Opinion
We have finally entered the first week of the NRL season and are only a couple of sleeps away from kick-off. Here is my prediction for who I think will finish in the 11th and tenth position on the ladder.
You can read my previous predictions on places 17-16, 15-14 and 13-12.
11. West Tigers
The West Tigers have made mass changes after an abysmal previous season that saw them finish dead last. The Tigers have also appointed Tim Sheens as coach alongside Benji Marshall in the assistant coaching job. Marshall will take over as head coach in 2025.
The aim of this move from Wests is not just to bring special intelligent thinking but also to try to inject the club with pride and spirit, which was at its best in Benji Marshall’s 2005 premiership team.
The Tigers have gone shopping, and it looks like it was a successful trip. Wests gained a large handful of players, among them the likes of Api Koroisau, Isaiah Papali’i and David Klemmer, and they were able to give John Bateman a return to the NRL.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Balmain’s key losses included James Tamou, Jacob Liddle and Jackson Hastings. The most painful out of those three would have to be Hastings, as he truly began to be the largest factor in changing their blowout losses and even found the Tigers some wins. Good things never last at Wests, as Hastings suffered a season-ending ankle injury in their Round 20 upset win over Brisbane.
One of my most confident takes in sport right now is that Luke Brooks is the most overrated player in the NRL. The Tigers are out of their minds for paying Brooks as much as he’s on. It’s hard to believe he’s worth even half of the reportedly $1.1 million salary the Wests have granted him.
Luke’s decision-making and discipline are just very poor, and these so-called ‘experts’ keep telling us how much potential he has. They’ve been saying that for years and Brooks hasn’t delivered.
In conclusion, the Tigers will improve this season but may have to wait another year or two before knocking on the door of the finals.
10. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have been the talk of the town in the last year as they’ve been able to build a roster with high aspirations. A list of quality players has been transferred over to Canterbury. This might be the strongest they’ve looked on paper since 2016 or even their 2014 grand final team.
The media have built up this whole story as ‘the Dogs of war’ being reborn. I‘d love it if this storyline aged well, but they’ve got to be put to the test first.
Their two most important signings include Viliame Kikau and Reed Mahoney.
This pair Is going to upgrade their line-up immensely, and just like Doggies fans, I cannot wait to see this line-up on display.
Josh Reynolds’s return to the NRL is one of the best feel-good rugby league stories I’ve witnessed in a while. Reynolds symbolises what the Bulldogs are all about, and the pride and spirit he will implement into this team are huge.
The only reason I don’t have Canterbury in the top eight is due to the time it may take them to meld, but if they are as good as everyone says they are, then September footy may be on their calendar.
If the Dogs can keep rebuilding, then I see them being one of the most dominant teams in a few years.
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