Super League misery continues but Wembley takeover would give Yorkshire game shot in arm - James O'Brien comment

The Robins finished fourth before bowing out at the semi-final stage of the play-offs, a shining light in an otherwise miserable campaign for the county at the top level of the men’s game.

Their Yorkshire rivals made up the bottom five, propped up by Wakefield Trinity who tumbled out of the competition with a whimper.

Not much has changed in the past eight months, Wakefield's Championship revival aside.

Rovers remain Yorkshire's best bet to reach the Grand Final with Leeds Rhinos and Huddersfield Giants seemingly no closer to challenging the cream of Super League.

For every green shoot of recovery at Castleford Tigers – one of three teams in a fight to avoid the wooden spoon – there has been a sobering reality check.

Hull FC, meanwhile, are so far off the pace that they may as well be in the Championship with Wakefield.

But for IMG's new grading system, Hull would be in serious danger of falling through the trap door.

There is a school of thought that the Black and Whites are using their Grade A licence as a security blanket as they build for the future but they are not 11th by accident.

Hull have been tumbling down Super League since 2020 and appear to have hit rock bottom following Sunday's abject loss at basement side London Broncos, completing a full set of defeats on a miserable weekend for Yorkshire's clubs.

However, with a trip to Castleford up next after the break for the Challenge Cup, that is a dangerous assumption to make.

It could get worse before it gets better for the Airlie Birds at the start of a new era under director of rugby Richie Myler.

Castleford, too, are in the early stages of a rebuild after flirting with relegation last year.

The grading system has come at a good time for the Tigers but their initial B grading leaves a cloud over their Super League status.

While there is confidence at the club as they prioritise off-field improvements, they will not know for certain which league they will be in until October.

At a time when they are trying to convince players to join their journey, it is far from ideal and may lead to Castleford being in a similar situation this time next year.

Any improvements this season have been marginal and the same could be said about Leeds.

Rohan Smith was armed with a new spine boasting former Salford Red Devils stars Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers, yet only the bottom three have scored fewer points after 11 rounds.

The pack lacks grunt and is easily dominated, which allied with a passive approach to defending is not conducive to success.

There will be exhilarating wins along the way but the Rhinos are not going to trouble their traditional rivals across a season the way they play under Smith.

Huddersfield have been more methodical than exhilarating during Ian Watson's tenure, yet have been punished for overplaying in recent weeks.

The Giants swatted aside the lesser teams in the early weeks and hinted at a brighter year in wins at Catalans Dragons and Leeds.

However, they head into Sunday's Challenge Cup semi-final against Warrington Wolves smarting from a third straight defeat, a 48-6 home drubbing by Wigan.

In each of those losses, Huddersfield conceded tries while in possession and were generally sloppy with the ball.

The Giants collapsed completely against Wigan, leaving Watson with only a matter of days to restore confidence before the biggest game of the campaign to date.

Hull KR are in a similar situation, albeit not to the same extreme, after continuing their poor away record under Willie Peters in a 20-8 defeat at Warrington.

The Robins have to go back to February 2023 for their last win outside Yorkshire, a remarkable run that cannot continue if they are to achieve Super League success.

Thankfully for Rovers, they only have to go to Doncaster for Saturday's Challenge Cup semi-final against Wigan as they bid for a return to Wembley.

KR and Huddersfield head into the last-four ties as underdogs based on last week's games but have both shown they can beat top opposition on any given day.

The Robins have seen off St Helens as well as Wigan in recent weeks, while the Giants hammered Catalans against the odds in the last round of the cup.

For all the county's struggles in Super League, June 8 could yet be a day to savour for Yorkshire.

Wakefield and Sheffield Eagles booked their Wembley tickets after progressing to the 1895 Cup final and they could be joined at the national stadium by York Valkyrie and Leeds Rhinos Women.

York face St Helens in the first Challenge Cup semi-final on Saturday before the Rhinos take on Wigan the following day.

While the Valkyrie and Leeds continue to lead the way in the Women's Super League, a clean sweep this weekend and a Wembley takeover would be just the shot in the arm the game in Yorkshire needs.