Rate The Competition 2017 Edition

[Big Pete]

Instead of just posting up cryptic team-lists or ranking 16 teams based on how I like the look of their best 17, I'd rather go in-depth and comment on how they shape up.

Canberra
I've never been a big admirer of Ricky as a developmental coach. His track record for a long time was putrid, highlighted by his habit of playing a rookie Jamie Soward at dummy half. However, he's been awesome at the Raiders and after being desperately unlucky in 2015, he had incredible fortune in 2016 and was only one fumble away from an unlikely grand final.

I like the look of their team, I only have two serious qualms with it. It's been five long seasons, and Jack Wighton continues to look out of place. When was the last time the Raiders had a gun fullback? Dugan appeared to be the answer, but he was a knucklehead and too soft to handle the responsibility. More on Duges later, but I can't see Wighton lasting, not if the Raiders are to win a premiership.

Lee is a player they need to wash their hands of right away.

Canterbury-Bankstown
I feel like they're responsible for the ratings decline in 2016. Who in their right mind would want to watch a Bulldogs game? Easily the most pedestrian team in Rugby League, and it's sad that their go-to attack was hoping that Sam Perrett of all players could ruck it up from dummy half, get a quick play the ball so they could roll through teams.

With Perrett gone, Des is going to have to be creative with his back three. Firstly, Brett Morris needs to hang it up as a fullback. His body cannot handle it and his return on the Bulldogs left wing was one of the few highlights the team had in the back-end of the season. That leaves the other wing spot, which could go to anybody and it wouldn't surprise me if Des blooded a rookie in that position. There was a player in the Under 20s and NSW Cup called Marcelo Montoya who was a try-scoring freak in both levels. When the Bulldogs completed their remarkable surge to the finals after starting the season with 10 odd losses (don't quote me on that) he was a key ingredient behind that.

The other piece of the puzzle is former Under 20s star Brad Abbey. Des went all-out to sign this kid to a long-term deal and after being a focal point of the NSW Cup side, 2017 could be his year. Personally I wouldn't waste any time with this kid and would slot him in straight to fullback where he can assist with the general playmaking but it wouldn't surprise me if he's brought in on the wing ala Tuivasa-Sheck, Boyd etc.

That just leaves the question of where you play Lee. Realistically he gets first dibs over Montoya on the wing, but the thing is, Brenko is not a winger. He's a centre and if he's to play first grade, that's where he should be blooded. Whether Des sees it that way is another story.

The Dogs forward pack is still as strong as ever, the only concern is their edge backrow. They missed Frank Pritchard big-time last season and while they've finally rid themselves of T-Rex, there's no obvious candidates for the position. Faitala-Mariner and Elliott were both blooded last year, but I saw nothing special in either player. Unless Des has something up his sleeve, the Bulldogs pack may lack the penetration they need. It's going to be pretty boring for them, slogging it out for 20 minutes hoping to put points on the board and then looking to Kasiano to spark something. That seemed to be their plan for 2016, will it be good enoigh to earn them a spot in the 8?

Cronulla
Timed their premiership run to perfection. With Barba and Ennis gone, 2017 looks up in the air and there's concerns everywhere with this side. Can Lewis and Gallen's body hold up? Will Fifita take his ball and go home? Will T-Rex rediscover his best form in the Shire? etc. Honestly I hope they don't completely derail, because they were among the most entertaining sides of last year. The way they use their edge forwards is a sight to behold and while they have a great engine consisting of Gallen, Fifita, Prior and Heighington the work of Graham, Lewis & Bukuya was my personal highlight.

I'm also excited to see who replaces Barba at fullback. To the Sharks credit, they squeezed the last bit of form Barba had, got one good season out of him and now they don't have to deal with the painful aftermath of forcing Barba out for a superior option. Now it's just a matter of who Flanno decides to go with. If I had to choose, I'd go with Valentine since it's his natural position and I think his support play in tandem with the Sharks pack could be deadly.

Than there's the dummy half situation. The Sharks have three options in Cherrington, Mortimer and Brailey. Neither of them are as good as Ennis and I can see this affecting the Sharks particularly in the closer games where they'll no longer be able to snag that one try or goal-line drop out they desperately need.

And that's how I see this season going. For the most part, it will resemble 2016 except the tight wins will become disappointing losses.

Gold Coast
I'm worried for the Titans. They were the underdog story of 2016 and a lot of fans found them to endearing for whatever reason. However, they've sold their soul to sign Jarryd Hayne in a signing that seems eerily reminiscent of the Greg Bird, Jamal Idris and Dave Taylor signings in years gone by. On paper, it seems like it makes sense. It addresses a key flaw in the side, but Hayne doesn't have the best record of leading a team like the Titans to success. The Titans gave up a lot of depth to sign him and will rely on him to make a difference, whether he can be all they need him to be is the question.

Fingers crossed for Elgey & Taylor's combination. Two promising halves, I hope they stand up and give the likes of Morgan/JT, Milford/Hunt & Maloney/Townsend a run for their money.

Manly
I'm getting 2005 flashbacks with this side. Des took over Manly in 2004 and had to deal with a crummy hand which saw them play an over-the-hill Andrew Walker in the halves (before he was suspended for cocaine). He saw it through, got to make a couple of marquee signings in guys like Kennedy & Kite, turning the wheels for their eventual premiership. Barrett had to deal with a lot of inherited problems and while he had to deal with it, it didn't stop him from refining the side ahead of 2017. I've got them snagging a place in the eight with a few players like DCE, Walker, Parcell and Lussick turning heads. Of course, all you'll hear about is Tommy Turbo and Jake Trbojevic.

Melbourne
It will be a down year for Melbourne, so they'll finish 5th. Before they found their mojo against the Titans and North Queensland, Melbourne were showing signs of slowing down and were incredibly lucky to score wins over Newcastle, St George Illawarra & Wests. With no Green, Koroibete & Proctor the side will lose a lot of it's structure and I can envision them having a similar season to 2014 where they weren't overly convincing at any point.

My big interest for the Storm heading into next year is seeing how their next generation goes. Guys like Scott, Stimson, Croft, Turpin, Drinkwater & Galo hold the key and Melbourne have a knack of developing one or two gun rookies a year who drive the rest of us bonkers.

Part 2 coming later...

 

[Super Freak]

What kind of impact do you think losing Baptiste will have on the Raiders?

 

[Big Pete]

Minimal.

Meanwhile if it was Josh Hodgson, I'd be prepared to write the Raiders off. He's the heart and soul of the side and one of the best players in the world, period.

 

[Big Pete]

Newcastle

The long rebuild for the once proud club continues. If it's any consolation, Newcastle will likely improve on their horrific season now that Brown has moved on a lot of dead weight. Brown knows it's a marathon and not a sprint, biding his time before he lands the type of signings that will turn the club around.

Unfortunately for the Newcastle faithful, it will be another long year before they'll see the results of Brown's radical approach. The signing of boom rookie Kalyn Ponga on a five year deal worth $3 million ($600K a season) was a bold move by the club, albeit they won't see him until November as he honours his contract at the Cowboys. The question is who will fill the fullback role in the mean time?

Reportedly Peter Mata'utia and Dylan Phythian are the front-runners for the role. While neither candidate can necessarily be considered a star, the benefit is that it allows Dane Gagai to return to his favoured right centre position. This has to be considered a positive as it provides the Knights with greater balance and a constant target down their right hand side. The same cannot be said about the rest of their backline. The likes of Ross, Sio and the Mata'utia brothers will have to be at their scheming best if the Knights are going to be competitive.

One storyline that seems to be underplayed is the relationship between Jarrod Mullen and Nathan Brown. Mullen was set to be named captain until a series of disciplinary issues caused Brown to turn elsewhere. Since then their relationship has been cold at best with Brown playing Mullen at dummy half and experimenting with younger options hoping to find a suitable successor. Nobody can blame Brown for looking elsewhere. At one point, Mullen displayed all the promise, earning a shock call-up into the NSW Origin series. Then it all went wrong, untimely injuries and a loss of confidence plagued Mullen and despite patches of form he never lived up to his potential. Brown should cut bait, opt for Brock Lamb as the Knights five-eighth and build the team around him.

Finally there's the forward pack which has been bolstered by the signings of Buhrer, Starling, Wardle & Kostjasyn. None of them can be considered superstars, but they strengthen a pack that often lacked consistensy and provides them with much needed experience. Arguably the most intriguing aspect of the Knights forward pack centres on the development of Korbin Sims (25), Jack Stockwell (25), Pauli Pauli (23), Mitch Barnett (23), Sione Mata'utia (21) and the Saifiti twins (21). If these players can improve, they could trouble teams around the ruck enabling players like Danny Levi, Nathan Ross, Dane Gagai & Brock Lamb to weave their magic.

Normally there wouldn't be a discussion, but since the Knights are so future focused right now it's important that the club performs better in the NSW Cup (wooden spooners) and the NYC (10th). When Newcastle were at their best, they were known for their strong development pathways. This reputation has deserted them for the last decade despite a decent effort from Bennett to restore their system. Last year eight players graduated from their junior system and made their first grade debut. It was a step in the right direction from the club, but they need to be consistent ensure that they're developing those players as well as bringing through the Nick Meaneys, Luke Yates & Sam Stones of the side.

It's still going to be a bumpy ride for the Knights, but you get the feeling that they've experienced the worst of it.

 

[GCBRONCO]

Gold Coast
I'm worried for the Titans. They were the underdog story of 2016 and a lot of fans found them to endearing for whatever reason. However, they've sold their soul to sign Jarryd Hayne in a signing that seems eerily reminiscent of the Greg Bird, Jamal Idris and Dave Taylor signings in years gone by. On paper, it seems like it makes sense. It addresses a key flaw in the side, but Hayne doesn't have the best record of leading a team like the Titans to success. The Titans gave up a lot of depth to sign him and will rely on him to make a difference, whether he can be all they need him to be is the question.

Fingers crossed for Elgey & Taylor's combination. Two promising halves, I hope they stand up and give the likes of Morgan/JT, Milford/Hunt & Maloney/Townsend a run for their money.

I think your right there Big Pete, nothing was expected from them in 2016 and yet they managed to play well above those expectations and proved to be a competitive outfit even without Hayne. As you have pointed out they have had to unload a fair bit of depth to sign him. It's quite possible it will pay off and for them to maintain or improve from 2016 he needs to play a big part in helping to take pressure off the young halves. Taylor in particular has gotten a lot of raps and attention for his 2016 season but the real question is will he back it up? Plenty of players have failed to do so once the pressure torch is applied.

 

[Unbreakable]

The most intriguing squad to me right now is the Eagles, I have absolutely no clue what that team is going to be, they could range anywhere from top 8 to wooden spoon, no idea. What is their 17 supposed to look like next season?

1. Tom Trbojevic
2. Akuila Uate
3. Dylan Walker
4. Matthew Wright
5. Jorge Taufua
6. Blake Green
7. Dale Cherry-Evans
8. Nate Myles
9. Apisai Koroisau
10. Darcy Lussick
11. Lewis Brown
12. Martin Taupau
13. Jake Trbojevic

14. Jackson Hastings
15. Brenton Lawrence
16. Shaun Lane
17. Lloyd Perrett

 

[Sproj]

Is Matai gone?

 

[Unbreakable]

Is Matai gone?

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...fter-229-nrl-appearances-20161027-gscrcw.html

 

[Sproj]

Right. So is it official?

 

[Art Vandelay]

The most intriguing squad to me right now is the Eagles, I have absolutely no clue what that team is going to be, they could range anywhere from top 8 to wooden spoon, no idea. What is their 17 supposed to look like next season?

1. Tom Trbojevic
2. Akuila Uate
3. Dylan Walker
4. Matthew Wright
5. Jorge Taufua
6. Blake Green
7. Dale Cherry-Evans
8. Nate Myles
9. Apisai Koroisau
10. Darcy Lussick
11. Lewis Brown
12. Martin Taupau
13. Jake Trbojevic

14. Jackson Hastings
15. Brenton Lawrence
16. Shaun Lane
17. Lloyd Perrett

That looks like a pretty dire line-up to me. If their best 17 stays fit for 26 rounds I still wouldn't see them making the top 8.

 

[Big Pete]

I lost a lot of confidence in Manly after they released Parcell.

I could envision a spine of Trbojevic, Green, DCE & Parcell winning enough games to claim a Top 8 spot. With Matt out of the picture and their dummy half situation looking dicey they've reverted back to being a work in progress.

 

[Cult]

Turbobitch won't have the not fully fit excuse when he makes an error or missed tackle this season. I can see the blame being shifted to Koroisau or Blake Green a lot this year.

 

[Big Pete]

North Queensland Cowboys

They've fared better than Cronulla and Melbourne as far as squad retention is concerned and should be in the mix come September. Sure, they've lost International James Tamou and the experienced Ben Hannant but as long as they've got the services of Jason Taumalolo & Mat Scott they'll continue to terrorise teams through the middle and provide their spine with the space to weave their magic.

The spotlight will be on the bench and their ability to support the starting rotation. Rising star Coen Hess has representative player written all over him and Paul Green needs to find room for him on the bench. The only problem facing Hess is that he has two quality players ahead of him in Ethan Lowe & Gavin Cooper. The solution would be to bring him on for Jason Taumalolo but that could impact on Asiata who has been a wonderful understudy. Asiata is a ball-playing lock-forward in the Joseph Paulo mould, so if he can't fill that role than he shouldn't be in the 17.

That leaves two spots open in the prop rotation. It wouldn't surprise me if Green promoted a rookie player into the starting side, saving Bolton on the bench to ensure the middle had at least one experienced player at all times. It's just a question of who. After playing 12 largely average games, Patrick Kaufusi will likely have first dibs with Sam Hoare, Ben Spina & Braden Uele duking it out for the final spot.

One underrated departure from last season was Rory Kostjasyn. While Rory wouldn't be confused as a superstar by his own right, his defensive workload allowed Granville to play his natural game and terrorise teams through the ruck. He has two players competing for his vacant spot, Ray Thompson who has experience but has largely been mediocre and Josh Chudleigh a promising rookie who can provide some spark but may not get the gig due to his inexperience. At the end of the day, the utility position is largely taken for granted so I could see Green going with the safe option, I just believe it would be in his best interests to promote a quality talent like Chudleigh.

All in all, in 2017 they'll be a Top 4 side but come 2018-19 I'm not sure how they'll fare once JT, Scott, Cooper etc. hang up the boots.

 

[Big Pete]

Parramatta Eels

How do you follow a season like 2016? Before a ball was even kicked, it came to light that the Eels were being investigated for an alleged salary cap breach which would ultimately end their season. The repercussions of the Eels mismanagement was felt through out their roster with Kieran Foran, Nathan Peats & Joseph Paulo departing the club before season's end. Not only did it affect their ability to retain talent, the club was so undesirable they struggled to lure talent, relying on scraps to fill their roster.

I picture the Eels season playing out like an 11-13 season. They'll jag some wins together and perform better than teams with more talent but ultimately in those tight games they'll be found wanting. To get there, Arthur needs to settle on a 17 and back the talent that did the job for him in the first place.

In terms of personnel, I'm looking forward to Corey Norman & Bevan French. Norman was enjoying his best season since 2012 until he got caught up with the wrong crowd. Now that he's earned himself a new contract, it will be interesting to see whether he can maintain some form of consistensy. French came into the side basically when the season was done and dusted, almost as a way to appease fans. He's a danger whenever he's close to the line, but now that teams are familiar with him he'll have more pressure placed on him. Fingers crossed he steps up because the game can use more players of his ilk.

All in all, Rome wasn't built in a day and while the Eels will remain competitive they'll find themselves as just another also-ran in the competition.

 

[Big Pete]

Penrith Panthers

Ordinarily you'd look at a side like Penrith and consider them a lock for the Top 4 but there's two issues at play here.

First off, they're Penrith, they're nothing but inconsistent. Last year marked their 3rd finals appearance in 12 seasons and even looking back on this side they've never been the club that has enjoyed sustained success.

The other is a name we're all familiar with, Anthony Griffin. Griffin only has one Top 4 credit next to his name and that was his first year as a senior coach. Despite showing all the promise in the world in 2011, the Broncos never found their footing under Hook and became also-rans for the bulk of his tenure.

It's these two reasons that make me sketchy on the Panthers and their ability to grow from last season.

If they manage to dispel those concerns, it will be on the back of their power game. Not only do they have some massive forwards on their roster, backs like Josh Mansour and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak are workhorses and tend to get the set rolling from the word go. If they can tighten their game and limit their mistakes through forced passes or unnecessary offloads they could turn a lot of those close eight point losses into wins.

On the flipside if they continue to play hot potato football and fail to work on their defence I could see the Panthers struggling to make the eight altogether. While big forwards can be helpful, if they fail to adapt to the current interchange scheme it could be for naught with teams coming out with effective counters. Just an inside pass here or a quick dummy half scurry could be enough to catch the Panthers out.

At this stage, I've got the Panthers stagnating. They'll be hyped up as one of the teams to watch out for, only to dish out the same brand of football as last season. The only difference here is I expect them to be patchy through out the year instead of going on one redeeming run to save their season.

 

[Big Pete]

St. George Illawarra Dragons

Oh boy, the poor Dragons. You know I don't think they'll win the spoon but I can say with plenty of confidence they're no hope of winning a premiership in 2017. The side is just completely listless and while their forward pack is serviceable they're simply outclassed by the better teams.

I've been saying this for awhile now, but the Dragons need to promote players from within. That has always been the Dragons bread and butter whenever they've been successful and for whatever reason they've steered away from it. If they can promote the likes of Matt Dufty, Reece Robson, Jacob Host, Luciano Leilua and Josh Kerr instead of promoting their scraps, they could build to something down the line. If they fail to promote these young talents, they'll just continue to wallow in irrelevance.

South Sydney Rabbitohs

When they re-signed Sam Burgess it seemed like Souths would be a shoe-in for the finals. But then reality set in and all the positions that were left vacant in order to sign Burgess bit Souths in the arse and they never recovered. Something was going on at Souths and there were times where they challenged Newcastle as the worst team in the competition.

A year on and it appears they've addressed those deficiencies. Players like Nathan Brown, Paul Carter and Kirisome Auva'a - the bad vibe players have been shown the door and in their place is Robbie Farah and a host of promising up and comers who could be anything.

I think 2017 is going to be the year most fans thought 2016 would be. The class players will step up and help guide Souths into becoming a more consistent unit.

Sydney Roosters

This is another team on the up.

If there is one consistensy in the league, it's that there's always the one successful team from the previous year that eliminates themselves in January and February. In 2015 it was Manly, in 2014 it was Cronulla and in 2013 it was the Bulldogs. Last year it was the Roosters turn and didn't they absolutely stink.

Fortunately they've come out the other side, they still have a lot of gun talent and have the benefit of a fresh season ahead of them. In conjunction with some smart signings in Michael Gordon and Luke Keary they could find themselves as the 2017 darkhorses and should be an entertaining team to watch.

The only gripe with the Roosters is how their rocks and diamonds players go. I'm talking about players like Daniel Tupou, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Aidan Guerra and their bad-vibe signings like Carter and Knight. I'm not sure if the Roosters can continue to support these players much longer and they need to find alternatives if they really want to give this competition a run for it's money.

Warriors

The NRL is designed for the Warriors to win every year.

They have the least amount of representative duties, have the biggest nursaries to choose from and a healthy population to convert into fans...

...and yet I'm not confident they'll even make it to the finals in 2017. Maybe now that everyone has written them off, they'll come into their own, now is finally their time but it just seems like the same song and dance. They've brought in a Kiwi coach with a checkered coaching background, signed a Kiwi international with a checkered background and have failed to address the deficiencies in their squad.

A lot of people take umbridge with their backs and their halves, but it's in the middle where they have the biggest issues. They lack the command there and continue to prioritise plays like offloads over more vital aspects like tackle technique and the value of a quick play the ball.

As I said, the Warriors should be in the premiership mix but given their past few seasons and the way they've ignored their issues I can't tip them to make the finals.

Wests Tigers

Remember in 2014 how promising they looked and how if they played their cards right they could be in the mix? What the hell happened to that? Two seasons later and they've stagnated with very little to look forward to.

Most troubling is their inability to promote talent from within. The Tigers are known as a development club and in recent years have had plenty of success in SG Ball and they're a constant fixture in the NYC finals. Despite all this success, they haven't produced many players. In fact the only player to emerge last season was JJ Felise and he was merely a bench forward learning the ropes. They need to be better in this regard and back the likes of Jacob Liddle and Esan Marsters.

Most importantly, they need to fix their defence in the outside backs. It's far too easy to target their fringes and score out-wide against the Tigers. The backs need to be addressed and Taylor can't keep putting his head in the sand when the likes of Naiqama give up easy tries.

Same as it ever was for Wests. Every now and then they'll score some big upset and get tongues wagging only to get spanked a week later by somebody else. The club desperately needs leadership and I'm not sure if Taylor is up to task.

 

[Sproj]

Love it BP, can't wait for the rest and of course...our boys!

 

[Super Freak]

On the Roosters, I'm looking forward to watching Latrell Mitchell this season. Hopefully he can build on last year.

He does remind me of a young Greg Inglis with the way he runs. If you look at Latrell and Inglis when he was starting out, you would see they are similar players.

Hopefully he doesn't suffer the dreaded second year syndrome.

I don't expect him to get any games at fullback, though. Not after the recruitment of Gordon.

Roosters have a special talent on their hands.

I'm also really looking forward to watching Bevan French and seeing how he handles his second year.

The opposition would be more switched on after seeing him light it up in 2016. It will be interesting to see how he handles that.

I'm sure he'll handle it just fine.