The 2024 NRL season is over, the Penrith Panthers are premiers – once more – and rugby league followers are giddy with pleasure as they wait for his or her favorite Roar story of the 12 months: me revisiting my fearless pre-season predictions.
For these new round right here, a few warnings.
Firstly, we are likely to get a bit of, shall we embrace, ‘beneficiant’ with our verdicts. Secondly, the maths can get as inventive as some crew’s wage caps. But that’s merely what you get for letting me mark their very own homework.
Let’s dive proper in.
Raiders will win the wood spoon
They didn’t even go near getting the wood spoon. In truth, technically talking, they have been nonetheless an opportunity of constructing the highest eight over the last recreation of the NRL season.
I’ve made far worse predictions over time, however that is nonetheless a little bit of a stinker. Not a lot as a result of Canberra ended up being a great facet, as a result of they have been really fairly common, as their for and in opposition to suggests. No, the rationale this prediction smells like scorching rubbish is due to whom I didn’t decide to come back final.
The Wests Tigers stay a shambles of a soccer membership, who solely make headlines for the flawed causes, and shamefully collected their third straight wood spoon. They’re the Penrith Panthers of shedding, and it was ridiculous of me to look anyplace else for this 12 months’s final positioned crew.
The very fact the Tigers may have averted the spoon and given it to Parramatta of their head-to-head match-up within the final spherical, however as a substitute had 60 placed on them, tells you every thing it is advisable know.
Verdict: 0 factors
The Knights will miss the finals
Very tempted to offer myself half a degree right here, because the Knights went oh-so-close to lacking out on the highest eight. Credit score it to them although, their finals began per week early with a do-or-die match in opposition to the Dolphins, and Kalyn Ponga and his teammates stepped as much as guide themselves a finals berth.
After all, they didn’t final too lengthy as soon as there, overwhelmed by the Cowboys in week one. Be that as it might, they need to be congratulated for scraping in, and I must be admonished for being 0 from 2 up to now.
Verdict: 0 factors
(Picture by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Pictures)
Warriors will end second
The Wahs have been nearer to second final than second, and earned the unofficial award of being the season’s greatest disappointment. After promising a lot in 2023, the Warriors did what they at all times do, and didn’t again up.
There have been some professional disruptions, within the type of Addin Fonua-Blake asserting his departure, suspensions, and accidents to key gamers, but it surely’s no actual excuse for a few of the lacklustre performances the facet put on this 12 months.
There are many causes for optimism in 2025, and the incoming arrival of James Fisher-Harris will add some starch to their pack and profitable expertise to their tradition. But the actual fact we’re so rapidly trying ahead speaks volumes of what’s behind them.
Verdict: 0 factors
Mitchell Moses. (Picture by Cameron Spencer/Getty Pictures)
NSW Blues will win State of Origin
Lastly, we’re on the board!
This prediction wasn’t trying so nice after recreation one, when the Blues have been smashed 38-10 in entrance of their residence crowd, and confronted the prospect of getting to win two video games away from residence to say the collection.
But regardless of the scoreline within the opening encounter, it was a bit of deceptive, as there was really lots to love from the Blues. Queenslanders thought it was delusional confidence from south of the border, however the reality is that NSW competed rather well, regardless of being down a person after Joseph Suaalii was despatched off early within the recreation for gathering Reese Walsh excessive.
That optimism was proven to be proper, as coach Michael Maguire rented some area totally free in counterpart Billy Slater’s head, the NSW pack dominated their counterparts, and Mitchell Moses and Jarome Luai made an entire state love them for not less than a few nights.
Better of all, it gave me an accurate prediction.
Verdict: 1 level
Harry Grant will win the Dally M
Do I get half a degree for choosing a Storm participant? No? Honest sufficient.
Harry Grant did end within the prime ten, which suggests this wasn’t a nasty choice, but it surely’s troublesome, even with my dodgy maths, to someway flip this into an accurate prediction.
Verdict: 0 factors
My bonus ladder prediction (with the crew’s precise end in parentheses)
1. Broncos (twelfth)
2. Warriors (thirteenth)
3. Panthers (2nd)
4. Storm (1st)
5. Rabbitohs (sixteenth)
6. Roosters (third)
7. Cowboys (fifth)
8. Sharks (4th)
9. Sea Eagles (seventh)
10. Titans (14th)
11. Eels (fifteenth)
12. Knights (eighth)
13. Dolphins (tenth)
14. Bulldogs (sixth)
15. Dragons (eleventh)
16. Tigers (seventeenth)
17. Raiders (ninth)
That is, by some margin, the worst ladder prediction I’ve ever finished. Three of my prime 5 didn’t even end above twelfth! Simply horrendous from the highest of the ladder, all the way in which down.
The one silver lining was that I picked my Bulldogs to complete 14th, but they stunned everybody to complete in sixth place. That’s the kind of prediction I’m at all times comfortable to get flawed.
General scorching rubbish
The NSW Blues saved me from outright embarrassment and ensured I not less than went residence from the 2024 season with one right prediction. In any other case, it was a reasonably dire 12 months.
Although as I’m fond of claiming … there’s at all times subsequent season!
