As you were in Super League as Hull KR and Leeds Rhinos lead Yorkshire's trophy quest - James O'Brien comment

Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Catalans Dragons are still the teams to beat, even accounting for Warrington Wolves' customary strong start.

Salford Red Devils have arguably overperformed in the first five rounds, while Leigh Leopards are finding this season tougher than the last.

Those slight anomalies aside, the season is going to script as Hull KR and Leeds Rhinos lead Yorkshire's quest for silverware.

Here, The Yorkshire Post assesses the early form of the county's five Super League clubs.

Castleford Tigers

A club in transition, the Tigers have had any pre-season optimism knocked out of them in the early rounds.

Five games, five defeats and not an awful lot to shout about for the Wheldon Road faithful.

The Castleford supporters had braced themselves for a challenging campaign but that does not make it any easier to stomach.

The Tigers are focusing their efforts on off-field matters in a bid to boost their IMG score and it is showing on the field.

Castleford do not have the quality to challenge the best sides in Super League and find themselves in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon.

Craig Lingard's men produced an improved performance against Catalans yet still conceded 40 points.

A Challenge Cup tie at Batley Bulldogs is a banana skin Castleford could do without but equally it's a winnable game that could provide the spark they badly need.

Huddersfield Giants

It has been a testing start for the Giants – and it is not going to get any easier in the coming weeks.

After negotiating Saturday's Challenge Cup tie against Hull FC, Huddersfield face four successive away games culminating in trips to Leeds and St Helens.

Ian Watson's team have lost to three of last season's top four – Saints, Wigan and Hull KR – in the early rounds and struggled to lay a glove on them.

The Giants showed their attacking potential in the 50-8 drubbing of Castleford but that result was very much an outlier.

There are more questions than answers after a month of the new season as Watson tries to find his best team.

Huddersfield will be there or thereabouts in the play-off battle but the Challenge Cup may be their best chance of success.

Hull FC

It is early days but the signs are ominous for the beleaguered Black and Whites.

Saturday's 54-4 drubbing by Leigh was the latest in a series of capitulations that have exposed Hull's soft underbelly.

Tony Smith's side needed a last-gasp try to beat London Broncos – a team expected to be this season's whipping boys – and have scored only 26 points in their other four games.

Hull are the most penalised team in the competition, which tells the tale of a ragged outfit struggling with the demands of Super League.

The Black and Whites have been down to the bare bones in the early stages of the campaign – partially as a result of their ill-discipline – but it is difficult to see their best side troubling the top teams.

It has the makings of a long season for Hull who, like Castleford, are looking nervously over their shoulder at London.

Bottom place does not mean relegation this year but the Black and Whites need to find a way to arrest their slide down Super League.

Hull KR

The Robins were tipped for another top-six finish and the early evidence suggests they will be right in the play-off mix come September.

Rovers produced arguably their most complete performance in Saturday's 24-12 win at Huddersfield and should have won by a greater margin.

Willie Peters got the balance right after moving Peta Hiku to centre and giving Niall Evalds a chance at full-back.

The pair were KR's standout performers to settle the debate around Hiku's best position.

Rovers had their chances to turn the defeats to Salford and Warrington into wins but will be satisfied with their early work.

Peters' men will know more about their trophy prospects after tackling a tough run of fixtures that will see them face Catalans, Wigan and Saints in consecutive weeks.

The Robins got away with their wayward goalkicking at Huddersfield but can ill afford to leave points on the field against the top sides.

Leeds Rhinos

There have been promising signs for the Rhinos but they have yet to convince that they are a better team than this time last year.

Leeds showed their spirit and flashes of attacking quality during a challenging run of fixtures against 2023 play-off sides with a return of six points.

Yet the early evidence suggests they are still some way away from being back in the top bracket with Saints and Wigan.

Rohan Smith's side had St Helens where they wanted them last week but could not put them away.

The Rhinos continue to be one of the most entertaining sides and will be a dangerous outfit in the summer months.

Either side of that, they must find a way to pick up points and stay in sight of the early pacesetters.

The Challenge Cup draw was not kind to Leeds to continue a recent theme but Friday's date with Saints gives the Rhinos another chance to show they can mix it with the cream of Super League in 2024.