- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Well, the Power Rankings sure did cause a stir last week! This is not an exact science, not everyone will agree, and people will have different theories on how this should be done.
My formula is a mix of:
a) where each team finished and performed last year.
b) what their 2023 betting odds were before Round 1.
c) Off-season recruitment and current playing roster.
d) Likeliness of victory.
d) How they went in their last game – regardless of the scoreboard.
e) Injuries and suspensions.
But a) and b) are biggies, especially at the start of the season. For eg, the Dolphins were favourites for the wooden spoon. They have had two fantastic wins, but cannot jump from last to first. This is not an NRL ladder, this is Power Rankings. On the flip side, the Eels were grand finalists last year so started the year quite high. Despite the fact they have lost the past two weeks does not mean they will be all the way down the bottom…… just yet.
Righto, are we good now? Ok, let’s get into the Power Rankings for Round 2.
The premiers and outright favourites for this year’s premiership have shaken off their first-round loss and put in a hard-fought effort against the Bunnies. Their 16-10 win has them back in the winner’s circle just in time for their bye and guaranteed two points this week.
Ok, not a fluke, these guys are looking like the real deal.
They knocked over the Panthers in Round 1 and were far too strong over preliminary finalists the Cowboys over the weekend. Reece Walsh is a star, Ezra Mam is the per cent partner for Adam Reynolds but Corey Oates will be a big out for them after he suffered a broken jaw.
They will be looking to make it three from three this week against the Dragons.
It was a gutsy performance from the Bunnies against the Panthers, going down in an absolute nail-biter. They are looking really good at the moment, and Lachlan Ilias continues to stake his claim as no longer a backup to Reynolds.
They should get a few troops back this week and will be looking to bounce back against their arch-nemesis the Roosters on Friday night.
They looked great against the Bulldogs in Round 1, Tommy Turbo pulled up great after his long-awaited return, and the team seem more unified and harmonised than they have in a long time. Coming off a solid win and then a relaxing weekend with the bye, the Sea Eagles will be ready to go against a desperate Eels pack on Thursday night.
They were unlucky against the Bunnies in Round 1, and fought tooth and nail for their victory against the 30-26 win against the Eels over the weekend. Braydon Trindall was perfect once again filling in for the injured Nicho Hynes, and Will Kennedy continues to lift at fullback. They will be favourites coming up against a winless Raiders side on Sunday.
The new kids on the block have once again served up a dose of “I told you so” after their 20-14 win against the Raiders in the wet. They are playing simple, smart football, Felise Kaufusi has definitely had his spinach with some of the hits he has been making, and they still have players like Ray Stone and Edrick Lee to come back.
Mind blown.
They have a growing injury list, are still looking a bit off and clunky and weren’t all that convincing in their win against the Warriors over the weekend. But they are fighters and they showed that on Saturday.
Luke Keary and Sam Walker don’t seem to be in sync, and I’m not saying there is an issue between James Tedesco and Joseph Suaali’i, but I’m also not not saying that.
Big test coming up for them up against the Bunnies.
Welcome to the 2023 competition Dragons!
Sorry Red V fans, it was an easy potshot at your team last week putting them at a17th that I just had to take. But they had a great win against the Titans on Sunday night, and played really well, and if Jack de Belin comes back this week from a calf injury then their only big name out is Cody Ramsey.
Big task coming up against the Broncos.
Their brilliant first 30 minutes against the Raiders has been quickly overshadowed by almost letting an 18-0 lead slip through their fingers and they followed up with a below-average performance against a red-hot Broncos on Friday night. The absence of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Tom Gilbert is starting to show, and with Scott Drinkwater and Peta Hiku both suspended for the next few rounds, while not quite panic stations the Cowboys are entering some interesting times.
After their golden point victory against the Eels, the Storm were shot to pieces against the Storm. Their injury list looks like a team list, and with Nelson Asofa-Solomona the latest long-term casualty, Melbourne are in a world of pain.
Both figuratively and literally.
Oh dear.
The match against the Sharks really could have been anyone’s right until the end. The lead changed about 1000 times, but errors and poor executions really cost Parramatta dearly. And that’s twice in a row now.
Players have left, are injured, and thought they were too smart for the judicial system. Whether the Mitch Moses contract saga is having any effect on the team will never be confirmed, but it doesn’t look good.
As I said last week when I was critiquing Tigers’ head clipboard holder Tim Sheens, I am not a head coach. But if I was, there is no way I would continue to leave a fresh player unused on the bench when it could make such a huge impact.
Their loss to the Dragons was a chalk-and-cheese effort from their Round 1 win against the Tigers. Squandering a 12-2 lead to eventually go down 32-18, with a late try to Tino Fa’asuamaleaui helping the score not look as bad as it should.
Kieran Foran and Tanah Boyd struggled, and the team made a lot of errors and continued to find more ways to hand the ball over.
They face a depleted Storm side on Saturday but will still need to play a lot better than they did in Round 2.
One loss does not always mean a huge drop in the rankings. Or any jump for that matter, as the Warriors remain at 13.
They put up a solid effort against the Roosters in some hot temps, with execution letting them down. They still look a world away from the disorganised side of last year
Bit of deja vu here. One win does not always mean a huge jump in the rankings. Or any jump for that matter, as the Knights remain at 14. And while their win against the Tigers on Sunday was one of the gutsiest in the club’s history, it was against the Tigers. And there will be a bit of talent sidelined for quite a while including a concussed Kalyn Ponga and a suspended Jacob Saifiti.
The Doggies didn’t beat the real Storm. It was more like a sun shower, but a win against the Storm is in the record books nonetheless.
It was a good performance, a great confidence boost and the pack looked a lot more cohesive than when they lost to Manly the week before.
I have moved them up a spot, still quite a lot out injured but they will go in as easy favourites against the Tigers.
Going done by a field goal against the Cowboys in Round 1 followed up by a tight one against the Dolphins, the Green Machine have had two tough losses that they could have easily won.
But they just aren’t getting the simple things right, and continue to make it hard for themselves by letting their opposition back in. They will be doing all they can to avoid being 0/3 when they take on the Sharks on Sunday.
Leichhardt, we have a problem.
They should have put the depleted and undermanned Knights away well and truly before the siren, but like many other teams in Round 2 kept finding ways to get in their own way.
Their big new names and nostalgic coaching box have a very long way to go.