WRAP UP: 2024 Betfred Super League Round 1

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A look back over Round 1 of the 2024 Betfred Super League season with Justin Davies.

All listed times are AEST (NSW/QLD/VIC/ACT).

RELATED: See the full list of 2024 Betfred Super League Draw and Results.

Hull FC 0 Hull KR 22
Venue: MKM Stadium, Hull
Crowd: 20014
Date: Thursday 15 February 2024 at 8:00pm

Hull FC (0)

Hull Kingston Rovers (22)
Tries: Niall Evalds 2, Kelepi Tanginoa, Matt Parcell, Mikey Lewis
Goals: Peta Hiku 1/5

Hull FC: Walker, Martin, Sutcliffe, Scott, McIntosh; Smith, Brown; Ese'ese, Houghton (C), Pele, Okunbor, Sao, Cator. Int: Hoy, Lane, Ashworth, Brown.
Hull KR: Hiku, Evalds, Opacic, Gildart, Hall; May, Lewis; Hadley, Litten, Whitbread, Tanginoa, Batchelor, Minchella (C). Int: Sue, King, Parcell, Aydin.

Hull KR take bragging rights in wild affair against Hull FC

Hull KR took home the spoils in their 22-0 win against Hull FC in the derby contest which opened the 2024 season.

The 2024 Super League kicked off in wild fashion. The derby contest between Hull KR and Hull FC saw two send-offs and two sin bins in an intense affair.

It was a fast start from Hull KR who gave the ball some air before finding finisher Niall Evalds to make it 4-0.

Things went from bad to worse for Hull FC. Herman Ese'ese was sent to the bin for a reckless high tackle then KR doubled their delight through Kelepi Tanginoa.

The visitors underlined their dominance with a try late in the half. Mikey Lewis showed off his dazzling feet to go over for 14-0.

There was one final flash point in the first half for Hull FC. Franklin Pele was given his marching orders after a swinging arm left them down to 12.

The Rovers took time to make advantage of the card. They went through the front door on several plays before Matt Parcell dived over.

In such a feisty affair, both teams ended up losing players. Parcell was binned for Hull KR while Ligi Sao was the second Hull FC player sent off.

Hull KR rounded off the dominant win with another four-pointer. They went through the hands again and Evalds had the simple finish.

Leeds Rhinos 22 Salford Red Devils 16
Venue: AMT Headingley Stadium, Leeds
Crowd: 15126
Date: Friday 16 February 2024 at 8:00pm

Leeds Rhinos (22)
Tries: Ash Handley 2, Sam Lisone
Goals: Rhyse Martin 5

Salford Red Devils (16)
Tries: Oliver Partington, Cade Cust
Goals: Marc Sneyd 4

Leeds: Miller, Roberts, Newman, Momirovski, Handley; Croft, Frawley; Oledzki, Ackers, Donaldson, Goudemand, Martin, Smith (C). Int: Sangaré, Lisone, Bentley, O'Connor.
Salford: Brierley, Hankinson, Macdonald, Lafai, Cross; Cust, Sneyd; Ormondroyd, Bourouh, Singleton, Watkins (C), Stone, Partington. Int: Atkin, Shorrocks, Wright, Hellewell.

Rhinos take the chocolates in see-sawing contest against Red Devils

Leeds Rhinos won 22-16 in a tight tussle against Salford Red Devils at AMT Headingley Stadium on Friday night.

It was the Red Devils who hit the scoreboard first. Marc Sneyd booted through a penalty goal to make it 2-0.

Brodie Croft who switched from the Red Devils to the Rhinos in the off-season helped them level up the score.

The halfback was hit high and it saw Ryan Brierley binned then sharpshooter Rhyse Martin stepped up to make it 2-all.

Despite the disadvantage Salford went ahead again. The ball was grubbered through and Cade Cust was able to touch down after video referee intervention.

Leeds counter-attacked in style. They caught a high kick on the wing before it was swung to Ash Handley who ran the distance for 8-all.

Salford nudged again before half-time again. Oliver Partington sold the crowd a dummy then was able to plant the ball down.

Martin showed off all the skills to get the Rhinos back in the contest after the break. He kicked through then Handley was able to corral the ball for his second.

It was the Rhinos turn to be down to 12 after Paul Momirovski was binned for a shoulder charge. Sneyd inched them ahead with subsequent penalty goal for 16-14.

Next, the Red Devils had their second man binned. Amir Bourouh paid for holding on too long which allowed Martin to kick his fourth goal.

The Rhinos took home the win with a late four-pointer. Sam Lisone kept his legs moving and charged over for the 22-16 win.

St Helens 40 London Broncos 4
Venue: Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens
Crowd: 14058
Date: Friday 16 February 2024 at 8:00pm

St Helens (40)
Tries: Matt Whitley 2, Jonny Lomax, Thomas Makinson, Daryl Clark, Alex Walmsley, Jack Welsby, Lewis Dodd
Goals: Mark Percival 3, Thomas Makinson

London Broncos (4)
Tries: Robbie Storey

St Helens: Welsby, Makinson, Hurrell, Percival, Blake; Lomax (C), Dodd; Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Whitley, Sironen, Bell. Int: Mata'utia, Wingfield, Delaney, Davies.
London: Leyland, Kershaw, Storey, Miloudi, Macani; Campagnolo, Meadows; Butler, Davis, Kennedy, Lovell (C), Adebiyi, Parata. Int: Stock, Williams, Waine, Davies.

Saints march past the Broncos in opener

St Helens flexed their muscles in a 40-4 win against promoted London Broncos at Totally Wicked Stadium on Friday night.

The Saints have the Broncos a harsh reality check in their first game back in the Super League with a thumping.

They were in fine form from the opening whistle. Lewis Dodd was able to finish a break for the first four-pointer then Jack Welsby sliced through to make it 10-0.

It was a simple bust from Matty Lees who found an onrushing Alex Warmsley who strode over for the score.

Tommy Makinson rounded off a superb first half from the Saints. He took a floating pass and strolled over for 20-0.

The Broncos did start the second half in the perfect manner. They kicked through twice then it ended with Robbie Storey going over.

Otherwise, it was one-way traffic. St Helens piled on four tries in the second half to register the biggest win of Round 1.

Matt Whitley got himself a double while Jonny Lomax and Daryl Clark got over the stripe in a win as they look to reestablish themselves at the top of Super League.

Leigh Leopards 8 Huddersfield Giants 16
Venue: Leigh Sports Village Stadium, Leigh
Crowd: 8508
Date: Friday 16 February 2024 at 8:00pm

Leigh Leopards (8)
Tries: Tom Briscoe, Josh Charnley

Huddersfield Giants (16)
Tries: Adam Milner, Esan Marsters, Elliot Wallis
Goals: Oliver Russell 2

Leigh: O'Brien, Briscoe, Hardaker, Leutele, Charnley; Moylan, Lam; Amone, Ipape, Mulhern, O'Donnell, Hughes, Asiata (C). Int: Norman, Davis, Halton, Nakubuwai.
Huddersfield: Connor, Swift, Marsters, Naiqama, Wallis; Clune, Russell; Hill (C), Milner, Ikahihifo, Murchie, Hewitt, Cudjoe. Int: Golding, English, Wilson, Salabio.

Giants fend off Leopards to get off the mark

Huddersfield Giants won 16-8 in their game against Leigh Leopards down at Leigh Sports Village on Friday night.

The Leopards were one of the surprise packets of 2023 and they hoped to take another step towards more silverware in 2024.

It was the Giants who had a tough 2023 campaign who struck first in the game. The kick was piloted high and rumbled around before Esan Marsters scored.

The hosts responded with their own four-pointer from a kick. It was punched through and Josh Charnley was on hand to touch down for 6-4.

The Giants extended their advantage to eight before the break. Adam Milner caught the defense napping and nudged over.

They further added to their advantage in the second. A sublime backline movement ended with Elliot Wallis diving over in the corner for 16-4.

Leigh did give their fans some late hope after Tim Briscoe was able to touch down in the corner from another well worked backline move.

Huddersfield Giants held on in the final moments and they registered their first win the 2024 season in the opening weekend.

Castleford Tigers 4 Wigan Warriors 32
Venue: The Jungle, Castleford
Crowd: 10170
Date: Saturday 17 February 2024 at 5:30pm

Castleford Tigers (4)
Goals: Daniel Richardson 2/2

Wigan Warriors (32)
Tries: Liam Marshall 2, Kruise Leeming, Bevan French, Patrick Mago
Goals: Harry Smith 5/6, Adam Keighran 1/1

Castleford: Hooley, Qareqare, Broadbent, Wood, Senior; Richardson, Miller; Lawler, Horne, Putt, El-Zakhem, Tasipale, Westerman (C). Int: Simm, Watts, Hall, Mustapha.
Wigan: Field, Miski, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; French, Smith; Thompson, O'Neill, Byrne, Isa, Farrell (C), Ellis. Int: Cooper, Mago, Leeming, Dupree.

Warriors tame Tigers to open their title defence

Super League Champions Wigan Warriors won 32-4 against Castleford Tigers at Mend-A-Hose Jungle on Saturday night.

The two sides traded penalty goals in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Harry Smith kicked Warriors ahead then Danny Richardson leveled it up for the Tigers.

Another shrill of the whistle brought about another penalty goal. Castleford kicked their second through Richardson to make it 4-2.

Both teams also found themselves on the wrong side of the officials in the first half. Smith got binned for Wigan then Liam Watts was sent off for the hosts.

From there, the Warriors went on a rampage. They leveled it up at 4-all then added two more scores to make it 16-4 at the break.

Patrick Mago gave them back the lead after cleaning up the scraps then he turned provider for Bevan French in the corner.

The Warriors continued to make their advantage tell in the second half. Liam Marshall weaved past the defense to make it 20-4.

They kept piling on the points in the contest. Kruise Leeming was on the inside to clean up another kick then Marshall scored his second to round it off.

Catalans Dragons 16 Warrington Wolves 10
Venue: Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan
Crowd: 8876
Date: Saturday 17 February 2024 at 6:30pm

Catalans Dragons (16)
Tries: Jordan Abdull, Arthur Mourgue
Goals: Arthur Mourgue 4/4

Warrington Wolves (10)
Tries: Matt Dufty, Arron Lindop
Goals: Josh Drinkwater 1/2

Catalans: Mourgue, Davies, Romano, Ikuvalu, Johnstone; Abdull, Fages; Navarrete, McIlorum, Bousquet, Sims, Séguier, McMeeken. Int: Nikorima, Sironen, Satae, Dezaria.
Warrington: Dufty, Lindop, King, Wrench, Ashton; Williams (C), Drinkwater; Harrison, Walker, Musgrove, Currie, Fitzgibbon, Crowther. Int: Vaughan, Philbin, Dudson, Powell.

Dragons get past the Wolves in home opener

Catalans Dragons kicked off their season with a 16-10 win against Warrington Wolves at Stade Gilbert Brutus on Saturday night.

The visitors were the first on the scoreboard in this game. Wolves kept it alive on last and debutant Arron Lindop provided the acrobatic finish.

It was arm wrestle in the first half and the Dragons only found the stripe late in the half. Jordan Abdull put up the kick which Matt Dufty spilled and scooped up the scraps to make it 6-4.

The second half couldn't have started worse for the Dragons. Michael McIllorum was sent off for a shoulder charge.

The Dragons despite being down 12 were able to extend their lead. Abdull again was heavily involved as Arthur Mourgue sliced through for 14-4.

Running it on last paid dividends again for the Wolves. Former NRL stars Paul Vaughan and Matt Dufty linked up with the latter going over to make it 14-10.

Catalans were able to see out the rest of the game for a vital two points. Mourgue piloted through a pair of penalty goals in the second half for the final score.

Table after Round 1

RELATED: Click here to view the current Betfred Super League ladder.

Disciplinary charges

Herman Ese'Ese (Hull FC) - Grade D Head Contact - 2 Match Penalty Notice & £250 Fine
Jayden Okunbor (Hull FC) - Grade B Dangerous Contact - £250 Fine
Franklin Pele (Hull FC) - Grade E Head Contact - Refer to Tribunal
Matt Parcell (Hull KR) - Grade B Other Contrary Behaviour - 1 Match Penalty Notice
Ligi Sao (Hull FC) - Grade D Other Contrary Behaviour - 3 Match Penalty Notice & £250 Fine
Tom Amone (Leigh Leopards) - Grade C Head Contact - 2 Match Penalty Notice
Jack Hughes (Leigh Leopards) - Grade B Dangerous Contact - £250 Fine
Ricky Leutele (Leigh Leopards) - Grade B Head Contact - 1 Match Penalty Notice
Zak Hardaker (Leigh Leopards) - Grade B Dangerous Contact - £250 Fine
Ryan Brierley (Salford Red Devils) - Grade C Head Contact - 1 Match Penalty Notice
Charbel Tasipale (Castleford Tigers) - Grade C Head Contact - 1 Match Penalty Notice
Harry Smith (Wigan Warriors) - Grade B Dangerous Throw/Lift - £250 Fine
Liam Watts (Castleford Tigers) - Grade E Head Contact - Refer to Tribunal
Michael McIlorum (Catalans Dragons) - Grade E Head Contact - Refer to Tribunal
Jordan Crowther (Warrington Wolves) - Grade C Other Contrary Behaviour - 1 Match Penalty Notice
Paul Seguier (Catalans Dragons) - Grade D Head Contact - 2 Match Penalty Notice and £250 Fine

Operational rules tribunal

Hull FC's Franklin Pele will miss three matches and teammate Ligi Sao one following tonight's independent Operational Rules tribunals.

Pele was referred to tribunal on a Grade E Head Contact Charge after being dismissed in the opening round of the Betfred Super League against Hull KR. He challenged the grading, which was adjudged to be correct. He is also fined £750. 

Sao was charged with Grade D Other Contrary Behaviour during the same match, but successfully challenged the grading, which was lowered to B. He is fined £250.

Ryan Brierley will be available for Salford Red Devils' next match after his Grade C Head Contact charge was downgraded to B on appeal. He is, however, fined £250. 

Castleford Tigers' Liam Watts will miss his side's next four matches, having failed to have his Grade E Head Contact charge downgraded at tonight's independent Operational Rules Tribunals. 

Watts pleaded guilty to contact with the head of an opponent during Saturday's Betfred Super League match against Wigan Warriors and the tribunal decided that the original Match Review Panel grading should stand. Tigers' teammate Charbel Tasipale, however, saw his head contact charge downgraded from C to B and is free to play this weekend. The players are fined £750 and £250 respectively.

Catalans Dragons' duo Michael McIlorum and Paul Seguier are banned for four matches and one match respectively following independent Operational Rules Tribunals this evening. 

McIlorum was unsuccessful in challenging a charge of Grade E Head Contact during Saturday's Betfred Super League match against Warrington Wolves. Seguier, however, saw his Grade D Head Contact charge downgraded to C on appeal. He is fined £250, whilst McIlorum is fined £750. 

Further hearings are taking place throughout the evening. 

Earlier today, the following players accepted Match Review Panel-imposed penalty notices. 

Herman Ese'Ese (Hull FC) - Head Contact - Grade D - 2 Matches - £250 Fine
Jayden Okunbor (Hull FC) - Dangerous Contact - Grade B - £250 Fine
Harry Smith (Wigan Warriors) - Dangerous Throw/Lift - Grade B - £250 Fine
Jordan Crowther (Warrington Wolves) - Other Contrary Behaviour - Grade C - 1 Match 
Coby Nichol (Cornwall) - Head Contact - Grade B - £40 fine
Lewis Hosty (Siddal) - Punching - Grade D - 2 Matches
Jarrod Sammut (Workington Town) - Dangerous Contact - Grade C - 1 Match 
Jack Stephenson (Workington Town) - Dangerous Contact - Grade B - £40 Fine
Joe Lovodua (Doncaster) - Dangerous Contact - Grade C - 1 Match
Toby Everett (Hunslet) - Head Contact - Grade B - £40 Fine
Matt Parcell (Hull KR) - Other Contrary Behaviour - Grade B - 1 Match

The following tribunals will take place on Wednesday 21 February. 

Luke Broadbent (Barrow Raiders) - Punching - Grade E
Ben O'Keefe (Oldham) - Punching - Grade D - 2 Matches 
Josh Hartshorne (Cornwall) - Punching - Grade E 
Oliver Lewis (Siddal) - Punching - Grade E
Mason Lino (Wakefield Trinity) - Striking - Grade D - 3 Matches - £125 Fine
Dean Roberts (Featherstone Rovers) - Unacceptable Language - Grade F 

The following players have had their cases deferred by a week as they do not have a game this weekend.

Tom Amone (Leigh Leopards) - Head Contact - Grade C - 2 Matches
Jack Hughes (Leigh Leopards) - Dangerous Contact - Grade B - £250 Fine
Ricky Leutele (Leigh Leopards) - Head Contact - Grade C - 1 Match
Zak Hardaker (Leigh Leopards) - Dangerous Contact - Grade B - £250 Fine