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The new year is upon us which means that the NRL season is not too far away. It’s time to take a look ahead at what’s to come in 2017. From coaches being fired, to records being broken, and a shift in the face of the game, 2017 is set to be one of the most significant seasons this decade.
Young sides in battle for top prize
2017 will see the old guard change as new heroes of the game come to the fore. The likes of Matt Moylan, Nathan Cleary, Jarrod Croker and Blake Austin will be the stars of the 2017 season with the Panthers and Raiders in ripe contention for the Provan-Summons Trophy.
Anthony Griffin’s side continues to go from strength-to-strength by recruiting Tim Browne, Mitch Rein and James Tamou to complement their plethora of young stars.
Now that Nathan Cleary has adjusted to the rigours of NRL, the mountain men will be in a good position in 2017, especially given Bryce Cartwright will move back to his favoured second row with the return of Kiwi international Te Maire Martin at five-eighth.
Tamou will mix with Cartwright and veteran Trent Merrin to add even more power to the forward pack. Meanwhile, the chocolate soldiers’ backline will be fully fit with Peta Hiku and Dean Whare returning from injury, slotting in alongside Matt Moylan and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.
Ricky Stuart has arguably the strongest roster in the competition with Joey Leilua, Jordan Rapana, Josh Hodgson, Jarrod Croker and many more all calling the nation’s capital home in 2017.
Leilua and Rapana lit up the competition at the back end of 2016, the centre of a strong Green Machine backline also featuring Jack Wighton and Edrick Lee, and supported by halves pairing Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer.
Their forward pack will be even better in 2017 having gained experience in last year’s Four Nations. Shannon Boyd (Australia), Josh Hodgson, Elliott Whitehead (England), Jordan Rapana and Joseph Tapine (New Zealand) all took part in the tournament off the back of a successful 2016 campaign that saw them come 80 minutes shy of a grand final berth.
With Stuart’s squad looking bigger and better than ever, 2017 could mark the beginning of a new dynasty in the capital.
The first Sunday of October may well be contested between two of the NRL’s youngest outfits if Griffin and Stuart can evolve the way the game is played, however don’t be surprised if Craig Bellamy’s Storm are there once again on grand final day.
Sharks, Cowboys to fall
The NRL’s last two premiers the Cronulla Sharks and North Queensland Cowboys could be in for a long 2017.
Both teams have lost players in key positions with the Sharks looking thin at hooker following the retirement of Michael Ennis while Ben Barba has slimmed down their options in the backline.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, have lost both James Tamou and Ben Hannant, leaving a massive gap up front and prompting questions as to whether they have the power to be a reckoning force once again.
Regardless of their lack of depth, the Sharks and Cowboys will still be in the mix for the finals however, they won’t quite look as good as they have in previous years, playing part in a tight tussle for spots at the bottom of the eight.
Roosters to re-gain their crow
The Roosters struggled to settle into the 2016 season, marred by a cocktail of injury, controversy and key player losses.
They will be better for it in 2017 with a number of young guns such as Latrell Mitchell and Connor Watson having made the transition to first-grade football.
Trent Robinson has a host of quality players to choose from, meaning 2017 will likely be the year that the boys from Bondi return to the top eight.
If they can overcome a tough start to the season which sees them drawn against 2016 finalists the Titans, Bulldogs and Panthers, they will be in a favourable position going into the State of Origin period.
The Warriors and Eels will also be looking to return to September football. Despite both boasting strong rosters, they will likely fall short of the top eight, being forced to sit out another year of the playoffs.
Neither side has finished in the top half since they both made grand final appearances from tough circumstances in 2011 and 2009 respectively. No team in the NRL has been absent from the finals as long as these two teams.
Axe to fall on Hasler
The coaching merry-go-round will only continue in 2017 with a number of mentors in the hot seat.
Des Hasler remains in troubled waters at Belmore, and will struggle to get the best out of his Bulldogs in 2017. This will lead to his exit from the Bulldogs, Dean Pay succeeding the man who coached Manly to two premierships.
The Dragons will finish 2017 with the wooden spoon, prompting Paul McGregor to leave out the back door. Hasler will move south to Wollongong where he will take over the helm at the Red V. He will bring a host of changes to the club, overhauling their player roster with 24 players off contract at the end of 2017.
The pair won’t be the only ones who will be fired from their current clubs with Jason Taylor’s Wests Tigers to finish the year in the bottom four. It will lead former Warriors and Panthers head coach Ivan Cleary to Concord, the joint venture’s third coach in five years.
Profound shift in leadership ranks
Club captaincy will be a big talking point at the conclusion of 2017 with many heads to be on the chopping block as coaches look to new blood.
Early in 2017, Darius Boyd, Josh Jackson and Jake Trbojevic will be announced as captains at their respective clubs however, a number of rising stars will take over going into 2018.
Paul Gallen’s role as Sharks captain will be relinquished by Wade Graham while the Wests Tigers will axe Aaron Woods as skipper in favour of Mitchell Moses. Meanwhile, Adam Reynolds will join Greg Inglis as co-captain at Redfern while Joel Thompson and Tyson Frizell will link up for the Dragons in place of Gareth Widdop. Elsewhere, Trent Robinson will make the call to replace Jake Friend with Boyd Cordner while Dane Gagai and Jamie Buhrer will take pressure off the shoulders of Trent Hodkinson at the Knights.
Moylan, Croker to shine
It will be a two-horse race between Matt Moylan and Jason Croker for the Dally M honours in 2016, the pair both looking to steer their respective teams to an historic premiership.
It could be a big year for Croker who needs just 7 tries to surpass Brett Mullins for second most tries at the Raiders. Meanwhile, after scoring 296 points for the green machine in 2016, he will be going after Hazem El Masri’s 342 points in 2004 for most points scored in a season.
El Masri’s records will be chased by a host of other stars with Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith set to move past Andrew Johns’ modest tally of 2176 points to sit behind the Bulldogs legend on the highest point scorers list.
Smith is also poised to beat Darren Lockyer’s 355 matches for most NRL appearances in what will be his 16th season in the top grade.
The rookie of the year award will be contested by a host of young guns in 2017. Jayden Brailey will have a convincing case for the gong, given he can beat out Manaia Cherrington and Daniel Mortimer for the Sharks’ starting hooker spot vacated by Michael Ennis.
Kangaroos to remain world champions, minnows to put up a fight
Australia will continue their domination of the Rugby League World Cup by claiming their 11th title with an emphatic win over England in the final at Suncorp Stadium.
The World Cup will mark the year that second and third tier nations step up and contest with the ‘big three’ as the likes of Lebanon field Mitchell Moses and Robbie Farah in upsetting France and pushing Australia and England, while Samoa, Scotland and Tonga will all place serious pressure on New Zealand in the battle for first place in Pool B.
Laurie Daley to put the spotlight on young guns
Shock horror, Queensland will win yet another State of Origin series. However, the series will be used a stepping stone by New South Wales coach Laurie Daley.
The co-captaincy will be awarded to Boyd Cordner and Josh Jackson while James Tedesco, Matt Moylan and the Trbojevic brothers will come into their own.
In addition, rising stars Nathan Cleary and Latrell Mitchell will be introduced into the squad as 18th and 19th throughout the series.
Big change in Super League
St Helens will fight tooth and nail for the premiership with arch rivals Wigan but their battle for supremacy in English rugby league’s premier competition will be overshadowed by international franchises.
The Canadian-based Toronto Wolfpack will blow the League 1 competition out of the water and gain promotion into the Championship, winning the hearts of fans all around the globe.
Meanwhile, the Salford Red Devils will make way for Toulouse Olympique in the Super League introducing a second French team into the first division.
Roarers, what do you think will happen in 2017?
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