2010 NRL Club Breakdown
February 21st 2010 01:03
2010 NRL Club Breakdown
Brisbane Broncos
On paper, Brisbane potentially has their weakest roster in history for 2010. The club struggled mid-season in 2009 when most of their big names went missing through Origin or injury. It surprisingly exposed a soft underbelly which has rarely existed at the Queensland powerhouse club.
This season Brisbane still have a team laced with superstars, but still have been heavily weakened with the loss of Dave Taylor and Karmichael Hunt. Their captain, Darren Lockyer, notwithstanding the champion player that he is, has lost a lot of what he once was; further reducing the Broncos attacking flare. Not to mention that he is now injury prone. Meanwhile, Ivan Henjak, only in his second year as coach, will have to rely on a lot of new blood to feel the void left by a number of retiring veterans.
The club only seems weakened when compared to previous Broncos line-ups however and still boast the likes of Thiaday, Faloau, Wallace and Hodges. Their hottest prospect this season is young winger Jharal YowYeh, who played in the AllStar game with great passion and intriguingly a maniacal edge.
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Not much is being made of the Bulldogs as the 2010 season draws near. The scary thing is though; it can be assured that the Bulldogs will be a much better team when compared to last year.
On the back of a calculated recruitment drive, the Bulldogs of 2009 were still only finding their feet as a cohesive unit, albeit it was not obvious. This year however, the Bulldogs will only be stronger and are likely to be a real Premiership threat.
The only weakness is the loss of Hasim El-masri and his magic goal-kicking. In stock though is Michael Ennis, a noted goal-kicker himself, who will be taking up the reigns.
Canberra Raiders
As always the Raiders are likely to fly under the radar this season as they still have a very young side. Their only notable signing this year is Danny Galea from the Wests Tigers.
Not likely to be a Premiership threat, the Raiders are still very dangerous and have the ability to topple any side, particularly at Canberra Stadium. Also, the club itself rarely misses the finals.
Cronulla Sutherland Sharks
Of all the sides in 2009, the Sharks had the most horrid of seasons, mostly due to off field incidents, but their form on field was woeful as well.
Towards the end of last season, the Sharks certainly tried hard, despite usually coming up with the short end of the stick. That effort might be rewarded this season however, coupled with a spike in memberships that the club has experienced, signalling brighter days ahead for the Cronulla Shire.
Gold Coast Titans
In many people’s minds, the Titans played well throughout 2009, but despite finishing third, they were never a real Premiership threat. This train of thought was proven correct when the Titans crashed out of their first finals series without winning a game.
It is because of this that the Titans would not be attracting too much attention as a Premiership hopeful this season. They are a young club, with plenty of great attacking players, but when the pressure is placed upon them, they do not have the grit or the size in the forwards to dig in and man up.
With this being said, the Titans are likely to be the dark horse of 2010. The signing of Greg Bird also puts a new spin on how the Titans will play this season. Taking the pressure off half-back Scott Prince, Bird will provide yet another option in attack, making the Titans a very formidable opponent indeed and a much better side than last year indeed.
Their win/loss record at Skilled Park last season is a main reason for the club achieving the successes that they did. No doubt this will add an extra advantage to the Titans when they play at home.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Sea Eagles were up and down in 2009 after winning the Premiership in ’08. I do not particularly see them doing much in 2010, but as with any team in the NRL they will not be easy beats.
Expect the Sea Eagles to finish somewhere in the Top 8 as they stock a horde of talent in their ranks. Their forward pack in particular will certainly cause some damage with the hard running Anthony Watmough leading the way.
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are all class, which is likely the reason for their success throughout the last decade. Put bluntly, the Storm will be hard to beat in 2010 as they search for back to back Premierships.
With Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Cooper Cronk and others, the Storm with undoubtedly finish in the Top 4. With the added addition of a new multi-million dollar stadium, the Storm may even go undefeated at home this season.
New Zealand Warriors
In 2009 the New Zealand Warriors languished at the bottom of the table and ultimately finished third last. Not much can be said for the side this season either as the potential for a Top 8 finish seems dim.
As always though, the Warriors can never be underestimated, especially when teams have to make the trip to Mt. Smart Stadium to play them. They have also picked up Brett Seymour from the Sharks.
Newcastle Knights
The fortunes of Newcastle this season will be interesting. After generating so much hope amongst the Knights faithful last season, the team lost their way when coach Brian Smith left towards the end of the season.
The Knights have a solid team structure; a lineage of Smith’s coaching and will certainly be hard to beat at their home ground of Energy Australia Stadium.
However, do not be too surprised if they miss the Top 8 this season.
North Queensland Cowboys
If the Cowboys forward pack was not big enough, the addition of Willie Mason will further add size to their side. It will be interesting how the NRL outcast will perform in Townsville this season after having contracts rejected by the majority of NRL clubs.
The Cowboys will certainly be dangerous. Their forward pack is massive. They have Australian half-back Johnathan Thurston leading the way. And their win/loss record at Dairy Farmers Stadium is quite formidable.
The extent of their success will depend on their ability to win away from home.
Parramatta Eels
If the Eels manage to regain their red hot form from last season they will certainly be a Premiership threat in 2010. With the likes of Hayne, Mortimer, MoiMoi, Mateo and others, the Eels will be further bolstered by the return Timana Tahu.
Despite the hype of another red hot season for the Eels, the club needs to avoid slipping back to their underachieving ways of early 2009 and the two seasons prior. The Eels would be much better served by starting 2010 with much more grit and determination instead of instantly looking to re-capture their attacking flare of ’09.
Penrith Panthers
The Panthers have a young side guided by the formidable leadership of Petero Civoniceva.
A promising signing is that of Daine Laurie from the Wests Tigers. Picked for the Indigenous AllStars, but forced out due to injury, Laurie gained a cult-like status at the Tigers, but was never able to assert his full potential. Hopefully under the guidance of Civoniceva, Frank Pritchard and co. Daine Laurie will emerge as a valuable asset to the Panthers in the years to come.
A virtue of having a young side is the abundance of potential that the side possesses. In particular Michael Jennings, Luke Lewis and Wade Graham could have a big season.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
As the days count down to the start of the 2010 season, the buzz and hype surrounding the Rabbitohs gathers more and more pace. This is unmistakably due to the signing of hot prospect forwards, Dave Taylor and Sam Burgess.
At no stage in the past 20 years have the Rabbitohs Premiership hopes been so strong. On paper, their forward pack is certainly impressive and is an exciting mix of both size and mobility.
With captain Roy Asotasi leading the way, the Souths forward pack boasts Taylor, Burgess, Ben Ross, Eddie Pettybourne and of course workhorse Michael Crocker. All of whom will be leading the way for their young and unpredictable back-line.
If Souths do not finish in the Top 4 by the end of the season it would certainly be a disappointment for the proud club.
I have stated in a previous blog that the Rabbitohs will most likely not win the Premiership this season. However, after watching the explosive impact of Sam Burgess in the AllStars game, I have been unable to resist getting caught up in the hope and excitement. I now believe that Souths can in fact claim their first Premiership since 1971 this season. When thinking logically with emotion removed though, a Rabbitohs Premiership may be a few seasons away as this side may take time to establish some unity.
St. George Illawarra Dragons
Last years’ Minor Premiers will certainly be looking to make amends for their woeful 2009 finals campaign. It seems that nothing short of a Premiership this season will satisfy the Dragons players and their fans. However, in my opinion the side will not be as dominant this season as they were last.
With Wayne Bennett behind the helm though, the Dragons will forever be dangerous. Also expect more from five-eighth Jamie Soward who made a great impact for the Indigenous AllStars and who will be pushing for a NSW Blues jersey in this years Origin.
Sydney Roosters
The Roosters are in a rebuilding stage after a horrid 2009 season and they certainly have the best man for the job in coach Brian Smith.
The Roosters have plenty of talent in their side with Braith Anasta, Anthony Minichiello and Mitchell Pearce, but to climb back into the Top 8 after failing so miserably last season will be a tall task for the Tricolours.
As always though, you can never underestimate a team with such a successful history as the Roosters.
Wests Tigers
Like the Rabbitohs, the Wests Tigers have recruited well for 2010, something that many fans have been calling for since they won the Premiership in 2005.
In 2009 the Tigers narrowly missed the finals by one win, with many of their losses coming by two points or less.
With 2010 being the Chinese year of the Tiger however, the boys from Balmain and Campbelltown are getting set for a big year and a strong surge into the top 8.
Forever known as being the most dangerous attacking side in the NRL, the main focus of the Tigers recruitment this season has been strengthening their forward pack. They now boast the likes of Jason Cayless, Gareth Ellis and Keith Galloway among others. Hopefully with the extra go forward in their pack, Wests will be able to assert themselves more in big games.
The most high profile signing of course was that of Lote Tuqiri, who will likely join the side at fullback.
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Comment by Anonymous
Lucky your opinion doesn't count for shit.