Earlier in the week we looked at the futures of the sides we had predicted to miss the finals.
The likes of the Tigers, Eels, Dragons and Rabbits look pretty close to spot on, while the Panthers and Titans were way off.
Below are the sides we predicted to finish in the Top 8. A few look once again were spot on, while others mean I cannot yet give up my day job.
The Bulldogs fortunes this season were always going to hinge on how Moses Mbye and Josh Reynolds performed in the halves.
To date they have been inconsistent but have produced more good than bad, hence their current position of sixth.
I think the Dogs are playing a little better than their ladder position, and I can see them worrying the top four sides, without running them down.
Their forward pack is frightening, and Brett Morris is yet to return.
Updated Prediction: 5th
EARLIER: Pre-Season Predictions: Revisited (16th-9th)
Given the names signing onto the Warriors squad, most had the New Zealander’s amongst the best squads in the competition.
Factoring in the club’s history of not being able to produce consistently and most had the Warriors finishing between fifth and eighth.
The Warriors have been pretty poor this year yet are still in the eight, and have massive improvement left in them.
I’ve always said I hope the Warriors can’t find consistency because if they do, every other side in the game is in trouble.
Still see the Warriors finishing in the Top 8.
Updated Prediction: 8th
I can’t believe the dip in form suffered by the Bondi based club in 2016.
The Roosters have been a shadow of their 2015 selves despite some pretty handy replacements for their departed superstars.
Mitchell, Ferguson, Hastings and co were supposed to help usher in the new era, but so far the new era has stuttered.
The Roosters surely can’t make the eight from their current position. They’re still way in front of the Knights, while the Eels, Tigers, Rabbits and Sea Eagles are all in their sights.
Updated Prediction: 15th
Pre-season I predicted that the Storm were one big injury away from falling out of the top four. Very early in the season Billy Slater went down with a career threatening injury and the prophecy was coming true.
Step up young Cameron Munster who is playing like a man possessed. I was wrong to worry. Munster’s form has been ridiculous. His diversity means he could probably slot in for any of the big three.
This Storm side has one of the best forward packs in the game, the best hooker of the modern era, a brilliant halfback, and young backs coming off a production line.
Every time a player goes down with injury, a younger, faster, version of the player injured stands up to take his place.
He’s had a brilliant side over the years but no one can doubt Craig Bellamy’s ability to scout young talent.
Updated Prediction: 1st
Despite a brilliant recruitment spree, I don’t know many who saw the Sharks riding the wave of momentum they are currently on.
Monday Night’s win over the premiers was their 10th straight. Their two losses were a close round one loss to the Cowboys, and a horror performance against Manly in round three.
James Maloney and Chad Townsend are arguably one and two in the list of best recruits, while Gallen, Fifita and Lewis are playing their best footy in years.
Val Holmes and Jack Bird are two of the best young players in the game, and Ben Barba has found the kind of form that saw him capture the game’s highest individual honour.
There is a lot of talk about 2016 being the year of the Shark, although there is a long, long way to go.
Updated Prediction: 3rd
This was, by far, the biggest punt I took in the pre-season, and fair to say that it has not paid off.
Manly have been awful in 2016. They have four wins and probably should have beaten the Panthers, but the way they gave up a huge lead sums up their season.
I have written at length about their struggles so I won’t put Manly fans through the pain again, but I can’t see this side getting anywhere near finals footy this season.
A brilliant recruitment drive has turned out to be a horror one, with Nate Myles looking half the player he was at the Titans, Dylan Walker struggling to find form, and Marty Taupau spending more time at the judiciary than on the field.
Updated Prediction: 12th
Many sides fall away in the year following a huge title win, but not the Cowboys. They currently sit in third place without yet hitting their 2015 straps.
Thurston, Morgan and Coote are magic players and I believe, following the Origin period, they’ll kick into gear as a unit.
There are no weaknesses in this side. The only reason they’re not leading the competition is due to the supreme form of both the Storm and Sharks.
Most pundits had the Cowboys firmly in the top four, so it’s no great foresight that saw me place the Cowboys in second. I think the Storm and Sharks will finish higher, but this side is one that can go back-to-back.
Updated Prediction: 4th
Just over a month ago, the Broncos were the form team of the competition, while Anthony Milford was the form player.
Although last year’s runners-up have fallen away to a point, I still can’t see them missing out on a top two finish come to the end of the reason.
The amount of talent in this squad is ridiculous. To think that James Roberts hasn’t even played all that well yet is pretty scary.
Mass injuries aside, there is no way this side can’t get even better as we approach the business end of the season.
They’re a fair way behind the Storm and Sharks, but I can see them running one or both sides down. Wayne Bennett is the master of seeing his side come good at the right end of the season.
Updated Prediction: 2nd