With the ‘hit and giggle' trail matches and the arduous pre-season training regimes now behind each team, fans, coaches, and players alike have set their sights on the real deal – Round 1.

For some clubs, the pre-season period could not have panned out better, whilst the unlucky remainder will be counting the cost of their campaigns.

Although there were a myriad of positives to be taken from the summer months, all teams will be striving to improve on their trail match form and learn from the lessons dealt out across them.

With the first spin of the Steeden within touching distance, we raise the big question that face each of the NRL's 16 clubs.

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Wests Tigers

Will the finals drought end at nine?

Despite annihilating Manly at home in a trail game, September football may once again prove to be out of the Tiger's claws.

After finishing the 2020 season in the familiar position of just outside the eight, their finals drought extended to a depressing nine years.

With the expectation that Michael Maguire's men will once again run short, this will not only see the merged club start their holidays early for a decade straight, it will stretch their silverware drought out to a 16 years.

Despite their exciting backline comprised of new recruit James Roberts, his partner in the centres David Nofoaluma and the precocious fullback Daine Laurie, Wests' combinations elsewhere on the park remain far too ambiguous.

There are also still far too many teams that you would be prepared to lay your hard earned on to topple the Tigers in a head-to-head contest.

Like everyone, I have been known to be wrong from time to time. So hopefully for you long suffering Tigers fanatics, your team makes me eat my words.

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