2014 Ladder Predictions

Rightio. I could be wrong but I don't think there exists a ladder prediction thread so with the season kicking off on Thursday, what are everyone's ladder predictions? I think it's very open this year, a lot more so than other years.

 

1. Souths
2. Warriors
3. Roosters
4. Nth Qld
5. Newcastle
6. Melbourne
7. Gold Coast
8. Manly
9. Cronulla
10. Canberra
11. Penrith
12. Canterbury
13. Brisbane
14. Wests
15. St.George
16. Parramatta

I deadset reckon you can throw a blanket over 4th to 9th.

 

8. Penrith

Who cares about the rest.

 

I've done mine in groups, will post them all up when I cbf finishing all the teams off;


Top Contenders
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1. South Sydney
2. Sydney Roosters
3. Melbourne Storm
4. Manly Sea Eagles

Souths - I think the fact that South Sydney will remain relatively unaffected by SOO puts them in good stead to claim the minor premiership. I also think it's pretty clear that they will be an even better side this year than last, just the natural progression of the two twins is going to be massive for them. Keary coming into the side (although now halfway through the season) & Sutton at lock are just going to make them even more dangerous. Also based on their game against the Dragons they're going to implement some level of ball playing amongst the forwards at least to the extent the Roosters did last year with lots of short interchanging of passes & they looked good doing it. It isolates defenders and if you're getting any of the Burgess boys one on one it's just a matter of time before they start racking up the tries & metres. I think you could easily make the case that they'll be the most improved side in 2014 and when given their 2013 season it's a scary thought. 3/4 line is still their biggest weakness. Picker & Reddy are really smart buys imo.

Roosters – Obviously need to evolve if they're going to go back2back and you think they would given they’ve only had 1 year under Robinson & Taylor. I expect a slow start given they've basically only had a 7 week pre-season due to the 16 players who were called upon for World Cup duties but should still have too much class to not finish in the top 4. Like Souths very little recruitment but they can expect natural progression from guys like Cordner, Napa, & Sheck that should improve the overall quality of the side. I think O'donnell will be a bigger loss than anticipated though.

Melbourne Storm - They'll be there or there abouts again this season as always. For the first time in a long time I like their forward pack. Ryles goes out but they'll still have Bromwich, Norrie, Moors, Weston & Kenny Bromwich + Mclean who I rate really highly as young props, throw in Georgey Rose off the bench and it's the strongest their go forward has looked since the salary cap scandal forced them to ditch half their squad. With Finch & Widdop leaving they had a really good chance to add something new to their side in the spine but they've gone out and signed Roberts & Romelo. It's not a big issue, Bellamy has made do with a stop gap 5/8 for years now but it's an opportunity missed imo. Big 3 is still together and that's good enough for me.

Manly - I'm on the Bandwagon that thinks they're a club in decline but they've still got a very good side. Losing Rose, Kite, Galuvao, Gower & Fa'aoso in the front row leaves big questions for mine, whilst they've never had a great front row that's a shit load of experienced talent to lose in one season especially when you weigh it all up with what they're left with. Still got a great spine + Lyon so I expect them to be right up there but it wouldn’t take too many injuries to the wrong players to see them slide down the ladder. They’re the most vulnerable of the top 4 imo.

 

Walker will just play a running role with Sutton still doing the bulk of the playmaking at least until Keary comes back in. It got them to within 1 win of first last season so I think it'll be good enough this season. Inglis, Sutton & Luke playing right up the middle on the back of their powerful go forward is where all the points are and it works for them.

Evans is probably 6th in line behind Casty, Liu & Napa. Plays a lot of unstructured footy which isn't a bad thing at club level but he gets dettered easily by taking the tight runs because he still is a bit of a light weight, well relative to someone who's 2m tall. He'll be a late bloomer imo, needs to fill out his body. Reminds me a lot of Tamou early in his career.

 

Pushing the Top Contenders
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5. New Zealand Warriors
6. North Queensland Cowboys
7. Newcastle Knights


New Zealand - I'm such a massive fan of their side this year. Their spine is very good, Friend is still one of the better dummy halves going around and Townsend looks like he could be a real smart purchase to compliment Johnson. Johnson & Tomkins just speak for themselves . I really rate some of their young forwards especially Matagi & Lousi but I did find it strange that they let two good locks go this year, it'd be a shame if Mannering was forced to play there imo. My biggest question is whether Elliott can find the right balance between allowing the side to play off the cuff and the structured footy that's a necessity to go far in this comp.

North Queensland - Not uncommon to see their premiership hopes talked up every pre-season and I'm going to be that guy this year. It's a shame they lost Coote because I think it does weaken their chances significantly but they still have a very good roster. Dummy Half is still the big question but I think Ray Thompson looked good there last season and Cameron King definitely has potential. Paul Green is a MASSIVE risk but I think on early evidence a good one, I think it's clear he's brought over the defensive attitude from the Roosters based on their Nine's performances and comments which should only aid their quest to start winning away from home. Jason Taumalolo has the potential to transform this side, I really hope they start to use him.

Newcastle Knights - Losing Mullen is a big blow and I'm almost tempted to knock them down a category because of it but Dobson & Roberts should be able to do a decent job until Mullen comes back. Gidley's recent history with injuries is definitely concerning though, losing Gidley early in the season too would just be about enough for me to write off their 2014. Losing Packer before he even played a game is really disappointing also because I think he would've done really well under Bennett. Despite the disappointing off-season I think we've seen a slow but frustrating progression of the side under Bennett and I expect this year, his third year at the club to be their best yet.