There have been a lot of talking points this season and a lot of swirl around the media about all of the good and the bad that has happened.ย
We now sort our way through all of the happenings and deliver the top 5 disappointments of the NRL to date, in no particular order.ย
No Des Hasler Effect
With a new head coach and a positive end to the 2023 season the Gold Coast Titans came into the 2024 season with a small weight of expectation with Des Hasler at the Helm. The hopes of a finals berth in 2024 were squashed quickly with the Titans losing their first six games of the season.
Coach Hasler has been renowned for his hard attitude and drill sergeant like methods, which were missing on the glitter strip for some years. Defence was the former Manly and Canterbury coach's sharpest sword and improvement on the Titans defence was a must if they were going to drag themselves from the lower-end of the ladder.
Well that hasn't happened at all and the Hasler effect hasn't worked yet. The Titans conceded the third-most points of any team in the NRL in 2023 allowing 27.2 points per game. In 2024, they are still the third-worst team in the points conceded statistics, however, they actually average 1.3 points conceded more than they did in the season prior.ย
Rabbitohs Poor Start
Heading into the 2024 season the South Sydney Rabbitohs were fifth favourites to win the NRL Premiership with Dabble, whom have released a code which offers their players improved odds for Rabbitohs finishing at the top. The recruitment of former Canberra Raiders long-term servant Jack Wighton and good friend of fullback Latrell Mitchell, the Rabbits were expected to be a force, despite a slow end to the 2023 season.ย
All the hype died quick-smart with Souths starting the year with a 1-9 record and Jack Wighton having very little impact out in the centres as the Rabbits leaked an NRL worst 35 points per game.ย
Coach Jason Demetriou was sacked after round 8 and interim coach Ben Hornby was thrusted into the limelight role that is the South Sydney coaching job. Injury then hampered Souths and Latrell Mitchell was also handed a three-match ban. Complete and utter turmoil.
The last few weeks have started to look a little brighter, but the damage has already been done and it will take a small miracle for the Rabbitohs to be playing finals footy in 2024.
Tom Turbo's Hamstring
It isn't a season of NRL if Tommy Turbo doesn't do a hammy. Possibly one the greatest players to ever put on a Manly jumper has been constantly let down by his lower buttocks muscle which has caused him to miss over 30 weeks of footy since the first twang back in 2019.
At this point the Manly club probably has looked at a full hamstring transplant for their gun fullback in an effort to at least get him on the field. When Manly play without the middle Trbojevic brother they have only a 34% win rate compared to 52.5% with him on the grass.
It is disappointing as a fan of football that star players are kept out for such large portions of their career because their bodies can't hold up.ย
Tom Turbo's hamstring - do better!
State of Origin Robbery
We are in the crust of the 2024 State of Origin Series and of course it has been full of highlights and also plenty of controversy. Although the series is still the season highlight and is clearly the best footy the game has to offer, it has missed the mark a little with injury robbing the fans of seeing the best players go at it.
The 2024 State of Origin Series is missing the biggest name from each team and has taken a little bit of the excitement away from seeing arguably the games two biggest stars, Queensland's Cam Munster and New South Wales' Nathan Cleary.
Munster has been a hero for the Maroons on multiple occasions and his unpredictability and showmanship will be missed by his team but more so by the Queensland Origin fans. Cleary is in the conversation as the greatest player in the game and could be in talks later on in his career as being the best-ever, however, he has made a too regular habit of missing the series for NSW and he will not be there for any match in the 2024 series, either will his rival Munster.
Where are the Wahs?
Anyone that didn't have a team left in the 2023 finals was on the โUp the Wahs' bandwagon and with the acquisition of their prodigal son Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and the possibility of their former captain linking up with the revitalised Shaun Johnson the Warriors came into the season with a heavy weight of expectation from their new fans and their most loyal ones.
The burden appears to be too much for New Zealand, who are currently two wins back from where they were after round 15 in 2023. Injuries have played an integral part to their downfall in the 2024 season, as their combinations have not had the time on the field to click and find rhythm. Despite averaging just 2 more opposition points per game in 2024, the Warriors defence and desperation is not at the same standard it was last season, they have had four โblowout' games where they have conceded 30+ points already this season, which was just as many as they had in 2023.
With rugby league beginning to challenge rugby union's stature in the country, let's hope that they bounce back in the second half of the 2024 season.
