As the 2025 NRL season slowly approaches and is just over a month away, every team is aiming to exceed expectations as they attempt to make their fans happy and hopefully sneak into the finals series at the end of the year.

Theย Zero Tackleย writers predict which club will exceed expectations in the upcoming 2025 NRL season and share the reason behind their answer.

Which club will exceed expectations in 2025?

Dan Nichols:ย The Dolphins

Most people have them 10-12ish. I think they make the eight. The Hammer is a genius and JMK is the most underrated nine in the competition.

Ethan Lee Chalk: Wests Tigers

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After claiming three consecutive wooden spoons, the Wests Tigers are set to exceed expectations this season following the arrivals of premiership-winners Jack Bird, Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva, powerhouse winger Jeral Skelton and middle forwards Royce Hunt and Terrell May.

The younger players on the roster have also gained one year of NRL experience and will only get better as their careers progress. Plus, the likes of Adam Doueihi, Justin Olam and Latu Fainu will enter the season free of injury after missing multiple matches last season.

With expectations set low, expect Benji Marshall's men to finish around the middle of the table and could even sneak into the 2025 NRL Finals series if things go their way.

NRL Rd 7 - Panthers v Tigers
BATHURST, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 20: Samuela Fainu of the Wests Tigersis tackled during the round seven NRL match between Penrith Panthers and Wests Tigers at Carrington Park on April 20, 2024, in Bathurst, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Isaac Issa:ย Wests Tigers

I have the Wests Tigers making huge strides in 2025, not only pulling themselves off the bottom of the ladder but leapfrogging into the finals come September.

Jarome Luai joining the club after an extraordinary 2024 campaign is a huge boon for the Tigers. Coming off five straight grand finals, Luai knows how to win.

Pair him with the young prodigy, Lachlan Galvin, and surround him with fresh talent, including Terrell May and Jeral Skelton, all under the tutelage of Benji Marshall, and I believe you have a recipe for success.

Matthew Taylor:ย St George Illawarra Dragons

Tipped by many to grab the wooden spoon, the Dragons may be approaching the upcoming season with a โ€˜nothing to lose' mentality and have picked up experienced personnel in Clinton Gutherson, Valentine Holmes and Damien Cook.

Not only will their talent on the field play an instrumental part in the Dragons' hunt for success, but their leadership and experience around the club will play an integral part in leading their young up-and-coming stars for the future.

The big question will be the halves pairing of Kyle Flanagan and Lachlan Ilias. With Ilias looking to kickstart his career after minimal success at the Rabbitohs, it will be a large adjustment for Flanagan, who is accustomed to playing alongside Ben Hunt, a halfback with a wealth of experience.

Scott Pryde: The Dolphins

This is an extremely tricky question, predominantly because I think this is the most wide open competition maybe ever.

A legitimate case could be made for just about all 17 teams to be in contention for the top eight, and I expect pre-season ladder predictions to be wide and varied as they have ever been.

But, if I had to pick one who I tend to think will be at the bottom end of the table in most predictions, but will at the very least fight for the top eight, I'm taking the Dolphins.

Kristian Woolf is going to turn into an excellent NRL coach, Tom Gilbert is back on deck, and they have enough talent to give the finals a real shake.

NRL Rd 17 -  Dragons v Dolphins
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 30: Kristian Woolf assistant coach of the Dolphins looks o during the round 17 NRL match between St George Illawarra Dragons and Dolphins at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on June 30, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

Sofia Bamonte:ย Brisbane Broncos

The Broncos will exceed expectations this year with the arrival of new additions and a fresh direction under their new coach.

If their key players maintain consistency and perform at the high standards they've shown in the past, the Broncos have the potential to secure a spot as a top-four finals side.

Xander Gee: The Dolphins

In their first two seasons, Wayne Bennett established a culture of competitiveness at The Dolphins, exceeding expectations with a squad that lacked the depth of more established teams.

It's a strong foundation that should provide a springboard for incoming head coach Kristian Woolf, who brings a track record of success at domestic and international levels that should not be understated.

As a head coach, he already has three consecutiveย Super Leagueย premierships with St Helens and a Challenge Cup victory, and he has transformedย Tonga from fringe minnows into an international rugby league force.

Woolf also worked alongside Bennett as an assistant for the past two years and will offer continuity and familiarity.

1 COMMENT

  1. “Exceeding Expectations” is a tricky concept, when most people expect a club to stop messing around and play to its capability.

    The Broncos came twelfth last season, and everyone expects them to do much better this time around.

    The club that I think will make the biggest leap up that table (again, maybe everyone expects it, so they will not be “exceeding expectations”) is South Sydney. They finished sixteenth, and I confidently expect them to make the top eight and possibly the top four. Wayne Bennett is too good a coach, and the roster has too much talent, for them to lounge around near the bottom of the table for a second year.

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