sportsbarWho will win the NRL? - The pretenders and the Contenders - Smells like September
August 22nd 2007 02:32
The NRL finals are just two weeks away, it is almost September and we are now down to the business end of the competition. All season we have waited for the finals to be upon us, the weather is starting to get warmer, the contenders are awakening and we are set for the rollercoaster ride. So where do we stand?
----Melbourne ----
Let us start with the Storm, the team that has been unbeatable, irresistible and unstoppable all year. They have an embarrassment of riches in their playing roster and are extremely well coached; dispatching teams with ease all season. They boast stars such as; Slater, Inglis, King, Cronk and Smith who are all match winners and can turn a game on its head with individual brilliance. Olympic Park is the most feared football venue in all of Australia, put simply it is a graveyard ground - the Storm have only been beaten there once in two years. This has kept them in good stead and they have been seemingly cruising to the minor premiership for months..
Lately the Storm have been ‘struggling’, they are lacking their fluent, charismatic game play. The aura that has defined their season is dwindling; teams are no longer defeated even before setting foot onto the ground. Having said this, Melbourne have only lost once recently; to the Roosters. The ease of their victories may have stopped, but the wins have not. Good teams find a way and although they are not playing to their potential the Storm are finding ways to win matches. They have learnt how to grind out victories and this will come in handy in September. So the Storm are struggling but are still winning, some slump! This is a scary reminder to the would-be contenders; if you cannot beat them when they are down, what chance do you have when they play at their devastating best? The Melbournians fell short at the final hurdle last year after dominating the league throughout 2006; this perhaps is the big question lingering over them – will they choke again?
----Manly ----
No team divides opinion quite like the Sea Eagles, are they the real deal or pretenders simply waiting for the bubble to burst? All year people have waited for the Warringah boys to fall; much in the same way the Sharks inevitably fall from grace, year after year. But under Des Hasler the Eagles have resolve, they have belief and they play for the full 80 minutes, week in week out.
On paper, their squad is modest, they are a team of hard workers – lacking so-called superstars, they are a team that believes they belong at the top. The Manly boys have been quoted as saying they haven’t achieved anything yet; a dangerous reminder to the competition that they mean business. The old silvertails see nothing short of making the final as good enough. They have played all season with September in mind and deserve their spot as outright second.
Led by inspirational stalwart Steven ‘Beaver’ Menzies the Eagles have brought the good old days back to Brookvale. They boast the most dynamic and in-form prop in the competition Anthony Whatmough, not to mention the try-scoring machine Brett Stewart and the sublime skills of Michael Monaghan at hooker. This has been the nucleus of their success all season, a team of hard workers, a team that never gives up. But just how far can the determined Eagles go in 2007?
----Cowboys ----
How on earth are the Cowboys in 3rd position on the NRL ladder? It simply defies belief, they are one of the most inconsistent teams in the competition; hot one day – freezing the next. They are Jekyll and Hyde and have more personalities than Matty Johns. I can not see much difference between their side and the Panthers outfit which is surprisingly languishing on the bottom of the ladder. Penrith are also an inconsistent team, nobody knows how the Cowboys are so high, and nobody knows why the mountain men are so low. It has been a strange season indeed!
Attacking wise the Cowboys possess a lot of flair and can rip any team apart. But are they, as many people argue a 2-player team? This stigma has dogged the Cowboys – they rely way to heavily on Jonathon Thurston and Matt Bowen. Without these two players firing, the Cowboys become cannon fodder and have conceded some huge scores this season. They live by the mentality that they can outscore any team. Games with the Cowboys often become a shoot-out, end-to-end, very exciting to watch but generally, not how finals football is played. The Townsville boys will also have to rectify their poor form in Sydney if they are any chance of winning the competition. If they manage to finish in the top 4 the Cowboys will be a real threat with a home final, if they falter in the last two weeks the opportunity will slip through their fingers.
----Bulldogs ----
September is coming, which means the Dogs are on the march. The team with the most intimidating pack seems to revel in finals footy and are never to far away. It is the business end of the season and always brings out the best from the Belmore boys. Buoyed by Sonny Bill Williams and Brent Sherwin in career best form, the Dogs are looking ominous. It will take something special to knock them out come finals time.
----Warriors ----
The dark-horse of the competition, the boys from across the Tasman are in scintillating form. They have lost only two games in their last ten outings and are almost unbeatable at home. The Warriors, like the Cowboys will be desperate to clinch a top 4 berth. Led by Steven Price the Warriors will be hard to stop come September, can they go all the way?
----Parramatta ----
The Eels have looked strong all year, but have a history of chocking in September. This of course was under Brian Smith, a very nervous and psychological time-bomb waiting to erupt. Michael Hagan however, has tasted finals glory twice as a coach and knows what it takes to go all the way. Young-gun Tim Smith will need to step up and play out of his skin if the Eels are any chance of tasting the coveted silverware.
----The Rest ----
The Tigers play an attractive brand of football and have a genius coach in Tim Sheens, they face an uphill battle though, likely to face the Sea Eagles or Storm in week 1 of the finals.
South Sydney! What a thrill it is to see them in contention for September! Who would have thought they could have transformed themselves so quickly? Russell Crowe, and Jason Taylor have revitalized the legendary club and who could begrudge them a finals berth? Like Tigers however, the glory may be short lived with a road-trip to Olympic Park or Brookvale Oval likely to end in defeat.
The Broncos can still make it, but are dogged by injury. They have the heart and determination but their decimated line-up doesn't have the points in them to compete with the major contenders.
The Titans have had a stellar first season, and making the finals would be massive for the newboys on the block. They rely way to heavily on Scott Prince to be a threat, but should be happy with their first taste of NRL.
So the finals are only two weeks away, it has been a weird season and perhaps there will be a couple of surprises in the run-in to the Grand Final. It would be fitting that such a bizarre season has a few twists in the tail left in it. Melbourne have been the best all year, but come finals time, this counts for nothing. Bring on the footy, bring on the finals, where dreams are shattered and made in 80 minutes of sheer excitement. You have to love September!
----Melbourne ----
Let us start with the Storm, the team that has been unbeatable, irresistible and unstoppable all year. They have an embarrassment of riches in their playing roster and are extremely well coached; dispatching teams with ease all season. They boast stars such as; Slater, Inglis, King, Cronk and Smith who are all match winners and can turn a game on its head with individual brilliance. Olympic Park is the most feared football venue in all of Australia, put simply it is a graveyard ground - the Storm have only been beaten there once in two years. This has kept them in good stead and they have been seemingly cruising to the minor premiership for months..
All-stars
----Manly ----
No team divides opinion quite like the Sea Eagles, are they the real deal or pretenders simply waiting for the bubble to burst? All year people have waited for the Warringah boys to fall; much in the same way the Sharks inevitably fall from grace, year after year. But under Des Hasler the Eagles have resolve, they have belief and they play for the full 80 minutes, week in week out.
Led by inspirational stalwart Steven ‘Beaver’ Menzies the Eagles have brought the good old days back to Brookvale. They boast the most dynamic and in-form prop in the competition Anthony Whatmough, not to mention the try-scoring machine Brett Stewart and the sublime skills of Michael Monaghan at hooker. This has been the nucleus of their success all season, a team of hard workers, a team that never gives up. But just how far can the determined Eagles go in 2007?
----Cowboys ----
How on earth are the Cowboys in 3rd position on the NRL ladder? It simply defies belief, they are one of the most inconsistent teams in the competition; hot one day – freezing the next. They are Jekyll and Hyde and have more personalities than Matty Johns. I can not see much difference between their side and the Panthers outfit which is surprisingly languishing on the bottom of the ladder. Penrith are also an inconsistent team, nobody knows how the Cowboys are so high, and nobody knows why the mountain men are so low. It has been a strange season indeed!
2-man band?
----Bulldogs ----
SBW- just awesome
----Warriors ----
----Parramatta ----
Young Gun
----The Rest ----
The Tigers play an attractive brand of football and have a genius coach in Tim Sheens, they face an uphill battle though, likely to face the Sea Eagles or Storm in week 1 of the finals.
South Sydney! What a thrill it is to see them in contention for September! Who would have thought they could have transformed themselves so quickly? Russell Crowe, and Jason Taylor have revitalized the legendary club and who could begrudge them a finals berth? Like Tigers however, the glory may be short lived with a road-trip to Olympic Park or Brookvale Oval likely to end in defeat.
The Broncos can still make it, but are dogged by injury. They have the heart and determination but their decimated line-up doesn't have the points in them to compete with the major contenders.
The Titans have had a stellar first season, and making the finals would be massive for the newboys on the block. They rely way to heavily on Scott Prince to be a threat, but should be happy with their first taste of NRL.
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