Exciting times ahead as World Cup acts as spur for best of British talent

It is inevitable and the price you pay for holding a position of such authority in rugby league, a sport which traditionally has had so many problems to debate and solve.

But few can truthfully argue with him when he says: “If we can’t get excited by this year – 2013 – we are all in the wrong job.”

The Super League season gets underway again on Friday as champions Leeds Rhinos entertain Hull FC in an intriguing opening fixture.

Some 302 days later, the longest campaign in recent memory will conclude with a World Cup final at Old Trafford on November 30.

The plan is, if everything falls into place, that England will end more than 40 years of misery by hoisting the trophy aloft.

It may seem fanciful but, as we embark on this journey, there is plenty to behold and anticipate between now and that crowning night in Manchester.

Once Super League is up and running with some further attractive opening fixtures – Huddersfield Giants facing former coach Nathan Brown at St Helens, for instance – Leeds will soon switch attentions to other important matters.

Brian McDermott’s side will attempt to fire the first shot across the Australian bow, perhaps in a taste of what is to come in the World Cup, when they face NRL champions Melbourne Storm for the World Club Challenge at Headingley on February 22.

If they can follow-up last season’s victory over Manly, it will serve as a real fillip to the English game as it builds towards the main event at the end of the year – but there is also the interesting sub-plot lingering beneath the surface.

Leeds captain Kevin Sinfield, much-derided by the Australians after controversially winning the Golden Boot as the world’s leading player last month, will have his first chance to silence those critics when he comes up against some of the nominees he beat to the coveted title – Kangaroos captain Cameron Smith and Melbourne colleague Cooper Cronk.

Rhinos, of course, continued their remarkable recent run by winning the Grand Final last season from the invidious position of fifth for the second year running.

There is every suggestion they will be stronger in 2013 with the acquisition of classy Exiles star Joel Moon from Salford City Reds finally resolving their long-running and problematic quest of replacing former Great Britain centre Keith Senior.

The West Yorkshire club’s five titles in the last six years is a sobering thought for all of their rivals as they attempt to bring an end to Leeds’ relentless domination of the competition.

But there is genuine hope others are beginning to bridge the gap; beaten Grand Finalists Warrington Wolves came close last term and under the watchful eye of former Rhinos chief Tony Smith they are tipped by many to go one better. They have become masters of the Challenge Cup and seem well-primed, with so much experience and class in their ranks, to reach Old Trafford once more and prosper.

From the Broad Acres, Hull FC are receiving increasing support as a developing club which could imminently challenge the status quo, too.

The acquisition of world-class England star Gareth Ellis is notice of both their ambition and intent, while the delights of the fixture machine means we will get an early sense of whether they are worthy of all the attention. With the Black and Whites at Leeds for that opening match, it means Ellis’s first game in Super League after his four-year NRL odyssey is back at his former stomping ground.

Paul Anderson could not halt Huddersfield’s slump when he took over from Brown last July but, with an off-season to impart his ideas and with some major recruiting, they will be out to lose their under-achievers tag.

Hull KR, meanwhile, know they need to deliver more in 2013 after missing out on the play-offs last term and Craig Sandercock has turned to some notable NRL names to help enhance his squad.

It remains to be seen whether they have the depth to challenge the elite and the same will probably be said of Bradford Bulls.

At Odsal, Francis Cummins is relishing his first stab at a head coach role but will accept there are sure to be some rocky times ahead after all the ordeal of last season’s administration.

If Bradford’s leading players can stay fit, though, they are sure to take some scalps along the way and, following their huge worries last summer, their very presence alone in Super League is something to celebrate.

Castleford Tigers have had their own rebuilding to do and have made some signings which should make them a more rounded and capable side in the months ahead but they, too, can ill-afford any significant injury problems.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats were the surprise package of 2012 and have every reason to believe they can qualify for the play-offs once more while, of the rest, Catalan Dragons are well-placed to test Leeds and company and Salford City Reds – if Dr Marwan Koukash can complete his takeover – will receive some much-needed investment to drag them away from the wrong end of the table.

Admittedly, it hardly instils confidence embarking on a new campaign without a sponsor attributed to the main competition but Wood has assured doubters deals are in the pipeline and they will be significant.

Magic Weekend will take place at the Etihad Stadium for a second year running over the bank holiday at the end of May and, finally, organisers have made sure the mix of fixtures is probably as enticing as possible.

It has only taken some minor tweaks, ditching a couple of traditional friendlies, but the end product should at least on paper serve up some fascinating battles and help avoid some of the non-contests of recent years.

Steve McNamara will only get one chance to see his England side in action before the World Cup opener against Australia on October 26 which is, clearly, far from ideal.

However, it should mean that that solitary Exiles game on June 14 is a high-quality affair and it may well, also, result in a rise in standards early in the season; anyone desiring a World Cup place will realise that game is their best chance of advancing their argument for inclusion.

Wood says he expects “seven or eight legitimate contenders” for the title which may be pushing it slightly but there is a belief it will not be as preordained as normal.

He also envisages “a high dependency on young British talent” which is ideal for the long-term future of the international game and believes the season “will provide a terrific platform to move us into the World Cup.”

As he rightly says, there is plenty to be excited about. Now it’s over to those players to serve up the goods.