Every diehard rugby league fan knows that NRL pre-seasons are always the worst.
On the positive note, it gives us a chance to salivate at the prospect of new recruits at different clubs.
Here I rank what I believe to be the Top 5 signings of season 2019.
Moving over to the NZ Warriors to stay in touch with his family, Ah Mau has largely been an unheralded figure for the Dragons in the last few seasons. For St George, Ah Mau was typically coming off the bench and utilised in a power role by Mary McGregor. Now playing potentially 55 mins a game as starting prop, with a terrific offload in his arsenal, I'm expecting Leeson to be the forward leader of the Warriors pack and potentially become one of the premier props in the league.
Coming over from the Super League, and recognised as a candidate for the Man of Steel Award, I'm expecting big things from this Bradford born Englishmen. I've watched Bateman quite closely over the last few seasons, and have waited for the opportunity to watch him play in the NRL. An old school dynamic edge backrower possessing a very strong work rate. A perennial tackle breaker with a terrific offload, look for Bateman to potentially spark the attack for the Raiders through the middle.
The Novocastrians look to be a completely different roster to the one that finished in the bottom 8 last season. One of Nathan Brown's premier moves has to be signing David Klemmer from the Bulldogs. Already considered as one of the premier props in the league, I see Klemmer improving his offloading ability at the Knights which could open up a lot of gaps for speed men like Connor Watson and Kalyn Ponga.
The man they call 'Gus' heads over to the oldest rival of his former club in the South Sydney Rabbitohs. With the loss of Ryan Matterson, look for Crichton to fill the 80-minute void seamlessly. Since his debut, Crichton has been an extremely consistent workhorse as an edge back-rower, possessing great second phase. With the likes of Tedesco improving his ball playing ability and the experience of Cronk on his inside shoulder, I'm expecting a lot more tries and try assists to his tally.
Johnson is arguably the best runner of a football in the league. His footwork and sharp step on both feet are absolutely second to none. Moving across the ditch to the Cronulla Sharks I see SJ going to another level. On the back of a very formidable and experienced forward pack providing the yardage, along with the departure of Valentine Holmes to the NFL, look for Johnson to be the focal point in the attack in the Sharks backline.