What are your bold predictions for this season?

  • I think our boys will miss the 8 but finish around the 9-12 range after showing serious improvement under the new coaching regime.
  • Sharks to miss the 8 due to a post-Gallen leadership void, a backline made of glass, and ructions over the Josh Morris situation. I also have question marks over the coaching abilities of John Morris and believe their 7th place finish last year was mostly the last gasp of their premiership winning squad which has since lost Prior, Gallen, and Feki. The loss of Jayden Brailey is also huge and his brother is nowhere near his level yet.
  • Raiders to also miss the 8 due to George Williams flopping and a general lack of playmaking depth. I believe Sezer to be one of the most underrated halves (formerly) in the NRL and when he was with us, our win rate was appreciably lower during the periods he was out with injury. I also think Wighton's 2019 season was likely a flash in the pan and he will return to being a plodder now that his contract situation has been sorted. Leipana is also a huge loss and their backline will have nowhere near the potency that it used to.
  • Panthers to collect the spoon with the most inexperienced squad in the NRL. The loss of James Maloney is enormous and I rated him the best half in the NRL after Cooper Cronk and DCE. Nathan Cleary is a good player but not yet at a level to lead a very young team around. He will have to shoulder a similar burden to what Ash Taylor has over the last couple of years and will likely not handle the pressure.