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And then there were three: Cowboys, Storm and Sharks rise to the top

25th July, 2016
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The Cowboys are one of three realistic contenders in 2017. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
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25th July, 2016
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The dust has settled on another round of the premiership and we have been left with three clear contenders for end of season honours.

North Queensland, Melbourne and Cronulla have all been in contention for some time but results on the weekend have forced the gap between them and the rest of the completion into a chasm.

Big losses for top four aspirants Brisbane and Canterbury have put a huge dent into both sides’ title hopes, while the the fourth-placed Raiders are yet to show enough of what is needed to be considered a favourite.

The Cowboys’ 36-0 demolition of Canterbury showed once again how ruthless this outfit is and their strangulation of the Bulldogs revealed just how big the gap between the contenders and pretenders is this season.

All things considered this year’s premiership race has been a close one with only seven points separating fourth from 11th. Indeed, the Cowboys and Bulldogs were equal on 26 points heading into Thursday night’s match-up. The difference between the two sides is now much clearer.

While probably too far behind Melbourne and Cronulla to sneak into the top two, North Queensland are firming as favourites, provided Johnathan Thurston remains fit. He left the field with a dusty hamstring during the Bulldogs clash and is expected to be rested as the reigning premiers prepare for what is sure to be a gruelling September ahead.

While the Cowboys are close to the best side in the completion they haven’t been able to put it together every week. That honour goes to the lads from the Shire after notching up their 15th straight win on the weekend.

The form team of the year has a maiden premiership in their sights and man for man are one of the most talented teams going around. Not only has coach Shane Flanagan put together a special group of players, he has given the belief to win even without their stars.

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Their win over Penrith three weeks ago was a perfect example. Missing six players due to Origin, Cronulla were able to comfortably see off a Panthers side talented in its’ own right.

Key for the Sharks is now keeping that winning culture going. Their chief opponents for the title, Melbourne and North Queensland have bucket-loads of experience come September and doubt remains over the Sharks’ ability to get it done come crunch-time.

Their 39-0 loss at the hands of the Cowboys last year speaks for itself. They haven’t made it past week two since 2008. Having dominated all year, the Sharks have a lot of similarities to Canterbury’s run in 2012, brilliant but lacking the execution and experience in the end.

Indeed we could very well see a repeat of that year’s decider, hopefully minus the ear-biting.

Melbourne rounds out this year’s contenders and not much needs to be explained. There or thereabouts for the past decade, Craig Bellamy’s side is once again sitting comfortably in the top four.

If the Cowboys are the best and the Sharks in form, then Melbourne must surely be the most difficult team to play against. Prepared to get down and dirty, the Storm have the best defensive record in the competition having only conceded 208 points so far this campaign.

Steered around by Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, Melbourne demand excellence from their players and come finals time they have the experience and defensive strength required to go all the way. It may not be pretty but it would take a very brave individual to bet against this champion team.

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Three sides all capable of taking out this year’s honours. Each has their own strengths and it will be intriguing to see which approach prevails.

Then again we could have a side like Canberra or Penrith come out of nowhere and snatch it. It’s the greatest game of all for a reason, after all.

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