Opinion
Most schools are in full swing now which means that the rugby league season is just around the corner.
Here is part five of my 2022 NRL ladder predictions.
9. Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights have left their previous struggles behind as they have made the finals the last two seasons after being one of the worst in the comp for a period. They were eliminated by Parramatta in their opening post-season match in 2021.
They earned a controlled lead of 10-6, however a late first half Eels try took that away from them. Newcastle’s opposition seemed to be running away with it before two straight tries from the Knights, which completed an Enari Tuala hat-trick.
The Knights would not score again, losing the match 28-20.
Their two largest inclusions this year will be Adam Clune and the return of Dane Gagai. Gagai will be replacing Kurt Mann in the starting centre role, which will likely send Mann to play as the utility man on the bench.
Kurt is perfect for this spot can play numerous positions, including five-eighth, however Jake Clifford has beaten him to the No.6 jersey.
The Knights’ first half of the season will be without Jayden Brailey. Twenty-six-year-old Chris Randall will be the probable man to play in the 9 jersey. Randle is also one of the best men to buy if you’re a Supercoach player like myself as he has a very low price which will obviously build a lot as the weeks go by.
Halfback Clune is one of the most interesting players to watch as he wasn’t horrible at the Dragons. He only played ten games in 2021 and it will be fun to see how he performs at a new club with a two-year contract and a full-time halfback role.
The loss of veteran half Mitchell Pearce is a huge blow to the team’s leadership, and is one of the reasons why they will regress in 2022.
I just don’t think that Clune will be enough to replace Pearce and obviously he is still young and developing.
Overall, this will not be a year that Newcastle can contend for a premiership, however if they play at their best, they could sneak into the eight. Same goes for all these other teams between around seventh to 11th.
8. Gold Coast Titans
The Gold Coast Titans were only a single pass away from progressing to the second round of the finals in 2021.
They suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Roosters as they were down by one point before Patrick Herbert unfortunately threw the game away with a pass behind his winger Corey Thompson.
If the ball would have hit Thompson’s chest, then he would’ve had a huge chance of scoring in the corner to win the game in the dying seconds.
Corey Thompson (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
The Titans had been suffering for a long time, however many had high hopes for them due to the signings before the start of last season. Some even had them in the top four, which I was almost certain wouldn’t happen as I predicted them to come seventh.
They finished only one spot lower than that, which was a successful season in my books.
Jamal Fogarty was one of my favourite Gold Coast players, although he has departed and joined the Raiders, therefore young Toby Sexton will take his No.7 jersey.
Isaac Liu is one of the biggest signings and will certainly boost this Titans forward pack which was already superb before the addition.
The iceman recorded a career high 37 tackle busts, along with an incredible 1,177 post-contact metres in 2021. He was also the second best forward in the regular run metres stat.
This Gold Coast forward pack is one of the best in the comp and David Fifita could be a sneaky high odds pick for Dally M winner.
Jayden Campbell is one of the best up-and-coming players in the league at the moment and I am very intrigued to watch his progression in 2022.
One of the most asked questions about this team: how far can they go? My answer to this is don’t be surprised if they come out firing, although once again they could find themselves ending the season higher than seventh, but I don’t think they can enter the top four.
A big reason why they can’t is because of the quality of teams above them.
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