- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
As we head into the first week of the NRL finals, and with much to discuss, there seemed no better time to dust off the old five questions format – which everyone seems to use these days – and start talking about the most exciting time of the year for rugby league.
Drum roll please…
1. Am I willing to rule any teams out of contention?
I’ve been guilty of nominating the probable premiership winner – while definitively ruling out other teams – for weeks now. It’s pretty silly to be honest, as a lot of different variables can come into play at any time that will have a large impact upon the competition.
However, the simple truth is that it’s fun to do, and now that the regular season has finished and the top eight confirmed, it’s as good a time as any to make more outlandish predictions.
I believe we only have five truly legitimate premiership contenders: the Roosters, Broncos, Cowboys, Storm and Bulldogs.
From the remaining teams, the Dragons simply don’t have the talent of the other seven clubs in the finals, and are just making up the numbers.
The Rabbitohs have too many injuries, lack the necessary grunt in the forwards, and are also woefully out of form. Witnessing the defending premiers lift the trophy again this season would be nothing short of a miracle. (Hyperbole alert!)
Lastly, the Sharks struggle too much in attack to seriously trouble any of the teams above them on the ladder. Though defence is a vital ingredient to success at this time of year, Cronulla don’t have enough quality decision-makers to worry the elite teams.
2. Which team is the most intriguing in the finals?
There are a number of juicy subplots heading into the finals, though unfortunately many of them are centred around injuries: how teams will respond to missing players, or how they’ll adapt to returning ones.
However, Melbourne are an extremely interesting team.
Despite a season in which they flew somewhat under the radar and had periods when they were very unimpressive, the Storm still finished in the top four in a highly competitive season, highlighting the fact they remain a formidable opponent.
Though ‘The Big Three’ of Cam Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater have garnered most of the headlines for a long time now – and rightfully so – Melbourne will be without one of said trio, with Slater out for the rest of the year with a shoulder injury.
However, the Storm have made a subtle shift this season, with a number of players outside of their long-heralded stars becoming extremely influential to their success.
Cameron Munster, Will Chambers, Marika Koroibete, Tohu Harris, Kevin Proctor, the Bromwich brothers – just to name a few – all ensure that Melbourne are no longer solely reliant on their big name players. Yes, they still look to their stars for leadership and decision-making, but they’re a little deeper in talent than many people believe, and Craig Bellamy is a very good coach.
Melbourne are actually a hard to team to get a gauge on, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they lose two games and bail out of the finals with a whimper, or go on to win the grand final by 30 points.
With such variability in their possible fortunes – and an interesting squad of players – I find the Storm the most intriguing team in the finals.
3. Who is the most valuable player in the finals series?
You can occasionally overthink such a question, and if you answer anyone but ‘Johnathan Thurston’ to this query, I think you probably are.
‘JT’ was the best player in the NRL this season, and when you factor in how dominant he’s been with how important he is to the Cowboys, he’s not just the obvious answer here, he’s the right one.
Though the Cowboys are far from a one-man team, it’s still Thurston who stirs the North Queensland drink.
His ball skills, kicking game and football IQ all ensure he’s the most influential player on the park. His control of a game is second to none. Even elite level goal kicking is a part of his extraordinary arsenal. With Thurston also capable of moments of magic that can turn a game, he’s the first name on every coach’s scouting report, and far and away the most valuable player in the finals series.
4. Which coach will have the biggest impact upon the finals?
It’s no coincidence that some of the biggest names in coaching all have their teams playing this weekend.
Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy and Des Hasler need no further introduction or praise, while Trent Robinson and Michael Maguire – two impressive newcomers – are the coaches of the last two premiership sides.
No offence to Paul Green, Paul McGregor and Shane Flanagan, but from that collection of gun coaches, it’s Des Hasler that I suspect will have something up his sleeve for 2015’s ‘second’ season.
Last year, it was an ambush in Melbourne during week one of the finals that got the Bulldogs’ season back on track, after a lacklustre end to the regular season.
The Dogs were brutal and clinical as they belted the Storm in the middle of the park, and then capitalised with some crafty second-phase play. It wasn’t rocket science, but it stunned Melbourne, and set up a shock week one victory for the Dogs.
With momentum behind them, the Dogs also claimed the scalps of the Sea Eagles and the Panthers, before falling at the final hurdle versus a rampant Bunnies outfit in the grand final.
You can be assured that Des will once again have something special planned for this year’s finals.
5. Care to pick the winners and margins for this week?
Sure, why not?
Roosters versus Storm: Melbourne by 8
The Roosters are running white-hot at the moment, and it would be a mad man that picks against them. Well, call me crazy, because I think if any team can exploit the Chooks’ weaknesses, it’s Melbourne, and I am convinced they will do just that.
Bulldogs versus Dragons: Canterbury by 10
The Dragons have done a fantastic job just making the finals, and they deserve a lot of credit for doing so. However, as mediocre as the Dogs can be at times, they should still handle the Saints quite easily, with their forward pack in particular running riot.
Broncos versus Cowboys: North Queensland by 1
I expect this to be a cracking game that will go right down to the wire; with a Thurston field goal getting the Cowboys home in a golden-point thriller.
Sharks versus Rabbitohs: Souths by 4
I have more faith in politicians than I do Cronulla. I simply don’t trust the Sharks in important situations, and they don’t get much more important than ‘lose and go home’. Souths’ experience, and the presence of Greg Inglis, will see the Bunnies win.