I want my rugby league! But for now, predictions
Roar Rookie By Ghost Crayfish, 12 Feb 2012 Ghost Crayfish is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- Anzac Test, NRL, Rugby League, State Of Origin, Super League
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At the dawn of another NRL season, sports fans everywhere can be heard cursing the loss of summer, but welcoming the retreat of cricket. “No more Ian Healy!” goes the uniform cry of the jubilant masses.
For while we are a nation of cricket-lovers, obsessing over it to the point of deep and sometimes creepy obsession, I can’t shake the feeling that every cricket summer ultimately leaves many of us feeling cold and underwhelmed.
I’m not sure if it’s the commentators we are forced to endure day in and day out that makes me feel this way, or whether it’s the sport itself, but every year when the coloured clothes come out my interest tends to recede.
Some years it doesn’t even last that long. In the worst of summers, such as last year’s Ashes series, my Christmas dinner will not have finished digestion before I start screaming “Bring on the rugby league!” The ACB certainly wouldn’t like to hear it, but I feel I am not alone.
So while Sachin Tendulkar continues to apply the word “futile” to his ongoing pursuit of 100 international hundreds, and David Hussey continues to prove that limited-overs internationals are only important to the careers of mediocre cricketers, we must all sit and wait.
The All Stars was a start, and I know the Charity Shield and the World Club Challenge are both close at hand, but it’s not enough. It’s never enough.
I want Friday night double-headers, followed by Super Saturday triples, followed by the Sunday game, followed by Monday Night Football! I don’t just want Gallen, I also want Bird, Asotasi and Thaiday! I want my rugby league!
However, despite the footy-less emotional turmoil which is currently destroying me from the inside, I am thankful for one positive, life-affirming indulgence pre-season allows: the glorious pursuit of making predictions.
So here they are, my predictions for who will claim the prizes that matter in the coming year of rugby league.
NRL
Premiers: New Zealand Warriors
Minor Premiers: Newcastle Knights
Wooden Spooners: St George-Illawarra Dragons (Flame on, Dragons fans!)
Dally M Player of the Year: Darius Boyd (though I despise him)
State of Origin
New South Wales 2-1 (I am a Queenslander full of self-loathing right now)
ANZAC Test
New Zealand
Super League
Premiers: Warrington Wolves
Minor Premiers: Les Catalans Dragons
Wooden Spooners: Widnes Vikings
Man of Steel: Leon Pryce
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- Anzac Test, NRL, Rugby League, State Of Origin, Super League
February 12th 2012 @ 3:58am
jcvd said | February 12th 2012 @ 3:58am | Report comment
I think the warriors will win it. Y they are not favourites with betting agencies is beyond me. But my top 8 in no particular order are: eels, warriors, titans, storm, bulldogs, Broncos, rabbitohs and knights.
February 12th 2012 @ 6:42am
kiwidave said | February 12th 2012 @ 6:42am | Report comment
they are joint fav at the NZ TAB with Melbourne and the tigers. Odds are partially about reducing the liability if a team does win so if no-one puts any money on the warriors in australia their odds will stay higher.
February 12th 2012 @ 7:54am
Lancey5times said | February 12th 2012 @ 7:54am | Report comment
Isn’t it a great competition when I have half your top 8 not making it
February 12th 2012 @ 9:44pm
jcvd said | February 12th 2012 @ 9:44pm | Report comment
@lancey
Tell me about it! I hard an extremely hard time picking the top 8. As well all know about 3 or 4 teams who make top 8 one year don’t make it the next. I was keen to add the sharkies n cowboys in there as well. But for who I don’t know!
@kiwi
I had a look at the oz markets the other day n saw the warriors at $12 to win the whole thing. Very juicy money if u tell me
February 13th 2012 @ 1:36pm
Will Sinclair said | February 13th 2012 @ 1:36pm | Report comment
You have the Tigers missing the Top 8?
Brave man!
February 13th 2012 @ 7:01pm
jcvd said | February 13th 2012 @ 7:01pm | Report comment
I think the tigers are a very over rated team. Provided benji stays fit he will carry them close to the top 8. I thought they were lucky in a few games last year when they had their winning streak. But I have them coming 9th or 10th
February 12th 2012 @ 5:53am
danwighton said | February 12th 2012 @ 5:53am | Report comment
NRL
Premiers: Melbourne Storm
Minor Premiers: Newcastle Knights
Wooden Spooners: Penrith Panthers
Dally M Player of the Year: Cameron Smith
To miss the 8: NZ Warriors and St George Illawarra
State of Origin
Queensland 2-1
ANZAC Test
Australia
Note: all of the above is subject to change….
February 12th 2012 @ 7:52am
Lancey5times said | February 12th 2012 @ 7:52am | Report comment
I am expecting Ivan Cleary absence to be enormous. The Warriors will be real good but I would be surprised if they made the GF without Cleary at the helm
NRL
Premiers: West Tigers
Minor Premiers: Melbourne Storm
Wooden Spooners: South Sydney (please, please let this one be correct. And if only we had relegation)
Dally M Player of the Year: Cameron Smith
To miss the 8: St George Illawarra/Parramatta
Top 4: Out of the following – Storm/Tigers/Warriors/Roosters/Bulldogs
State of Origin
NSW 2-1
ANZAC Test
Australia
February 12th 2012 @ 8:40pm
Brendan said | February 12th 2012 @ 8:40pm | Report comment
What position does ivan cleary play?
February 12th 2012 @ 9:17pm
Bearfax said | February 12th 2012 @ 9:17pm | Report comment
Coach I think, but he was a pretty good full back and goal kicker originally from Manly and then Auckland…and I think Sydney City in between. Dont think he holds a position on the field these days. The days of captain/coach seem to be long gone.
February 13th 2012 @ 12:06am
Das Boat said | February 13th 2012 @ 12:06am | Report comment
Cleary was a good development coach, but you have to admit he was fortunate with the McIntyre system being the way it was. After the Brisbane belting he was one upset away from being remembered far less fondly.
Full credit to the Warriors though, beating Tigers and Storm away in consecutive weeks was a stellar effort.
Hope they can win it this year! Manu do good
February 12th 2012 @ 8:50am
Rabby said | February 12th 2012 @ 8:50am | Report comment
This is a wind up right ???
The real results
NRL
Premiers: Melbourne Storm
Minor Premiers: South Sydney
Wooden Spooners: Penrith
Dally M Player of the Year: Cooper Cronk
State of Origin
Queensland 2-1
ANZAC Test
Australia
Super League
Premiers: Wigan Warriors
Minor Premiers: St Helens
Wooden Spooners: Widnes Vikings
Man of Steel: Sam Tomkins
Challenge Cup Winners Wigan Warriors
February 12th 2012 @ 9:23am
Juhnson said | February 12th 2012 @ 9:23am | Report comment
For the most part, your predictions are more obvious than the Ghost and probably more believable. Certainly if I was going to bet, I would be backing your selctions. However South Sydney for minor prem ???? What do you base that on ?
February 12th 2012 @ 9:39am
Ghost Crayfish said | February 12th 2012 @ 9:39am | Report comment
Fair calls all round here, but that’s what the comp is so great. There’s a good case to be made for most teams to push for honours. Except Penrith (though even they have Ivan Cleary coaching now). I think Dragons have looked tired and one-dimensional for a long time and they built their attack around Darius Boyd at fullback (along with Soward). Without Bennett will their discipline stay? Without Boyd, who is gonna do anything in attack? Newcastle will be very hard to beat this year – I think there’s more class and experience in that side than the Dragons had when Bennett started. There’s no reason he can’t achieve the same success there. On Souths, they’ll push for the 8, but their ‘spine’ looks terribly weak. Merritt is a support player (not playmaker), Sutton is a lazy ball-runner (not a playmaker), the half is a rookie, the hooker is Isaac Luke (quality ball-runner again, but no organisation is coming from him).
February 12th 2012 @ 9:56am
Jason Cave said | February 12th 2012 @ 9:56am | Report comment
Would you like to see the return of the Kangaroo Tour to Britain & France again?
February 12th 2012 @ 5:15pm
Ghost Crayfish said | February 12th 2012 @ 5:15pm | Report comment
I’d love it – some of my first memories of watching League are from the ’94 Kangaroo Tour. These days it becomes harder with the seasons lining up (after the Super League switch to summer), but it’d be great if something could be worked out. Even if they didn’t play club sides, a tour with Tests against France and GB and other tour games against Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England Knights (the second string England side) etc. would be pretty excellent in my book. Getting the Poms out here for a proper 3 Test Series surely has to happen soon too – they haven’t played a 3 Test Series in Australia since 1992!
February 12th 2012 @ 9:25am
Steven Fairchild said | February 12th 2012 @ 9:25am | Report comment
Glad Rabby spotted the deliberate mistake. Knowing Rugby League in England, the Challenge Cup is far far more important than the premiership.
February 12th 2012 @ 11:27am
Marcel Proust said | February 12th 2012 @ 11:27am | Report comment
It isn’t necessarily true that the Challenge Cup is more important than the Premiership. The Cup is very important, c’est vrai, but I think a lot of teams are desperate to get to Old Trafford.
February 12th 2012 @ 5:09pm
Ghost Crayfish said | February 12th 2012 @ 5:09pm | Report comment
Nothing deliberate about that mistake, just forgot! The Challenge Cuo is a great day for English League and something I’ve always thought the NRL could look at (though maybe in the form of a pre-season comp).
February 12th 2012 @ 10:30pm
Rabby said | February 12th 2012 @ 10:30pm | Report comment
When Michael McGuire went to coach Wigan from the Melbourne Storm just over 2 years ago, he was told “Win the Challenge Cup and beat St Helens twice and you will be a success” – ask him. And that shows how much emphasis is placed on the Challenge Cup in England. I am not saying that the premiership is unimportant, I am not but it is not as important as the Challenge Cup in the eyes of the clubs or the fans.
February 12th 2012 @ 11:24am
Marcel Proust said | February 12th 2012 @ 11:24am | Report comment
As an Englishman, I would like to ask about the concept of “minor premiers” and “major premiers”.
As you know, English RL generally copies everything about Australian RL. The Aussies say jump…………….we say ‘how high ?’
Doesn’t the finals system create confusion ? Last season, Leeds finished 5th in the Super League but went on to win the Grand Final at Old Trafford. The problem, I think, is…………………………which was the best team ?
Surely a proper League system ( as in English football ) makes more sense.
Doesn’t it ?????????
Marcel
February 12th 2012 @ 12:11pm
HopefulEel said | February 12th 2012 @ 12:11pm | Report comment
A proper League system would make more senese for the game but it probably wouldn’t be good financially. I don’t like the term “minor premiers” myself as the term plays down the accomplishment and probably forgotten as soon is the Grand final is over.
February 12th 2012 @ 5:07pm
Ghost Crayfish said | February 12th 2012 @ 5:07pm | Report comment
Fair calls – just using the lingo. FInishing first is definitely a big deal – something the NRL does try and highlight more these days with the JJ Giltinan Shield going their way. I love the finals though, and the GF is a cracking way to end things.
February 13th 2012 @ 8:52am
Rabby said | February 13th 2012 @ 8:52am | Report comment
I am not concerned at the league system, I think what we have works pretty well. What I think we need to get away from is the idea of winning the league as somehow minor. We need to change the idea and the mentality. In many ways, it could be argued that it is harder to win the “minor” premiership than it is the full one. Maybe this is something the commission should look at after it has sorted out all the bigger issues ?
February 13th 2012 @ 12:38pm
B.A Sports said | February 13th 2012 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
Agree.
It is far more logical that the team with the best record should be considered the “best team” that season, but as we all know the finals are exciting and you need a big last celebration day to tie things off and often the team who wins that is the team who got hot toward the end of the year.
You only have to look at this NFL season which just finished. A team that finished what 9-7 won the Superbowl while a team that finished 15-1 didn’t even make it.
Ideally you take the “minor” out of “minor premiers” and call that team “premiers” and then the Grand Final can be the Championship game with the winner crowned “Champion” (or something). But that would just confuse everything in the record books i suppose.
February 12th 2012 @ 11:57am
Renegade said | February 12th 2012 @ 11:57am | Report comment
NRL
Premiers: Cronulla Sharks
Minor Premiers: Newcastle Knights
Wooden Spooners: Penrith
Dally M Player of the Year: Paul Gallen
Miss top 8: Dragons and Manly
State of Origin
NSW 2-1
ANZAC Test
Australia
Super League
Premiers: Warrington Wolves
Minor Premiers: Catalans Dragons
Wooden Spooners: Widnes Vikings
Man of Steel: Sam Tomkins
Challenge Cup Winners: St.Helens
February 12th 2012 @ 12:28pm
jamesb said | February 12th 2012 @ 12:28pm | Report comment
As a dragons fan, I don’t think the dragons will go as badly as many have predicted.
Yes, we have lost players like Mark Gasnier, Darius Boyd, Adam Cuthbertson and of course the great coach Wayne Bennett.
But I’ll give the new coach Steve Price the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure he has learnt alot from Bennett . Having Steve Folkes as assistent coach is a great move. Gives the coaching staff much needed experience.
As for the players, replacing Boyd and Gasnier will be difficult. But the signings of Chase Stanley, Daniel Vidot and Denan Kemp are interesting. They have all played first grade and all of them have shown glimpses of what they could do.
Similar to when Michael Weyman came to the club, three years ago.
The dragons should’ve had Tim Moltzen. Hopefully that situation doesn’t start up a trend in the NRL where a player was allowed to look elsewhere, signs for another club, but the club that he currently is at changes their mind and doesn’t release him, due to the indiscretions of another player in Robert Lui.
As for our young players coming through, the likes of Cameron King, Jack De Belin, Jack Stockwall and Evander Cummins are very promising.
The beauty about the dragons this year, is theres no expectation. Maybe this could work to the dragons advantage.
I hope so.
February 16th 2012 @ 8:46am
Ken said | February 16th 2012 @ 8:46am | Report comment
I’m another Dragons fan a bit mystified by the seemingly common perception that they won’t even make the eight (and are even favourites for the spoon in some eyes). Not worried or ‘ready to flame’ anyone, it’s a tight comp and someone’s got to fill those spots but I’m confident the Dragons will be proper contenders again. We’ve lost a few but there’s still a very solid football team there with lots of big game experience (best starting side only contains a handful of players without test or Origin experience) and some great young players coming through. You’ve named a couple, I reckon King and Kyle Stanley are going to be stars.
February 12th 2012 @ 12:45pm
jamesb said | February 12th 2012 @ 12:45pm | Report comment
Predictions
Premiers: New Zealand Warriors
Minor Premiers: Melbourne Storm
Wooden Spooners: Canberra or Penrith
Dally M Player of the Year: Daly Cherry Evans (Manly)
State of Origin
NSW 2-1.
Tony Williams and Tariq Sims to wreck havoc.
ANZAC test
New Zealand.
Australia need to adjust to life after locky.
Super League.
Unfortunetely I struggle to follow it, thanks to channel nines excellant coverage of it.
February 12th 2012 @ 1:18pm
Bearfax said | February 12th 2012 @ 1:18pm | Report comment
And this from a Manly supporter
Premiers: West Tigers or South Sydney (cant separate them)
Minor premiers: Melbourne Storm
Final 8 : Melbourne, Wests, Souths, Auckland, Newcastle, Cronulla, Canterbury, Manly (Parramatta outsiders depending upon if they can string more than two wins together at a time. St George and Brisbane dark horses depending upon post Lockyer and Bennett blues)
Wooden Spoon : toss up between Gold Coast and Sydney City
Dally M Player of Year: Todd Carney (Crunulla)
Sate of Origen: NSW 2-1
ANZAC TEST: New Zealnd
Super league: Leeds