WHAT a finale to the Betfred Super League season!

And isn’t it just great to be a Saint!

Winning the leaders Shield is one of the few issues settled at this stage with one round to go of the regular season.

It is all to play for to sort out the top five places with Wigan now most likely to end up second, although fifth place Castleford will be out to cause an upset when they visit the Warriors on Thursday ahead of a series of key games on Friday.

Title sponsors Betfred naturally have Saints as clear 4/5 favourites to win the Grand Final with holders Wigan 11/4, Warrington 5/1, Salford 16/1, Castleford 20/1 and Hull FC at 40/1.

Having studying the last round fixtures including our game at Hull FC, here is my prediction for the top five in order- Saints, Wigan, Warrington, Salford and Castleford!

That being based on us finishing the regular season in style at the KC Stadium, Wigan turning over Cas, who will snatch 5th over Hull on superior points difference, Warrington beating Leeds, who are one of only two teams along with Catalan who have nothing to play for. Super League form team Salford to finish 4th after defeating Hull KR, and as previously mentioned Cas Tigers taking the 5th and final spot in the playoffs.

So to the bottom of the table, and it could hardly be tighter with amazingly four clubs locked on 20 points going into the last 80mins of the season.

London Broncos certainly put the cat among the pigeons with that tremendous, morale-boosting 20-16 win at Hull KR.

That gives them a lifeline but they are now at Wakefield, who along with HKR and Huddersfield, are battling to avoid relegation into the Betfred Championship.

I’m predicting the Broncos, everybody’s favourites for the drop at the start of the season to survive by the skin of their teeth with a win over Wakefield, Huddersfield to beat the awful Catalan Dragons, and Salford to defeat Hull KR to confirm their place in 3rd or 4th, which due to points difference would see the Humbersiders relegated.

Back to Saints...and after much speculation we welcome Kristian Woolf as the new head coach from 2020 season following Justin Holbrook’s return to the NRL, a great signing.Finally, congratulations are in order to Jonny Lomax on picking up the Albert Goldthorpe Medal – the first Saints player to win it since 2008.

I said a few week ago in my column that Jonny was probably the most consistent performer in the Betfred Super League. He has taken his game to another level this year, and been a key figure in Saints winning the regular season by such a margin. Let’s hope he can continue that form all the way to Old Trafford on the 12 October.

#COYS