Super League recruitment graded: Which Yorkshire club has done the best business?

Pre-season is in full swing as Super League clubs gear up for the big kick-off in February.

Recruitment has taken centre stage since the end of the 2022 season but all 12 squads now appear finalised after Wakefield Trinity added two fresh faces last week.

Here, The Yorkshire Post grades the business completed by the county's clubs.

Castleford Tigers: C

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Ins: Jacob Miller (Wakefield Trinity) Muizz Mustapha, Jack Broadbent (both Leeds Rhinos), Albert Vete (Hull KR), Gareth Widdop (Warrington Wolves)

Outs: Cheyse Blair, James Clare, Sosaia Feki, Ryan Hampshire (all released), Gareth O'Brien (Leigh Leopards), Derrell Olpherts (Leeds Rhinos), Jake Trueman (Hull FC)

Lee Radford has tweaked his squad during the off-season with a focus on his creative options.

Round one was the only time the Tigers boss was able to field his first-choice spine and that lack of continuity hurt the club's play-off bid.

Jake Connor is awarded the Betfred man of the match award after victory over Leeds Rhinos. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)Jake Connor is awarded the Betfred man of the match award after victory over Leeds Rhinos. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)
Jake Connor is awarded the Betfred man of the match award after victory over Leeds Rhinos. (Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)
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Radford has moved to remedy the situation by bringing in two proven halves in Miller and Widdop, although injured pair Jake Trueman and Ryan Hampshire have gone the other way along with Gareth O'Brien.

Danny Richardson and Callum McLelland will provide competition once they prove their fitness.

Olpherts' work rate will be a big loss but Castleford's three-quarter options have been bolstered by the addition of Broadbent.

The signings of Vete and Mustapha give the Tigers more depth in the front row, a problem area at times in 2022.

Albert Vete celebrates Hull KR's famous play-off win over Warrington Wolves. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Albert Vete celebrates Hull KR's famous play-off win over Warrington Wolves. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Albert Vete celebrates Hull KR's famous play-off win over Warrington Wolves. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
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Castleford look slightly stronger on paper but the key for Radford will be getting more out of the existing players, either through performance or simply spending more time on the field.

Huddersfield Giants: B+

Ins: Jack Bibby, Jake Bibby, Sam Halsall (all Wigan Warriors), Jake Connor (Hull FC), Esan Marsters (Gold Coast Titans), Kevin Naiqama (Sydney Roosters), Harvey Livett (Salford Red Devils), Nathan Peats (Toulouse Olympique), Harry Rushton (Canberra Raiders)

Outs: Jack Cogger (released), Ricky Leutele (Leigh Leopards), Michael Lawrence (Bradford Bulls), Danny Levi (Canberra Raiders), Louis Senior (Hull KR), Jake Wardle (Wigan Warriors)

Liam Sutcliffe scores for Rhinos against Hull earlier this year. (Picture by Bruce Rollinson)Liam Sutcliffe scores for Rhinos against Hull earlier this year. (Picture by Bruce Rollinson)
Liam Sutcliffe scores for Rhinos against Hull earlier this year. (Picture by Bruce Rollinson)

Not satisfied with a Challenge Cup final appearance and a third-place finish in Super League, Huddersfield have gone hard in the recruitment market.

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The Giants lacked a spark when it mattered at the business end of the 2022 season and will not forget their play-off loss to Salford Red Devils in a hurry.

Ian Watson's biggest challenge is to come up with an effective plan B during the off-season, which is where Connor comes in.

How the former Hull FC full-back slots into Watson's processes will be one of the most intriguing early-season subplots.

Connor is expected to claim the number one shirt which could mean a positional switch for Tui Lolohea.

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Watson is not short of options in the halves with Theo Fages, Will Pryce and Oliver Russell all vying for positions.

James Batchelor has joined Hull KR from Wakefield Trinity. (Picture by Tony Johnson)James Batchelor has joined Hull KR from Wakefield Trinity. (Picture by Tony Johnson)
James Batchelor has joined Hull KR from Wakefield Trinity. (Picture by Tony Johnson)

Some quality players have moved on – Leutele chief among them – but in the likes of Naiqama, Marsters and Jake Bibby, the Giants have recruited proven performers.

The additions of Jack Bibby, Halsall and Rushton underline Huddersfield's commitment to nurturing young talent.

Hull FC: C

Ins: Jake Clifford, Tex Hoy (both Newcastle Knights), Brad Dwyer, Liam Sutcliffe (both Leeds Rhinos), Jake Trueman (Castleford Tigers)

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Outs: Jake Connor (Huddersfield Giants), Luke Gale (released), Will Smith (Wests Tigers), Manu Ma'u (Catalans Dragons), Jordan Johnstone (Widnes Vikings), Marcus Walker, Aidan Burrell, Jacob Hookem (all released)

The Black and Whites have resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes after another calamitous finish, instead backing new coach Tony Smith to turn the tide.

Hull will, however, have a completely different spine, which makes Smith's men something of an unknown quantity.

The Airlie Birds needed to plug the gaps left by Gale and Josh Reynolds, who left midway through the 2022 season, while Connor leaves a significant hole at full-back.

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Trueman is working his way back from an ACL injury – suffered after he completed his move to the club – and the jury is out on former Knights pair Hoy and Clifford.

The prospect of Dwyer interchanging with Joe Lovodua at nine is an exciting one for Hull fans and Sutcliffe provides plenty of experience and utility value.

Aside from those five additions, Smith will be more or less working with the squad that finished ninth last season.

The master of improving clubs, it would be no surprise to see the 55-year-old get a tune out of a struggling side, providing his new-look spine fires.

Hull KR: B

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Ins: Yusuf Aydin, James Batchelor (both Wakefield Trinity), Rhys Kennedy (Brisbane Broncos), Sam Luckley (Salford Red Devils), Louis Senior (Huddersfield Giants), Tom Opacic (Parramatta Eels), Sauaso Sue (Newcastle Knights)

Outs: Albert Vete (Castleford Tigers), Korbin Sims (retired), Brad Takairangi, Tom Garratt, Charlie Cavanaugh, Bailey Dawson (all released), Ben Crooks (Keighley Cougars), Will Maher (Halifax Panthers), Adam Rusling, Nathan Cullen (both Cornwall), Tom Wilkinson (Dewsbury Rams)

The Robins are coming off the back of a frustrating campaign overshadowed by the club's injury issues.

It has been a perennial problem for Rovers but they should be in a better position to cope next season after improving the depth of the squad.

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NRL trio Opacic, Sue and Kennedy are the headline arrivals, replacing three underperforming overseas players in Vete, Sims and Takairangi.

KR have also been smart with their domestic recruitment, bringing in Wakefield pair Batchelor and Aydin together with Senior and Luckley from Huddersfield and Salford respectively.

The Robins look stronger up front and in Opacic they have a player capable of shoring up a leaky right edge.

Crucially, Rovers have not lost any players that were integral to the set-up.

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Much will depend on how quickly Willie Peters gets his message across but Hull KR look in good shape for a play-off push in 2023.

Leeds Rhinos: C+

Ins: Luke Hooley (Batley Bulldogs), Sam Lisone (Gold Coast Titans), James McDonnell (Wigan Warriors), Derrell Olpherts (Castleford Tigers), Luis Roberts, Nene Macdonald (both Leigh Leopards), Leon Ruan (Doncaster), Justin Sangare (Toulouse Olympique), Toby Warren (York City Knights)

Outs: Tom Briscoe, Zak Hardaker (both Leigh Leopards), Brad Dwyer, Liam Sutcliffe (both Hull FC), Muizz Mustapha, Jack Broadbent (both Castleford Tigers), Bodene Thompson, Jack Walker (both Bradford Bulls), Matt Prior (retired)

Rohan Smith's influence is clear in Leeds' recruitment for 2023 as he puts his stamp on the club.

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The Rhinos have largely put their faith in youth while backing the bulk of the squad that reached the Grand Final last season.

Hooley, McDonnell, Roberts, Ruan and Warren all fall into the unproven bracket, while Sangare has just completed his first campaign at Super League level.

Lisone has the look of a strong replacement for Prior and the powerful Macdonald provides something different on the edges, while Olpherts is statistically the best back-field winger in the competition.

Hardaker is a big loss based on his performances in the second half of 2022, with Walker's departure heaping more responsibility on the shoulders of Richie Myler.

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The Rhinos have several players who will be as good as new signings if they stay healthy, namely David Fusitu’a, Harry Newman and Tom Holroyd.

Leeds will certainly have a fresh look after bringing down the average age of the squad and are going to be better equipped for the new campaign on the back of a first pre-season under Smith.

Whether that will be enough to close the gap on St Helens remains to be seen.

Wakefield Trinity: D

Ins: Morgan Smith (Featherstone Rovers), Kevin Proctor (unattached), Renouf Atoni (Sydney Roosters), Samisoni Langi (Catalans Dragons)

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Outs: Sadiq Adebiyi, Brad Walker (both Keighley Cougars), Yusuf Aydin, James Batchelor (both Hull KR), Tinirau Arona (retired), David Fifita, Thomas Minns (both released), Tom Johnstone (Catalans Dragons), Jacob Miller (Castleford Tigers)

Wakefield have been victims of their own struggles in 2022 after being left to pick over the scraps late in the recruitment window.

The club have made the best of a bad situation with Proctor, Atoni and Langi good pick-ups at this time of year.

Smith, meanwhile, is a talented young half-back desperate to prove himself in Super League.

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Trinity can point to the mid-season signings of Jorge Taufua and Josh Bowden but there is a sense that they are one or two new recruits short.

Wakefield have lost a host of influential figures, starting with Bill Tupou who was forced to retire midway through last season.

Miller, Johnstone, Fifita and Arona all leave sizeable holes in the squad but Batchelor is arguably the biggest loss given his best years are ahead of him.

Those losses make it difficult to view Trinity's business in a positive light, a perspective held by the bookmakers who are convinced the club will be relegated.

But Wakefield are nothing if not spirited and may surprise a few people under new boss Mark Applegarth.

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