The Bench with Jenna and Jon: Frank Slevin and Wakefield's Mark Applegarth ahead of Super League season

The new Super League season gets underway this week and – to celebrate – the Sky Sports rugby league podcast is back!

'The Bench with Jenna and Jon' sees Sky Sports duo Jenna Brooks and Jon Wilkin talk through the big talking points and the biggest stories in the sport, with high-profile guests coming on the show to discuss all things rugby league.

Frank Slevin, the Chair of Rugby League Commercial, is the special guest in this week's episode to talk about how the sport is preparing the upcoming men's, women's and wheelchair Super League seasons.

Slevin discusses what the sport is doing well and how they continue to grow Super League across the UK and beyond, plus looks at ways how rugby league can be promoted better to reach new audiences.

Wakefield's new head coach Mark Applegarth joins Jenna and Jon to reveal out how preparations have gone for the new season, plus explain how he feels about his team being tipped as favourites to be relegated.

"Who comes into a season thinking my sole aim is just to survive?" Applegarth said. "You can add up all the odds that are against you. You can blame the salary cap, you can blame your playing squad or you can blame whatever you like - it's an excuse at the end of the day.

"Everyone wants to be involved in them big games, whether that's a Challenge Cup final, a Super League final, Playoffs and things like that. I think that has got to be your aim at the start of the every year, although getting there is a completely different measure!