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After three days of surprisingly little abuse, I finally complete my predictions for the upcoming 2018 NRL season – including my tip for the premiership.
So, without any further delay, here is my anticipated Top Four.
NRL 2018 ladder predction
Ladder positions 16 to 13
Ladder positions 12 to nine
Ladder positions eight to four
4th – Parramatta Eels
Will the return of the Prodigal Son, Jarryd Hayne, be beneficial or detrimental to Parramatta’s premiership hopes?
When the enigmatic Hayne announced his return to the NRL in 2016, the Parramatta faithful publicly pleaded for their beloved fullback to wear the Blue and Gold colours once more.
Hayne would go on to don the Blue and Gold – for the Gold Coast Titans, in a move that shattered the majority of Eels fans.
He now returns to the club in 2018 as an even more polarising figure. Hayne’s talent is undeniable, yet it remains to be seen whether his presence will strengthen or disrupt Parramatta’s push for the premiership.
His arrival is particularly dejecting for Bevan French and Clinton Gutherson, who had established themselves as the club’s two choices for the fullback position.
However, I see no reason why Hayne will regain his favoured spot at fullback given the form Gutherson was in prior to suffering an ACL injury. The former Sea Eagle experienced a breakout season last year in the fullback role, with Parramatta winning seven of nine games when he was wearing the No. 1 jersey.
Barring Hayne’s return, the Eels enter 2018 with primarily the same side that finished in fourth place last year. Next year, however, Brad Arthur will enjoy the reward of having a full season with Mitchell Moses wearing the five-eighth jersey.
The former Tiger proved one of the best buys of the season last year, finishing his 16 games in the Blue and Gold with 14 try-assists, 17 line break-assists, four line breaks and one try. While the Eels may possess one of the most formidable backlines in the competition, their forward pack lacks impact, as other than Nathan Brown none of Parramatta’s regular middle forwards averaged over 100 metres gained per game.
Coach Arthur will be hoping that recruit Kane Evans will be able to provide that power. Anything less than a top-four spot this year would be considered a major step backwards in Parramatta’s title aspirations.
Third – Sydney Roosters
The Roosters enter this season as the punters’ favourites for the 2018 Telstra Premiership. As expected, much of the hype surrounding Trent Robinson’s men stems from the signings of superstar fullback James Tedesco and two-time Dally M winner Cooper Cronk.
The explosive Tedesco is an enormous upgrade on the reliable Michael Gordon, who is ten years older than the former Tigers fullback.
Tedesco topped the league last year for tackle busts with 153, more than double Gordon’s 65. The NSW Blues fullback also trumps Gordon in line breaks, try-assists and total running metres.
Gordon’s exit, however, leaves the Roosters without an obvious first-choice goal kicker – a serious issue given that premierships can be decided by goal kicking alone.
Meanwhile, the signing of the 34-year-old Cronk and release of 28-year-old Mitchell Pearce suggests that the inability to win a premiership within the next two years would be considered a failure.
Yet, Roosters fans would be confident of claiming the trophy within the next two years given the wealth of big-game experience that Cronk brings – a quality which may have proved vital in last year’s Preliminary final defeat to the Cowboys.
The departures of Kane Evans, Connor Watson, Aidan Guerra and Michael Gordon will impact upon the Roosters’ depth this season and suggest that a clean bill of health is important in their title ambitions.
(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Second – Melbourne Storm
Can the Melbourne Storm be the first side since the Brisbane Broncos of 1992-1993 to collect back-to-back premierships?
2017 will be the first year that the infamous ‘Big Three’ are no longer together. However, early signs indicate that Cooper Cronk clone Brodie Croft is more than capable of filling the void left by the Australian halfback.
In his four appearances in 2017, Croft crossed for four tries and displayed composure in kicking the match-winning field goal against the Cowboys in Round 15. While Croft is and may never be the player Cronk was for Melbourne, in just four outings he has proven to be a suitable replacement.
The departures of Jordan McLean and Tohu Harris have been offset by the arrivals of Sam Kasiano and Patrick Kaufusi. Although a significant downgrade, Melbourne fans will still be hopeful given Craig Bellamy’s ability to produce the best out of his players. Ryan Hoffman also returns to the club he won a Premiership with in 2012.
In their 21 seasons in the National Rugby League, the Storm have reached a stunning eight grand finals. This number should increase at the conclusion of the 2018 season, but it will be the Cowboys who will emerge victorious this time.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Minor premiers – North Queensland Cowboys
While the Roosters have amassed quite the team in 2018, this writer is still of the opinion that Paul Green’s Cowboys will emerge Premiers come the 30th of September. The Cowboys’ extraordinary run towards last year’s grand final was highly impressive given that they were without Australian international representatives Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott.
Both return in 2018 and are joined by Melbourne Storm recruit Jordan McLean. From Thurston’s devastating injury came the stunning rise of Michael Morgan. Previously just a foil to the illustrious ‘JT’, Morgan’s rapid improvement saw the Cowboys classed by Andrew Johns as a “more dangerous team” with Morgan at halfback rather than Thurston.
While maybe an exaggeration, North Queensland still possess arguably the strongest halves pairing in the competition. When combined with their rampaging forward pack headlined by Jason Taumalolo and dependable backline, it would be quite surprising if the Cowboys were not to qualify for back-to-back grand finals.
So, to all Sydneysiders, as hard as it may be our only hope of premiership glory is to hop on the Roosters bandwagon as I believe that they are the only side capable of challenging the might of the Storm and Cowboys next year.
Regardless, I expect JT’s mob to claim retribution for last year’s grand final defeat. Do you agree? Let me know in the comments below! Hope you enjoyed the series Roarers – only 62 days to go!
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