Barrie McDermott's Super League round two predictions and storylines: Luke Littler, Salford Red Devils, and more upsets?
Sky Sports Rugby League's Barrie McDermott takes you through the storylines to follow and what you can expect from round two of the Super League season; Sky Sports is the only place to watch every Super League game live this year
Thursday 20 February 2025 19:08, UK
Following a hugely eventful opening weekend in the Super League, Sky Sports Rugby League's Barrie McDermott dissects the main talking points - and previews the storylines to follow for round two...
I have kicked off my 34th season being involved in the best sport on the planet. Rugby league has given me so much - friendships, unforgettable moments, and the chance to be part of something truly special. I'm a lucky man.
Here's to another season of passion, hard work, and growing the game we all love! Who else is buzzing for 2025?
Rugby league isn't just a sport. It's a way of life. It's blood, sweat, and sacrifice. It's loyalty, community, and heart. It's standing shoulder to shoulder with your mates, through every high and every low.
- Leigh owner criticises Salford for fielding 'reserves' in 82-0 drubbing vs Saints
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The greatest game of all? Damn right it is. Bring it on!"
If you remove the St Helens vs Salford Red Devils scoreline, round one 2025 was the lowest scoring regular-season round in the last three seasons. So teams look to have focused on defence massively in the off-season.
It truly was a brilliant opening weekend and Thursday was spectacular in every aspect, even without a try scored I was enthralled. It was great to see The Brick Community Stadium so full. Leigh were also awesome! I had them outside the top 6 but on that evidence, they could prove everybody wrong.
Interestingly, out of the six matches, four of the wins came away from home with Castleford Tigers coming so close against Hull KR too before that agonising golden point drop goal from Mikey Lewis.
Danny McGuire's men deserve a lot of credit for pushing HKR close after their humiliating defeat to Bradford Bulls in the Challenge Cup.
Wakefield were my dark horses and they proved to be just that. Head coach Daryl Powell has a proven track record for making his teams genuinely hard to beat and Trinity look like they are on that path too.
Then, Hull had the most difficult start to go to Catalans and they outplayed the Dragons at home. Fans of the black and whites can be cautiously optimistic.
Overall, though, my highlight from round one was the legendary Michael Buffer. I'm a big boxing fan anyway but his intro was a fitting start to what was an out-and-out slug-fest.
So, why is that 1-0 so interesting...
The first 1-0 in Super League history! Why is it so epic?
A 1-0 scoreline is an anomaly for us because you can pretty much guarantee when you go and watch a game of rugby league, you're going to see some tries, you're going to see some fast, quick players running into space, running into gaps and scoring tries.
It's not basketball, it's not happening every 30-40 seconds, but with rugby league, most of the time you can turn up expecting that, but Friday was something different.
Both sets of players had had enough time in the pre-season to set out a plan for their opposition, but at this time of year, every team is very much focusing on themselves.
I thought we saw an amazing defensive display from both sides, and I thought we saw a will and a desire that if both teams go into that next week, they've got a good chance of beating whoever they play.
What can we expect from round two? Barrie's predictions
Thursday February 20: Wakefield Trinity vs Hull KR, Sky Sports Action (8pm KO)
Hull KR are coming off a solid win against Castleford, so confidence will be high. Wakefield, meanwhile, stunned Headingley last week-proving they're not here to make up the numbers. With Mikey Lewis pulling the strings, Rovers should have too much for Wakey.
Prediction: Hull KR by six.
Friday February 21: Hull FC vs Wigan Warriors. Sky Sports+ (8pm KO)
Hull FC were brilliant at Catalans last week, which is a sentence we don't say often. They looked fit, disciplined, and hungry. Wigan, on the other hand, don't lose often, let alone two in a row.
They'll be desperate to bounce back before flying to Vegas, and when Wigan have a point to prove, they are a scary prospect.
Prediction: Wigan by 10.
Friday February 21: Warrington Wolves vs Catalans Dragons, Sky Sports Action (8pm KO)
Warrington got the job done against Huddersfield but weren't convincing. Catalans, meanwhile, were poor against Hull FC, and they look to be misfiring with the ball early in the season.
If Wire find their attacking rhythm they should get the job done, but expect a tough battle.
Prediction: Warrington by 7.
Saturday February 22: Salford Red Devils vs Leeds Rhinos, Sky Sports+ (3pm KO)
Salford were hammered at Saints and will want a 'happy Saturday' as well as the Happy Mondays. Leeds, however, were embarrassed by Wakefield and will be determined to make amends.
If the Rhinos turn up with the right attitude they should have too much for Salford.
Prediction: Leeds by 12.
Saturday February 22: Castleford Tigers vs St Helens, Sky Sports+ (8pm KO)
Castleford gave everything against Hull KR and will take a lot from it. The bad news? Saints were on fire last week, and when they hit top gear, they're ruthless.
The Tigers will battle hard, but Saints should have too much in attack.
Prediction: St Helens by 14.
Sunday February 23: Leigh Leopards vs Huddersfield Giants, Sky Sports+ (2.30pm KO)
Leigh looked good in their opening win, and their ground will be rocking for their first home game. Huddersfield put in a big effort against Warrington, but the Leopards' energy should see them home in another tight contest.
Prediction: Leigh by 6.
Storylines to follow in round two:
The Littler effect...
It will be a brilliant night celebrating Littler on Friday and he's a great kid as well. You can see a mile off, he's been brought up well, he comes across as somebody with good values, good principles and that's something that's aligned with our game completely.
Those darts players and the experience that everybody has when they go and watch a darts match is something that we're trying to tap into as a sport.
There is Michael Smith, Stephen Bunting, and Dave Chisnall from St Helens so a lot of darts players have as much appreciation for us as we do for them. I hope that that association and that relationship grows stronger.
I'm just looking forward to a bouncing atmosphere.
A healthy competition...
The sign of healthy competition is close scorelines and shock upsets and round one certainly had that.
Something that Jon Wilkin said I really like and I completely agree with him is that we are getting everybody to raise their standards and raise their levels instead of dropping the bar to catch those low achieving clubs.
That's something we've got to strive to do.
Overall, last year there were a lot of races and a lot of things that were always in the balance until the end of the season. That's what we've got to strive for.
We can't just have four names on that Super League trophy. Hopefully there's a different one at the end of the year.
Sky Sports will again show every game of the Super League live this season - including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining four matches each week shown on Sky Sports+
