Official NRL 2006 Thread

[Simon]

the season starts in 3 weeks from tomorrow, and im starting to get excited, now the international cricket has finished it really has started to feel like League season. So whats everyone's predicitions? ill make mine first...
Table after 26 rounds
1 Brisbane
2 Bulldogs
3 Dragons
4 Knights
5 Eels
6 Raiders
7 Cowboys
8 Roosters
9 Eagles
10 Tigers
11 Souths
12 Sharks
13 Warriors
14 Storm
15 Panthers

Premiers: Dragons
Runners Up: Bulldogs
Prelim finals: Broncos and Raiders
Top Pointscorer: Hazem El Masri
Top Try Scorer: Brett Stewart
State of Origin: Qld 2-1
Other Predictions: Andrew Johns to get another serious injury.
Roosters to have a horror start but to come home strongly and make the 8.
Tigers to be terribly inconsistent and lose their last 5 and narrowly miss the finals.
Souths to be in the top 6 after 8 weeks.
Panthers will win less than 6 games all season.
Gold Coast will sign a high profile fullback (origin player).
Scott Prince to leave Tigers.
Broncos to again suffer late season failure and crash out a week before the grand final.
The dally M medal will be won by a player whose team finished outside the top 8. (possibly Matt Orford)
Origin debutants will include Eric Grothe and Ben Creagh.
Raiders to again get snubbed by rep selectors.

obviously ive left myself open to some humble pie being served up in 30 weeks, but i figure at least 1 predicition will be right!

 

[Blaze]

Table After 26 Rounds

1. Eels
2. Dragons
3. Broncos
4. Cowboys
5. Bulldogs
6. Roosters
7. Tigers
8. Sea Eagles
9. Knights
10. Warriors
11. Sharks
12. Panthers
13. Rabbitohs
14. Storm
15. Raiders


Premiers: Eels(In Brian Smith's last year)
Runners Up: Bulldogs

More to come

 

[Blaze]

I can't wait either btw. Ivan Cleary should do good things for the Warriors club. If he introduces some of the young home grown talent like Anderson did in 02 and gives the boys a bit more of a liscence to throw the ball round then we could be a dark horse for the 8.

Being the Warriors though they will **** things up somehow and some sort of controversy will arise at some point of the season.

Btw Simon, predictions for Anzac test?

 

[steds]

Table after 26 rounds

1. Dragons
2. Eels
3. Bulldogs
4. Cowboys
5. Broncos
6. Sea Eagles
7. Knights
8. Roosters
9. Sharks
10. Tigers
11 Warriors
12. Raiders
13. Rabbitohs
14. Storm
15. Panthers

Premiers: Bulldogs
Runners Up: Dragons
State of Origin: NSW 2-1
Top Try Scorer: You'll say I'm stupid, but I'm backing my main man Darren Albert

 

[Simon]

Btw Simon, predictions for Anzac test?

tbh i have very little interest in International League, i only watched one of the tri nations matches, ill prolly end up watching the Anzac test but not with muc enthusiasm, fo arguments sake ill say Australia will win by 18...

 

[howardj]

the season starts in 3 weeks from tomorrow, and im starting to get excited, now the international cricket has finished it really has started to feel like League season. So whats everyone's predicitions? ill make mine first...
Table after 26 rounds
1 Brisbane
2 Bulldogs
3 Dragons
4 Knights
5 Eels
6 Raiders
7 Cowboys
8 Roosters
9 Eagles
10 Tigers
11 Souths
12 Sharks
13 Warriors
14 Storm
15 Panthers

Premiers: Dragons
Runners Up: Bulldogs
Prelim finals: Broncos and Raiders
Top Pointscorer: Hazem El Masri
Top Try Scorer: Brett Stewart
State of Origin: Qld 2-1
Other Predictions: Andrew Johns to get another serious injury.
Roosters to have a horror start but to come home strongly and make the 8.
Tigers to be terribly inconsistent and lose their last 5 and narrowly miss the finals.
Souths to be in the top 6 after 8 weeks.
Panthers will win less than 6 games all season.
Gold Coast will sign a high profile fullback (origin player).
Scott Prince to leave Tigers.
Broncos to again suffer late season failure and crash out a week before the grand final.
The dally M medal will be won by a player whose team finished outside the top 8. (possibly Matt Orford)
Origin debutants will include Eric Grothe and Ben Creagh.
Raiders to again get snubbed by rep selectors.

obviously ive left myself open to some humble pie being served up in 30 weeks, but i figure at least 1 predicition will be right!

That's why Broncoman is known as 'Broncoman'

 

[Blaze]

tbh i have very little interest in International League, i only watched one of the tri nations matches, ill prolly end up watching the Anzac test but not with muc enthusiasm, fo arguments sake ill say Australia will win by 18...

International league is set to go through a golden period... Well at least trans tasman league is about to.


Aren't you even the slightest bit interested now that NZ seem to have put together a decent team?

 

[Umpire Money]

Looks like everyone has as much faith in my panthers as I do.

Especially if gower is released. But i think the panthers can win more than 6 games.

 

[Blaze]

Premiers: Eels(In Brian Smith's last year)
Runners Up: Bulldogs

More to come

Wooden Spooners - Raiders
Origin - 3-0 to NSW
New Zealand to win the ANZAC test by 10 points +
Broncos to do what they do every year
Warriors to be in last position for the first 5-10 rounds
Dally M - Benji Marhsall
Matthew Elliot to be sacked mid season
Sonny Bill won't get on the paddock this season
Brett Finch to be picked for origin due to a Johns injury
Sea Eagles, Knights, Sharks and Rabbitohs to start strong and fade away.
Top point scorer - Michael Ennis
Top try scorer - Eric Grothe.

 

[Tim]

One thing is for certain....Warriors will NOT make the top 8.

 

[age_master]

Cowboys to win!

 

[Blaze]

One thing is for certain....Warriors will NOT make the top 8.

I wouldn't go that far. I would give us a 15-20% chance. It totally depends on if the players like Toopi, Vatuvai, Webb etc continue on with the form they showed in the tri nations and whether Cleary introduces the young talent that we have into the squad.

Cleary is a much better coach than Kemp IMO so we will see.

 

[Tim]

Cleary is about as unproven as Tony Kemp was at NRL level last season so im not sure how you can rate Clearly any higher at this stage.

Kemp didn't have an entirely bad season last year. Never at any stage were the Warriors thrashed. They seemed to lose by only 6 points or less so it was very frustrating.

Cleary has a big job on his hands because really he has a weaker squad than Kemp had last year so I hope the board isn't expecting miracles, because I can't see it happening.

 

[PANIC!]

I can't wait as well...for the AFL

 

[Simon]

That's why Broncoman is known as 'Broncoman'

tbh i think we will just hold on, our team isnt all that different from last year and we were just 1 win from the minor premiership, i dont think we will win the comp again until Wayne Bennett leaves, i just dont think he has the ability to get that extra 10% out of a team to win a premiership anymore...

 

[Simon]

International league is set to go through a golden period... Well at least trans tasman league is about to.


Aren't you even the slightest bit interested now that NZ seem to have put together a decent team?

not really no, i dont find one off matches all that exciting and thats exactly what the Anzac test is, i mean its 6 weeks into the season, played before origin and the game itself has never been all that interesting, i cant see this year being any different.
by the time tri nations comes along the players just dont have what it takes to put in such a huge effort for an overseas tour, maybe this year will be different with it being played down under...

 

[Simon]

I can't wait as well...for the AFL

whats that?

 

[Blewy]

Table

Dragons
Brisbane
Tigers
Manly
Eels
Cowboys
Roosters
Knights
Bulldogs
Sharks
Souths
Raiders
Warriors
Penrith
Melbourne


Grand Final: Dragons-Tigers
Prelim Losers - Manly and Eels
State of Origin: NSW 3-0
Brisbane to be leading the comp with 5 rounds to go and to continue their losing Semi Final record...
Manly to start slowly and come home strong to sneak into top 4
Bulldogs to miss the 8 again..
Dragons to choke in the prelims again..
Knights to make the Prelims if Johns is there, if not will miss the 8...
Raiders, Storm, Warriors and Penrith to fight for the spoon...
Another Bulldogs blowup...
Gold Coast to sign Prince, only for him to break his leg on end of season trip

Pointscorer - Hodgson to go back to back..
Tryscorer - Brett Stewart...

 

[Burpey]

Top thread.

It should be a very good season in my opinion. Hard to predict who will do well. Dragons are always hot and cold, but I reckon they'll be up there along with Brisbane and NQ. Tigers and Eels should do well, but you never know. Knights are my dark horse as long as Johns stays on the field. I think the Roosters/Bulldogs will be on the fringe of the 8, with Canberra, Souths and Sharks to be near the bottom.

However, don't quote me on any of that

 

[Blaze]

There is always at least one team that surprises and over performs and at least one that bombs out and under performs. The NRL is such a tight competiton that these sorts of things are so hard to predict. Who would have predicted the Tigers to win the grand final last year let alone make the 8.

IMO Souths might sneak in the 8 and either the Cowboys or the Broncos may miss out completely.

Something big is going to happen at the Broncos this year, I can feel it.