2014 Ladder

[Charlie124]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kit66
4. Cowboys - they'll be up there again come September and they'll probably choke again, it's what they do. Biggest underachievers in the league, year in, year out.



How many grand finals have they won ?

There you go.

Psssssst. I don't think you understand what the term "choke" means.

Cowboys have made one grand final and lost it to a much favoured Tigers team who had previously towelled us up in the first week of the finals. Just losing a game isn't choking. Being massive favourites but losing the big one is choking.

Underachieving? Yes, I think we can all agree the cows should've achieved more with the players we've had in recent years. Having said that, only three teams have made the finals each of the last three years, sea eagles, storm and....cowboys.

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kit66
4. Cowboys - they'll be up there again come September and they'll probably choke again, it's what they do. Biggest underachievers in the league, year in, year out.



How many grand finals have they won ?

There you go.

The Dragons forfeited any and all rights to having cracks at other clubs about choking in the '99 Grand Final and every game they've played against Canberra ever.

 

[Charlie124]

The Dragons forfeited any and all rights to having cracks at other clubs about choking in the '99 Grand Final and every game they've played against Canberra ever.

Oh he's a dragons fan? :lol: that's rich. The grand final I was talking about (2005) was the year the dragons and eels choked harder than any teams I've seen in finals history. All the talk that finals series was about a dragons v eels grand final and how the tigers and cowboys would be mere speed bumps on their way to the big dance.....

Nek minnit....

 

[Timmah]

The Dragons forfeited any and all rights to having cracks at other clubs about choking in the '99 Grand Final and every game they've played against Canberra ever.

With deference to our Roosters friends on this forum, I reckon they shrugged that hoodoo by winning the premiership in 2010.

The Canberra hoodoo is f**king hilarious though :lol:

 

[BunniesMan]

1. South Sydney Rabbitohs - Hungry. Frustrated. Luke Keary. He going to 5/8 gives Reynolds the ideal partner and Sutton going to the forwards makes our pack more dynamic and mobile. 2 birds 1 rock.

2. Sydney Roosters - SBW's last year in League, they've got all the ingredients needed to make a real go of going back to back.

3. Newcastle Knights - They're very much in win now mode. There roster is not designed for long term success. They have a great halves combo. I reckon this is their last year to contend under Bennett.

4. Penrith Panthers - the big climbers. They've spent their time down the bottom. They're ready to start winning plenty of footy games.

5. Canterbury Bulldogs - losing the distraction of Barba will do them good. Hasler is too good to have them slide just now.

6. North Queensland Cowboys - due for some improvement. Plenty of talent, should play finals footy.

7. Melbourne Storm - Let's face it. They're old. After a world cup and a full season of rep footy, a team built on 3 blokes turning 31 in 2013 cannot win enough games to stay in the 4. This will be their last good year for a while.

8. Brisbane Broncos - Barba and possibly Milford will see them scrape into the 8. But they won't be as good as their fans think they will.

9. Manly Sea Eagles - Similar story to Melbourne. They've made the finals 9 years in a row. Noone else has done more than 3 years. They have to start sliding at some point. I know I said similar last year but like Melbourne they've just gotten another year older. They can't just keep making finals in the modern system.

10. Gold Coast Titans - Mediocrity written all over them. A few decent talents will see them win their fair share of games.

11. New Zealand Warriors - the novelty of Matt Elliott starts to wear thin after a while. Wrong coach for the wrong team. Not enough discipline in the coach or players to get any higher.

12. Wests Tigers - rebuilding time, but plenty of exciting young talent should see them good enough to win consistently against the teams below them.

13. St George Illawarra Dragons - what are they doing down there in Kogarah? Why is Price still coach? The addition of Widdop will help them stay above the absolute dross teams but still too little talent and too much of a shit coach to challenge for the finals.

14. Parramatta Eels - surely they can't go 3 spoons in a row. But they won't be very far away from the bottom.

15. Canberra Raiders - Ricky is extraordinarily overrated. Dugan, Ferguson. Milford. Nuff said. A long way down from where they were round 1 2013.

16. Cronulla Sharks - they might have a tough offseason to say the least.

Now that it's closer to D-Day time to reevaluate what I thought in October. Largely the same but with a few modifications.

1. Souths
2. Easts
3. Panthers
4. Storm
5. Cowboys
6. Manly
7. Knights
8. Warriors
9. Bulldogs
10. Broncos
11. Titans
12. Sharks
13. Eels
14. Tigers
15. Raiders
16. Dragons

 

[Parra! *Clap Clap Clap*]

1. Roosters
2. Souths
3. Cowboys
4. Storm
5. Eels
6. Knights
7. Manly
8. Panthers
9. Warriors
10. Sharks
11. Bulldogs
12. Broncos
13. Titans
14. Tigers
15. Raiders
16. Dragons

 

[Blues Riff]

No way the Sharks below Panthers (and especially Parra :lol

 

[natheel]

1. Rabbitohs
2. Roosters
3. Sea Eagles
4. Knights
5. Storm
6. Panthers
7. Cowboys
8. Sharks
9. Warriors
10. Bulldogs
11. Titans
12. Eels
13. Broncos
14. Dragons
15. Tigers
16. Raiders

 

[Card Shark]

Now that it's closer to D-Day time to reevaluate what I thought in October. Largely the same but with a few modifications.

1. Souths
2. Easts
3. Panthers
4. Storm
5. Cowboys
6. Manly
7. Knights
8. Warriors
9. Bulldogs
10. Broncos
11. Titans
12. Sharks
13. Eels
14. Tigers
15. Raiders
16. Dragons

Thanks mate, we have moved up 4 places without blinking an eye lid - how did this happen?? Are you semi-conceding that ASADA won't get us ?

Everyone is entitled to their guess' but I can't believe how many have us well out of the 8. We comfortably made 5th last year under extreme duress, so we can do it again. Yes we are a year older, which is my main concern, but I can't see why we are not going to make the 8 again.

Time will tell....as it will with BMs prediction of a Rabbits premiership....didnt he learn from last year??

 

[POPEYE]

Just vibes mind you but I reckon any team that beats the Warriors convincingly this year when they're having an 'on' day can keep the silver polish handy. Anyone predicting anything other than a yardstick team to watch is pissing in the wind

 

[BunniesMan]

Thanks mate, we have moved up 4 places without blinking an eye lid - how did this happen?? Are you semi-conceding that ASADA won't get us ?

Everyone is entitled to their guess' but I can't believe how many have us well out of the 8. We comfortably made 5th last year under extreme duress, so we can do it again. Yes we are a year older, which is my main concern, but I can't see why we are not going to make the 8 again.

Time will tell....as it will with BMs prediction of a Rabbits premiership....didnt he learn from last year??

Didn't say I was predicting a premiership. Just a minor premiership.

As for the Sharks. Well it depends on how important Flanagan was to your success. Also what (if any) further consequences are faced from ASADA.

 

[no name]

7. Melbourne Storm - Let's face it. They're old. After a world cup and a full season of rep footy, a team built on 3 blokes turning 31 in 2013 cannot win enough games to stay in the 4. This will be their last good year for a while.

Now that it's closer to D-Day time to reevaluate what I thought in October. Largely the same but with a few modifications.

1. Souths
2. Easts
3. Panthers
4. Storm
5. Cowboys
6. Manly
7. Knights
8. Warriors
9. Bulldogs
10. Broncos
11. Titans
12. Sharks
13. Eels
14. Tigers
15. Raiders
16. Dragons

 

[Southern Rooster]

South Sydney
Manly Warringah
Sydney
New Zealand
Melbourne
Cronulla Sutherland
North Queensland
Penrith
Newcastle
Canterbury Bankstown
Brisbane
Wests Tigers
Parramatta
Gold Coast
Canberra
St George Illawarra

 

[Card Shark]

Canterbury Bankstown
Brisbane
Wests Tigers
Parramatta
Gold Coast
Canberra
St George Illawarra

Think your bottom 7 will be spot on, not necessarily in that order though.

 

[Card Shark]

Didn't say I was predicting a premiership. Just a minor premiership..

You did say, initially:
"1. South Sydney Rabbitohs - Hungry. Frustrated. Luke Keary. He going to 5/8 gives Reynolds the ideal partner and Sutton going to the forwards makes our pack more dynamic and mobile. 2 birds 1 rock.1. South Sydney Rabbitohs - Hungry. Frustrated. Luke Keary. He going to 5/8 gives Reynolds the ideal partner and Sutton going to the forwards makes our pack more dynamic and mobile. 2 birds 1 rock."

You rated Luke Kreary as the most important player in south winning the minor premiership, yet him being injured for 1/2 the year has not seen you drop the Rabbits down from minor premiers, in your re-evaluation.

I don't know much about Kreary but Sutton had a breakout year last year, so perhaps you are right & his loss won't hurt the Rabbits?

 

[Vic Mackey]

I don't get people writing the sharks off either. They have an awesome pack. Origin standard 1 & 6, a very under rated halfback who has played in a grand final. Sure they're 2-5 is still below the top sides but it's solid enough.

The asada cloud was ten times worse last year and they came 5th...I'll be shocked if they aren't in the 8 and pushing the top 4 this year.

 

[AMD]

Top 4:

1. Roosters
2. Souths
3. Sea Eagles
4. Storm

All four are a cut above the rest of the competition. They aren't necessarily more skillful, but definitely more consistent at playing at their best (or near best) form then the other teams, and ultimately, its this consistency that wins games. I'm expecting this years winner to be of these four.

5-8:

5. Warriors
6. Cowboys
7. Bulldogs
8. Broncos

Warriors and Cowboys definitely have the talent to go all the way, but see mingling lack the aforemetioned consistency of the top 4 to go all the way. That may change for the Warriors this year with the arrival of Tomkins, and a the appointment of a new coach at the Cowboys. Time will tell though. I'm expecting the Dogs to have a similar year to last year: nothing bad but nothing great. They may do better if a few players pull their heads in but (i.e Williams). Also expecting the Broncos to just scrape into the 8 this year. I'm not at all prepared to write their entire season off based on one horrendous trial game, and am expecting the arrival of some new players and a new halves pairing to help them. Will be Griffins last season as coach but.

9-12:

9: Sharks
10: Knights
11: Panthers
12: Eels

Sharks and Knights could very well make the 8, all depends on how big losses for both of them affect the team (Flanno for sharks, Mullen for knights). I'm not at all sold on the halves pairing of Wallace and Soward for the Panthers yet, time will tell how well it will work though. Eels will improve this year. Both the Panthers and Eels are probably a year or two away from being a top 8 side.

Bottom 4:

13: Raiders
14: Titans
15: Dragons
16: Tigers

I can't see any of these four making a surge for the premiership this year. Would suspect that this is the last year for both Cartwright and Price.

 

[BunniesMan]

The hardest part was deciding on which good teams were good enough for 3rd/4th. I reckon Souths and Easts are the 2 clear standout teams in their prime. But after them you have slightly past it teams like Melbourne and Manly and up and coming teams like the Panthers and rocks or diamonds types like the Cowboys.

I have very little splitting 3rd and 6th. Put them in any order you like.

 

[Parra! *Clap Clap Clap*]

This thread will be worth a bump in a few months time.

 

[douglasfisher]

NRL Top 8 prediction competition @ www.tiptheladder.com