Time for Super League to prove every minute matters once more

That call comes on three counts. There is, of course, the welcome return of Sam Tomkins to Super League after the dazzling England player’s two years away in the NRL.

Wigan Warriors sold him for a world-record £700,000 to New Zealand Warriors at the end of 2013 and for good reason; the exciting full-back is a genuine star even if his time Down Under did not see him reproduce his best.

Then, thankfully, there is the imminent sight of Sam Burgess playing rugby league once more after his hugely controversial 12 months away in rugby union.

Admittedly, it is a pity the gifted Yorkshireman is not back here in his domestic competition but rather in his adopted land of Australia with South Sydney.

However, we cannot have everything and, at least, the juggernaut forward should be wearing an England jersey of the 13-man variety once more come the Four Nations at the end of the forthcoming campaign.

Indeed, with Tomkins and Burgess back in situ, and given last autumn’s series victory over New Zealand, dare we suggest that this will be the year the national side’s five-decade wait for a major tournament success is ended?

Perhaps. But there is still plenty of work to be done with Steve McNamara’s side – if he is still in charge with still no word yet on a contract extension – even when that added stardust is sprinkled so let’s not get ahead ourselves and just agree England’s chances are now distinctly improved.

The third reference to Sam is a more literal interpretation of that famously misquoted Casablanca line in the sense that the RFL’s powerbrokers will be desperate for all the drama and intrigue of last season’s maiden “new era” format to be repeated in 2016.

Who can forget that glorious night at the end of the new-fangled Super 8s? A helicopter, circling Wigan’s stadium ready to drop the League Leaders’ Shield in the Warriors’ captain Sean O’Loughlin’s hands, only for Ryan Hall’s last-minute try over at Huddersfield seeing it quickly turn back to the Broad Acres and deposit it with Rhinos’ Kevin Sinfield instead. It was the perfect finale to the inaugural Super 8s, showing that, as the likes of Nigel Wood and Blake Solly had boldly decreed more than a year earlier when launching the concept, every minute really does matter.

They will desire more of the same intense competition more regularly when this season gets underway, starting with champions Leeds, the treble-winners, hosting Warrington on Thursday.

And what of who will prosper in 2016?

For all the Rhinos’ three-trophy haul was a fitting way to send off their heroic departing trio of Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai, it will be fascinating to see how Brian McDermott’s side fare after their exit.

The head coach seems to have prepared sufficiently; Academy product Liam Sutcliffe is a fine, young talent with maturity that belies his years for Sinfield’s vacated half-back role while former Australian prop Keith Galloway is ideal for Super League’s style.

The late and surprise recruitment of England second-row Brett Ferres from West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Giants could be the icing on the cake and, potentially, the best signing in the competition even including that man Tomkins.

Ferres’ loss could be just as damaging for Huddersfield as it is successful for Leeds; there are few players of such destructive quality around and Paul Anderson must privately be seething that he has seen one of his star men leave due to off-field matters. Huddersfield, you sense, will again be top-four challengers in 2016 given the addition of two high-calibre NRL signings in Sam Rapira and Ryan Hinchcliffe but, once more, could still be found wanting when it comes to reaching a maiden Grand Final.

Listen to anyone in the west side of Hull after Hull FC’s utter annihilation of derby rivals Hull KR in pre-season and they will tell you this is the year of the Airlie Bird.

They have picked up some big-name players such as Frank ‘The Tank’ Pritchard and Sika Manu from Australia, to bolster an already strong pack but have they got the guile to consistently trouble Super League’s best sides?

And what of Rovers? So much rests on the fitness of their captain Terry Campese on his return from a knee reconstruction.

If the Australian stand-off can recapture the wonderful form demonstrated before that injury struck last June they will be well set to challenge for the top eight.

Castleford Tigers have been improving all the time under Daryl Powell and are a good bet, perhaps more so than Huddersfield or Hull FC, to break the monopoly of the traditional big guns.

The capture of Joel Monaghan is an astute piece of business while, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, having survived in Super League at the very last hour have completed some positive recruitment. Under Brian Smith they will certainly hope to improve.