After what feels like it has been a lightning fast season, there are just four rounds of the regular Super League season remaining with two clear races still ongoing. The battle for the minor premiership is between three sides with Hull KR, Wigan Warriors and the Warrington Wolves all with a chance of securing top spot but perhaps a more intriguing battle is the one just behind them as five clubs battle for the remaining three places in the play-offs, the dividing line between a successful and failed season.

Salford are in the best position, two points clear of their nearest rivals for the places in St Helens and the Catalans Dragons, both of whom have had a big dip in their recent form, while the Leigh Leopards and Leeds Rhinos are ready to pounce should any of those sides above them slip up on the run in.

We take a look at the remaining fixtures and make our get as to the sides making the top six spots on the night of the 20th September.

The league table, from fourth to eighth, sees the five sides in contention separated by just four league points with Leigh and Leeds a point and two points adrift respectively.

Salford Red Devils

Salford are best positioned and need to win three of their remaining fixtures to ensure a top six finish. Next up for them is Hull KR (A) and we predict that they will come unstuck in that game but that they will emerge victorious from their following two games against the Catalans (H) and Hull FC (A), Their final game of the regular season is on the road against Wigan and we think that they will also lose that and end the season on 32 league points, with a small improvement to their overall points difference of around twenty.

St Helens

Saints have been going through a poor patch of form with lots of injuries and suspensions causing Paul Wellens some massive headaches. They are away at Huddersfield this weekend and we can’t see anything other than a win for the red vee while a trip to Warrington in round 25 will see then rack up another loss. A home game against Castleford will see them take the spoils but we also think that they will lose their last game of the season at Leigh to end the season on 30 points with a massive points difference of around +240.

Catalans Dragons

Steve McNamara’s side are also in the doldrums and we see little relief in their next two games, Wigan Warriors (H) and Salford Red Devils (A) but they have the easiest final two games of the season possible, London Broncos (H) and Hull FC (A) which will see them end the regular season with two big wins and thirty points with a +50 improvement in their points difference.

Leigh Leopards

After an awful start to the season the Leopards have been little short of sensational in the last couple of months as Adrian Lam’s side reach peak form when it matters. We believe that their luck will run out against the Warrington Wolves (H) at the weekend, but they will pick up a win against the Castleford Tigers (A) the following week. Round twenty-six brings a home game against Hull KR and another loss as the Robins push for the top of the table, while a mouthwatering last game of the season will see them take a famous home victory over top six rivals St Helens for a total of twenty-nine league points and a slightly enhanced points difference.

Leeds Rhinos

A point behind Leigh, Leeds quest is the toughest of the five but Brad Arthur definitely has his side playing a different style of rugby to that of his predecessor. Next up for the Rhinos is a trip to London followed by a home game against Hull FC and we think that they will pick up four points from these two games to momentarily lift them into top spot. Round twenty-six is a trip to Wigan to take on a Warriors side which they have fared well against in 2024 and we think that they will pick up another win but then they will suffer defeat in the final game of their season away at Champions elect Hull KR. A final tally of thirty points and an enhanced points difference of +77 will end out a very mixed season, but it will be too little and too late.

The final league table middle. based on our best guesses for the remaining fixtures would, we believe, look like this.

We predict that it will be the current incumbents, the Red Devils, St Helens and the Dragons who complete the top six with the Rhinos missing out on points difference to the two sides above them, and Leigh leaving their late season surge just a little too late to make the play-offs.