2017 NRL season: Round 2 preview

One round down, 25 to go, and while most of Round 1 went to script, there were some surprises, such as the Dragons putting 40 on the Panthers and the Tigers making a point against Robbie Farah and his Rabbitohs.

Round 2 promises to be just as intriguing, with a couple of rivalries such as those between the Roosters and Bulldogs, Broncos and Cowboys and Dragons and Eels highlighting the round.

Roosters versus Bulldogs
After the fall from grace last season, a lot is expected from the Roosters in 2017 and they certainly did not disappoint in the first half of their win over the Titans on the Gold Coast last week.

The new halves pairing of Mitchell Pearce and Luke Keary instantly clicked into gear as they led 28-0 at half-time, before slowing down in the second half to win 34-18.

Though the new season is only one match old, it seems as if the Chooks are ready to climb back up the ladder after what many fans hope was a one-off season down at the foot of the standings in 2016.

Tomorrow night they face the Bulldogs who were narrow losers to the Melbourne Storm in their season opener.

Des Hasler’s men got off to a disastrous start last Friday night, conceding two tries in the opening seven minutes and while they were able to peg one back, couldn’t overhaul their experienced opponents.

While it’s only early days, another loss could see more pressure heaped on the veteran coach, who has yet to deliver the blue and whites a premiership entering his sixth season in charge of the club.

On the flipside, a win for the new-look Roosters would mark the first time since 2010 that they have started a season with two straight victories.

With the support of the home crowd, the Chooks should get home in this one.

Prediction: Roosters by 14 points.

Warriors versus Storm
Both Round 1 winners, the New Zealand Warriors and Melbourne Storm will look to continue their winning ways when they face off in Auckland this Friday night.

It’s a fair thing to say that the Warriors have emerged as the big winners from the new early Friday timeslot, as it allows them to play more home matches in this timeslot with matches starting at 8:00pm local time.

This is a departure from previous years when their matches would not start before 8:30pm, which meant a late finish and a delayed telecast back into Australia.

While the Warriors were Round 1 winners over the Knights as expected, they were made to work hard for it against a side tipped to win a third consecutive wooden spoon in 2017.

They will have to lift at home against the Storm if they are to start a season 2-0 for the first time since 2009.

Two tries in the opening seven minutes of their match against the Bulldogs was enough for Craig Bellamy’s men to win their opener 12-6 at Belmore Oval last Friday night.

Again the Storm will be without Billy Slater, whose playing future still hangs in the balance having not played for twelve months now, with Jesse Bromwich the only forced omission due to injury.

Captain Cameron Smith only needs to score three points to become the first forward to score 2,000 points in the NRL, and the third overall.

Prediction: Storm by four points.

Broncos versus Cowboys
The biggest rivalry in the NRL resumes in prime time this Friday night when the Broncos and Cowboys lock horns at Suncorp Stadium.

It has been nearly 18 months since the two teams met in a memorable grand final, with the Cowboys winning their first premiership thanks to the golden point heroics of Johnathan Thurston.

Since then the Cowboys have won two of three subsequent matches, the most recent of which was in last year’s semi-finals when Michael Morgan scored in extra time to give his side a 26-20 win.

The two earlier regular season matches were split, with both teams taking a one-point victory each at home.

If the recent history between the two Queensland heavyweight clubs is anything to go by, then we could be in for another thriller in Brisbane this Friday night.

The Broncos started their season with a 26-18 win over reigning premiers the Sharks while the Cowboys edged the Raiders in golden point, scoring a try through Gavin Cooper after a field goal attempt from Thurston bounced off the crossbar.

Again the two clubs will be expected to feature at the pointy end of the season, but all the pressure is on the Broncos especially with this being Ben Hunt’s final year at the club before he heads south to the Dragons in 2018.

Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston only needs to score one point to become at least the third (or very likely fourth, as Cameron Smith plays in the earlier match on Friday night) player to score 2,000 points in the NRL.

In a match that is hard to predict with any real confidence, I’m backing the Broncos at home.

Prediction: Broncos by six points.

Knights versus Titans
After a gutsy effort against the Warriors across the ditch last week, the Newcastle Knights return home for their first game in front of their fans this season against the Gold Coast Titans.

The Novocastrians made a mockery of predictions they would again struggle in 2017 by first thrashing an under-strength Raiders side 44-0 in their final trial before narrowly going down to the Warriors by four points last Sunday afternoon.

It was an encouraging performance from a young side which has lost a record nineteen consecutive matches, dating all the way back to their Round 6 win over the Wests Tigers last April.

However, their current losing streak is the worst since the Western Suburbs lost 22 matches in a row between April 1984 and April 1985, and also in club history.

On the other hand, the Titans were inept in the first half of their opener against the Roosters but rallied to win the second half 18-6.

It was a disappointing performance from a side for whom a lot is expected in 2017, especially on the back of last year’s run to September which was doubtless aided by the late-season signing of Jarryd Hayne.

The Hayne Plane never really took off against the Chooks and there is no doubt he will be fired up for the trip to Newcastle, where the Titans have won on three of their last five trips.

While the Titans should take the chocolates here, they will be aware of a Knights side that will be desperate to break their winning hoodoo which, if not broken this weekend, will stretch beyond more than 11 months.

Prediction: Titans by eight points.

Sea Eagles versus Rabbitohs
Following the events of last Friday night, it’s fair to say that a long season looms ahead for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Not only did they lose 34-18 to the Wests Tigers, it has also been confirmed that captain Greg Inglis will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury he suffered in the opening minutes of the match.

All they can do now is start preparing for life after their custodian, who has been at the club from 2011 after being forced out of the Melbourne Storm due to the salary cap scandal at the end of 2010.

Despite the loss of Inglis, winger Bryson Goodwin, who scored a hat-trick against the Tigers, insists they can perform without their superstar fullback who will also be missing for Queensland in this year’s State of Origin series.

Just how they will respond after their disappointing loss to the Tigers will remain to be seen when when they face the Sea Eagles at Lottoland this Saturday night.

It will be the Sea Eagles’ second straight home match to start the new season after they went down to the Parramatta Eels in testing conditions last Sunday afternoon.

They will be without Martin Taupau and Addin Fonua-Blake for a fortnight after they were suspended for separate shoulder charge offences in their loss to the Eels, further testing their depth up front.

The pair’s absence is a win for Nate Myles, who will start at prop after he started on the bench last week.

Still, Trent Barrett’s men should break their season duck this weekend against the under-siege Rabbitohs.

Prediction: Sea Eagles by six points.

Raiders versus Sharks
After dropping their season opener against the Broncos last Thursday night, the Sharks face the possibility of an 0-2 start to their premiership defence when they travel to Canberra to face the Raiders this Sunday.

The loss to the Broncos added to the club’s winless start to the year after they had also lost to them in a pre-season match before losing their World Club Challenge match against the Wigan Warriors in England.

Already Shane Flanagan’s men have been written off but those inside the inner sanctum of the club insist there is no premiership hangover despite losing Michael Ennis and Ben Barba during the off-season.

The last reigning premier to miss the finals the following year were the Wests Tigers, who followed up their 2005 title win with four consecutive years without finals football.

Now they face a Raiders side who will be out to avenge two fronts: first, their two losses to the Sharks at home last season, including a qualifying final, and their heartbreaking golden point loss to the Cowboys last week.

The Raiders were without a doubt the most unluckiest team of Round 1 as they lost in the first match of the new season to be decided in extra time, but while the new season is only one round old, there is still plenty of time for the Raiders to showcase why they are among the contenders in 2017.

Likewise, the Sharks are yet to get going in their premiership defence, but will only get better as the season progresses.

But at home, the Raiders will prevail.

Prediction: Raiders by six points.

Wests Tigers versus Panthers
If one doubted whether there is life at the Wests Tigers after the acrimonious departure of Robbie Farah at the end of last season, then they were proven wrong last week.

Marshaled by halves Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks, the Tigers stunned the Rabbitohs 34-18 in another good sign that they are heading in the right direction under Jason Taylor.

They now have the chance to go 2-0 up when they host the Panthers at Campbelltown Stadium this Sunday.

The mountain men were the biggest flops from the opening round, thrashed 42-10 by a Dragons side whom many have tipped to struggle in 2017.

But coach Anthony Griffin said he hoped the loss would “kick-start” his club’s season, the Panthers having been touted for big things this year after reaching the semi-finals in 2016.

It will now remain to be seen how they bounce back when they make the trip down The Northern Road, which (as many Sydneysiders may know) links Penrith and Campbelltown.

While they will be buoyed by the fact that they have won three of their last four meetings against the Tigers, Jason Taylor’s troops should continue on their impressive start to the season in front of their fans.

Prediction: Wests Tigers by ten points.

Dragons versus Eels
If there was one team that surprised many in the opening round, it was the Dragons.

Coming off a dismal 2016 season and with high-profile recruit Ben Hunt not due at the club until 2018, the Red V put on an astonishing performance last week to hammer the Panthers 42-10 at Kogarah Oval.

It bettered the 32 points they scored against the Sharks in Round 23 last year, and was a good way to write off their detractors who had predicted they would suffer through another season of misery in 2017.

The criticism should hold off for at least another week when they welcome the Parramatta Eels to WIN Stadium this Sunday night.

Like the Dragons, the Eels were impressive in their season opener as they defeated the Sea Eagles 20-12 at Lottoland (the new commercial name for Brookvale Oval) last Sunday.

Despite the promising start to the season, coach Brad Arthur has warned that it would take time for his side, which has been through so much in the last couple of years, to gel together.

That being said, even though they had 60 per cent of possession last week, and at one stage had the ball for nine consecutive sets, they could only manage a solitary penalty goal for these efforts, and scored just three tries (to the Sea Eagles’ two) for the entire match.

Their attacking output is something they will have to improve if they are to beat the Dragons in Wollongong for the first time since 2011.

This will be the first time the sides have met at either Kogarah or Wollongong since 2013, with the past four matches, all wins for the Eels, coming at the now-demolished Parramatta Stadium.

Prediction: Dragons by 14 points.