Opinion
We are now nearing the beginning of the upcoming season. As we are only days away, my ladder predictions are now entering the top dogs as I select the top four.
4. Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm have certainly been the most consistent team over the last decade and continued their dominance last season.
They won the minor premiership for the fifth time since 2011. They couldn’t turn this into a premiership though, as they were eliminated by the Penrith Panthers in a low-scoring preliminary final.
They had a very high chance of being back-to-back premiers, however obviously that did not end as the case. The Storm are looking dangerous once again this year as their depth and talent is phenomenal.
Xavier Coates is a great addition on the wing as he is one of the quickest players in the competition and a try-scoring machine.
He is the perfect youngster that you want to play off the back of the spine and forward pack. He is essentially a second up-and-coming Josh Addo-Carr, who noticeably departed the club.
(Photo by Handout/NRL Photos via Getty Images )
Nicho Hynes has left the club, which will put a stop to what was a good headache for Craig Bellamy. Dale Finucane has also finished his stint at Melbourne. Despite the loss, their forward pack remains full of guns.
Other than those three losses, it was mostly just reserves and young role players who are no longer at the club after 2021.
The men in purple will have Brandon Smith, Harry Grant and Cameron Munster absent for their opening match against the Tigers due to mild injuries.
Ryan Papenhuyzen could also be in doubt and Chris Lewis will miss the Round 1 fixture because of his suspension.
Despite these dints in the beginning match, expect Melbourne to still begin their campaign with a win against one of the most struggling teams for 2021.
Overall, the men in purple are again premiership contenders and I’m sure they will make another deep post-season run.
3. Manly Sea Eagles
The Manly Sea Eagles were the people’s team in 2021 as it was a rare turnaround story that led to a preliminary final appearance and a fullback playing arguably the most efficient individual season ever.
The year began horribly as Manly started their campaign with a 0-4 record and looked simply disgusting. They conceded 156 points and of course all of this was without Tom Trbojevic.
Trbojevic returned for their match against the Titans in Round 6 and the identity change began. The Sea Eagles won that game by 36 points and shut out the Gold Coast.
From then on, all the team did was win, as they performed at a level of 15-5. To add to this, they made their way into a prelim, however had their extraordinary run put to a stop at the hands of the Rabbitohs.
Their Dally M-winning fullback is certainly something special and I’m sure that he holds a huge chance at winning the greatest individual award in back-to-back years.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Fascinatingly, I’m not completely certain that he can somehow perform better than he did in 2021.
Manly won’t enter 2022 with many changes to their squad as the only noticeable losses are Cade Cust, Moses Suli, Jack Gosiewski and Curtis Sironen.
Ethan Bullemor is one of the more underrated buys as he was a tough, fast-running back-rower at Brisbane and will play as a starter this season.
In conclusion, the Sea Eagles will be once again an enthralling side to watch this season, plus they will be in the top four and can win the premiership if they can work their way past the top-dog teams.
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