Welcome to the final part of the four part series looking at the hopefuls and the no hopers in the upcoming NRL season.
Canberra Raiders (13th – 10-14)
A club that seems to love a bit of off field controversy, and 2013 was no different and perhaps their high water mark. Just check the record:
It all started early in the season with Josh Dugan and Blake “Skywalker” Ferguson missing a recovery session and instead photographing themselves having a recovery session of their own on Dugan’s roof.
The situation with Dugan deteriorated further and was fired not long after for multiple contract breaches before winding up with St George and NSW.
Ferguson seemed to go the other direction and knuckled down producing some of this best football and earning NSW selection.
Of course that was where it all went sour.
Went out celebrating his and Dugan’s selection for Game 2 where he decided that pick up lines were outdated and went straight for the grope which saw him sacked from NSW, sacked from Canberra, charged and convicted on a two-year good behaviour bond and currently persona non grata with the NRL, unable to sign with any club.
They then succeeded in paying a fortune to lure one of the least successful coaches of recent times to the club.
Since 2004, Canberra have finished eighth, 14th, seventh, 14th, sixth, 13th, seventh, 15th, sixth, 13th – so they either scrape into the bottom half of the eight or they bomb out badly. Not one finish in the top four or in positions 9-12 in 10 years.
If the pattern continues they should finish in the bottom of the eight this season.
Raiders question is
Which star player will get sacked
From the club this year
2014 Tip: Bottom four – New club, similar result for Ricky
St George Illawarra Dragons (14th – 7-17)
The strangest part of the Dragons 2013 season was announcing the re-signing of coach (the other other) Steve Price during the middle of their ANZAC day clash against the Roosters.
At the time the Dragons record was 3-3. Buoyed by the news of Price’s signing the players responded by going 4-14 the rest of the season despite the addition of Josh Dugan, including back to back losses to Wests and Parramatta – the teams that came 15th and 16th.
Hardly a show of enthusiasm.
The usual advice to clubs is to not tempt the wrath of the football gods by treating your loyal fans with disdain by taking your home games and playing them somewhere else for cash.
This is usually a sure recipe for a loss, however the home field form of the Dragons last year was so abysmal that home fans may have been wishing to not have to endure more pain and wish the games would be taken away. This season, they got their wish.
Of the 12 home games, four are to be played in Wollongong, four are to be played at Kogarah and four are to be played “elsewhere”, either a neutral venue or even more damningly – at the home field of the opposition.
St George have delved into the player market to try and purchase themselves a halves pairing to assist their anaemic attack. Price has said in the press that he finally has the personnel he wants and the Dragons can return to being an NRL benchmark.
Price had better hope that’s true as the scorch marks on his backside confirm that his is the hottest seat in the NRL at the moment. I’d say he has to make the eight to keep his job.
Coach signs, players tank
Another season of low points
Will mean goodbye Steve
2014 Tip: Bottom eight – the Price is not right
Wests Tigers (15th – 7-17)
Tough introduction to the NRL for rookie coach Mick Potter who had to cope with a roster in decline, injuries to key personnel and the season long soap opera surrounding the form of Benji Marshall.
Marshall was eventually dropped from the starting side before he spat the dummy and signed with the Auckland Blues because the current club board refused to honour a verbal deal he did for a contract extension with the previous chairman for a squillion dollars.
The Tigers have farewelled one veteran winger, Lote Tuqiri to replace with another one, welcoming back Pat Richards whose last game for the Tigers was the 2005 grand final, scorer of the infamous try after taking Benji’s audacious flick pass.
Post Benji era
The Tigers banking on youth
Expect teething pain
2014 Tip: Bottom four – Tough year ahead as youth find their feet. Could cost Potter his job.
Parramatta (Burramatta) Eels (16th – 5-19)
Things have got to start looking up soon don’t they for a team that has finished 12th, 14th, 16th and 16th since finishing runners up in 2009.
A year after Stephen Kearney was axed after taking the team to the wooden spoon, Ricky Stuart did even worse.
Told half the team they weren’t wanted halfway through the season, won less games (5 to 6), scored less points (326 to 431) and conceded more (740 to 674) than the previous year.
The last time Parramatta have won away from their home stadium was July 20, 2012, so the wisdom of playing three of their home matches away from Parramatta Stadium made about as much sense as most of the player signings at Parramatta in recent times; they are still trying to salvage something from the Chris Sandow debacle.
The only way the season could have gotten worse is if Ricky Stuart hadn’t quit and gone to Canberra. It has been left to new coach Brad Arthur who has accepted the poisoned chalice to try and salvage something from the wreckage.
There are however. some other positive signs for long suffering Eels fans in 2014.
Corey Norman would appear to be a class above most of the Parra backline in recent times and Will Hopoate is back from his Mormon mission and will now attempt to switch back to saving tries from saving souls.
Good riddance Ricky
You came, made Eels worse, then left
Only way is up
2014 Tip: Bottom four – It’s a long road to respectability
Overall I’m not predicting a great shake-up from 2013.
Barring injury, the top four look a cut above the rest and more than likely the Premiers will come from that group.
I think the most likely changes are in that 5-12 positions. I have Canterbury missing the eight and I almost left out Newcastle, with Warriors being the one out of NZ, Gold Coast, Penrith, Brisbane to make the leap back into the eight
I see continuing struggles for Parramatta, Wests and Canberra with St George improving slightly at the expense of the Gold Coast.
I certainly can’t see anyone doing a “Roosters” winning the comp from nowhere.
Of course I will be wrong, the only question is how wrong. Please tell me how wrong I am in the comments section.
Let the festival of biff begin!
@Armchair_Guru
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