New Season – New Ludicrous Predictions
The 2015 season is all but upon us, and by now you’ve probably already drafted your team. So this column may be of little use.
But why has it taken me so long to get around to writing my season preview column? Because, throughout the offseason, I have turned my hand to Fantasy NHL. Yup – Ice Hockey. Never before have I played fantasy NHL, but last weekend my team was the first in our comp to secure a guaranteed finals berth. Yay!
So now, I can afford to turn my concentration back to the greatest game of all – NRLCEO!
A few weeks ago I would’ve suggested that there were enough worrying signs at Souths that inner-club turmoil may have derailed their 2015 season. But after watching them dominate the World Club Challenge, there’s enough evidence to make the argument that the Bunnies could go back to back.
Other things to come out of the English matches suggest that the Dragons may not be the easy-beats everyone considers they may be, and that the Broncos will be meticulously methodical, back under Bennett.
Also to come out of the preseason – I think Cronulla have a lot of teams worried. We all know they were big players in the recruitment game last year, but unlike other years, it looks like the Sharkies may have worked out a way to actually gel. The big question is – do they have the halves to be a legitimate threat?
Anyway – you don’t come to me for a traditional season preview. There’s plenty of half-assed ‘journalists’ who each feel the need to write a more comprehensive preview than I ever could.
So I’ll stick to what I do best – peer into my mystical Crystal Steeden and make wild and ludicrous predictions! Lets rip in…
THE TITANS WILL STUN TEAMS IN THE FIRST FEW ROUNDS
Sure, after their recent powdered shenanigans, everyone has them as favourites for the spoon, but beware backing a wild animal into a corner. The Gold Coast will be super fired up to come out and prove their detractors wrong.
Peering into my Crystal Steeden, I foresee that their forwards will tackle themselves to a standstill, and the Titans may get lucky with a few early wins. If you can pick up a few Gold Coast forwards cheaply, do so – and look to trade them with your competition’s resident sucker somewhere near round 3.
QUEENSLAND’S SUPERSTARS WILL UNDER-PERFORM
The Maroons have dominated the Origin scene for the best part of a decade. And not to suggest that they wont be a threat this rep season, but I foresee that Queensland’s stars will under-perform at a club level NRLCEO-wise.
Melbourne are always finals contenders, and I predict they will be again, and North Queensland are potential Grand Finalists this year – but statistically, I feel like the entire 2014 Queensland squad will fail to score as many NRLCEO points as they did last season.
Theyre all getting a bit long in the tooth, and the rep season is going to take a larger toll on the boys. Cam Smith is already sitting out the first few rounds because of injury.
That doesn’t mean I’m suggesting you should avoid recruiting them. Thurston will still be one of the higher scoring players in the league – but he wont reach last years totals.
Where you should be looking for value is at the players who are likely to cover the Origin stars’ absences. I know how hard recruitment goes at Origin time, but I’d recommend hitting the waiver wires a little earlier. The blokes who step in to cover, are likely to stick around longer than just the Origin period.
PENRITH WILL OUTSCORE NEARLY EVERYONE
There is an old maxim that ‘The best defence is a good offence.” And I believe that will ring very true at the foot of the Blue Mountains.
Penrith finished 4th last year, and the team is all but exactly the same as last year’s, and that familiarity will breed even more success.
If you can, recruit as many Panthers as possible, even the nuffy fringe guys. If you can afford to keep a fringe Panther in your 25, it may be well worth it. If there’s an injury, you could be sitting on a gold mine.
SEND SKD TO THE SCRAP HEAP
I say the Panthers will outscore “nearly” everyone – because I can’t rule out the Roosters.
From all reports, the club is spewing that their biggest rivals won the comp last year, and they have been training like a team possessed. The latte lads are missing a couple of big names from last year, but Coach Robinson is quality, and will have the team prepared so you don’t notice. Unless there are injuries, Sydney will be major contenders – and you should recruit as such.
My big prediction for the Roosters, is that SKD wont last the season in first grade. They have a lot of quality in the lower grades waiting for a start, and one or two poor games from ‘Skids’ will be enough for those guys to get their chance.
BRISBANE BACKS ARE WHERE IT’S AT!
Uncle Wayne has come back home, and he’ll be doing what he does best – getting the most out of lesser known Broncos’ backs. So often in Brisbane’s history, Bennett has promoted an unknown, or recruited another club’s sub-standard player only to turn them into a superstar.
My big bet is that Anthony Milford will be among the highest line-break assist, and try-assist scorer this season. He’ll be sending the likes of Maranta, Reed, Copely, Vidot, Hodges, and Boyd (when he’s back) across the stripe repeatedly.
Also, if you can avoid having Corey Parker as your kicker (especially in keeper leagues) I would recommend it. He will see more and more bench time, and only kick just over half of the Broncos’ goals.
STRUGGLE STREET
Knights will suck. Tigers will suck. Dragons will suck. Titans will REALLY suck.
But there’s always one or two blokes on each team who keeps them competitive before throwing the game away in the last 20 minutes.
Robbie Rochow will tackle the house down. Whenever Adam Clydesdale playin in No. 9, he’ll get a workhorse try. If you’re after a smokey in the Newcastle backs, I’d suggest Sione Mata’utia.
The Tiges have a lot of young players, and if they play like they have nothing to lose – they could cause a lot of headaches. But they wont. Unless you’re a Wests supporter – then I’d recommend stocking up on Panadol.
Tedesco is a gamble, and Chris Lawrence is a liability. If there’s value in this team (other than Farah), I can’t see it. Steer clear.
The Dragons will be entrenched in the bottom third of the ladder all year, but they are likely to have a decent for and against. Frustratingly for fans, the Dragons will be competitive in most of their matches, and consistently lose by less than 10 points each time. Mitch Rein will be a defensive powerhouse, and should be a top recruit in your NRLCEO team. Widdop and Marshall will also score well in line-break assists, but the Dragons backs are likely to mess up the try at the death.
It’s hard to find any glimmer of NRLCEO hope in the Gold Coast, but Josh Hoffman, and Aiden Sezer may be worth grabbing if you can. If we’re looking for positives, I guess that there will probably be a lot of young guys who will get some good first grade experience this year, and that could put the Titans in good stead for years to come. Keeper leagues should keep a close eye on the Coast.
GRAB A RABBIT
Get all the Bunnies backs you can. They’re gonna score well. And if Glenn Stewart isn’t taken in the first two rounds, you’re kidding yourself. That man will loom large in try assists and line-break assists, putting the Bunnies’ backs through gaps and over the stripe.
My Crystal Steeden tells me to avoid Joel Reddy though. There’s nothing to suggest that he’s a long-term prospect on the Rabbitohs’ wing.
CAN CANBERRA?
Remember when Wests won the comp in 2005 and they had a team of nuffies? I’m not suggesting that the Green Machine is gonna win it all – but they do have a team of nuffies! There’s always something to be said about youthful exuberance, so they could be a legitimate threat to make the 8. If they can keep the same core team for this year and next, they could be a title threat.
That being said, if you’re in a keeper league, it may be worth investing in some Raiders. They will be the big surprise packet of 2015, so litter your squad with some Canberra players. Specifically, England Test hooker, Josh Hodgson. Jarrod Croker should be high on your recruitment list also, I predict that he will be high in the ranks of goal scorers this season. The Wighton-Austin-Cornish combo could be the NRL’s next Slater-Cronk-Smith (I know ones a hooker and ones a five-eighth – but you get the point!)
I said they ‘could’ be – because with Ricky Stuart at the helm, you just never know what might happen.
WILL WARRIORS?
New Zealand have the squad to take out the premiership, but who knows if they can get their shit together on the road?
Ryan Hoffman will be the best buy (at a club level) throughout 2015. If he’s available – you pick his ass up!
Shaun Johnson is a superstar at the Warriors – but you know that. So does everyone else in the NRL, so he’ll be closely marked. That’s why you should recruit Chad Townsend. Consider him NZ’s answer to Gareth Widdop (when he played outside Cronk at Melbourne).
ORIGIN WILL SCREW YOU
Or it will if you don’t prepare properly. I can guarantee that 90% of you could accurately select 15 of Queenslands 18 man squad. And you should also be able to pick most of the key players in the Blues squad.
So with that being said, when making your draft selections, try and limit the amount of certain Origin stars you recruit to 1 or 2. When you factor in the teams out on bye weeks, you may end up with a very patchy team throughout rep season.
MANLY WILL IMPLODE
This is probably a bold prediction that will sour many fans. Manly, despite their on-field success, have seemed to struggle as a club since Toovey took over the coaching reins.
When they have their heads screwed on, they can be among the best teams in the comp. But when the boat’s a rockin’ the team can play quite shockin’! Add that to the loss of Watmough and Stewart, not only do they lose some experienced muscle in the engine room, they lose one of their best ball players. The crystal Steeden suggests that it’s going to be a huge loss to the team, and they will struggle.
Then the finger pointing will begin. DCE’s impending move to a new club will have people questioning his commitment to the Sea Eagles 2015 campaign, with others suggesting that he has mentally checked out already. Then coach Toovey will be put to the coals. Fans will be calling for his head, and the board will be in utter turmoil.
Matt Ballin will be the NRL’s top tackler. If the Eagles are any hope this year, he’ll have to be. DCE and Foran will have to be in fine form to steer the team around the pitch, and if the forwards can get a roll on, the halves will set up many tries. But I have grave doubts about the Manly pack. They’re not ‘Dragons bad,’ but they’re pretty bad.
GOLDEN BOY GALLEN’S GLORY DAYS ARE GONE
I’m calling it now. Between Origin and injuries, Gal will see too much bench time to be an effective workhorse.
The Crystal Steeden tells me that because the Sharks have recruited so well, Gallen now has enough quality help around him that he wont need to shoulder the lion’s share of the Sharkies tackling. Sure he’ll come out of the blocks strongly, and you’ll all think I’m a raving lunatic – but it wont last.
Plus, with the key additions to the backline, Cronulla will do more in attack than they have in previous years – which will reduce the entire teams’ time spent tackling.
Trade Gallen away while he’s still worth something.
LETS GET READY TO RRRRUMBLEEEE!
I dunno about you, but I’m pumped for the footy season!
If you’d like to challenge my predictions, or ask me to foretell your players’ fortunes, hit me up at CrystalBallboy@gmail.com, or on Twitter @CrystalBallboy.
The Crystal Ballboy
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