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After a rare Thursday night without Super League action, our predictions come a day later than normal, and all three writers are in agreement for five of the seven fixtures. Before diving into this week’s picks, we need to look at how last week’s picks went and in truth, they were poor. Four of seven was the best rate but Sam Cook got one more than Pete Smith, so edges atop the leaderboard heading into the final few weeks. As for this week’s action, Wigan host Wakefield in a game that has much less excitement about it now compared to just a week ago following Trinity’s big loss to St Helens. Leigh also play Bradford that night, hoping to push closer to that top four and a home play-off game. The Leopards are also looking to avoid any pressure from St Helens, who play Castleford Tigers on Saturday at 3:00 pm before Hull KR, also just four points clear of Saints, take on Toulouse Olympique. Saturday’s action finishes in France as Hull FC travel to take on Catalans and their former coach John Cartwright, who will surely be eager to prove a point. As for Sunday, Warrington look to end Huddersfield’s four-game winning streak with that game taking place at the same time as a sold-out clash between York and Leeds Rhinos. NRL lowball Super League, Hull FC’s gargantuan signing, and new title favourites – Click here to watch this week’s episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show Super League Round 24 Predictions Leigh Leopards v Bradford Bulls @ 8:00 pm on Friday 21st August Peter Smith: Leigh 24-12 Bradford Expect a drop-off from Leigh after their huge effort against Leeds last week, but Bulls don’t have the troops to take advantage. Sam Cook: Leigh 38-10 Bradford A game where you probably would expect Leigh to be really comfortable and win by a large margin but when heavily fancied in games of late, they’ve failed to win by more than 10 points (York, Hull FC, Castleford). I’ll back them to break that recent trend and make a statement against an injury-hit Bulls. Sam Brocksom: Leigh 30-4 Bradford The Leopards return home after their incredible defensive display over Leeds last week. With the crowd in their favour, and Bradford low on troops, it should be a comfortable two points for Adrian Lam’s men. Wigan Warriors v Wakefield Trinity @ 8:00 pm on Friday 21st August PS: Wigan 34-10 Wakefield Trinity’s form has dipped, they are missing key players because of injury and Wigan look too strong. SC: Wigan 28-12 Wakefield All signs point to a Wigan win. They’re on a tear at the moment and Wakefield are short in key positions. The Warriors would also go top (at least temporarily) with a win and I expect a comfortable one. SB: Wigan 36-12 Wakefield The inclusions of Zac Lipowicz and potentially Emre Guler levels the pack battle slightly, but Wigan look far too good to be upset by an out-of-form Wakefield. St Helens v Castleford Tigers @ 3:00 pm on Saturday 22nd August PS: St Helens 26-14 Castleford Anything could happen with either of these two sides, but Saints must be favourites on their own turf. SC: St Helens 20-26 Castleford Two wildly unpredictable teams. Saints will hope to bottle last week’s second half up and unleash that same performance here but they face a Castleford side who have had loanees join, an assistant coach brought in, and who have already beaten Saints. I’ll take the Tigers to put the nail in Saints’ top six hopes. SB: St Helens 28-10 Castleford Saints impressed away at Wakefield, but need to do the same again if they want to keep their play-off miracle alive. Hull KR v Toulouse Olympique @ 5:30 pm on Saturday 22nd August PS: Hull KR 40-20 Toulouse Fatigue will be a factor for the Robins after their midweek game, but they should still be good enough to bounce back against French visitors whose season is petering out. SC: Hull KR 28-20 Toulouse Hull KR were dire on Tuesday night and the scoreline did not reflect just how far off the pace they were. This game isn’t so much a test of ability but of their resolve and it will be a genuine test but they should nick it. SB: Hull KR 20-18 Toulouse The Robins have shown they can win without Mikey Lewis, but can they do it without Tyrone May? I expect them to defeat Toulouse, but also to survive a huge scare. Catalans Dragons v Hull FC @ 8:00 pm on Saturday 22nd August PS: Catalans 0-0 Hull FC Two terrible sides, can’t see either of them winning it! SC: Catalans 24-20 Hull FC John Cartwright against his old club with both sides eager to prove points here but home advantage might be what seals it. SB: Catalans 24-18 Hull FC Hard to see who wins this one, it will certainly be a case of who falls over the line, but I’ve gone Catalans purely for home advantage. Warrington Wolves v Huddersfield Giants @ 3:00 pm on Sunday 23rd August PS: Warrington 24-16 Huddersfield Warrington will be weary after their outstanding midweek win at Hull KR and Giants have won their last four so this might be a shock, but the hosts should have too much class. SC: Warrington 32-18 Huddersfield If George Williams is anywhere near the levels he was at on Tuesday night then Huddersfield, four win streak or not, shouldn’t have a chance. The bigger question is if he and his teammates can cop this five-day turnaround, something they should manage. SB: Warrington 28-18 Huddersfield Wire won’t be as ruthless as they could be due to fatigue, and Huddersfield certainly won’t roll over for the Wolves. One thing is for certain, this game will be far more entertaining than the reverse fixture back in May. York Knights v Leeds Rhinos @ 3:00 pm on Sunday 23rd August PS: York 10-48 Leeds York are tough to beat at home and Leeds’ form has dropped away a little as injuries have begun to bite, but it’s must-win for Rhinos and they probably will, with something to spare. SC: York 14-36 Leeds A sold-out LNER and a double header of the men’s and women’s games, which represents a huge moment for both clubs but it will likely be Leeds who win each of the games. SB: York 20-24 Leeds I have a feeling this game could go down to the wire, a bit like Castleford v Leeds did a few weeks ago. However, unlike that day, I think Leeds have enough to scrape through. Predictions Leaderboard: 1st: Sam Cook – 130 (+4) 2nd: Peter Smith – 129 (+3) 3rd: Sam Brocksom – 119 (+4)