeat of last season's Grand Final.

The Bulls are undoubtedly the team to beat after a hugely successful 12 months.

Their defeat of Penrith in the World Club Challenge saw them grab their fourth trophy inside a year alongside the Challenge Cup, the minor Premiership and the Grand Final.

New signings Logan Swann, Toa Kohe-Love and Paul Johnson have bolstered an already strong squad and leave the Bulls confident of continued success.

Bradford skipper Robbie Paul says he is delighted with the way new signings Toa Kohe-Love, Paul Johnson and Logan Swann have adapted to life with the Bulls. "Our new signings have fitted in like a dream," Paul told BBC Sport.

"They've all slotted straight into the Bradford system and are going to be tremendous assets for the club."

Kohe-Love joined From Hull FC, Johnson was snapped up after being released by Wigan while Swann was acquired from NRL outfit New Zealand Warriors.

Bradford kick off their Super League defence against Wigan on 20 February.

And Paul said that the conditioning work the players had done during the pre-season would stand them in good stead in Super League IX.

"Our pre-season has been really tough," he said.

"We're going to come back in absolute tip-top condition because we've been flogged non-stop for the past two months.

"But it's now getting to the stage now where we can taper off the conditioning and work on honing on our skills."

But they are unlikely to get things their own way as their competitors set about relieving them of their silverware.

After last year's string of near misses, Leeds' capture of former Castleford coach Tony Smith and a squad with a healthy mixture of experience and youth provides them with a fantastic chance to end their wait for a title.

One new signing could turn Leeds into trophy winners this year, according to veteran prop Barrie McDermott. The Rhinos came within a whisker of lifting both of the domestic game's major honours last year.

But Headingley powerhouse McDermott says the appointment of Tony Smith as coach could finally lift the club beyond the ranks of also-rans.

"The change in coaching staff is going to bring out the best in everybody," McDermott said.

McDermott spent last year admiring from a distance the job that Smith was doing at unfashionable Huddersfield.

And the Great Britain international says the new man, who took over from Daryl Powell at the end of last year, has slotted perfectly into the Headingley way of life.

"He's very enthusiastic," said McDermott.

"That's not to say Daryl wasn't. It's just that sometimes you can spend so much time with a coach that, if things don't start to work and things don't come off, you have nowhere else to go.

"He has the same philosophy on the game as Daryl, the same aspirations as we have all got, but it's just a change of emphasis and a different voice.

"I think he is going to do wonders for us."

Leeds lost narrowly to old rivals Bradford in the Powergen Challenge Cup final and were beaten by Wigan in the Tetley's Super League play-offs.

Despite leading the Super League table for most of last season, reaching the Challenge Cup final and the play-off semi-finals, the Rhinos ended up empty-handed and they will be desperate for some tangible reward for their undoubted talent.

After an inconsistent 2003, St Helens are poised for a renewed push under the new captaincy of former Man of Steel Paul Sculthorpe

In action against Hull FC on Friday, Saints and their skipper have been boosted by the arrivals of Lee Gilmour and rugby union converts Maurie Fa'asavalu and Dom Feaunati.

Wigan - boosted by the signing of Danny Orr - need to overcome the absence of the injured Andy Farrell, Adrian Lam, David Hodgson and Mick Cassidy if they are to go one better than last year's Grand Final defeat.

Wigan are literally limping into the new season after being hit by a string of untimely injuries. But winger Brian Carney knows that a crowded treatment room will not pass as an excuse if the wounded Warriors do not land a major trophy in 2004.

"It's no secret that Wigan is a club that expects to win trophies," the Irishman told League Correspondent.

"Thanks to the history of this club we have pre-determined expectations and we've got to live with them."

Wigan will start the new campaign without Andy Farrell, Adrian Lam, Mick Cassidy, David Hodgson and Quentin Pongia.

But Carney is keen not to let the injury issue become a ready-made excuse if the Warriors do get off to a slow start.

"At least we know where we stand player-wise, it's not going to creep up on us like it did last year," he said.

"It's unfortunate to lose quality players like Andy Farrell and Adrian Lam, but it won't have gone unnoticed that we have signed one of the top half-backs in the country.

"Danny Orr is a great leader and director of the football.

"We'll get on with it and then hopefully the others will come back and give us a boost a little later as well."

Wigan face a tough early test with a Tetley's Super League opener against reigning champions Bradford before entertaining Widnes in the Powergen Challenge Cup.

Meanwhile, the chasing pack - comprising Hull, London Broncos and Warrington Wolves among others - are all seeking to break the hold of the big four.

Warrington and London both made the end-of-season play-offs last year, and some astute purchases from both sides suggest that could be on the cards again.

Hull's season depends on them putting an end to the miserable run of injuries that undermined their challenge last time out.

Hull skipper Jason Smith has been ruled out of action for up to four months after undergoing shoulder surgery. The 31-year-old former Australian Test forward, who misses the start of the Super League season, will not be ready to play until May at the earliest.

Smith, who plans to retire at the end of the season, says the setback will not force him to quit the game early.

"Once you have retired you don't get a second chance and therefore I wanted to have a big season this year," he said.

Smith originally suffered the injury against Bradford last April, cracking a bone in his shoulder.

He played the last five matches of the season, but aggravated the injury in a January friendly against Hull Kingston Rovers.

"I had set my sights on playing every game this season," he told the League Correspondent.

"I would love to pick up a trophy and I feel we have a real chance of challenging for something, whether it is the Challenge Cup or Grand Final.

"This is the last thing I wanted.

"I just feel everything could have been sorted out a long time ago. Had I had an operation last season I would now be fully fit and looking forward to the new season."

Castleford need to swiftly overcome the loss of Orr, while Huddersfield must shrug off the Smith's departure to Leeds.

Wakefield looked poised for a big improvement with several promising signings and Widnes will be hoping their unusual pre-season - competing in the World Sevens competition in Australia - will see them hit the ground running.

Salford bounced back from relegation to National League One at the first opportunity and will be scrapping every step of the way to avoid a repeat of their yo-yo past few years.