On paper, the league leaders had a home banker as they welcomed a hapless Hull FC to the Halliwell-Jones Stadium for a Saturday lunchtime game broadcast to a rugby hungry audience on Channel 4.

The Wolves are the only side in Super League with a  one hundred percent record in 2023 as they look for their seventh consecutive win at the start of the season while FC haven´t managed a win in March as they struggle to find any kind of form under the coaching of new boss Tony Smith.

The Wolves were big favourites to continue their great run with the pundits and bookies heavily tipping them for the win, but the Airlie Birds came into the game knowing that they must turn the corner at some point and why wouldn´t that be today?

It was a bottom half of the table four pointer as Hull FC took on the Leigh Leopards as ninth travelled to tenth as both sides looked for their third win of the season and a jump up the league table.

The Leopards won last time out but the Airlie Birds have lost their last three.

Both sides were keen for the win to get the lift of a win and move towards the top half of the table.

The bookies made the home side the favourites and had given Leigh a four-point start in the handicap coupon, but it was too nervous sides, and anything could happen.

The sides starting the evening sat in ninth and tenth spots in the fledgling Super League 2023 table met at the Totally Wicked Stadium as St Helens took on Hull FC with the prize on offer being a spot in the top half of the table.

Most pundits thought that this would be the game where Saints would restart their domestic campaign after a couple of recent blips against the Rhinos and the Leopards, while few Airlie Birds fans had any optimism about a likely successful outcome of a trip across the Pennines to take on the reigning World Champions.

Hull were given an eighteen-point start on the coupon, it was Saints opportunity to fill their boots and compound Tony Smith´s misery.

Hull FC had their hopes set on a jump from eighth to third spot in the table which would be achieved from a home win against a Salford Red Devils side who themselves knew that a decent points win could lift them from tenth to a position inside the top five as the final game of round four took place on Saturday afternoon.

Both sides suffered defeat last time out, FC being walloped by the Catalans Dragons while Salford lost to league leaders Warrington Wolves.

Both coaches made wholesale changes as they chased the result although the freezing conditions were as likely to play a role equally as important as team selection.

The game of the round saw third placed Hull FC travel to the south of France for an early Friday evening kick-off against the Catalans Dragons with both sides eyeing the top of the table but needing to record big points victories to achieve it.

The Dragons needed a thirty-seven point victory to overtake Warrington on points difference while the ask was an unlikely fifty-three point plus win.

A win for either side would lift them into second spot, at least until Hull KR took on the Leigh Leopards in an eight o´clock kick-off.

The home side were slight favourites for the win, but FC had only been given a four-point start on the handicap coupon.

After suffering an opening round defeat at the hands of the Warrington Wolves, the Rhinos had a second-round home match with Hull FC as they looked to spoil the Airlie Birds winning start to the season and pick up two points of their own to boost the Headingly faithful.

Rohan Smith made two changes to his side from last week bringing Nene Macdonald in for his debut and starting with Cameron Smith in the thirteen.

Tony Smith made just one positional switch to his winning side, with Joe Lovodua coming into the starting line-up, and Chris Satae dropping to the bench.

Leeds were slight favourites with the bookies, FC being given a four-point start on the handicap coupon.

Tony Smith´s coaching reign of his fifth Super League club got underway at Hull FC in the final game of round one as his new side took on a Castleford Tigers side coached by ex-FC boss Lee Radford.

Neither side were fancied pre-season by the bookies or pundits and came into the game anxious for a great start to calm nerves and get their supporters onside for the long season ahead.

For this game the bookies made FC the slight favourites but only gave the Tigers a two-point start on the handicap coupon.

Once again it was a large opening round crowd which greeted the sides to the pitch.

It´s been one of those seasons for Hull FC where inconsistency has tarnished a good start and has seen them slip out of the play-off positions and into the bottom half of the table.

A win in Round 23 of Super League was now crucial to see them back within shooting distance of the top six, the bad news was that they were facing the Champions as St Helens came into town.

Hull FC had been given a ten point start on the handicap coupon as the bookies favoured St Helens to collect another win which would put them a step closer to sealing the minor premiership.

A win for FC wouldn´t alter their league position, but it would move them level with the Salford Red Devils and within a point of the Leeds Rhinos in sixth spot.

It would all come down to who was the hungriest for the win.

Two sides looking anxiously over their shoulders at the chasing pack met to see who would further their claim for a play-off spot, and who would be vulnerable to being caught, as Hull FC took on their former coach as Castleford Tigers made the trip east.

A victory by more than thirty-six points would lift the home side above the visitors and into fifth in the league table, but a loss for the Airlie Birds would see them potentially dropping out of the six, depending on results elsewhere.

The bookies could barely split the two sides, making the Tigers the slight favourites, but only with a two-point difference on the handicap coupon.

It promised to be an entertaining battle.

The final game of the Magic Weekend was the Hull derby as two sides struggling for form did battle with the Robins taking on the Airlie Birds for local bragging rights.

A KR win by more than twenty-seven points would lift them above FC and into sixth place, a win of any description would see then seventh.

If FC could get the points, then they would be up to fifth, providing that the win was by four or more points.

Both sides were in dour form, struggling for points, and many supporters were arriving wondering whether it was possible for both sides to lose.

The last time that either side won was over a month ago, it didn´t bode well for the game that was bringing down the curtain on an excellent weekend.

The bookies were struggling to distinguish between the two sides, giving FC a two-point start on the coupon and showing KR as slight favourites despite them sacking their coach after last weekend´s loss to Toulouse and lots of changes to both sides.

A win for Hull FC would see them move back ahead of the Castleford Tigers and into fifth spot in the table, whilst today’s visitors, the Leeds Rhinos are still in all sorts of trouble at the wrong end of the table and still looking to secure their Super League position for next season.

Someone wise soul once said ´if the Rhinos can keep thirteen on the field for eighty minutes´ they could be dangerous´, but it´s been a long time since they´ve not been well represented at the disciplinary panel on a weekly basis.

Perhaps today would be the day.

The bookies certainly thought so and had given the home side a four-point start on the handicap coupon.

Making the Rhinos the favourites to pick up the points and lift themselves into eighth position ahead of the Magic Weekend.

Ninth played host to fifth as an embattled Warrington Wolves looked to return to winning ways against a Hull FC side seeking to cement their top five spot and establish some breathing space ahead of the red side of the city.

The Wolves haven´t won a game since the 23^rd April, just over two months ago, when the beat the Huddersfield Giants having lost the previous week against tonight´s opposition but it was the home side who were favourites for the win with the bookies, the Airlie Birds getting a six point start on the coupon.

The most nervous man in the house was Wolves coach Daryl Powell who knew that he was living on borrowed time, if not with the board, then definitely with the disgruntled fans.

It was fourth against fifth as two sides with aspirations of making Old Trafford at the end of the season with Hull FC travelling to the south of France to take on the Catalans Dragons.

A win for the visitors wouldn´t alter their league position but would put some daylight between them and their arch rivals from across the city whereas a win for the Dragons would lift them two places and back into second spot.

Both sides came into the game on the back of defeats after the Dragons lost at home to the Huddersfield Giants and FC were pipped in golden point by strugglers Wakefield Trinity after an enormous fightback.

The Dragons were the favourites for the win, but it promised to be a great battle.

Five places and ten points separated Wakefield Trinity and Hull FC coming into today’s game and with neither side able to improve their league positions with a win, they were both looking for the points for very different reasons.

Hull FC were looking to cement their place in the top six and pull further away from their Red and White neighbours in seventh spot while Wakefield were looking to make up two points on the Warrington Wolves ahead of them and put another two points between themselves and the relegation spot currently occupied by Toulouse Olympique XIII.

The home side had a six-point start on the handicap, Hull FC the favourites for the win.

It must be exciting to be a Hull FC supporter, exciting to go to a game not knowing whether the Dr Jekyll Hull who can demolish the Leeds Rhinos and beat Warrington would be in attendance, or whether it would be the Mr Hyde Hull who can get beaten by Castleford, the red side of Hull, or Huddersfield.

Exciting but frustrating.

The final game of the tenth round of Super League 2022 saw an unusually timed Sunday evening encounter between Hull FC and the Catalans Dragons with the bookies believing that it would be the French side who would be taking the points back with them to Perpignan, giving FC a four-point start on the coupon.

A win for FC would lift them above Hull KR into fourth spot but a loss by eight or more would see them drop to eighth, it was a massively significant game for the Airlie Birds.

The final game of Round Nine of Super League, the Bank Holiday Monday late afternoon kick-off, saw a Hull FC side still smarting from their derby loss on Friday come up against a Warrington Wolves side who find themselves in the bottom half of the table after a poor recent run.

The winners of todays game would find themselves in fifth place in the table, but it was the home side who were given a two-point start on the handicap coupon in what promised to be a close competition between two sides who both came into the game looking for some consistency to stabilise their seasons.

Fresh from their big win over the Leeds Rhinos last weekend, Hull FC were looking to continue their good form as the Huddersfield Giants rolled into town, their eyes on re-joining the pack at the top of the table with a chance that a big win would lift them to the top.

Both sides had been decimated by losses with FC unable to call on the services of Kane Evans, Jamie Shaul and Joe Cator while the Giants were without Theo Fages and Sebastine  Ikahihifo The bookies had made the Giants slight favourites but only offered the Airlie Birds a two-point start in the coupon, the stage was set for a close competition between the sides currently fourth and fifth in the table.

After getting off the mark last weekend with a win over Wakefield, the Rhinos were looking to back it up with a victory over a Hull FC side who lost to the Castleford Tigers, allowing them to register their first points of the season.

A win for Brett Hodgson´s side could see them as high as third, while a win for Richard Agar´s side by six or more would see them go above FC and into sixth.

Leeds were without the services of Harry Newman (injured) and skipper Kruise Leeming (suspended), while FC welcomed back Joe Cator and Mitieli Vulikijapani to their ranks.

Our pre-match Twitter Poll went 60% in favour of a Rhinos win and the bookies agreed as they gave FC a twelve-point start on the coupon.

The final game of the opening round of Super League XXVII was the encounter between two sides who were hoping and planning for a big improvement in 2022 as Wakefield Trinity hosted Hull FC as two sides who finished in the bottom half of the table last year looked for a confidence boosting opening weekend win.

A win by over twenty-eight points would see them end the opening weekend at the top of the fledgling table but either of the coaches, Willie Poching or Brett Hodgson, would simply be delighted with a victory and a game free of injuries.

If the fat lady wasn’t already singing for the Airlie Birds, she was certainly warming up and going through the scales as Hull FC  went into their game against a Wigan Warriors side who are already guaranteed the play-offs and who are now simply sparring for their position in the top six.

FC were without Swift, Bowden and Houghton who were all injured and would start Jordan Johnstone at hooker and Jordan Lane was also in the squad while the Warriors had Oliver Gildart back in their starting line-up.

Both sides lost last time out and both have only won one match in their last five outings, the bookies making the Warriors the favourites on the basis of their league position and despite them losing by 10-6 last week against the Warrington Wolves.