IMG gradings: Winners and losers as Bradford end 'long wait' for Super League return while Salford's 'season encapsulated' with relegation
Following the announcement of the 2025 IMG gradings, here is our breakdown of the key winners and losers from across the leagues.
Winners
Bradford Bulls
Undoubtedly, the big winners from today’s gradings are Bradford Bulls after their return to Super League was confirmed. It’s been a long old wait for the Bradford faithful to see their side back in the top flight, some would say too long for a team with their history in the Super League era, but they are back in the big time moving forward.
Yes, questions remain about Odsall, and will likely remain until drastic changes are made, but Bradford have clearly adapted their plans to suit the new IMG model and benefited from it with a return to Super League.
Will it be the same Bradford that won four Grand Finals? No, absolutely not, but it’s a chance for them to prove they are worthy of being at rugby league’s top table.
Hull KR
Just days after their Grand Final triumph, Hull KR have finished top of the IMG pile too. Their rise to the top might have come in one fell swoop, capped with their treble-winning season this year, but it’s been anything but an overnight success. The Robins are the advert for what teams can do in this new era for rugby league, and how to grow a club organically.
Be it through Craven Street or dramatic on-field growth, everything Hull KR have done has worked in tandem to grow the overall outlook of the club and help turn them into a serious force within the game.
Hull FC
Over on the other side of the city, Hull FC also come out of this IMG grading list in a better place, with the Airlie Birds now sitting on an A Grade under the framework. This again has come amid serious growth over the past year after the takeover of Andrew Thirkill and Dave Hood, notably in their on-field improvements this year, but it’s good to see another team grow their score and achieve an A Grade.
Last year’s mark would have come as a shock, too, given the size of the club, so this is certainly a welcome boost.
Leigh Leopards
Yet another club who have shown genuine organic growth, Leigh Leopards again emerge from the IMG gradings in a strong position. The work that Leigh have done, both on and off the field, since their return to Super League is again a proper advert for how things can be done to really turn a club’s fortunes around and climb up to the dizzy heights of the top table.
Finishing just 0.04 points behind local rivals Wigan Warriors, alongside their overall growth and retention of an A Grade, will also come as a huge positive for the club and further shows just how far they have come in a short space of time.
Losers
Salford Red Devils
This pretty much encapsulates their season, doesn’t it? After 17 years in the top flight, Salford have been relegated, and to be honest, a lot of people probably saw this coming. It’s been a terrible season for the Red Devils, with the turmoil surrounding the takeover, wages being paid late and high-profile player exits, but this is just the pure embodiment of their year.
While questions still remain over the very future of the club, Salford can view this in one of two ways. It can be a negative thing and see them tumble down the pecking order, or it can be channelled into a positive situation and start afresh. Wakefield Trinity were the prime example of that, almost rebuilding the entire fabric of the club in their year in the Championship, and Salford could do that as well.
Hopefully, something positive can come from this. Those Salford fans, players and staff certainly deserve it.
Castleford Tigers
While they might be in the midst of a major rebuild, both on and off the pitch, losing their A Grade status and slipping down the IMG ladder will come as a major blow to all involved at the OneBore Stadium.
Casteford have set themselves lofty ambitions moving into this new era, but change hasn’t quite come at the speed many would have wanted. The club have already said they are looking at a score of 16 or more next year, taking them back into that A Grade threshold, so all the signs are fairly positive.
For now, though, this will be a major blow.
St Helens
While they have still retained their A Grade status and remain among Super League’s big dogs, losing top spot to Hull KR will sting a touch. The Saints also saw a dip in their overall score, while simultaneously seeing Leeds Rhinos and the Robins climb above them too, but they should again be among the top clubs next year.
There isn’t actually that much for them to worry about, but losing your place at the summit is never nice.
London Broncos
This could be a major speedbump in their hopes of a return to Super League, with fellow applicants York Knights and Toulouse finishing well above them while they also find themselves below Salford in the IMG ladder too.
Yes, the changes made at the club have been very recent, and they still have a very strong case to support their promotion as a result of that, but they still find themselves below two fellow promotion rivals ahead of tomorrow’s announcement, and that could cause a huge dent to their hopes.
Super League applicants
Oldham, Widnes Vikings and Doncaster also applied for a place in the expanded Super League for next year, but find themselves below fellow Championship sides who decided not to vote.
That will seriously sting all three sides, even with Widnes actually increasing their overall score, and just shows they still have some way to go to make the top flight.
North Wales Crusaders
Yet again finding themselves bottom of the pile (of the sides with official scores), which is just not a nice feeling for the ambitious side.
Things were looking up for the Crusaders this year after claiming the League One title with relative ease, but yet they see themselves below all but two of their domestic rivals in the IMG ladder, with those below them being scoreless Keighley Cougars and Newcastle Thunder too. This is some way to spoil their party.
FRIDAY’S READS ON LRL
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