Who are the genuine title threats for this year?

[carcharias]

bronco's
storm
dogs
will be hard to beat
Dogs are my smokie.

Dragons will drop off a fair bit..same goes for roosters.

Sharks will be a lot better this year and will be no push overs.

Parra and the cowboys are screwed.

souths?
groundhog year.
I cannot recall them being a threat ever...and I am not young.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Dragons,

to be challenged by the improvers, Tigers, Panthers, Warriors & Raiders.

Underachievers will be;

Souths: No halves, depth or heart.
Roosters: Brian Smith's teams generally start to implode in the second year.

Campeses injury will make this very hard for the Raiders imo. He is their go to man and even with an early comeback, he will take time to get his confidence back.

My top 4 would be: Dragons, Tigers, Titans and Storm.

 

[azzah72]

Top 8: Dogs, St George, Tigers, Roosters, Make up the bottom 4: (Melbourne, Warriors, Souths, Sharks, Panthers)

Bar Mebourne & Warriors, I think all the teams outside of Sydney will struggle this year.

 

[SoftSydney]

Tigers
STGI
Roosters
Storm

I dont think souths have the halves or coach to go all the way, the Dogs and Panthers will have a say... the rest have no chance.

 

[CMUX]

Tigers should be favourites IMO. No reason they should not be better than last year

Dragons to be up there again losing in the prelim final

Roosters to be top 4 providing their defensive frailties are rectified and they get through a tough draw through the origin period.

Storm to finish 4th

Titans, Manly, Warriors and Raiders (Due to Campese injury) to drop out of the top 8.

Eels, Broncos, Penrith, Souths, dogs to finish 5th-8th

Cowboys to not finish last after Neil Henry is sacked before round 14. The interim coach will his first 3 games and the cowboys will finish 13th

Sharks and Knights to fight for the spoon.


Those are my fearless predictions so congratulations sharks and knights fans, your teams are certainties to surprise us all now!

 

[Jono1987]

Saints, Tigers, Roosters and Titans.

 

[jc155776]

I will start with my own team: Sharks, will improve, might push for a top 8 spot.

Cowboys: They have recruited VERY smartly and have gotten rid of a lot of dead weight and people who were in a rut at the club. Tate injury hurts but they have some decent players in the 20s plus two reserve grade clubs to choose from.

Dragons: They play a game style where it wouldn't matter who replaces who. If they keep Soward and Fein on the field they finish top 4 again. Makes me sick to say that.

Doggies: Are these guys serious with the salary cap??? Great team with some great new buys. Roberts is the key. Kimmorley is not a loss. It is a gain.

 

[Ike E Bear]

I think Storm (obviously), Broncos and Rabbitohs will have much improved seasons.

Dragons will still be one of the competition heavyweights.

West Tigers to build on an excellent 2010 and give 2011 a genuine shake.

I don't see why Titans and Roosters won't at least be in the mix come finals.

The last finals spot is a bit up in the air. In rough order of how I rate their chances - if Panthers prove 2010 wasn't a flash in the pan, Warriors prove more consistent on the road, Manly can overcome yet another season of blooding a rookie halfback, Raiders overcome the loss of Campese for a good bit of the season, or the Bulldogs somehow replicate their 2009 reboot season (I don't see it personally as Hodkinson is still very much a rookie), then any of those could be in with a finals shot.

Newcastle are still building, but a lot is riding on young Henry's shoulders to iron out their halves problems. Like Manly, and to a lesser extent Bulldogs, that's a big ask.

My poor Eels seem to overachieve when no one expects anything of them ... so I'm going to continue expecting little.

Meanwhile, I just can't see Sharks or Cowboys giving it a shake either.

Predicted ladder at the end of the regular season:
1. Tigers
2. Broncos
3. Dragons
4. Rabbitohs
5. Storm
6. Roosters
7. Titans
8. Panthers
9. Warriors
10. Manly
11. Raiders
12. Bulldogs
13. Knights
14. Eels
15. Sharks
16. Cowboys

Premiers - Broncos

If not them (and heaven knows I don't want them to win), I think Dragons or West Tigers are good chances.

A lot of those predictions do not fill me with joy, but right now, those are my "feelings".

 

[Phil McGrawhan]

AS with all seasons the team who has a dream run with injuries will go a long way ...
But my early tip for GF
Dragons V Warriors
Warriors learnt to play well away from home last yr...& did a lot of the season without two test props..Price & Rapira..plus they have a lot of good talent coming through...
Be a big yr for them.

 

[Ray Parlour]

Saints
Tigers
Storm

Dogs and Souths will improve and have decent seasons but when it comes down to the crunch they wont be threatening anyone.

Roosters over achieved last year and with Smith as coach that also automatically rules them out as being a title contender.

 

[Big Pete]

Sydney Roosters - Good balanced side with plenty of players about to hit their peaks.

St. George Illawarra Dragons - No reason why they can't go back to back, especially if Bennett decides to stay put.

West Tigers - Same with Sydney.

Bolters

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - It could really go either way for them, it just depends on how well Barba, Keating, Hodkinson and Roberts step up. I have no doubt Tolman and Eastwood will be awesome.

South Sydney Rabbitohs - Again I have my doubts about their halves. Both are great talents but they're both at a cross-roads in their careers.

 

[Ike E Bear]

Sydney Roosters - Good balanced side with plenty of players about to hit their peaks.

St. George Illawarra Dragons - No reason why they can't go back to back, especially if Bennett decides to stay put.

West Tigers - Same with Sydney.

Bolters

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - It could really go either way for them, it just depends on how well Barba, Keating, Hodkinson and Roberts step up. I have no doubt Tolman and Eastwood will be awesome.

South Sydney Rabbitohs - Again I have my doubts about their halves. Both are great talents but they're both at a cross-roads in their careers.

You don't rate your team?

If Brisbane have a decent run with injury, then I think they are extremely formidible, despite missing out on Inglis.

Is it the coach you don't rate?

Hoffman and McCullough are still relative rookies in key positions, but I think they came through 2010 okay and will be better for it.

The important thing is that your forward pack will be remarkably improved with Hannant. Not sure if Carlaw will offer that much.

Also, I wonder if you guys have a bit of cash laying around if any decent players do come on the market, after Inglis' backflip?

 

[00digger00]

Looking forward to a HUGE season.... Lots of upsets this year, except if you go for the sharks, eels manly or cowboys. You will just be upset.
Top 8
1.Rooster
2.Tigers
3.Panthers
4.Dragons
5.Broncos
6.Titans
7.NZ
8.Raiders

 

[Packy]

Hi folks,

Please stop saying the Dogs are contenders. We aren't. At least not yet. Our team in it's current form hasn't even played together and may not click for ages.

The teams to beat have to be Dragons, Roosters and Tigers.

 

[Canard]

No-one seems to have mentioned that Souths have a Dead Man Walking in John Lang.

Thats almost always a recipe for disaster to let the coach and players know a year in advance of his demise. Players switch off and discpline becomes a big issue.

Some clubs thrive on a bit of turmoil, Canterbury for example, but weaker clubs like Souths (and the Cowboys) haven't "thrived" on anything for 20+ years so I reckon its a big negative.

 

[Noa]

Hi folks,

Please stop saying the Dogs are contenders. We aren't. At least not yet. Our team in it's current form hasn't even played together and may not click for ages.

The teams to beat have to be Dragons, Roosters and Tigers.

If K Moore cant get that line-up into the top 4 he should be punted.

 

[Big Pete]

You don't rate your team?

If Brisbane have a decent run with injury, then I think they are extremely formidible, despite missing out on Inglis.

Is it the coach you don't rate?

Hoffman and McCullough are still relative rookies in key positions, but I think they came through 2010 okay and will be better for it.

The important thing is that your forward pack will be remarkably improved with Hannant. Not sure if Carlaw will offer that much.

Also, I wonder if you guys have a bit of cash laying around if any decent players do come on the market, after Inglis' backflip?

I rate my team, I'm just far too modest.

I'm unsure what to make of Henjak, 2009 had me worried but I don't think too many coaches would have achieved more than Henjak did in 2010.

I would put us down as one of the bolters, I just think the Bulldogs and Rabbitohs are the stand outs of a big group (Warriors, Titans, Cowboys, Broncos, Raiders, Sea Eagles, Melbourne etc.) of teams. What keeps the Broncos in that pack for mine is...

- Their spine: Lockyer is a year older, Wallace is hot and cold and Hoffman/Macca could go either way. I don't think our next gen. are ready to lead us to a premiership just yet either.

- Backline: I worry about Hodges and I don't know if Beale/Copley are truly ready to make an impact in first grade.

- Front row: Ben Hannant is a great prop but we need some others ready to step up.

 

[Gaba]

again alot of people in here are believing the media hype as they did with the eels last year (you would think people would learn and study the games).

When it was clear the eels were always going to rely on hayne and struggle


same with the roosters who are going to struggle to have attack other then carney teams will target more on carney


The defences from alot of teams im betting will be alot better and you wont have a huge difference like in 2010

where the dragons were the only team what was in contention average about 11-12 points per game against , were every other sides was averaging over 20

storm was the only other average under 20 last year even though they were out of contention



and with basis , i will count out roosters and see souths struggling particular if they think inglis will get them into the finals

 

[Noa]

If you think 09 Parra and 10 Roosters are even remotely similar then your an even bigger flog then I thought. Parras style was/is infinately easier to shut down then the roosters will be.

 

[Gaba]

If you think 09 Parra and 10 Roosters are even remotely similar then your an even bigger flog then I thought. Parras style was/is infinately easier to shut down then the roosters will be.

i was proven right more then any other person in here,
and if you think the roosters do have another attacking alternative which will threat the good defenses then you are the biggest flog here

With pearce at halfback the roosters will not win the premiership , he is predictable which makes carney a more easy target then hayne was