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As the Australian summer draws on, the coming NRL season is met with greater anticipation by fans and players alike.
However with continued speculation of off-season transfers and eager supporters baying for potential glory, realism that only one team will reign supreme must eventually sink in. Eventually.
But who will that team be?
I’m sure that there are 16 sets of fans who could explain why their team will hold the trophy aloft in October, but when truth be told, there are plenty of reasons why each team may not be crowned champions come the seasons’ end.
Here are the reasons why your team won’t win the title in 2013:
Brisbane Broncos
Despite Channel 9 and the ARLC doing all they can to assist Brisbane to lift another premiership, I can’t envisage them doing so if 2012 is anything to go by.
Injuries and post-Origin fatigue may well again hinder the Broncos in the run home to the semi-finals, limping in to the final eight as they have done in many a year. Picking up Scott Prince is a much needed boost to an otherwise tame halves stock.
The Broncos’ lack of creativity too often cost them at vital moments in 2012. They will finish inside the eight but once more their season will not progress deep into September.
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Dogs boast a formidable forward pack in 2013, their big men once more looking to revolutionise how teams attack in the NRL. However, shall anything happen to the health and wellbeing of Ben Barba I struggle to see the boys from Belmore replicating their form of 2012.
Barba’s sheer speed and ability to create something out of nothing will be sorely missed, despite boasting an array of players who could attempt to fill his void.
Canberra Raiders
Good fortune appears to elude the side from the nation’s capital. Good teams make their own luck – so what does that say about the Green Machine?
Raiders’ skipper Terry Campese has played only a handful of games, hampered by season ending injuries in his last three seasons. If the Raiders are to challenge, Sam Williams must feature in the starting line-up, with Campese possibly shifting to lock.
Unfortunately, for the sake of the Raiders fans, I can’t see this happening.
North Queensland Cowboys
The Cowboys were robbed in last year’s elimination final.
Plain and simple.
Exiting the competition in such a manner will either spur a team on to greater things in the following season, or hurt their morale.
If recent trends are anything to go by, the Cows will again yo-yo up and down the ladder. Thurston, like Barba, must stay on the paddock if his team is to feature.
Gold Coast Titans
No Scott Prince. Need I say more?
Aiden Sezar’s move from 6 to 7 will also detract from his natural wide-running game. Although it remains to be seen how he rallies the troops in first grade, I can’t see the youngster forming a competition-winning combination with Jordan Rankin in 2013.
Manly Sea Eagles
Manly will field a virtually unchanged line-up from the one witnessed in 2012. If Manly’s stars can avoid injury I can see why their parochial fans think they will go on to win in 2013.
The Second Year Syndrome is often known to affect players, but how about a coach?
It will be interesting to see if Geoff Toovey can maintain his good start to his coaching tenure, however I fear that if external pressures affect the club, the players may also reflect this in their performance. This is something Des Hasler was very good at avoiding, and Toovey must follow suit.
Melbourne Storm
They’ve been thereabouts for the last decade. The Storm has quality players and a coach who turns average players into quality (at least while they are in purple).
Talks that Bellamy will leave may affect the composure and resilience of the squad, despite the claims that it won’t. Regardless of whether he does or does not remain with the club beyond 2013, it is very hard to retain the title of champions in the NRL. This is even if you are the Storm of the late 00s, who despite four consecutive grand finals were unable to win two in a row.
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