Let’s kick off this ridiculous season!

Every year we hear the old cliché ‘it’s going to be the closest competition in years’ but this year certainly takes that mantle well and truly.

Across the competition, 13 or 14 clubs could certainly make the top eight in 2017, making it one of the most unpredictable seasons in history. Clubs like Penrith, Melbourne, Canberra and North Queensland are surely certainties for finals footy, but when it comes to rest of the field, who knows.

The Rabbitohs, Roosters, Eels and Titans have the capabilities of making the top four and have the capabilities of missing the finals altogether, and no one would bat an eyelid. Almost every club has dramatically improved their roster with some smart recruitment, making each and every game a flip of a coin.

One team that didn’t really improve its roster is the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, who’s biggest off-season signing is Brenko Lee, despite losing the likes of Sam Perrett, Tony Williams, Curtis Rona and Tim Browne. But rumours are out of the Belmore camp that Des Hasler has revamped their attacking game, so who knows where the Dogs will finish.

The only clubs that really don’t have a realistic chance of making the finals are Newcastle, St. George Illawarra and Manly. Sure, they’ll improve this year, but simply can’t match it with the big guns of the competition. Manly seem to be a cut above the Knights and Dragon, so expect those two to fight it out for the wooden spoon. But then again, you never know.

The biggest movers are sure to be the Sydney Roosters, who finished an abysmal 15^th last year and are out to prove that was just an anomaly. At last week’s NRL season launch, when each captain was asked who they were tipping for the premiership, the Roosters led the voting.

But finally, in the next few hours, the puzzle pieces will begin to be put together. Piece by piece, for seven months’ time, the puzzle will form. So, in the meantime, it’s time to have some fun.

Imagine the scintillating tries, the barnstorming runs, bone-rattling hits, the silky offloads. Every bomb, grubber, cut-out pass, the little goosesteps and monstrous fends. They’re back. They’re finally back.

We’ve been teased in the last month with the Auckland Nines, World All-Stars, World Club Challenge and Charity Shield, but this is the real thing. The countdown is one. In a matter of hours, we see blokes we idolise run out of the pitch, maybe some we love to hate, and maybe even some we hate to love. It’s the small things we miss.

The nuances of rugby league are what makes it the greatest game of all. The jubilation of watching your team score, and the cheeky smile a player would flash the camera after a big hit. My feet are tapping from anticipation already.

So with no further ado, ladies and gentleman, rugby league is back. So strap yourself in, because it’s gonna be a bumpy road. And you’re going to love every second of it.