Predicting an NRL premiership winner or unlocking Da Vinci code. Take your pick.
The past decade has highlighted the ever-growing openness of the NRL competition, with consecutive premierships still yet to be achieved by any club in the NRL era.
In this time, we’ve witnessed some of the great unforeseen rises and collapses in the premiership race, which have completely unwritten pre-season predictions.
So who could it be this year?
2. St. George Illawarra Dragons
With a roster littered with representative talent, the Dragons are expected to be pushing for a top eight finish, at a minimum.
However, a number of factors are pointing towards them having a tough 2019.
The alterations to their spine, due to the signing of Corey Norman, could derail their season if they’re unable to adapt quickly. With Gareth Widdop moving to fullback, the side boost their playmaking stocks, yes, however forgo plenty of speed due to the omission of Matt Dufty from the starting side.
Combine that with the loss of Nene Macdonald, who was exceptional at picking up big metres through his kick returns, and the Red V have lost a fair chunk of power in their backline.
Jack de Belin is a devastating loss to the club, with his defence arguably the best in the league. His standing down has caused Tyson Frizell to be shifted from their right-side attack, which may impact the teams edge defense.
There is also the weight of expectation, given their strong roster, which will make things challenging for the club this year, particularly after their late season fade outs in recent years.
Seriously what is going on at ZT????????????????
Oh come on what’s wrong with my post?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Can’t see any of these four teams making the finals.
Ed at least you’ll get 25% of your predictions correct. 🦅