How your NRL club faired in 2009

Another season has come to a close. This is how the season went for all the rugby league teams.

Melbourne
Started the season poorly with 3 wins from their first 7 matches. Although Brett Finch is a poor player, acquiring him meant Cameron Smith could play hooker where he belongs and Greg Inglis could play centre where he belongs.

Before Finch both of these were playing their positions part time, and part time five eighth which wasn’t working.

Not as convincing as their previous three seasons but peaked in the finals. Gave Manly a good hiding before dispatching a disorientated Brisbane side. Too good for the mighty Eels ending their great runs. Deserved better than 1 from 4 grand finals and got it. Team of the decade without doubt.

Best player: Cameron Smith

Parramatta
Were shocking for the first third of the season where they had no good players and copped some good hidings off the Dogs and Broncos.

Had one good player (Hayne) but were still a bit of a rabble for the middle third of the year. After an excellent 27-8 win over the Dogs they started a roll that almost ended in one of the great premiership triumphs. It was quite unexpected from the Eels given what they had dished up for the majority of the season.

Built their run on outstanding defense and some quality second phase play.

Their impressive run was ended when Melbourne put a lid on Hayne’s magic and their inexperienced halves got found out in the big one. Their late comeback in the grand final showed this side had plenty of ticker but it was also a reminder of 2001 when the Eels started playing when the match was over.

Best player: Jarryd Hayne

Brisbane
My tip to win the premiership at the start of the season. Started very well but fell into a massive hole where they were getting pumped every week during and after Origin.

Came back well when many had written them off but again fell to the ‘no halfback, no idea’ syndrome that has hit Canberra (1993) and Newcastle (2002 – 2004) badly. Henjak will get a pass given he came back well after a horror season but with a star studded backline premierships are expected.

Will be under pressure next season.

Best player: Corey Parker

Bulldogs
A great season given what happened only a year before. Bought well and overachieved with what should have been a minor premiership. Hit the wall however at the end of the season with Kimmorley’s injury, a boring poor win over the Knights in the first semi final and then getting a second half steam rolling at the hands of Parramatta in the match of the season.

Kevin Moore has shown he looks to be a decent coach and this club has made an admirable resurgence after the misery of 2008.

Best player: Brett Kimmorley

Dragons
After a very clinical professional year that got them the minor premiership, the Dragons choked again losing both finals by 13+ margins.

The Dragons now are officially Rugby League’s biggest chokers. In the last 30 years, they have won 0 of the 5 grand finals they have been in. They have made 17 finals appearances without winning a title. This is their first decade they have not made a grand final since entering the competition in 1921 (in their defense, they did have Rugby League’s worst ever coach for 6 years this decade).

Parra defended them out of the first semi and the Broncos knocked them out brilliantly in the second finals match. Rugby League’s biggest choker tag couldn’t happen to a nicer team given they are up there with Parra and Manly as the club hardest to tolerate. Their take over of Illawarra still stinks and always will.

Best: Wayne Bennett

Gold Coast
This team ended up proving everyone right. They were just a nuisance hanging around. The only ones who thought they had a chance were themselves and they were wrong.

Copped a hiding against Brisbane and then Parra toweled them up in the finals. That’s enough about them cause watching them play finals football was boring. Should go back to becoming a retirement villiage for players so they stay within their depth.

Best player: Scott Prince

Manly
Lost their way before the kick off of the season when the owners were carrying on like school kids . Lost 6 from 8 and with their best player missing for the majority of the season never looked likely.

Did make a good run towards the middle and end of the season but when their star fullback came back he didn’t look anywhere near 100% fit. Got kicked out by a dominant Melbourne side and the ridiculous McIntyre system.

Like the Dragons, disappearing couldn’t happen to a nicer club.

Best player: Meathead Watmough

Knights
Along with Melbourne and Canterbury, were the team of the year. Their playing roster is average, their fullback captain is average. Everything about this team is average but they achieved higher than average.

Once they got to the finals had nothing at all.

Best player: Someone very average

Wests
Another failed season for the world’s most over rated coach Tim Sheens. Coach Sheens has now made one finals appearance in the last 13 years. He stays under the radar of criticism but that is one shocking record.

Hasn’t made a finals appearance since this ‘club’ (merger, franchise, whatever it is) won the Grand Final in 2005.

Had their moments especially a good run home but another year of underachieving by Sheens. When are they going to punt Rugby League’s most overrated coach?

Best player: Taniela Tuiaki

Souths
Started well and ended well but lost their way in the middle. Their playing roster seemed good enough but with a school boy coach they always looked questionable.

Half back didn’t do enough to win them matches. The king hit on their coach was a disgraceful end to the season, which is all too similar to their disgraceful last 20 years.

Best player: Eddy Pettybourne

Penrith
Very typical year and very typical of the area they come from. One minute they look like they have everything under control and playing well, next they look like a rabble and are all over the shop.

With everything to play for, they produced a 48-6 and 35-0 losses in their final two matches.

That is the definition of a dud football club.

Best player: Lachlan Coote

Nth Qld
Every time people mention Nth Qld its Thurston and Bowen, Thurston and Bowen. If they are going to rely on two blokes all the time they will end up out of the finals more often then in.

Thurston has only made two finals appearances in five seasons at the Cowboys. The bloke can only do so much.

Best player: Jonathan Thurston

Canberra
Like one day cricket Canberra were better to watch in the 80s and early 90s but as time has gone on they are no longer interesting. Like the West Indies, they will never be competitive again.

Best player: Didn’t watch enough

New Zealand Warriors
Made a big mistake bringing back Stacey Jones. Jones was a has-been in his previous final season in the NRL so bringing him back a few years after that was always going to be a disaster. People had them playing in the grand final which was a poor call. By the end of the season, had very little going for them.

Best player: No idea

Cronulla
After finishing equal first last season, finished equal last and only avoided the wooden spoon by for and against. A terrible year by any stretch. Their boring football of 2008 was no longer effective and Trent Barrett ended up being one of the worst buys of the season.

Have very few class players, a loud mouth coach, a sleazy CEO who got punted and almost went broke. Their long suffering supporters that are still without a trophy after 43 years of embarrassment.

Best player: Don’t care.

Easts – Wooden spooners
Didn’t try for the majority of the season and by the final 6 weeks were hell bent on receiving the spoon as what looked to be some type of vendetta against the coach. I’ve said it before, even if Fittler was a dud coach he didn’t deserve what these players dished out this season. Some people for some reason wanted to highlight the good form of Mitchell Pearce. Pearce cannot pass a football and he has been playing first grade for 3 seasons now.

Good luck to Brian Smith if he is trying to win a premiership with this bloke as his halfback.

His drought will continue.

Best player: No one

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