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Revisiting my five fearless predictions for the 2014 NRL season

7th October, 2014
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How good would Sam Burgess charging into the Maroons in a Blue jersey look? (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Expert
7th October, 2014
30
1917 Reads

As has now become custom, at the start of the NRL season I make five fearless predictions for the year, and then revisit them at the end of the season.

With the 2014 NRL grand final now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to analyse my pre-season prognostications.

A warning: after some solid predictions in seasons past, this year’s do not make for pretty reading.

1. Three coaches will be sacked… before May
I predicted that Steve Price of the Dragons, Mick Potter of the Tigers and the Broncos’ Anthony Griffin would all be sacked before we even reached the halfway point of the season.

Price was dumped in May. In July, Griffin found out he would be chopped for next season to make way for the return of Wayne Bennett. And lastly, Potter was eventually let go at the end of the season. However, to be fair, you could make a strong case that the Tigers coach was a dead man walking all season long.

So while, technically, the trio weren’t sacked before May, I’m going to give myself a tick here. Mainly because of what’s still to be adjudicated upon.

2. The Warriors will make the eight
The Warriors finished in equal eighth spot on points, but ninth spot when for and against was factored in.

Which is a nice way of saying I was wrong.

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As is their annual tradition, the Warriors teased with their potential all season long, winning a number of impressive games, and losing just as many in poor fashion. The club is yet to shed their tag of being wildly inconsistent.

I was tempted to give myself half a mark for being so close, but the truth is I expected the Warriors to easily make the top eight, rather than narrowly miss out, so I can’t give myself any kudos here with a clear conscious.

3. Cameron Smith will win the Dally M Medal

The Melbourne, Queensland and Australian captain/hooker did not win the 2014 Dally M Medal. He didn’t even finish in the top five. He polled 19 points to finish in the top ten, so I didn’t totally embarrass myself, but I was off the mark.

Let’s just move along, shall we?

4. Paul Gallen won’t be NSW Blues captain

In a collection of horrible predictions, this one has probably ended up being the worst.

Not only did Gallen retain the Blues captaincy, he led NSW to a long-awaited series victory, ending Queensland’s dominance. So any way you look, this was a terrible prediction.

Unless someone wants to make the case that because of the ASADA investigation and subsequent suspensions, Gallen was technically suspended and therefore couldn’t be skipper, which makes my prediction correct?

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No? OK, fair enough.

5. Sam Burgess will be dropped from first grade at Souths

Instead of being dropped from first grade, Burgess lead the Bunnies to their first premiership in 43 years, and was the best forward in the competition, if not the best player in the NRL overall. He also won the Clive Churchill Medal.

When it comes to ranking incorrect predictions, the scale is ‘wrong’, then ‘dead wrong’, followed ‘disgracefully wrong’, followed by ‘such-an-embarrassment-that-you-should-give-up-your-writing-job wrong’, and finally ‘this prediction’.

Sorry Sam, and well done on a fantastic season.

In conclusion, after reviewing this year’s predictions, it’s a score of one out of five, with even that being a little generous.

Lovely work, ‘expert’.

Bring on 2015.

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