A lot has happened since my last power rankings as the boring off-season wrapped up and the pre-season kicked off in style with the Auckland Nines.
The Charity Shield finished up with South Sydney embarrassing St George Illawarra while the World Club Challenge was hardly a challenge at all.
Before the first official ball is kicked off, let us again rank the teams from most powerful to least powerful.
Which teams have risen and have fallen over the pre-season?
1. Sydney Roosters
The Roosters remain atop of the rankings after an impressive World Club challenge performance. Their Auckland Nines campaign was far from ideal but their team was nowhere close to their strongest.
Watching Fred Fittler score a try and flatten Ben Barba was better than winning the Nines anyway, wasn’t it?
2. Manly Sea Eagles (+2)
Manly had an up and down Nines campaign but with Kieran Foran back into the side the Sea Eagles have so much more to offer. With only a few minor injuries the Sea Eagles look likely to make yet another finals appearance in 2014.
There is not much to say about Manly. They get the job done and always seem to fly under the radar.
3. South Sydney Rabbitohs (-1)
The Rabbitohs touched up the Dragons in the Charity Shield and still looked nowhere near their best. They have moved down the rankings due to the injury to Luke Keary and all the Sam Burgess drama.
Luke Keary alongside Adam Reynolds in the halves with John Sutton at lock (his best position) would have given Souths a very dangerous attack. That loss hurts them but they have enough firepower to still remain an elite side.
4. North Queensland Cowboys (+1)
The Cowboys find themselves in the top four after an outstanding Nines tournament in which they claimed their first ever trophy – and without Jonathan Thurston.
The bad news is they lost Lachlan Coote for the year with a torn ACL. The good news is the plethora of young talent they have in Kyle Feldt, Curtis Rona and Zac Santo.
5. Melbourne Storm (-2)
The Storm played exactly how we expected without the ‘Big Three’ in the Auckland Nines.
They move down in the rankings because of some injury concerns. Winger Matt Duffie tore his ACL and is likely out for the season, while Ryan Hinchcliffe, Justin O’Neill, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater are all under an injury cloud for Round 1.
That means Ben Roberts might start. Yes, that Ben Roberts.
6. New Zealand Warriors (+2)
Here is what we learnt about the Warriors after the Nines: Shaun Johnson is a freak, Sam Tomkins is for real and the Warriors are the sleeping giant of the NRL.
The only concern is finding a viable No. 6 to go alongside Johnson in the halves. Maybe Kevin Locke?
7. Penrith Panthers (-1)
Penrith are only dropping down one because the Warriors were very impressive in Auckland. The Panthers had a mixed Nines campaign but with all their pieces in place they are a great chance to return to finals football.
Their fate is the hands of Jamie Soward and Peter Wallace though, which is enough to give most Panther fans a heart attack, but the presence of James Segeyaro, Josh Mansour, Matt Moylan and Jamal Idris will help ease the stress.
8. Cronulla Sharks (+7)
Cronulla Sharks are massive risers up the power rankings.
At the time of the last rankings all the mail was decimation and destruction at the hands of ASADA. We have now realised that ASADA are all talk and no action and should be ranked 17th in these rankings.
The Cronulla Sharks will be fine in 2014. The only reason they’re not higher in the rankings is the loss of Shane Flanagan.
9. Newcastle Knights
The injury to Jarrod Mullen should have moved the Knights down a few spots but the remaining teams are stumbling over each other to avoid the wooden spoon. After what was originally feared as a season-ending injury, Mullen looks to only miss 10-12 games.
Other than that injury the Knights looked very dangerous in the Nines, especially Mullen until he went down. Tyrone Roberts needs to make the leap this season to make the Knights elite.
10. Brisbane Broncos (+1)
The Broncos made the final of the Nines on the back of some great play by youngster Kodi Nikorima and Andrew McCullough. Both players were outstanding and may be the playmaking answers the Broncos are seeking.
Ben Barba showed glimpses of his former Dally M award winning self but still doesn’t look 100 percent. With question marks in the halves and fullback position I expect a very inconsistent year from the Broncos.
11. Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs (-4)
The doggies have slid down four spots since the last rankings due mostly to their horrible Auckland Nines jerseys. They were terrible.
The performance in the competition was just as appalling. The absence of a key playmaker in that side was shown and I fully expect that Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson can revive a poor Bulldogs off-season.
12. Gold Coast Titans
The Titans remain in 12th position after an average Nines campaign and a trial win over the Warriors. If exciting young halves Albert Kelly and Aidan Sezer can make the leap this year the Titans have the pack to compete with most sides and rise up these rankings.
They remain the hardest team to scope and in the next rankings it wouldn’t surprise me to see them ranked eighth or 16th.
13. Parramatta Eels (+3)
It was only the Nines but already you can see the positive impacts from Brad Arthur’s return as head coach to Parramatta.
The Nathan Peats signing may be the signing of the year as he offers so much more at hooker than Matt Keating ever did. I tweeted that during day one of the Nines and judging by the reply of Mrs Matt Keating, she was not impressed by this “hater”.
With a healthy Jarryd Hayne, William Hopoate and plenty of promising young forwards, it looks like the Eels are heading in the right direction.
14. Wests Tigers
James Tedesco is going to be a star, if he isn’t already. The Nines showed us that Tedesco is fast, very fast.
I said in the first power rankings of the year that the young playmakers at the Tigers will be better off without Benji Marshall and the first week of the Super Rugby proved that. He starts week two of that tournament from the bench.
These young playmakers will need some time to get things together but by the end of the year the direction of the Tigers will be clear.
15. St George Illawarra Dragons (-5)
When the Dragons learn how to tackle they may move up these rankings but by the time they do it will be too late.
The Dragons were awful in the Charity Shield and the loss of Dugan is adding salt to the deep wounds.
EXCLUSIVE: Steve Price will be sacked by Round 6. It’s going to be a long year for the red V.
16.Canberra Raiders (-3)
The Auckland Nines was a far from successful campaign for the Raiders. They finished with two bad losses, including a shutout and only one victory.
The only positive from the Nines was the play of young Mitch Cornish, who showed great playmaking ability and could be a great replacement for Sam Williams.
Ricky Stuart will continue his ‘impressive’ coaching performance with yet another wooden spoon unless Anthony Milford can be Ben Barba 2.0.
The next power rankings will be a far more accurate as the season has kicked off and Round 1 will be done and dusted.
But in the meantime, have I been too generous or too tough on some teams?
Twitter: @joshwye
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