Alright
@hindy111
I'll play. I'm bored.
SQUAD (not power) rankings prior to round 1. This isn't a ladder prediction, either, because what's on paper doesn't necessarily translate onto the field.
1-Roosters. Reigning premiers and haven't lost an awful lot. 1-7 is very good as a group, the pack is actually probably improved by the loss of Napa who is overrated. Crichton will be a good buy. The concern is probably the size of the pack and Jake Friend being pretty over the hill. Depth isn't great either, but good enough if key players stay fit.
2-Dragons. A lot depends on whether JDB is stood down, but they have a good looking squad pre-season. There aren't a lot of weaknesses, but balance might be a problem and the idea of swapping halves/hookers/fullbacks when Dufty comes off the bench seems crazy to me. I doubt they will finish as high as their squad looks like it should.
3-Penrith. The squad is much the same as last season, but others have dropped off in quality so Penrith stay high. Quality 1-7 but the pack looks like it could lack some punch and the two young hookers haven't looked good yet. Losing Merrin and CHN doesn't really hurt them. They have the potential to score a lot of points, but the question is whether they will be able to win the middle.
4-Storm. Billy Slater is a big loss, but with Munster, Jahrome Hughes and young Ryan Papenhuyzen as options they shouldn't struggle. They always manage to get a solid balance and this squad looks the same, but could drop if they are forced to shift players.
5-Sharks. Shaun Johnson is a good signing for a squad like theirs I reckon. With Matt Moylan able to do some of the play-making from the back, Johnson's fade outs will be less of a problem. The pack is steady and workmanlike bar Fifita and Wade Graham is a huge loss. The three-quarters are a bit ordinary, but behind a solid pack and with Moylan/Johnson inside them they should go fine
6-Brisbane. Bringing proper halfbacks into the squad (O'Sullivan and Dargan) is a good start, but they need to use one of them. Milford and Nikorima are a poor pairing. The back five looks good in terms of attack, but defence will be a problem, and the pack is pretty good. They'll need young guys like Fifita and Haas to stand up though.
7-Souths. I hate their bench, probably one of the worst we'll see in the game this year. The starting pack gets them a higher spot for rd 1, because their backline looks shocking without GI fit as well. The spine is still excellent, but they might be in for a rough year if the players around them don't lift.
8-Newcastle. They've improved a lot. Klemmer is a massive buy, Jesse Ramien is a gun. Ponga in the halves will mean he gets more ball, but I'm not sure if he's ready and I'm not sure about Connor Watson in defence at the back. I also question whether players like Edrick Lee, Tim Glasby, Hymel Hunt, James Gavet actually improve the side. Still a lot of ordinary players in amongst some very good ones.
9-Cowboys. Love the pack, hate the backline. Feldt, MacDonald and Morgan are probably the only real quality players from 1-7, and Feldt and Nene are massively inconsistent. The bench is also a bit bland and lacks impact.
10-Parramatta. We've definitely improved the squad. Fourth biggest pack in the game, and Paulo brings a lot of power and skill. The back 7 is a worry; Moses can be a top four player or a bottom four player and we've seen both so far in Eels colours, D Brown is untested. Gutherson and Ferguson are very good, the rest of the backline is a bit of a concern. Hooker is also a problem. *cue titty twister comments*
11-Titans. They look ok. A bit like the Knights and Parra, some good players and some really ordinary ones. Brimson looks like a star and the back 5 looks quite good. The halves look pretty one-dimensional and the pack is uninspiring, really only adding Boyd who is a slug. The bench stinks. All the creativity will have to come from Brimson and Peachey you'd think.
12-Warriors. Without Johnson they look pretty poor IMO. RTS is a star, Green will never let you down, and there is some point scoring in the backline. But Adam Keighran doesn't look a first grade halfback to me. The pack is solid but a lot of the same kind of player.
13-Manly. Look, they do have some excellent players. The Trobejebrah Brahs are very good, Taupau is a beast. DCE is very good when he shows up. But the bench is awful, the back row is bland, Kane Elgey at 6 is almost pathetic and their three-quarter line blows IMO.
14-Raiders. Wow, what a fall from grace. They've lost a heap of players and replaced them with nuffies. The two English import forwards are good ESL players, but both too small to have the same impact on the NRL. The halves suck. Rapana is out long term. Wighton sucks (doubly so if he's in the halves). The pack sucks as a group, although big individual performances from the likes of Papalii could help. They have also done nothing to improve how dumb the side is. Cotric and Hodgson will get out ASAP if they know what's good for them.
15-Tigers. Do we still want to sign Packer and Matulino? They stink and the Tigers squad stinks. The back 7 is ok, it has points in it but will also leak a lot. The pack is woeful, the 9 is well past it, and the bench is NSW Cup level. A lot of depth players playing first grade here.
16-Bulldogs. Terrible. Half their squad wouldn't be top 17 at any other club. The backline consists of Kerrod Holland, Will Hopoate, and three reserve graders. The bloke likely to play on one wing is a centre they turned into a backrower and are now going to throw out on the wing FFS. The halves are poo. The pack is probably their "strength" with the addition of Napa, but I use the word strength lightly and he might be suspended.
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