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It’s early days, but already we’ve learnt some important lessons for NRL season 2017.
1. Dragons have an attack
Things look on the up for the team from Wollongong, a far cry from their 14 points per game average of 2016. The side saw off fierce competition from Auckland Nines runners-up the Penrith Panthers, crossing the line seven times for a record-breaking 42-10 victory at UOW Jubilee Oval.
Captain and five-eighth Gareth Widdop played arguably his best game since joining the Red V, crossing for two tries and kicking a perfect seven from seven conversions to lead the league with 22 points of his own at the end of Round 1.
With a halves combination that finally looks to have clicked, and players like Josh Dugan and Jason Nightingale in the backs, the Dragons could be finals contenders.
2. The Sydney Roosters are back to their best
2016 saw the Sydney Roosters rocked by numerous injuries and off-field issues, with none greater than the pre-season antics of star halfback Mitchell Pearce.
The Roosters were minor premiers an extraordinary three years in a row, before 2016 saw them fall to 15th ahead of only the Newcastle Knights.
The Roosters took on the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Super Stadium and super it was, with the Chooks running in a five-try, 28-0 lead at halftime.
It wasn’t all their own way, with the Titans scoring three tries of their own, before young gun Latrell Mitchell crossed in the final minutes to cap off his first career hat-trick and give the Roosters a resounding 32-18 victory.
With the likes of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Boyd Cordner, Pearce and new recruit Luke Keary hitting the ground running, the Roosters look like their 2013 premiership winning side.
3. Ing-less Rabbitohs to remain winless?
The team from Redfern suffered a thumping loss at the hands of the Wests Tigers on Friday night.
Billed as a grudge match between Robbie Farah and his former side, the night ended up being one to forget for the boys in red and green, going down 34-18.
Star fullback and Australian international Greg Inglis ruptured his ACL early on and never looked the same, barely managing to run the ball.
The Rabbitohs haven’t shifted from the tactics that saw them win the 2014 premiership and it’s starting to show, with the side finishing seventh and 12th in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
A lot of pressure is on coach Michael Maguire and it won’t get any easier in Round 2, with the side travelling to LottoLand for a clash against Manly on Saturday night.
4. Knights are much improved
Newcastle travelled across the ditch for a blockbuster clash against a hard-hitting Warriors side. Almost inevitably, a winless streak spanning almost ten months saw the Knights fall agonisingly close, going down 26-22.
It wasn’t all bad though, with the side showing plenty of promise to come back from a 20-8 halftime scoreline and actually leading towards the back end of the game.
While not a perfect way to start off their 2017 campaign, the Knights look to have improved considerably on the defensive side of the ball, with Warriors winger Ken Maumalo saying “they were a lot better than last year”.
Next week, the Knights will look to get a win over the Titans in their first home game of the season.
5. The Bunker is better
With a reliance on the Bunker being taken away from referees in 2017, Round 1 saw much faster decision-making and fewer calls going up for review.
The Bunker was being used for seemingly every play in 2016, leaving fans bored while replay after replay was tediously shown for calls that referees should have been making.
With the NRL making changes to the rules, the Bunker will no longer be able to review knock-ons in general play or 40/20s, putting the onus back on the referees to improve the flow of the game.
While not perfect, Round 1 saw much improvement and should leave fans hopeful for the season ahead.
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