Kind of early but what they heck....I think it will be something like this...
1-Tigers...A young side with a hell of alot of improvement in them. Finals experience will only help them. Dependent, however, on the halves being fit for the majority of the year, as they form the nucleus of all that brilliant attack
2-Parramatta...Will perform on a par with this season in my opinion, will field basically the same side as this season with possibly some of the young guns in Reddy, Williams, Green, Delaney getting a solid go too. Beaten out for first because of the Tigers improvement.
3-Dragons...Have so far managed to retain their top flight off contract players and are looking good for next year with the return of Matty Head at half. Have a history of injuries so may well be hurt by the loss of some good depth, but will still be a force.
4-Newcastle...The big improvers if Johns can stay on the paddock.Will struggle to avoid the cellar without him due to a mostly raw, young side, but with him tempering and guiding that talent and exuberance they should go far next year.
5-Brisbane...Seem to be slipping a little and don't appear to have the strike power to be a top 4 side, but then, there is always Lockyer. Seymour needs to step up. Are still a top 4 chance, as Brisbane sides always seem to be there or there-abouts, and they certainly aren't nuffies.
6-North QLD...Like Parramatta, I expect the Cowboys to perform similarly to this season, they are another side with few changes next year. Firman will have had time to click and they may well have quite formidable halves in him and Thurston. Could be a real danger.
7-Roosters...Have made some decent buys and seem to have corrected someof their attacking woes with the inclusion of Anasta, who, while he's far from a great number 6, is more than capable of setting up some points. However, they will probably once again win a lot of their games on their defence, and probably won't threaten the big guns with real pointscoring ability too much.
8-Manly...Will be decent performers in the regular season, but I can't see the three halfback policy they seem to have adopted working. Orford is not a big game player, Monaghan is not a hooker, Witt is not a first grader. The backs are woeful. Should scrape into the 8 but will once again provide a training run in week one of the finals.
9-Bulldogs...Will be hurt by the loss of Anasta, and helped by having stars fit. Will still be there or there-abouts and could easily scrape into the bottomof the 8. Much will depend on Sherwin, as they will probably lack a quality five-eighth. Will bash plenty of teams with a top notch pack, however.
10-Sharks...Made some good signings in Ross and Albert, but they desperately need some consistency, something they seem to be incapable of achieving. With the Dogs, Roosters, and Knights consistently back on the winners list, the Sharks will pay for that inconsistency.
11-Souths...Have lost Harrison and Fletcher, but they have unearthed some good talent this season in the likes of Sutton, Moran, Manuakafoa, Gordon, Champion. And they still have Joe Williams, who looked such a promising player, to challenge for a spot in the halves, and some experienced forwards and backs. Galuvao is a good signing, as is Webb. Will avoid the spoon comfortably in my opinion.
12-Storm...I predict a massive tumble for the Storm. Will be crippled by the loss of Orford, and they haven't got a quality half to replace him with. Still have some awesome backs, but you need a playmaker to give them opportunities before they can win you games.
13-Warriors...Need to find a replacement for Stacey Jones. Nathan Fien must step up if they are to impact the top 8 in any way. Still look like they will lack the fire power to really challenge the top sides, but with a very good pack going forward anything is possible.
14-Raiders...One of two sides that are gone in my opinion. Jason Smith will save Canberra from the spoon. They have no halfback, Withers is a hooker and Carney is the second coming of Michael Witt, no more than a premier leaguer.
15-Panthers...Have lost a lot of the quality they had up front and still have the worst backline in the game. A good halves pairing won't save them with no go forward and very few tries in the backs.
