2019 Season Predictions

[Fitzy]

type in order your top 16 at the end of the regular season as well as your premiership winner prediction.

 

[Kimlo]

Please don't write titles in all caps, I've changed the thread title.

Broncos to be premiers 2019.

Parra 16th.
Souths Minor Premiership.

 

[Accept]

1 Souths
2 Sydney
3 Penrith
4 NQ
5 Melb
6 Stg
7 Newc
8 Bris
9 GC
10 NZ
11 Cron
12 Parra
13 Canb
14 Cant
15 Manly
16 Wests

Premiers: Roosters

 

[CaptainHook]

Titans to have a good year. Maybe bottom half of the top 8 finish.

 

[badyon]

Top 4

Melbourne
Sydney City
South Sydney
Brisbane

Dangerous on their day

Panthers
Dragons
Raiders


Dark horses

Knights
Sea Eagles
Warriors

Jokers

Cows
Tits
Dogs
Tigers
Eels

Shouldn't even be in comp

Sharks
,

 

[Jedhead]

Melbourne to miss out on finals footy.
Penrith and Souths to go out of the finals in first week.
Paramatta tie with Manly for wooden spoon.
Sharks miss out on the eight too and Gallen signs for one more year.
Warriors to just miss out on minor premiers and lose to the Broncos in the GF.
Alf wins a trifecta at Doomben.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Premiership contenders
Roosters
Rabbitohs
Broncos
Warriors

bottom half of the 8
Panthers
Storm
Wests Tigers
Dragons

The nothing seasoners
Knights
Raiders
Titans
Cowboys

Oblivion
Sharks
Bulldogs
Manly
Parramatta

All in no particular order except the bottom 4, those are deadset certainties. Manly and Parra will play the spoon bowl in Round 24 with Parra barely earning it yet again.

Speaking of, it's truly amazing that the Sharks are the club that are facing such uncertainty and turmoil having just won a premiership within the last 5 years, while Parramatta have royally sucked for over 2 decades along with numerous big scandals of their own yet they are sitting pretty.

Melbourne are in for an average year by their standards after losing Slater to retirement and Smith getting long in the tooth. I also don't think much of the youngsters they blooded this year just yet. They have big shoes to fill.

 

[Morkel]

The big movers will be the Sea Eagles who improve, the Storm that start the dive, and the Warriors that complete it. The rest is just shuffling slightly, but once again, the single biggest factor will be injuries.

01 Roosters: Shockingly (sarcasm), lost Napa and gained Crichton. They'll be tough to beat.
02 Rabbitohs: Assuming Bennett can get the Burgii to fire.
03 Broncos: If we can stay injury free, and the young pack learn from last year, we'll fire.
04 Sharks: Despite the issues, still a great squad, and Johnson will excel behind a consistently tough pack.

05 Panthers: A better balanced side than last year, but I'm still not convinced.
06 Sea Eagles: Something about them, maybe the Turbo bros, has me thinking they'll surprise this year.
07 Dragons: Will win enough games just from their pack to make the 8.
08 Storm: Smith will drag them in to the 8, but their fade has already started.

09 Raiders: Ricky just doesn't know how to coach halves. Very talented squad, but too dumb to play consistently.
10 Cowboys: Are a better team than 2018 showed, even without JT, who was a passenger anyway.
11 Eels: Some handy signings and some really tough forwards, but even minus Norman their halves are not thinkers.
12 Knights: Their roster is getting better, but most are being signed for overs and that'll mean poor depth.

13 Bulldogs: Still have a year or two of pain until the back-ending saga allows them to field a competitive squad.
14 Warriors: Losing Johnson, and with no sight of a replacement, has them bombing badly.
15 Titans: Really need an older, experience half to get the most out of their team. Some good forwards, but shit backs.
16 Tigers: Get yo' spoon here.

 

[ZTop]

1. Roosters
2. Panthers
3. Bunnies
4. Broncos
5. Storm
6. Cowboys
7. Dragons
8. Knights
9. Sharks
10. Raiders
11. Titans
12. Warriors
13. Eels
14. Tigers
15. Manly
16. Bulldogs

 

[Big Pete]

Top 4
The only team I'm confident about being there is the Sydney Roosters. With a year under their belt I can see Tedesco and Radley being more comfortable in their respective roles and Crichton will provide more penetration on that right fringe. It remains to be seen how Morris will go on the right edge filling in for Ferguson, but it's a case of the strengths outweighing the weaknesses. I don't know if they'll be minor premiers, it depends on how their younger stars handle the spotlight, but I'd be shocked if they missed the 4.

I don't have as much confidence in Melbourne, but at the same time, I feel the details of their demise have been greatly exaggerated. Bellamy still has one of the best defensive schemes in the game and the players they have coming through are world class. It's just a question of how they go without Billy & Cronk. We've seen them survive without Billy, last year they made it to the GF without Cronk, but now they've got to do it without both. It's all easier said than done, but with Bellamy at the helm and all the returning players they'll keep putting their hand up.

Bennett's appointment hasn't changed my opinion on Souths. They'll have an extremely tough time replicating 2018, especially with Crichton out of the picture and they don't have the talent coming through. Their best bet is GI and S. Burgess, but even then I'm skeptical they'll be able to perform outside of the big moments. It's one thing to turn the game in Round 8, but can you do it in Round 12, 15, 18, Round 22 through to 24? I just don't think those players can back it up anymore.

Cronulla are a basket case and have virtually taken themselves out of the running before a ball was even kicked. Every year one top team has an awful off-season and this year it appears to be the Sharks turn. I wouldn't be surprised if their problems continue to pile up and would have to think a Top 8 spot would be an achievement all things considered.

I seem to have a higher opinion of the Cowboys, Sea Eagles, Knights and Eels than most as well.

 

[M.B.88]

Top 4

Melbourne
Sydney City
South Sydney
Brisbane

Dangerous on their day

Panthers
Dragons
Raiders


Dark horses

Knights
Sea Eagles
Warriors

Jokers

Cows
Tits
Dogs
Tigers
Eels

Shouldn't even be in comp

Sharks
,

Raiders for mine are no chance this year

 

[Sproj]

Purely based on paper in my opinion:

1. Roosters
2. Dragons
3. Panthers
4. Broncos
5. Storm
6. Warriors
7. Rabbitohs
8. Cowboys
9. Knights
10. Sea Eagles
11. Sharks
12. Raiders
13. Titans
14. Bulldogs
15. Tigers
16. Eels

 

[Big Pete]

Less than a week till the footy is back, let's get the ball rolling with some predictions.

Premiers
Biggest Improver
Fall From Grace
Dally M Player
Origin Series
Wooden Spooners
Top Try Scorer
Rookie of the Year
Final top 8

 

[Renegade]

Less than a week till the footy is back, let's get the ball rolling with some predictions.

Premiers - Brisbane because why the **** not?
Biggest Improver - Newcastle - they'll actually make the 8 this time
Fall From Grace - Panthers.
Dally M Player - Ponga
Origin Series - NSW
Wooden Spooners - Tossup between Parra and Bulldogs
Top Try Scorer - Addo Carr
Rookie of the Year - I really have no idea

Final top 8

Roosters
Brisbane
Souths
Storm
Dragons
Cowboys
Knights
Warriors

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Less than a week till the footy is back, let's get the ball rolling with some predictions.

Premiers - Broncos - Of course we're gonna win it.
Biggest Improver - Warriors - A lot of people writing them off but I think they're gonna do pretty well
Fall From Grace - Penrith - I reckon this sex tape stuff has thrown some serious disunity and chaos into that playing group.
Dally M Player - Ponga (if he fires in the halves. Big if)
Origin Series - NSW 2-1
Wooden Spooners - Parramatta
Top Try Scorer - Latrell Mitchell
Rookie of the Year - Zac Lomax

Final top 8

Roosters
Souths
Broncos
Warriors
Storm
Dragons
Knights
Cowboys

I've dropped Wests out of the frame from my previous predictions and elevated the Cowboys and Knights. The Cows have recruited really well and their pack alone would have to see them get there, and the Knights have moved up to replace Penrith. Wests are gone because nothing about their trial performances has sold me on them and I feel Maguire is gonna prove to be a bit of a fizzer

 

[Foordy]

Rookie of the Year - Brandon Smith

i doubt he is eligible.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

i doubt he is eligible.

Wtf he's played 22 games?? Welp.

 

[Big Pete]

Premiers - Penrith Panthers - Mid-way through last year, I thought the Panthers were on track to their third premiership. While it was only a fleeting second, that brief glimpse resonated with me and I believe if injuries are kind they will be hard to stop. What I like about them is that the young crop of talent that dominated their age group is beginning to become of age and a few of them have representative experience to work off of. I believe this will translate well into the post-season where they've been found wanting these past couple of years.

Biggest Improver - Parramatta Eels - The story of Parramatta's 2018 is one we've all grown accustomed to over the years. Talked up by all and sundry down south only to finish with a wooden spoon - it's a tale that's almost as well known as Hansel and Gretal. However, there's always the other side to the Eels story where they eventually catch everybody off-guard and deliver a perfectly acceptable passable season. With the additions of Blake Ferguson, Junior Paulo, Shaun Lane and the discovery of Marata Niukore, Reed Mahoney and Dylan Brown, I believe the ingredients are all there. It's well worth remembering too a lot of the success they enjoyed in 2017 was built off of players like Clinton Gutherson and Nathan Brown, both of whom struggled with injury in 2018.

Fall From Grace - St. George Illawarra Dragons - Every year at least two teams bow out of the top eight and I believe the Dragons will be hit the hardest. The Jack de Belin saga has been a bitter pill to swallow for the club, especially after de Belin's wonderful 2018 season. On top of that, the decision of Gareth Widdop to leave St. George at the end of the season doesn't bode well for the club. Widdop's impending departure has seen them brought Corey Norman over prematurely and it remains to be seen how Widdop, Norman and Hunt will co-exist. Last year when the Dragons were dominating the competition it was on the back of Widdop's combination with Hunt, I can't help but feel the addition of Norman may have spoiled the dynamic. Not to mention, it has left Matt Dufty out in the cold after he enjoyed a wonderful break-out season. Factor in the losses of McDonald, Ah Mau, Nightingale etc. and the season just has that familiar smell of disappointment.

Dally M Player - Mitchell Pearce - Judging by the votes last year, the panelists appreciated Pearce's hands-on display at Newcastle and with a more stellar roster around him, it's difficult to see him missing out on the award.

Origin Series - NSW 2-1 - Last year there was an element of luck to the Blues win that may have given Queensland fans a false impression that they were the better side. While there were some arguments to be made, I believe the pendulum has swung and we're about to see that come to fruition this year with a comfortable Blues victory. I think it's going to take Queensland awhile to get over the loss of the dynasty and I would not be surprised at all if an SOS is sent out to Cameron Smith at some stage in the series.

Wooden Spooners - Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - The Bulldogs showed plenty of heart last year and were quite admirable in their application. However, the loss of Klemmer and the Morris twins is another crucial blow and their recruitment does little to inspire me. I rate Corey Harawira-Naera, but where is he going to play with Josh Jackson, Rhyse Martin and Raymond Faitala-Mariner in the side? They have the worst roster in the competition and outside of another team imploding, I believe 2019 is the year where the Bulldogs will have to take their medicine.

Top Try Scorer - Campbell Graham - I rate Campbell as one of the best emerging talents in the game and think he'll only get better under Wayne's tuteledge. Wayne is a specialist at finding space out-wide and Graham's size and athleticism should see him among the top scorers.

Rookie of the Year - Payne Haas - The early suspension is going to be the making of Haas and once he finds his way back, it's going to be difficult envisioning him in ISC again. Haas has the attributes to become one of the best props in the game and after a brief taste, I can see 2019 being the making of him.

Even if Haas has an amazing season, the NRL will find some way to give the Dally M award to Dylan Brown.

Final Top 8
Penrith Panthers
Sydney Roosters
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Brisbane Broncos
Melbourne Storm
North Queensland Cowboys
Cronulla Sharks
Newcastle Knights