Maybe it’s because the NRL has been relatively low on off the field issues over the summer, but the focus in recent months has definitely been on player recruitment.
It appears that there have been more team changes leading into the 2018 season than in most years, particularly in key roles. However, not all recruits are created equal and we take a look here to determine which player is the key recruit for your team and why.
Going in alphabetical order:
Brisbane Broncos
The Broncos have been reasonably quiet on the player market, so their key recruit would have to be Jack Bird. Interestingly enough, for a player who wanted to move closer to the action, Bird is likely to line up in the centre role as per the last couple of seasons with the Sharks.
However, if the halves pairing fails to fire early on, Bird could find himself at 5/8th. First things first, he has to get himself on the field after offseason surgery on his shoulder.
Canberra Raiders
For a team that missed out on the 2017 semi-finals, the Raiders have also been quiet in the market, with Ricky Stuart sticking with the core of his team that lost more than its share of close games last year. This week’s signing of Ata Hingano will place pressure on Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer but he is unlikely to get a start unless they falter.
Charlie Gubb may be their biggest signing, adding further size to an already huge pack of forwards.
Canterbury Bulldogs
OK, here is where things start to get interesting. After a disappointing 2017, the Bulldogs have had a massive cleanout. As Dean Pay arrived after the majority of this recruitment occurred, whether he has the team he wants or not is unclear.
The loss of James Graham and Sam Kasiano does place a lot of pressure on Aaron Woods to perform. However, for a team that didn’t score enough points last year, Kieran Foran is crucial to their success. His form alone could be enough to determine whether the Bulldogs are playing into September or not.
Cronulla Sharks
Losing Bird and James Maloney are big losses for the Sharks. However, they have covered well with the signings of Matt Moylan and Josh Dugan. While Cronulla made the semi-finals in 2017, the biggest difference between then and their 2016 premiership was lack of tries scored.
The departure of Ben Barba was a large reason for that. Moylan has arrived under a bit of a cloud but if he rediscovers his best, the Sharks are well on the way to resolving that deficiency.
Gold Coast Titans
The Titans will take a very different look on to the field in Round 1, with a raft of changes to their roster. The most important of those is Bryce Cartwright. Cartwright had his share of well-documented problems while at the Panthers so a fresh start, albeit on the glitter strip, may be just what he needs.
The Titans have purchased some extra strength in the pack with Jai Arrow and Leilani Latu, but Cartwright’s ball-playing ability will be essential for this team.
(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Manly Sea Eagles
The Sea Eagles’ recruitment drive has been underwhelming. Their push to bring Mitchell Pearce to the club was largely scuttled by the salary cap accusations, with the result being that most pundits are tipping a slide down the table this year.
Lachlan Croker will be a crucial acquisition if he gets the first shot in the halves alongside Daly Cherry-Evans, but it may be that Jackson Hastings gets that opportunity. If so, the recruitment of Joel Thompson from the Dragons will be the key recruit, strengthening the Eagles pack.
Melbourne Storm
The departure of Cooper Cronk represents the start of the changing of the guard for the 2017 premiers, however, Melbourne have concentrated on players coming through their system rather than making wholesale changes. Ryan Hoffman returns to the fold but the signing of Sam Kasiano could prove the best.
The signs are there that he has shed plenty of kilos in the offseason so if he can play additional minutes while maintaining his power, he could prove to be a great acquisition for the Storm.
Newcastle Knights
When we talk player recruitment, we talk Newcastle Knights. After a couple of seasons rooted to the bottom of the ladder, Nathan Brown had to make the changes. The biggest is clearly Mitchell Pearce. Pearce will have a lot to prove this year following the Roosters’ decision to bring Cronk to their club.
If Pearce can move the Knights up the ladder and the Roosters don’t win the premiership, some in the Roosters hierarchy may be second-guessing that decision.
North Queensland Cowboys
With Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott both returning to the team after long absences, the Cowboys have a new feeling to them before any recruitment is included. The nucleus of the side has remained in Townsville so they only made a few signings.
Having said that, Jordan McLean will bring a lot to their forward pack. With Queensland State of Origin players likely to be starting from their bench, the Cowboys are my premiership favourites for this year.
(AAP Image/Action Photographics, Colin Whelan)
Parramatta Eels
The purchase of Kane Evans adds a lot to Parramatta’s depth in the front row. However, the loss of Semi Radradra is crucial to this team so a backline signing was important. Enter Jarryd Hayne. It appears that Hayne enjoyed his off-season and Brad Arthur has downplayed his role.
However, if he plays anything like what he did when he last played for the Eels, he will go a long way to satisfactorily replacing his fellow Fijian in their backline.
Penrith Panthers
Only time will tell whether there is trouble at the bottom of the Blue Mountains. The Panthers trial form has been poor and the player exodus and rumours of discontent continue. In the midst of this is James Maloney. His partnership with Nathan Cleary should be one of the best in the NRL.
Make no mistake, the Panthers still have a very good squad. Having Maloney at 5/8th provides the Panthers with a stability they haven’t had in recent years. It could be sufficient to take them to the next level.
St George Illawarra Dragons
The Dragons went close to the semi-finals last year and, in reality, should have made them after such a strong start to the season. They were missing a quality half to play alongside Gareth Widdop.
Ben Hunt had a disappointing end to his time at the Broncos but is clearly quality. His signing should have the Dragons playing in September this year.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The Rabbits had a disappointing season in 2017 and their success this year depends a lot on the fitness of Greg Inglis and Adam Reynolds, both prone to injury in recent years. From a recruitment perspective, Dane Gagai adds class to their backline and is their key purchase in 2018.
A lot will depend however on their forward pack, who were often outplayed last year.
Sydney Roosters
The Roosters haven’t purchased a lot of players but what they have purchased is quality. Their recruitment is headlined by Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco. For the drama it caused alone, Cronk has to be their key recruit.
(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
His combination with Luke Keary is viewed as probably second only to the Cowboys in terms of quality and the Roosters will be expecting to add to their silverware. Sonny Bill or no Sonny Bill, they will go very close this season.
New Zealand Warriors
The Warriors have been written off by many for this season and it is hard to argue with their logic given they have produced so little with so much talent in recent years. I’m sensing an improvement, however.
While the purchase of Adam Blair and Tonu Harris will add plenty of value to their forward pack and Gerald Beale and Peta Hiku the same to their backline, the key recruitment is the underrated Blake Green. He provided a great foil to Cherry-Evans last season and I would expect him to do the same for Shaun Johnson this year.
Wests Tigers
And, finally, to the Tigers. With the Knights and the Titans, they are arguably the clubs with the most changes this year. Benji Marshall and Josh Reynolds are big signings in the halves.
However, for a club that has lost Aaron Woods and Ava Seumanufagai, the front row was the crucial position to fill. Russell Packer made the best of his second chance with the Dragons and he will be expected to do the same this year.
We are less than a week away from the long-awaited start to the NRL season. With the quality of changes that most teams have made, there are plenty of unanswered questions leading into this season. We all look forward to answering them as this season progresses. Bring it on!
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