that's a bloody good post AzzA84
i agree with a lot of it, but not all of it:
i think it's pretty harsh putting the
Storm in at 9th - Rodney Howe was not a key forward of theirs in 2004, and neither was Danny Williams really. they'll also have the very talented Peter Robinson back on deck, as well as a young guy called Jeremy Smith who had a great game against the Raiders in '04. the Storm will be pushing for a top 4 position.
the
Panthers will slide. not much, but they will slide, paticularly now that a lot of their players will be up for rep duties come State of Origin, and their depth, especially in the backs, is worrying. i'd have them in the bottom 4 of the top 8.
you have the
Knights at 10th, because an injury to Joey will kill them. they'll go great with him, but poor without him. it seems like you've gone for a compromise by putting them in at 10th, but i reckon we should be judging on what happens assuming there's no injuries. and if Joey's fit, they will be a top side. then again, he doesn't have as much talent to work with as he once did.
i think
Parramatta will struggle due to a poor set of halves, even though their forward pack will be the among the best, if not the best, in the NRL. fighting for a top 8 spot i reckon.
i agree about the
Tigers - they'll struggle to avoid the spoon. loss of experience will hurt them, plus i think they rely on Brett Hodgson too much for sparks in attack. I don't rate any of their other outside backs to a large degree.
the
Roosters are going to have a hard time adjusting to life without Freddy, who probably made a number of mediocre players look much better than they really were. still, they have a lot of good players, and they'll be up there somewhere. similarly, i think the
Broncos will have a tough time without Gordie.
here's my prediction:
1. Bulldogs
2. Dragons
3. Knights
4. Storm
5. Broncos
6. Roosters
7. Cowboys
8. Panthers
9. Sea Eagles
10. Raiders
11. Eels
12. Sharks
13. Warriors
14. Souths
15. Tigers
i reckon there's the fight for a top 4 position will go right down to the wire. there are a lot of teams who are equally good up there, none apart from the Bulldogs really standing out IMO. there might be as little as 4 points separating a top 4 side from a non-finals side.
Most improved side will be Manly.