Dave Craven: I’m thrilled to see games laced with invention and adventure

Well, that goes for most people but I’m more stubborn.

I still do not think there is anything wrong with ramming my shoes on with the laces already tied, banging down the heel like I have since I was probably about eight.

The shoes still fit fine, all in all it’s a lot quicker, saving crucial seconds every day, and, with a bit of polish, you never even see the crease marks which might, over time, materialise.

Likewise, I have yet to make a single error in all of my 17 years of driving regardless of what anyone else says. Faultless.

But you do not need to be particularly obstinate to realise that some of the spin we are continually fed by certain broadcasters is nonsense.

We are forever being told this is a “fantastic” game or an “amazing” effort and, most irritating of all, “this Super League season really is better than ever”, all while sometimes watching a game that is littered with errors, lacking any real intensity and stirs less emotion than a wet towel.

However, is it just me or are we actually witnessing a start to the season which is living up to all the hyperbole?

We are only three weeks in yet I have already seen a plethora of really entertaining contests.

For a cynic, like myself, that probably means there has been a hell of a lot more still.

It isn’t only the usual suspects; everyone expected Wigan and Warrington to serve up a feast, even taking into account all the expected rustiness of round two, and they duly did with a fascinating 17-17 draw.

But it is some of the lesser lights who have offered real signs of encouragement.

The final scoreline of 38-12 suggests otherwise but Bradford Bulls v Castleford Tigers last Saturday was truly gripping stuff.

The visitors, who had already shown their effectiveness by beating champions Leeds Rhinos the week before, were still very much in it until having two players yellow-carded in the final 10 minutes or so.

But it was their willingness to try things, off-loading from deep inside their own half or shifting it wide while similarly far out, that inspired, and ambitious Bradford adopted the same attitude with even better results.

Gone was the prosaic safety-first approach of desperately trying to get to a kick without erring, replaced instead by adventure and verve.

With both sides running with purpose and creating such an open, often breathless contest, it proved a great spectacle.

Bradford had already hinted at what was to come with their emphatic win over Wakefield which was, similarly, almost built on a licence to thrill.

Much has been made of Huddersfield Giants’ return to a power game under Paul Anderson but they, too, have shown plenty of flashes of flair in amidst it all including some memorably stylish scores in their destruction of St Helens.

Apparently, their defensive aptitude, too, was something to behold in a further absorbing contest with Wigan last weekend.

Saints and Hull FC played out another thrilling draw – the third time in as many seasons that has occurred between these sides – to highlight further the quality that has been on show and, so, it is easy to see why there is a growing sense of optimism about the state of Super League.

Of course, it wouldn’t be rugby league without some customary concerns, Steve Ferres’s sudden departure from his role as Castleford chief executive earlier this week pointing to some potentially worrying signs there.

Likewise, the manner in which Hull KR raced into a 34-0 half-time lead against Widnes shows there is still scope for some disappointingly one-sided fare.

But, as Leeds attempt to advertise Super League’s quality on the world stage again tonight, I, for one, am going to accentuate the positives. In fact, I might even untie those laces.