NRL ladder prediction: Part 1 - Who takes out the spoon?

The best time of the year is just around the corner and rugby league fans simply cannot wait. Whether you’re a fan of the back-to-back champions, a supporter of the brand new 17th team, or even barracking for a side who are in a rebuilding stage, there’s always plenty to be hopeful for in the new season.

The 2023 edition of the ladder predictions is probably the hardest yet and the standard’s high, as the last two have been mostly successful.

17. Newcastle Knights

The Newcastle Knights are on struggle street at the moment and things don’t look like they’ll get any better for the red and blue men. Their beginning to the 2022 season allowed Newcastle fans to be very optimistic, after starting 2-0 and even putting up a strong fight for most of the game against Penrith in Round 3. The success was short-lived, as following those first three, they lost seven of their next eight games.

The halves partners to begin the season was a combination of Jake Clifford and Adam Clune. Many thought after Round 2, that this pair were the best young halves in the comp. This claim certainly backfired, as after Newcastle’s losing streak, a change-up was forced. Tex Hoy and Phoenix Crossland were given a chance in the halves when they came up against North Queensland in Round 9, as Clune was dropped, while Clifford had suffered a minor injury.

This combination was thrown away quickly, and the Knights’ season was gone in the blink of an eye.

Newcastle not only had on-field issues, but off-field controversy rose as well. One of the largest headlines throughout the season was the Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann toilet cubicle incident. The disrespect towards the club was disgusting, however that’s a story for another day.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Newcastle’s 2023 key additions include Adam Elliott, Jackson Hastings, Greg Marzhew, and young gun Lachlan Miller. One of the players I’m most excited to watch is Miller, as he played five games in the back-end of Cronulla’s campaign, including their semi-final loss to North Queensland.

Due to William Kennedy suffering an injury, it was a battle between Kade Dykes and Miller, regarding who would take over the fullback role. Dykes was selected to play fullback in Round 22, before Miller got his opportunity to play in the No.1 jersey from Round 23 to the end of the regular season. He certainly impressed and this is a good buy for the Knights.

I don’t see Newcastle going anywhere this season, and a bottom-four finish is almost a lock. There is no huge reason why they will improve, and Adam O’Brien is a big contender for the first coach to get the axe in 2023.

16. New Zealand Warriors

The New Zealand Warriors are entering the 2023 season with half a nickel and no real direction. The Warriors are by far in the toughest situation out of all 17 clubs at the moment. General reasons that have lead to this include players simply not wanting to stay in New Zealand, as well as COVID-19 remaining a pain.

The Warriors’ 2022 season added another year to their finals drought, which has lasted since 2012. Despite the continuous heartbreak for Warriors fans, their side were in the spotlight of one of the best feel-good rugby league stories I’ve seen in a while. New Zealand welcomed home their beloved team for their first home game since 2019.

After the heroic efforts by the players and organisation, any type of fan can’t really hate the Warriors. They kept our game alive through its though times and they deserve some on-field luck to go their way. Unfortunately for New Zealand, they’re going to need a truckload full of luck if they even want to smell the finals this year. This is due to their team being one of the worst, if not the worst on paper.

Sadly, a handful of Warriors players were only on contract until they returned to New Zealand, which meant there were many losses on the roster, such as serious quality players like Reece Walsh, Eliesa Katoa, and Ben Murdoch-Masila. Katoa and Walsh were both suppose to be franchise players, however, we all knew that a return to the Broncos was in the back of the young gun’s mind.

There are not many new additions for Warriors fans to look forward to, as I’d say the two best of the new load is Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Te Maire Martin. Charnze is a high-class player, and Martin was a story and a half on the Broncos last season. He was superb and was a large help in steering their season around. Hopefully for the Warriors, he’ll be even better in his home country.

It’s not hard to predict the Warriors having another poor season, but who knows? They seem to surprise us at the most unexpected of times. It’s going to be very hard for them to do so, as I mentioned before. Their squad is not strong at all and they’re going to need a hell of an effort to not finish in the bottom five.