Four-and-a-half months after the Melbourne Storm won arguably their toughest premiership yet, fifteen other teams will this weekend begin their mission to stop them from repeating as champions again in season 2021.

After last year’s season was significantly disrupted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which included the season being suspended for two months and the Storm being forced to evacuate their state mid-season, we are close to back to normal for season 2021.

After spending four months away from Victoria due to the state’s devastating and deadly second wave of coronavirus cases, the Storm are back home in Melbourne and will relish playing in its first home match in front of fans for nearly 18 months.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs were the last team to face the Storm in an NRL match in Melbourne and again it’s Wayne Bennett’s side who will make the trip south as they attempt to smash a major hoodoo, having never won in the Victorian capital.

However, due to uncertainty over the Australia-New Zealand travel bubble, which remains suspended indefinitely after a new local case was detected in the latter country, the Warriors will base themselves on the Central Coast for at least the first half of the season.

While it’s expected that teams playing interstate matches will no longer have to travel on the same day, other teams such as the Eels and Roosters may opt to retain the fly-in, fly-out model which proved successful in such a challenging season last year.

But should the Queensland border suddenly slam shut to visitors from New South Wales and Victoria once again, the NRL would need to apply for travel exemptions and the reintroduction of the NRL bubble, as well as same-day travel, may be back on the cards again.

On the field, other than the Storm returning home to their fans for the first time since September 2019, a new era will dawn at the Brisbane Broncos, whose new coach Kevin Walters will have a huge task on his hands trying to restore some pride and competitiveness to the side.

Four other clubs also have new coaches at the helm, with Trent Barrett, Nathan Brown, Todd Payten and Anthony Griffin given the keys to the Bulldogs, Warriors, Cowboys and Dragons respectively.

It will be interesting to see how these five clubs fare, while it will be just as interesting to see how the Storm go in what is expected to be the first match of the post-Cameron Smith era.

Here is your preview to Round 1.

Storm versus Rabbitohs
The first match of the season promises to be an emotional one for both the Melbourne Storm and its fans, as the club will get the chance to play in front of members and fans for the first time since September 2019.

After the Storm played their first two matches on the road last year, the club were able to play two matches on home turf last year, against the Raiders and Rabbitohs, but social distancing measures meant that those two matches were to be played behind closed doors.

Then came the dramatic escalation of coronavirus cases in Victoria, which forced the Storm, and all of the state’s professional sporting clubs to evacuate the state, with Craig Bellamy’s side setting up camp on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Despite the circumstances that the club faced, they managed to remain focused on the task at hand and managed to claim its fourth premiership, defeating the Penrith Panthers 26-20 in the grand final.

A COVID-safe crowd of about 15,000 is expected for the Storm’s homecoming against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who will have a mammoth task attempting to sabotage the celebrations that are expected on Thursday night.

For the third year in a row, the Bunnies advanced to the penultimate weekend of the season only to fall short in a heartbreaker against the Panthers in the preliminary final, when a win would’ve seen them pitted up against the Storm in the decider.

That defeat will only spur them on to go one better, especially with this being Wayne Bennett’s final season as coach as well as the looming return of Latrell Mitchell after he missed the latter rounds of the season due to a serious hamstring injury.

The Bunnies, who have never won in Melbourne, go into the season opener having thumped the Dragons in the Charity Shield match in Mudgee, though facing the Storm, whether it’s away or at home, will be a much tougher proposition.

That said, the Storm should reward their fans with a win at home.

Prediction: Storm by 18 points.

Knights versus Bulldogs
The twilight match on Friday sees the Newcastle Knights, fresh off their first finals appearance since 2013, take on a new-look Bulldogs side which will be coached by Trent Barrett for the first time.

Under rookie coach Adam O’Brien, who brought to the club a hard brand of football, the Knights finished seventh on the ladder on the back of some impressive performances, however, inconsistency continued to be an issue with the club often dropping games it should’ve won.

As an example, in the final round last year, the Knights had the chance to earn a home final only to be thrashed 36-6 by the Titans on the Gold Coast, before bowing out of October with barely a whimper, losing to the Rabbitohs in a knock-out final in Sydney.

They also lost to the second-last placed Bulldogs in Round 11, eight weeks after nearly coming from behind to beat the eventual grand finalists the Penrith Panthers at Campbelltown Stadium (that match ended in a 14-all draw).

They have added more experience to their roster, landing veteran playmaker Blake Green and NSW Origin forward Tyson Frizell to compliment veteran half Mitchell Pearce and the exciting Kalyn Ponga.

After four years without finals football, the Bulldogs have refreshed in their bid to return to the upper echelon of the ladder, landing ex-Roosters halfback Kyle Flanagan as well as coach Barrett, himself a former NSW Origin representative.

While the Dogs struggled last year, winning only three games, it must be said that two of those wins were against finals teams, including against their opponents this Friday night.

The other was significant in the manner that not only did it prevent the Rabbitohs from finishing in the top four, it also saw them move off the bottom of the ladder in the battle for the wooden spoon with the Brisbane Broncos.

The Berries have also lost key personnel, not least Aiden Tolman and Kieran Foran who have moved to the Sharks and Sea Eagles respectively, but other than the arrival of Flanagan have also gained Nick Cotric from the Canberra Raiders.

A new era at Canterbury understandably has its passionate fan-base excited at the prospect of future success, but I think they must bide their time with the Knights to start hot favourites on Friday night.

Prediction: Knights by 10 points.

Broncos versus Eels
A whole new era will begin for the Brisbane Broncos when they host last year’s semi-finalists, the Parramatta Eels, at Suncorp Stadium in the second Friday night match.

After being the butt of several jokes last year as they crashed and burned on their way to a maiden wooden spoon, new coach Kevin Walters has his work cut out as he attempts to end a 14-year premiership drought at Red Hill.

The club’s 2020 season can only be described as one of utter embarrassment and humiliation as they won just three games last year – and only one after Round 2 – and copped plenty of big scores against them in the intervention.

The final remaining survivor from the club’s 2006 premiership side – Darius Boyd – has retired, while veteran hooker Andrew McCullough has moved south to the Dragons after having initially returned to Red Hill following a short stint at the Newcastle Knights.

Another veteran, Alex Glenn, has been given the captain’s armband for another season as he and the Broncos look to put last year’s hellish season behind them, once and for all.

Broncos fans only need to look on the lighter side; as the team that is first alphabetically both by region (Brisbane) and mascot (Broncos), they’ll always start the season on top of the ladder.

Their first match under Walters will be against the Parramatta Eels, who finished in the top four for the second time in four seasons only to crash out of October in straight sets.

They had finished third at the end of the season, but losses to the Storm in Brisbane and then to the Rabbitohs at home saw their title drought extended to 34 years.

Their mission to go one better will begin with a trip to Brisbane, and while the Broncos may be coming off a season from hell I think they can usher in the Kevin Walters era with an upset win.

Prediction: Broncos by six points.

Warriors versus Titans
Everyone’s second-favourite team, the New Zealand Warriors, will be back at it again in 2021 when they “host” the Gold Coast Titans on the Central Coast to kick off what is likely to be another season which they will spend the majority of on the road.

But unlike last season, when the players spent time in Australia not knowing when or whether they’d be allowed to return home, they’ll have the support of their friends and families by their sides as they get set to spend at least the first three months on this side of the Tasman.

Last year, despite all the difficulties they faced including losing head coach Stephen Kearney after Round 6, the Warriors managed to field a competitive side for the balance of the season, ultimately finishing 10th – higher than what many expected.

With new coach Nathan Brown in tow, and with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck captaining the side for the final time before he switches to rugby union in 2022, all eyes will be on the Warriors as they look to not just remain competitive, but also play to their potential.

Another team that is destined to improve in 2021 are the Gold Coast Titans, which won their final five games of last season to just fall short of a miracle finals berth, finishing in ninth place.

It was a reasonable result for Justin Holbrook in his first season at the helm of the club, which had finished last in 2019 and were facing questions about their future in the game.

But with big names such as David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui having joined the club during the off-season, the potential is there for them to continue to climb up the ladder and hopefully kick-start an improved season for the three Queensland clubs.

While they only have to make the trip south to Gosford for this one, I have them taking the points, but not without an almighty challenge from the Warriors.

Prediction: Titans by four points.

Roosters versus Sea Eagles
The second match on Saturday sees the Sydney Roosters, who will be without captain Boyd Cordner for an indefinite period due to concussion issues, face the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at the SCG.

After finishing fourth at the end of last season, consecutive defeats in October saw the Chooks crash out of the finals series in straight sets for the first time since 2008, and for the first time since the NRL finals system came into effect in February 2012.

What didn’t help their cause was the fact that Jake Friend suffered a concussion injury in the 60-8 humiliation they copped at the hands of the Rabbitohs on the eve of the finals, which later had a psychological effect on the team as they failed to reach the preliminary final for the first time since 2016.

Despite that, they managed to put together two competitive performances against the Panthers and Raiders, only for injuries to key players to conspire against them at the wrong time of the season.

On the other hand, the Sea Eagles may have lost enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake, who has defected to the Warriors, but gained one of their old favourites with Kieran Foran returning to the club after stints at the Warriors, Eels and the Bulldogs, where he played his 200th NRL game last year.

The question that has to be asked of the Silvertails is whether Foran’s return to Brookvale Oval will spark a resurgence on the field, with him, Daly Cherry-Evans and coach Des Hasler all reunited at the one club for the first time since the Sea Eagles won the 2011 premiership.

That being said, it’s expected Foran will partner Cherry-Evans in the halves when the Sea Eagles face the Roosters in what is a tough first-up clash for the men from the Northern Beaches. At the SCG, the Roosters should be victorious.

Prediction: Roosters by 12 points.

Panthers versus Cowboys
Todd Payten will face a tough initiation as Cowboys coach when the northerners travel to the foot of the mountains to face last year’s beaten grand finalists, the Penrith Panthers, in the evening match.

Despite christening a new stadium, the men from Townsville endured another disappointing season on the field, finishing in the bottom four for the third consecutive season and winning only two matches after Round 10.

They have also lost Tom Opacic, John Asiata and Gavin Cooper to the Eels, Broncos and retirement respectively, but have regained the services of Javid Bowen, who is the nephew of club great Matt Bowen, after a year playing for the Northern Pride.

They face a Panthers side that finished season 2020 as minor premiers, before inexperience and nerves proved telling as they lost to the Melbourne Storm by 26-20 in the grand final.

They had won 17 consecutive matches going into the decider, doubling their previous-best winning streak of eight set in 2003, but couldn’t make it count when it mattered, suffering just their second defeat all year (and second by just six points after losing to the Eels in Round 5).

Ivan Cleary’s men have also lost captain James Tamou to the Wests Tigers, but have promoted Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo to the co-captaincy with the former just missing out on the Dally M Player of the Year award.

Despite last year’s disappointment, the Panthers are primed to go one better in 2021 and beating the Cowboys at home will hopefully be the first stone laid in the path to the premiership. Or will it?

Prediction: Panthers by 16 points.

Raiders versus Wests Tigers
The first of two Sunday matches sees the Wests Tigers make the tough road trip to the nation’s capital to face the Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium.

Another disappointing season saw the joint-venture finish 11th last year, marking their ninth straight season without finals football and 18th in 21 years of club history (since the joint-merger came into effect in 2000).

But to say that the club has not failed to live up to expectations since Balmain and the Western Suburbs merged at the end of the 1999 season would be harsh, given the club did win the premiership in its first finals attempt, back in 2005, and also reached a preliminary final in 2010.

The Tigers have lost club veteran Benji Marshall, who has defected to Souths, but have gained ex-Broncos forward Joe Ofahengaue and ex-Panthers captain James Tamou on top of landing the signature of James Roberts last year.

They’ll face a Raiders side which will be without two players due to suspension arising from an off-field misdemeanor, but will have last year’s best-and-fairest player, Jack Wighton, on tow as the Green Machine looks to break a 27-year premiership drought dating back to 1994.

Ricky Stuart’s side won consecutive sudden death matches to reach the preliminary final for the second consecutive year, only to be outclassed by eventual premiers the Melbourne Storm after being denied the chance to arrive in Brisbane in the early afternoon.

The disappointment of falling short for a second straight year will hopefully spur the Green Machine to newer heights in 2021 and a win against perennial non-finalists the Wests Tigers should be the right way to kick things off in the new season.

Prediction: Raiders by 20 points.

Dragons versus Sharks
The final match of Round 1 threatens to be a mockbuster between southern Sydney rivals the Dragons and Sharks, with neither side likely to reach the finals this year.

Not even an overhaul in the off-season, which saw the club appoint Anthony Griffin as their new coach and lure Andrew McCullough from the Broncos as a replacement for injured captain Cameron McInnes, could prevent a poor pre-season for the men in the Red V.

After McInnes suffered a season-ending knee injury in his last year at Kogarah before he shifts to Cronulla, the Saints suffered a horrific 48-16 loss to the Rabbitohs in the annual Charity Shield match in Mudgee.

McInnes’ injury came on top of losing their best player, Tyson Frizell, to the Newcastle Knights at the end of last season, which ended for them with a win over the eventual premiers, the Melbourne Storm (though they were missing their captain Cameron Smith on that occasion), at home.

This has unsurprisingly led to the bookies forecasting another long season ahead for the Dragons, with some even going as far as placing them as the wooden spoon favourites, which would be a first for the club in 83 years.

The Sharks proved themselves to be the NRL’s flat-track bullies last year, failing to beat any of their fellow finalists last year, while beating up on those that finished below them for an even season record of 10 wins, 10 losses and a points differential of 0.

That meant that they scored the same amount of points as they conceded, marking the first time any side had done that since the Panthers finished 10th with 11 wins from 24 matches in 2005.

John Morris’ men have managed to retain the majority of their playing list for season 2021, so there will be no excuses for Morris if the Sharks cannot play to their potential and beat the top teams on a regular basis.

To finish off the round, I think the Sharks will take the chocolates in the first southern Sydney derby of the season.

Prediction: Sharks by six points.