Betfred Super League 2025: Newly-bolstered Catalans confident of return to previous heights

Catalans Dragons were left with a serious bout of the ‘what ifs’ last season as they missed out on the Betfred Super League play-offs on points difference, but with the 2025 campaign just around the corner their players have high hopes of bridging the gap this term.

Steve McNamara’s side were left needing an unrealistic 181-point margin of victory against Hull FC on the final day to reach the top six and ultimately mourned their season despite a comfortable win at the MKM Stadium.

But utility star Arthur Mourgue says that when they face the Black and Whites again in their opening league game of 2025 next Friday (February 14), they will be raring to put right some of those wrongs.

“I think we are ready, we’re even more motivated because last year we didn’t have the season we wanted,” the Dragons’ number seven tells Betfred. “This year is new, fresh, new energy, new opportunity, so we have trained hard during the pre-season and we just want to play now. We are ready.

“The last few years the club has really stepped up and improved. Now it’s a big club, that’s why last year we were really disappointed, because we really wanted to make the play-offs and go all the way. But that happens, it’s the life of a club. Sometimes you don’t reach your goal, but what’s important is the response; it’s this year and what we’re going to do now.”

Catalans have lost the likes of Tom Johnstone, Tom Davies, Mike McMeeken and Michael McIlorum from their 2024 selection. Yet key additions such as Elliott Whitehead, Luke Keary, Tevita Pangai Junior and Nick Cotric, and the extension of Sam Tomkins’ return from retirement, help to give outside Arthur Romano belief in what the club is putting together for ’25.

“I’m very excited. This year we have a good group, and I think we can do something special,” the 27-year-old explains.

“Last year we missed some experienced players. We had some good, but inexperienced players, and this year we have signed some very experienced players and that’s what we missed last year.

“Sometimes we went too high when we won a game and too low when we lost a game. This season we need to be consistent in every single game, and with the experienced players we have this year we will be good.”

The Dragons’ first competitive fixture of the new season comes on Saturday when they travel to Betfred Championship side Halifax Panthers in the Betfred Challenge Cup. The third-round clash will be streamed live on The Sportsman Rugby League on YouTube, with kick-off at 14:00 GMT.

And powerful front-row forward Romain Navarette insists it will be a more focused Dragons outfit that will have its first run-out of the year at The Shay in front of The Sportsman’s cameras.

“I think we’ll learn from last season,” says the former Wigan Warriors prop. “Every season we try to grow, and Catalans had been so good for the previous couple of years and last season we had a little drop. But we’ll do our best to be back at the top this year.”

The Dragons are a 12/1 chance with Betfred to repeat their historic Challenge Cup victory of 2018 in this season’s competition. They are also 12/1 to win a first-ever Super League title, while you can get 20/1 about them adding a second League Leaders’ Shield to their trophy cabinet following their 2021 regular-season success.

Former South Sydney Rabbitohs and Sydney Roosters half-back Keary is a 20/1 bet to earn the Steve Prescott Man of Steel award in his first crack at the Super League, while you might want to consider Tommy Makinson’s 10/1 price to finish top of the tryscoring charts after 27 rounds after ending his 14-year senior career with St Helens to join Les Dracs.

After their live clash with Halifax on Saturday, Catalans return home for their season opener against Hull FC on Friday week at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan.

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