The ten players who will start 2022 under immediate pressure

2022 is shaping up to be a ripper of a season. The Penrith Panthers will be looking to defend their crown, while at the opposite end of the table the Canterbury Bulldogs enter the season completely transformed. A host of big-name players have switched clubs, new coaches will take the reins. To say I'm excited is an understatement. Some players though will start the season under immediate pressure. Whether it be pressure to hit the ground running at their new club, pressure to take them that one step further in 2022 or other factors, the pressure is on. We look at ten players who face pressure from Round 1 in 2022. Kalyn Ponga With the increasingly likely exit from the club of Mitchell Pearce, the world of pressure continues to build on young Ponga's shoulders. Already seen by fans as the club's main man, Ponga will now be expected to either move back into the halves or be the lead playmaker from fullback. Ponga is already one of the game's most criticised players, either rightly or wrongly. He's only 23 years of age yet has had promo videos based around his game for years. With a severe lack of talent available in terms of halfback options, Ponga is looking likely to be forced back into the number six role. Last time that experiment was conducted, it didn't end well. Matt Burton Burton's signing was absolutely genius when it was announced. Given the incredible season he enjoyed at the Panthers, it now looks as though even better business yet. With expectation comes pressure. Burton is looked upon as the saviour. Yes the club has signed incredibly well. Their forwards are a completely different beast in 2022, while Matt Dufty shapes as a super buy. The Bulldogs 2022 season though comes down to the form of Matt Burton. Especially when the club doesn't have a standout option at seven. If Burton plays like he did in 2021, the Dogs are a very real chance of playing in the finals. If not, then the eight looks out of reach. That's a lot of pressure for a 21-year-old with minimal experience as a playmaker at the first grade level. Luke Keary The Roosters managed to finish just outside the top four last season despite an injury list the likes never seen before in the NRL. Given the fact former New South Wales half Luke Keary is due back, it's expected they'll go even further next season. Right? Keary is coming off a severe injury that ended his 2021 in only Round 3. Some players return from such injuries and hit the ground running. Some take a long time to return to their best. Others simply never re-find their pre-injury form. Keary is a brilliant player and I have no doubt he will be amongst one of the game's best next year, but if he isn't, the Roosters will struggle. Tom Trbojevic Tommy Turbo enters 2022 under a completely different type of pressure than those on this list. He's coming off one of the greatest individual seasons ever seen. He dragged a Manly side that most had finishing around 12th, to a preliminary final. It is human nature to see someone at their very best and expect that to be their standard moving forward. There's also the very real feeling that Manly are flat-track bullies. Turbo is expected to be the best player on the field every time he runs out. That's hard for even the best of players. Chad Townsend Townsend arrives at his new club as a highly-paid, premiership-winning halfback. He's expected to take the side back to finals footy. Chad required a change of scenery after becoming almost a hindrance at the Sharks. The club played their best footy after their former club favourite was dropped. The reported money the Cowboys have outlaid on their incoming half has fans questioning the decision. This was made all the more questionable by the fact Sharks fans literally danced at the news Townsend was moving on. The Cowboys were awful in 2022. Townsend will be expected to turn results around as the club's new, marquee number seven right off the bat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZr_RuNO6CY&t=934s Rugby League Outlaws Season Review and Much More Nicho Hynes Hey Nicho. I know you've largely spent your NRL career playing off the bench or at fullback. Come take the Sharks to the top four as a halfback in your first full season at the top level. That's a very simplified version of what is expected for the incoming Sharks marquee signing, but it's a heap of pressure on a relative rookie. Hynes has shown an incredible amount of talent in his young NRL career. It's worth remembering though that it's been in the game's best system. Can Hynes perform to his top abilities under a rookie coach and in a new environment? That's what is expected. Cody Walker Cody Walker had a record-breaking season in 2021. He finished third on the Dally M count and at one point looked as though he would top it. Unfortunately, though the last memory of Walker's 2021 will be that intercept pass. The Bunnies maintain a squad capable of going a long way in 2022 but they'll have to do it sans their superstar number seven in Adam Reynolds. Walker becomes the main man and will either have to partner the extremely out of form Anthony Milford, or a talented, yet talented rookie like Blake Taaffe. Unlike others here on the list his spot is not under pressure, but his importance to the Bunnies success has intensified, and so will the pressure. Jack Wighton Jack Wighton won the Dally M medal in 2020. He took his side to a preliminary final as the form player of the competition. Fair to say that, form-wise, he underdelivered in 2021. He certainly didn't live up to the expectation of dragging his side deep into the Finals. Canberra as a club were dire in 2021. Wighton, as the club's number one star, took the brunt of the club's failure. Jamal Fogarty arrives as the club's new halfback but it is Jack Wighton who will be expected to oversee a return to finals footy. Adam Reynolds Adam Reynolds is a freakishly talented player with a long history of success. He came within a play of leading Souths to a second premiership. He arrives at the Broncos on a monster contract and with the expectation to deliver success right away. With all due respect to the Broncos and their fans, this is a club who has finished within the bottom three, including a wooden spoon, in the past two seasons. The expectation on Reynolds is rightfully high but looks to be a little unrealistic. Yes, Reynolds is a massive upgrade on their halves options but he needs time to form combinations with a new club. I don't think it's unfair to suggest the Broncs roster is well below the one Reynolds left. If the Broncos start slowly, I know who the blame will fall upon; whether deserved or not. Honourable Mention: Ben Hunt The Dragons number seven had his best season at the club in 2021. He enters 2022 with the club among the favourites to battle for the Wooden Spoon. If the Dragons are going to launch any kind of assault at the top eight, it comes down to Hunt in a big way. And now for number one... 1. Luke Brooks No player will start 2022 under the pressure of the Tigers number seven. After witnessing a decade without final's footy, Tigers fans rightfully believe the club is overdue. Despite the incoming Jackson Hastings and Tyrone Peachey, the club has backed Brooks publicly as the man to lead their attack. Brooks is yet to take his side to a single Final's appearance and social media dictates Tigers fans have had enough. They created a backlash when the club shot down rumours of his moving to Newcastle. To have not only the hopes of your club on your back but a loud portion of the crowds questioning your position; talk about pressure! With Adam Doueihi being the Tiger's best player by a mile, despite the ridiculous Player Awards Night results, it should come down to Brooks vs Hastings in a battle for the number seven. The pressure will intensify if the popular Doueihi is forced back out into the centres to continue to accommodate Brooks run in the halves.