One of the Rabbitohs, Storm, Dragons and Roosters will win the 2018 NRL premiership.

The others – the Panthers, Sharks, Broncos and Warriors were all given the unfortunate tag of pretenders in yesterday’s article.

Picking four clear contenders was tough given the highly competitive nature of this year’s top eight.

Narrowing them down to the two teams who will contest in this year’s grand final, however, wasn’t as hard.

Dragons

Why they’ll win it
While the Dragons may be in a bit of a slump at the moment, it is their forward pack that remains their greatest strength.

Indicative of this was the fact that they had four of their big men represent New South Wales in this year’s Origin series. Similar to Cronulla, the St. George Illawarra pack is the ideal blend of skill and power.

This was perfectly captured when new recruit and front-rower James Graham turned playmaker to put Paul Vaughan charging through a hole and over the line against the Tigers last week.

Yes, unfortunately, it was pulled back for a forward pass, but it showcased the variation in their pack.

The success of the Red V this year ultimately lies in the form of halves Gareth Widdop and Ben Hunt.

They were very close to featuring as one of the reasons why the Dragons will not hold up the Provan-Summons trophy this year, as they seem to have lost their way in recent weeks.

However, while both, and in particular Hunt, have been the subject of much criticism in 2018, the pair have combined for 29 try-assists, the most out of any halves pairing in the competition.

They played a key role in the Dragons’ early surge towards the top of the ladder and should be able to rediscover that form if they can handle the pressure of finals footy.

Another highlight from last week’s disappointing 20-16 loss to the Tigers was when Widdop scored off a cheeky Hunt chip-kick, demonstrating the close connection the duo has.

As long as they are not overawed, both have the creativity and game management needed to deliver a premiership to the Red V faithful.

Why they won’t
They may already have the wobbles, and if they don’t arrest their form slump soon, Paul McGregor’s side could find themselves outside of the top four for the first time this year.

After winning 15 games straight, 2016 Premiers the Sharks suffered a worrying drop in the lead-up to that year’s finals series, losing four of their last five games to surrender the Minor Premiership.

However, they did finish in third. This year’s competition is much tighter and so there is a greater risk that the Dragons could tumble further down the ladder if they continue to lose.

Fortunately for the Red V, they have an easy run home, only facing two top eight teams and it should see them hang on to third position.

Verdict
Knocked out in the preliminary finals

Roosters

Why they’ll win it
Despite starting the year as strong premiership favourites, the Roosters seemed to have somehow flown under the radar this year. Trent Robinson would certainly be pleased with that.

The Tricolours are genuine title contenders in 2018 but it isn’t for the reason that most expected.

As we all donned our expert caps and cast our predictions for the season ahead, the explosive potential of James Tedesco and big-game experience of Cooper Cronk constantly featured as the Roosters’ biggest strength.

However, neither has lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon them (which is in itself a scary thought). Individual brilliance hasn’t defined Robinson’s side in 2018.

Rather, it has been their defence that has consistently won them games and propelled them into the top four. The Roosters currently rank the best defensive team in the competition, conceding on average just 14 points a game.

In fact, on five occasions this year they have restricted their opposition to one try or fewer.

The collective effort in defence has been the most impressive element of the Roosters’ season. However, Robinson also has at his disposal several game-breakers capable of coming up with the big plays that are needed to win against quality opposition.

Tedesco was the best player in this year’s State of Origin series, busting 21 tackles, running for 484 metres, scoring two tries and setting up three.

He lives for the big stage and will no doubt prosper in his first ever finals series after leaving the lowly Tigers. The same can be said for Latrell Mitchell who has only matured as a player since his Origin debut earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the experience of Cooper Cronk, who has 339 first grade games and seven grand final appearances, should provide the Roosters with a calming influence in attack.

Why they won’t:
The Roosters will have a chance to prove themselves in the next month when they take on the Rabbitohs and Dragons, but as it stands, they are yet to win a game against the three sides currently sitting with them in the top four.

They generally haven’t had any problems against the other teams in the top eight, easily account for the Panthers (32-6), Sharks (28-10) and Warriors (32-0).

However, as reflected in my article yesterday, these are not the sides that I expect will be there in the final week of September.

The Roosters need to take their game to the next level if they are to be premiership threats and that starts with their new-look spine perfecting their combinations in attack.

Consistent dominance from their forward pack is also needed. The potential of their big men was on display in their 32-6 win over Penrith.

The Roosters’ pack ran for a combined total of 1,056 running metres, led by enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves who contributed to almost a quarter of that total.

In contrast, they limited one of the most imposing packs in the competition to just 515 metres. It laid the platform for what was the club’s most complete performance of the year.

However, the Roosters’ big men are at times guilty of being ill-disciplined and error-prone.

It is no coincidence that the top sides this year possess the best forward packs in the league. The Roosters’ big men can be the best of the bunch, but only if Robinson can get them to focus on getting the fundamentals right and simply taking the ball up with power.

Verdict
Knocked out in the preliminary finals

Storm

Why they’ll win it
The Storm are the best chance in recent memory of being the first side to go back-to-back since the Broncos of 1992-93.

Why? Because they haven’t been playing anywhere near their best recently. And yet they still sit just two points shy of the Minor Premiership.

The Storm seem to have lost some of their aura this season. However, despite making a competition-high 83 handling errors, they simply get the job done.

You only have to look at last week’s 14-13 win against Manly, where Melbourne overcame an error-riddled start and the absence of their Origin stars to finish on top.

When the Warriors play terribly, they get absolutely smashed. When the Storm are mediocre, they still find a way to win.

And I haven’t even gotten onto when they actually do decide to show up. Just ask Stephen Kearney’s men how that ended.

Their 50-10 thumping of the Warriors wasn’t an isolated incident. In fact, nine of the Melbourne’s 11 wins this year have been by a margin of 13 points or more. So, they don’t have an issue with turning it on either.

Grand final experience is another reason why last year’s Premiers may just do it again.

13 players from last year’s premiership-winning side will run out for the Storm on Sunday afternoon against the Warriors.

That makes for a total of 33 times that current Melbourne players have made it to the final week of the NRL calendar.

Evidently, skipper Cameron Smith leads the pack with six grand final appearances and his leadership can’t be underestimated.

Why they won’t
The Storm have struggled to lock in a long-term partner to Cameron Munster all season and it may cost them in the back end of the year.

Munster’s biggest strength is his running game, and so a controlled halfback with a strong kicking-game is the logical option to complement the five-eighth.

Ryley Jacks looked to have the spot locked up after a shaky start from Brodie Croft. However, the emergence of Jahrome Hughes has created a welcome headache for coach Craig Bellamy.

While Smith is the centrepiece of this team, he can’t do it all himself.

Croft looks to have reclaimed the number seven jersey and it will be interesting to see whether he has matured in his break away from first grade.

The Storm may have maintained their tag as premiership contenders without Cooper Cronk, yet his absence will become a bit more noticeable once September comes around.

Verdict
Runners-up

Rabbitohs

Why they’ll win it
It’s pretty obvious. South Sydney’s lethal left edge has transformed them into the competition’s entertainers.

In total 40 of their 72 tries this year have come down the left side of the field. What’s even more incredible is that if simple fans like you and me can recognise this, there’s no doubting that every opposition coach has.

Not just that, but they’ve definitely also completed plenty of video analysis. And it’s not working. Such is the creativity and evasiveness of the players on the Rabbitohs’ left edge.

Robert Jennings, who leads the competition with 16 tries, has been one of the most improved players this season.

While he certainly deserves some credit, he has been directly benefited from the blistering form of his outside men, namely injured skipper Greg Inglis and five-eighth Cody Walker.

South Sydney’s forward pack has also contributed to their success in 2018, with the previously underperforming Burgess brothers stepping up.

The unheralded John Sutton also looks revitalised. Key to a dominating pack, however, is the work of the dummy-half and none has been better this year than the nifty Damien Cook.

Much has been said of his ability in attack, which is self-explanatory given that he tops the number nines this year in tries, try-assists, line-breaks, tackle-busts and running metres.

Given his speed out of dummy-half, Cook has been able to provide his big men with quick and accurate service and has put them on the front foot.

When taking this all into consideration, South Sydney’s greatest strength in 2018 has been the well-rounded nature of their squad. Unlike many other teams currently in the top eight, there is no obvious weakness in their line-up.

Why they won’t:
Some may claim that the Rabbitohs may have peaked too early. It is a real possibility.

Although, if you look back at recent premiers Melbourne (2012), Cowboys (2015) and Cronulla (2016), they all enjoyed winning streaks of 15, 11 and 9 games respectively during their triumphant seasons.

The only reason that South Sydney may come undone is through something that is out of their control – injuries.

Anthony Seibold’s men have enjoyed a relatively healthy 2018. However, if Cook or Adam Reynolds was to go down, for example, there are definite question marks over whether the Rabbitohs have sufficient depth.

The mid-season departure of Robbie Farah means that they are short of a genuine replacement with Wests Tigers recruit Matt McIllwrick the only option.

When Reynolds was ruled out for a month earlier in the year, rookie Adam Doueihi filled in admirably.

If placed in the pressure-cooker that is finals footy though, the Rabbitohs would certainly miss Reynold’s pin-point kicking game.

Now, of course, this is all just speculation. And that speaks volumes to the fact that, at this moment, there is no reason why the Rabbitohs shouldn’t claim their 22nd premiership.

Verdict
Premiers

So, there you have it. It’s glory, glory to South Sydney in 2018 and it would be a fitting reward for rookie coach Anthony Seibold in his first year in charge.

What do you think Roarers? Are they the clear favourites or is there another team that can stop the rampaging Rabbitohs?