As the NRL season draws to a close and we get closer to this year’s exciting World Cup, I’m looking a bit further ahead, to next year’s Inaugural Auckland Nines competition.
Hoping to bring the flair and excitement to the sport that rugby sevens has created, this competition will bring incredible revenue to New Zealand and could be an incredible opportunity for the 16 NRL teams with a prize pool around $2 million.
Playing just nine minute halves, this is the game the exciting backs have been waiting for. While it may be a glorified touch football competition, I personally can’t wait to see the likes of Jarryd Hayne, Josh Dugan, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater and Shaun Johnson show what they can do with a bit extra space.
So with this, I have gone through and predicted what I think each of the 16 teams will look like and where I predict them to finish.
These are the teams I would like to see, not necessarily the way I think they will look as I have avoided all front rowers and mainly chosen just from the top roster of each team.
Warriors nines – first
1. Tomkins
2. Locke
3. Vatuvai
4. Hurrell
5. Fisiiahi
6. Mateo
7. Johnson
8. Henry
9. Laumape
10. Nielsen
11. Peyroux
12. Townsend
13. Lino
14. Tuimavave
Roosters nines – second
1. Tuivasa-Sheck
2. Tupou
3. Jennings
4. Kenny-Dowell
5. Minichiello
6. Maloney
7. Pearce
8. Sonny Bill Williams
9. Cordner
10. Friend
11. Reuben
12. Oldfield
13. Mortimer
14. Aubusson
Storm nines – third
1. Slater
2. Fonua
3. Chambers
4. Hunt
5. O’Neill
6. Walker
7. Cronk
8. Hinchcliffe
9. Smith
10. Robinson
11. McLean
12. Hoffman
13. Sau
14. Hampton
Panthers nines – fourth
1. Moylan
2. Simmons
3. Roberts
4. Whare
5. Mansour
6. Soward
7. John
8. Brown
9. Segeyaro
10. Peachey
11. Taylor
12. Kingston
13. Naiqama
14. Humble
Titans nines – fifth
1. Zillman
2. Gordon
3. Blair
4. Idris
5. Mead
6. Sezer
7. Kelly
8. Bird
9. Srama
10. Falloon
11. Irwin
12. Henry
13. Don
14. Takairangi
Rabbitohs nines – sixth
1. Inglis
2. Merritt
3. Walker
4. Reddy
5. Goodwin
6. Sutton
7. Reynolds
8. Luke
9. McQueen
10. Keary
11. Champion
12. Buckett
13. Turner
14. Teo
Cowboys nines – seventh
1. Coote
2. Feldt
3. Linnett
4. Tate
5. Winterstein
6. Thurston
7. Lui
8. Cooper
9. Kostjasyn
10. FaiFai Loa
11. Greenshields
12. Thompson
13. Morgan
14. Ulugia
Dragons nines – eighth
1. Dugan
2. Morris
3. Beale
4. Runciman
5. Nightingale
6. Widdop
7. Williams
8. Vidot
9. Thompson
10. Siejka
11. Rein
12. Merrin
13. Green
14. Frizell
Sharks nines – ninth
1. Gordon
2. Ryan
3. Ayshford
4. Pomeroy
5. Feki
6. Carney
7. Robson
8. Lewis
9. Gallen
10. Morris
11. Gardner
12. Graham
13. Wright
14. De Gois
Sea Eagles nines – 10th
1. Stewart
2. Taufua
3. Lyon
4. Williams
5. Hiku
6. Foran
7. Cherry-Evans
8. Horo
9. Symonds
10. Buhrer
11. Ballin
12. Stewart
13. Watmough
14. Blair
Broncos nines – 11th
1. Hoffman
2. Copley
3. Hodges
4. Reed
5. Kahu
6. Barba
7. Hunt
8. Gillett
9. McCullogh
10. Glenn
11. Baptiste
12. Yow Yeh
13. Oates
14. Kemp
Tigers nines – 12th
1. Tedesco
2. Koroibete
3. Simona
4. Lawrence
5. Nofoaluma
6. Moltzen
7. Brooks
8. Sironen
9. Farah
10. Richards
11. Halatau
12. Iosefa
13. Anasta
14. Fulton
Knights nines – 13th
1. Boyd
2. McManus
3. Leilua
4. Gagai
5. Uate
6. Gidley
7. Mullen
8. Rochow
9. Roberts
10. Hilder
11. Quinn
12. Tahu
13. Mantellato
14. Clydesdale
Eels nines – 14th
1. Norman
2. Sio
3. Morgan
4. Hopoate
5. Radradra
6. Hayne
7. Sandow
8. Paulo
9. Peats
10. Hunt
11. Pritchard
12. Loko
13. Roberts
14. Kelly
Raiders nines – 15th
1. Milford
2. Robinson
3. Croker
4. Wighton
5. Lee
6. Campese
7. McCrone
8. Buttriss
9. Berrigan
10. Sauiluma
11. Hodge
12. McIlwrick
13. Rapana
14. Cornish
Bulldogs nines – 16th
1. Morris
2. Perrett
3. Inu
4. Lafai
5. Brown
6. Reynolds
7. Hodkinson
8. Williams
9. Ennis
10. Low
11. Eastwood
12. Romelo
13. Jackson
14. NSW Cup/NYC player
I should mention it was very difficult to determine placings, particularly for the bottom eight teams, but I think the Warriors will be too strong with the home crowd support and playing an open, free-flowing style of game that suits them.
The Auckland Nines will be played on the 15th and 16th of February and will be televised live on Fox Sports. Find out all the details here.
Click here for the full list of squads from the Auckland Nines.
Jim
Guest
The big 3 are injured.
Folau makes comeback to league
Guest
The titans dont have idris he signed with the panthers now and is cody walker in the top 25 cap for melbourne they only just signed him?
Kurby
Guest
Let's just scrap the nines and bring back the All Stars Game, full 80mins, full sides and the best game for rugby league fans to start the season
Tobi
Guest
The teams that have speedsters and throw the ball around will play well so the tigers and the broncos should be in the top 5 otherwise the rest of the positions are chosen well so thanks for this list
Tobi
Guest
The teams that will be more likely to win it are the teams who have speedsters and throw the ball around so those position choices are wrong because teams like the tigers and the broncos will finish in at least the top 5. But otherwise they are good position choices. So thanks for that.
Tobi
Guest
The teams that will be more likely to win it are the teams who have speedsters and throw the ball around so those position choices are wrong because teams like the tigers and the broncos will finish in at least the top 5. But otherwise they are good position choices. So thanks for that.
cowelly
Guest
Agreed. This should be an opportunity for Rugby League PR. Involve kids and charities - winning the hearts and minds of potential fans has worked very well for the AFL and the NRL needs to do a little bit of the same.
cowelly
Guest
The fix? Long-term exposure to children that want to play Rugby League but simply cannot because they are too skinny/small. Auckland 9s is the NRLs answer to their signing of Touch Football. This is a long term idea that will be tweaked constantly, if successful (which i'm predicting it will be). Tweaking will probably include an Indigenous side, a NZ side, a Pacific island side, a NQ side, a SE QLD side etc. etc. The NRL has nothing to lose here. They're trying to compete with Rugby Union in NZ. I say let's not be so negative before the competition has even begun. COWBOYS TO WIN.
Nrl god
Guest
Turbodewd This is only a weekend competition will some of the best nrl players so I doubt that Nrl viewers will lose interest by the 3rd year. I think this comp will be a great success
Jack
Guest
I am too. It'll have to look something like this 1. Gordon 2. Gardner 3. Ayshford 4. Stapleton 5. Feki 6. Lichaa 7. Robson 8. Fifita 9. Morris 10. Tagatese 11. Lewis/Tupou 12. Graham 13. Supoaga 14. Moroko/Ryan/JWright
Vinay
Guest
I remember few years ago there had this Nines games. It was supposed to take over rest of the world Here we are again trying to flog the dead horse. Rugby Sevens is by far a better product and will leave Nines for dead both in terms of talent and atmosphere.
Scott Pryde
Expert
I reckon the best front-rowers should be named in each clubs starting 9... With out many big men to stop them, they could make valuable meters up the middle
Sideline Comm.
Guest
More research into different teams' structure and likely players. You haven't taken what many teams have said about not playing marquee players into consideration. For instance, it's unlikely the Knights would play injury prone Gidley in the halves over Tyron Roberts who is doing well and has a great dummy well suited for broken play. It would have been better to do some more research into up and coming exciting players on the different clubs' rosters and made some real predictions based on this. I appreciate this is who you'd like to see in the teams, but it's not realistic and just looks like you've got a list of all the teams and picks the ones that are well known.
maximillian
Guest
I think you're reading too much into this Turbo. I doubt the NRL think the 9s is going to magically fix the unsteadiness of the main comp & improve the crowd ratings etc but if you have an idea that can fix all the above to displace the 9s, then I'm all ears. As I mentioned this is some preseason entertainment & a much needed cash injection for clubs, nothing more IMO.
turbodewd
Guest
Well they neednt risk their props, this 9s caper is designed for backs.
fishes
Guest
No way Pomeroy will get a run in the 9s! I'm tipping the Sharks to come 16th, and I'm a sharks fan! Not much speed in the backs I'm afraid
neily_b
Roar Rookie
Thankyou. I did remember hearing something about that but it didn't come up in the list of transfers I was using so I must have overlooked it. That looks like a much more solid, well-rounded side.
neily_b
Roar Rookie
I think this would be a great idea! It gives some of the younger players the opportunity to play with the stars they wouldnt normally associate with and it would give the NRL a much needed image makeover if they are supporting charities so strongly! I don't think this will happen but I still think it's brilliant!
neily_b
Roar Rookie
I did have the Gold Coast rated higher originally but couldn't leave Melbourne and the Roosters too far down the list, plus I think this competition will really suit the Panthers attacking players.
Marldon
Guest
Wrong, Bellamy trashed it not Melbourne. I think it was a knee jerk reaction from him and hopefully he will come round. Either way, it will be the NRL and more so the current Storm owners that will decide what they do.