The top eight is an ever-changing beast. While some clubs have the luxury of pushing for finals berths season after season, changes over the offseason, as well as the variable good or bad luck means some teams will make it back to the eight, others not being so lucky.
Last season the Penrith Panthers, Gold Coast Titans and Canberra Raiders played finals football after missing out in 2015. They did so at the expense of the St George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs who featured the previous year.
In 2015 the Cronulla Sharks and Dragons got themselves into September after being absent in 2014, replacing the Penrith Panthers and Manly Sea Sea-Eagles. In 2014 the Panthers and Brisbane Broncos played finals football replacing the Sharks and Newcastle Knights from 2013.
The list of changes goes in each year’s top eight goes on.
It’s rare to not see changes to the top eight each season and with the competition consistently close, it’s unlikely to be any different in 2017.
Two clubs who will hope it’s their number being called are the Sydney Roosters and Parramatta Eels. Two very different clubs in terms of recent history, but each with great expectations.
The Eels had almost every scandal in the book last season. What was particularly impressive from an unbiased point of view was the attitude they turned up with every week.
It was part of the reason Brad Arthur has such a good reputation despite his lack of experience. The players played for each other and for the jersey in the face of unprecedented adversity.
They were never easily beaten or disgraced as the likes of the Warriors or Tigers were, and they were a team very much in finals contention despite their penalties. Often with talent on the sidelines, the Eels showed great promise last season.
While they don’t have the personnel that other clubs on the fringe of the eight have, they have culture. They have classy speedsters in Bevan French, Semi Radradra and Michael Jennings, a capable half in Corey Norman as well as a tough forward pack.
It won’t be a walk in the park for the Eels. They have to decide on a hooker who can do the job, but Isacc de Gois and Cameron King are both capable. The other big question mark is their other half.
Plenty of options are queuing up to knock Clint Gutherson out of the way, but he did well in 2016 and will continue to embody just the kind of team the Eels want to be this season.
As has already been touched upon, the Eels and Roosters have very different stories of recent success. While the Eels haven’t been in the finals for seven seasons, the Roosters had strung together three consecutive minor premierships before crashing back to earth last season.
While the dramas weren’t quite as extensive for the Roosters as the Eels, it did define their season. Mitchell Pearce was embroiled in a scandal on Australia day and left them with a completely different halves pairing to start 2016.
Michael Jennings moved to the Eels, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Boyd Cordner spent time on the sidelines and by the time Pearce returned the season was as good as gone with one win from their first eight games.
They improved as the season went on, but the signs that they are again going to be finals contenders came when they won the Nines. Fans, commentators, coaches and administrators are quick to rubbish the Nines being any real indicator of the season ahead but the squad the Roosters took was never expected to win.
It demonstrated that once again the Roosters are ready to be a proud club and return to their high standards whether that be in the Nines format or the 13-man game. They will start the season unhampered by drama and having recruited well.
Michael Gordon is one of the most consistent players money can buy and a solid goal-kicker which they need. They have also poached Luke Keary from the Rabbitohs, a player who was looking for a bit of a refresh.
They have rep players across the park – Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Blake Ferguson, Boyd Cordner, Aidan Guerra, Daniel Tupou, Mitchell Pearce, Michael Gordon and Waerea Hargreaves have all played for state or country.
Mitch Aubusson and Jake Friend are reliable and their youth brigade was the most impressive part of their Nines campaign. Connor Watson in particular needs to be in their 17 somewhere.
Whatever way you slice it the Roosters go into 2017 miles ahead of last season and they are in position to take advantage of it.
While it may not be as a cut and dried from a squad point of view for the Eels, they have learnt a lot from their season from hell.
With Brad Arthur at the helm the Eels look like they could be the feel good story that the NRL season always throws up while the Roosters will return to what Trent Robinson has become so accustomed – winning.
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