With the NRL season approaching, here are some burning questions to consider.
1. Can Nathan Cleary deliver the Panthers a title?
Minor premiers. A 17-match winning streak. The only missing piece of the puzzle was the premiership for the Panthers as they stumbled at the final hurdle against the mighty Melbourne Storm.
You couldn’t call 2020 anything less than a success, Penrith. No, they didn’t capitalise on all their hard work to break a 17-year premiership drought, but they did just about everything else with a side that was downright awful at times in 2019.
The question now is whether Nathan Cleary and the Panthers can get up again and go one better this year? After an early year Tik Tok scandal in 2020 that meant he missed two games, Nathan Cleary was instrumental for the Panthers in seeing them get to the big dance. But on the biggest stage of all, he couldn’t maintain his composure and made some big errors under pressure.
It wasn’t all down to Cleary, you don’t trail 26-0 in a grand final just because of your halfback. But the Panthers failed to maintain composure when they fell behind early in the game, and that was ultimately the difference as they managed to claw back to 26-20 by the final siren.
Their state of mind in the first half was epitomised by Cleary. Down 10-0 after half an hour, Cleary saw space out wide and tried to throw a long ball that was intercepted by Storm winger Suliasi Vunivalu, who ran the length of the field to score.
The Panthers hadn’t done much wrong to start the game and only conceded one try. But this was example of a young team, and player under scoreboard pressure. With plenty of time to go, it wasn’t the play and it cost the Panthers in a big way.
If the Panthers go deep into the finals series this year, they need your best players firing. For them it is Nathan Cleary. He is their halfback, goal-kicker and now, co-captain. It is moments like that in the grand final that he just has to nail. He has won plenty of games for the Panthers off his boot and through the hands, but it is now his time to take those championship moments and make them his.
In much the same way the Panthers were a success this year, so too was Cleary. But next year he needs to find that dominant streak and composure in the biggest moments if the Panthers are to win the title.
(Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
2. Does Wayne Bennett have one last premiership in him?
The 70-year-old master coach will have his last season as coach of the Rabbitohs this year. In a rarely seen strategy by a club, it has always been South Sydney’s plan to replace the veteran next year with assistant coach Jason Demetriou.
The Rabbitohs have bowed out of the competition with a preliminary final loss in three straight seasons now, as they just can’t find the last piece of the puzzle. Some thought that with the addition of Latrell Mitchell last year, they could have the x-factor needed to win the comp. But just as he was finding his feet at fullback, an injury ended his season. Even without him the Rabbitohs made it to a preliminary final against the Panthers and were in that game until the final whistle.
While it hasn’t been a bad run for the Rabbitohs, no one remembers the runners up or also-rans. They have a quality squad, one that should be pushing for premierships. They have Mitchell returning, and this year without such an intense spotlight on him. They also add steal to their forward pack with Jai Arrow at lock.
Josh Mansour comes across from the Panthers as an experienced winger who had a really solid season for the Panthers and has never shirked hard work coming out of trouble. He will be hungry for a premiership after last year’s heartbreak.
The biggest factor, though, is Bennett. Everyone knows this squad is good enough, at least on paper and as the last three years would suggest. But he needs to convert that into a premiership this year. He has well and truly been there and done that, and this might be just about his last chance to win one. It isn’t hard to imagine the wily old coach masterminding a premiership-winning season from this squad.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
3. Can the Knights become a more consistent football side?
The Knights may well have made the finals last year, and after so long that in itself could be described as something to celebrate. But look a little closer and the Knights have some way to go in 2021.
They bowed out of 2020 with a big loss to South Sydney in an elimination final, a fitting end to a season that was incredibly inconsistent. Equally likely to win or lose by 30, the Knights could be flat-track bullies one week, then roll over against a heavyweight side a week later.
This off-season they have also had to deal with a leadership scandal involving Mitchell Pearce, who has stepped down from captaining the club this season. That is not a good sign, having your on-field general and halfback deemed unfit to captain the club.
Whatever has transpired, that would have to be concerning. We have seen off-field scandals derail a clubs season in the past, and that could yet play a factor in how the Knights go in 2021.
The Knights had plenty of injuries to key personnel last year, especially at five-eighth and out of dummy-half. They will be hoping that this year they can get the same key players on the paddock week-to-week. Kurt Mann, Connor Watson, Jayden Brailey and Blake Green all represent playmaking options alongside Pearce and Kalyn Ponga, and getting those combinations right is key to finding them some consistency.
They will also be hoping that Tyson Frizell can recreate the form that has seen him play Origin and galvanise a pack that could be a little soft last year at time.
The Knights’ hopes likely hang on the morale of the playing group. If they are able to move past whatever has happened with Mitchell Pearce and are not distracted by that, then on paper they can be a finals football team once again. If that is something that is dividing the group, then the season might already be over before it begun for the Knights.
(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
4. Can Kieran Foran take the Sea Eagles back to the future?
It has been a long road but Kieran Foran finds himself back where it all began, rejoining the Sea Eagles and Des Hasler for 2021. He has gone via the Eels, Warriors and Bulldogs, but finds himself back home after a real wretched run of injuries that have crippled his career since.
Now he is back in the Northern Beaches. Once a kid who was one of the many stars of a dominant Sea Eagles side that won the 2011 premiership and was back in the grand final two years later. Now a veteran of the game and in the twilight of his career, he links with former mentor Des Hasler and old halves partner Daly Cherry-Evans. They are just about the only familiar faces at a club that has changed a lot since he left in 2015.
The Sea Eagles struggled big time in 2020, especially when they lost star fullback Tom Trbojevic for an extended period in the middle of the season. It meant Cherry-Evans had to do most of the playmaking, and while he did his best with 20 try-assists, he had no real foil to back him up.
Foran represents someone who can take the pressure off Cherry-Evans and Trbojevic if he can just stay on the park. He hasn’t played more than 17 games in a season since he was last at the Eagles, and hasn’t played more than 14 games in any of the last three seasons. When he is at his best, Foran is so likeable as a player because he puts his body on the line and plays really tough.
At the Sea Eagles, he can leave the playmaking to Trbojevic and Cherry-Evans. They will just want him to be consistent, to take more of a role in game-management and be another kicking option. The Sea Eagles don’t have heaps of depth and will be hoping that their most influential players, including Foran, stay fit. Hasler is a master at getting an underdog team to perform and play tough.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
They might not be winning the premiership in 2021, but Hasler will be confident that Foran can have a hand in steering them back in the right direction.
5. Was the Titans’ end to 2020 an indication of things to come?
The Gold Coast Titans won their final five games in 2020, to give the impression that this might be a team on the up. While they didn’t play finals, things certainly seem to be looking brighter for the team on the glitter strip with some big-name recruits also heading there over the offseason.
Ash Taylor has seemingly found a reliable halves partner in Jamal Fogarty, AJ Brimson has really started to come into his own and they have settled on Mitch Rein as their dummy-half. David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui have joined the squad to bolster a forward pack that has lost Jai Arrow over the off-season.
It is very different winning the last five games of a season against lowly opposition and starting a competition again when everyone is in contention. While it is always positive to end the season on a high, in the grand scheme of things it amounts to nothing.
(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
The Titans have some really highly-paid individuals who need to be making an impact each for the club, none more so than Taylor and Fifita. The end of 2020 showed what some of their players are capable of and gave them a chance to work on combinations heading into the new season.
They need Brimson fit and firing, they need the rest of their spine starting the year as well as they ended the last and they need the likes of Fifita making an impact. The Titans are a club starved of success that may have taken their first steps into achieving some in seasons to come.
They look to have a competitive roster and a rookie coach who knows what he is doing, but 2021 is the time to start cashing in on what they have going for them.
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
Yeah, I'm not not sure about our (middle) forwards, and think at the very least we'll need to move Brown from lock to the bench. If Brown starts at 13 with Paulo and RGC that's a very strong combo, but when/if they're all off together, and no offence to any of their (younger/less experienced) replacements but our defensive line starts looking like it's comprised of 5 edge forwards, 4 wingers, 2 average defensive halves, a small hard working, but tired by this stage Hooker and Gutho, giving his 110%. If we run out like that and I was a coach of an opposition side, I'd be thinking we could virtually win this one in the 10 minutes before half time if we stop them scoring early.
Paul
Roar Guru
you mean now Cam Smith is playing for them?
matth
Roar Guru
I just really hope the Gold Coast aren’t reading the papers.
WallabyJ
Roar Rookie
1. Panthers have a bit of an Eels feel about them - good enough to get to the GF but never quite good enough to win it. God I hope it's not another Storm premiership this season. 2. Bennett's Bunnies could be in for a big one - plenty of gun players at the master coach's disposal.... 3. I can't see the Knights getting themselves together - over-rated players and crappy culture. Some good signings though, so maybe the younguns will bring the team together. 4. Manly making up the numbers. 5. Titan's have the potential, and will have the NRL's best wishes if a 4th Qld team is to be justified. Eelsalmighty's #6. As you say, Taka is the only questionable loss, and Eels' recruitment has been basically limited by who is on the market. They've done well in terms of getting players for their true value instead of the usual overs they like to pay, but it is a big gamble that these players will perform and contribute to winning games. Parra's depth in the backs is a big concern, but I think they're reasonably well covered in the forwards unless there are multiple big name injuries. As a Parra fan, my expectation is for us to work hard to win the close games, give plenty of game time to the future stars, finish in the top 4, and set ourselves up to sign some experienced and healthy backs in particular in the next few years. Big year for D. Brown to put a full season together and show his potential, Moses needs to find ways to create points more often, and our backline's defence needs to seriously step up or the Blakes and Sivo need to be given a spell or moved on.
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
1. Panthers, strong but unlikely. I think they're too inexperienced, and if/when attack doesn't prove to be the best defence they'll be caught out. 2. I think if there's ever been a case of "it depends on" (other than the usual "injuries"), I think that "depends on" is Walker. I think if his off the cuff style is working for the team they're a strong contender, but if it's not it could cost them a top spot, making it a hard ask. That and it's not the strongest forward pack. 3. I think they'll make the 8. 4. Well, "if it wasn't for the injuries", and then they bring Foran back, and do they even have a hooker? 5. They're definitely on the up, from the first 15 rounds of their 2020 performance, but I don't think they're much more than "maybe make the 8" in 2021. And: 6. I haven't been impressed by Parra's off season recruitment/restructuring. I like/rate the pick up of young Papalii, can't understand why we let Taka's go (I rate him as second to Aubo on a versatility/value perspective) and whilst I'm not losing sleep about any one of the other players that have left, we haven't picked up anyone that would be a first choice starting 17 player. And I'd add, I'm more than a little concerned about our depth in the centres and forwards.
Joe
Roar Rookie
Definitely a glass full empty type! I hope that "Melboune again" in your first answer happens though! :stoked:
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
1. No. They've had their moment in the Sun. Melbourne again. Cleary is a bloody good player 'tho. 2. No. I gave up on fairy tales a long time ago. 3. No. The Knights need to see a Medicine Man. They're under a Curse. 4. No. I don't reckon that there is a player who works harder for his money than DCE. Foran and Turbo might be lucky to rack up a dozen games between them. Please may I be wrong. 5. No. They're the Titans. There's something rotten in Robina methinks.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Just 19 and still growing - already at 200cm and an athletic 107 kegs, Best on one side and Beast on the other.
Nat
Roar Guru
It's a guess to hang the premiership tag on any person/team right now. There's not many who called the Panthers for Minor Prems last year, let alone how they got there. It's unlikely they will have the same unbeaten run again but they will be contenders. Cleary is getting better each season and so is the team behind him so there's no reason to suggest they won'y be top 4 and go from there. Souths, this is their window. Can't knock their spine, Murray is a gun but I'd be more confident if they had a dominant prop. Possible not probable. Every team is better with consistency. The Knights need a consistent team on the park as well as performance. They have talent across the park so they should be better this season just by virtue of a their best 17 on the park. If Foran can stay on the park he's an asset to Manly but he's not the reason the team can be successful. He's got some stock at his disposal and with DCE and Turbo he won't have to try as hard as previous seasons. He would weant to play at a high level because he's holding Schuster at bay. They are on the right path the Titans. It wasn't long ago you would look across the team list and see a mishmash of discards and over-priced tourists. There was no association to the Coast and the crowds responded accordingly. Not only are the majority of the starting side SEQ local boys, they are a talented bunch. I fear the way the finished last season may raise expectation even higher this season but plenty of clubs show late season fight without the pressure of finals footy.
Malo
Guest
Panthers will go 7 or 8. Bunnies, Roosters or Storm to win
Morshead
Roar Rookie
Well said. Hard to see how a year of experience, (hopefully) less key injuries and quality recruitement have them worse off than last year. I've got a feeling come round 25 Dom Young might be forming a pretty fearsome centres combo with B.Best.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
1. No - have let go too much experience and SOO moving back to mid year will be too much for their young players 2. Yes. I think they are primed for a strong year. 3. No. Off field issues will haunt on field performance 4. No. He’s busted. Won’t last the season. 5. Yes, will improve but will continue to be a retirement haven.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Can the Knights become more consistent ? Well they had the same number of losses as the Rabbitohs, yet most people think that side can. Knights gain Australian and Blue backrower, Rabbs gain a Maroon benchie who's injured before a balls been kicked. Ponga played the end of season games with needles in his shoulder and theres no need to harp on the 3 hookers, no effort from the 1/2 and no 5/8's they endured.. then there's the cherry of the return of the next big thing, Bradman B.. even Starford and Tex have yet to be fully unshackled. I'm sure the coach has learned a lot from his first year, he's also got a couple of very interesting young Pommie outside backs we'll get a look at in the trials. Top 4 pass mark for mine.
Graeme Docker
Roar Rookie
Yes. If Cleary stays fit, 51% chance. Yes. 80% chance that Benny has at least one last rodeo, but only 10% in 2021 No. 1% chance that Knights improve on 2020 in 2021 Yes. 99% chance Foran makes a huge difference and Manly make the 8 No. 5% chance for the 8 unless they sign the accountant, then yes 75%
Greg
Roar Pro
Yes, Cleary will lead Panthers to a premiership. But, it won't be this year. Panthers had so much fall their way last year and depth not as strong this year. Maybe, Souths are as big a chance as any. Would be my favourites for the title at the moment but obviously too far out to back then with any confidence. No, too much off-field dramas to start the season for Knights to be consistent performers this year, and depth is an issue as well. I wouldn't back against Manly being strong this year. But Trbojevic's health will be more telling than Foran's. Yes, Titans will continue their rise. Will be one of the better sides this year without truly being contenders.
Joe
Roar Rookie
I think the Panthers will go close again or even win it this year and Cleary will play a big part but not the reason for it. They would have learned so much about GF football last year and collectively as a team will be hungry for success. 17 in a row doesn't come down to 1 player but a great team and coaching staff.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
If history repeats with Manly's injury prone lot then we are in trouble again of course but if the history from 10 years ago repeats and Manly have a full roster most of the season and a fit Fainu returns then anything could happen. Injuries are such a massive factor and maybe Manly are over due for some luck in this area.
Paul
Roar Guru
1 - Penrith might well win the Premiership, but will that be because of Nathan Cleary or in spite of him? He's shown in big games like last year's GF and SOO he's not quite there, so No, he won't deliver a Penthers premiership 2 - Never say never with a bloke like Bennett, after all he worked wonders with the worst Maroons team ever last season :happy: I reckon it's pretty doubtful though. A lot of things would have to go right for the Bunnies and lot go wrong for Clubs like the Roosters, Storm, Raiders and Panthers for Wayne to go out a winner 3 - I'm not sure how the Knights can become more consistent when they've essentially got the same set up as last year. Sure there's a couple of additions, but the coaching groups pretty much the same as is the spine. I have no idea what they could change to make them more consistent. 4 - This is a loaded question. Foran would need to play at least 20 rounds injury free AND have the rest of his team have few injuries for Manly to be a chance. If Tommy T is not fully fit come finals time, Manly are no chance. 5 - Everyone's talking up the Titans which is great for the comp and on paper, they have a strong squad. If they can keep key players like Brimson on the park and Ash Taylor can lift, they'll make the finals and could be a smokie if they get that far.
Boingo
Guest
The Knights have a real problem with attitude. They're don't have anywhere near the level of week-in-week-out professionalism that teams such as Storm, Roosters, Rabbits have. Gold Coast have a better side/organisation than the Knights.
Chris martin
Guest
Yes No No No No