NRL 2025
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372K views · 5.6K reactions | Married at first sign NEW ZEALAND 😂😂 |...
Married at first sign NEW ZEALAND 😂😂.
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Preview time!
One week until opening round in Vegas. Pretty sure the playing teams are already there, or at least on their way. We've had a couple of weeks of trials that mean fuck all because most big names sit them out, and it's watching Q-Cup and NSW-Cup players run around.
Club by club i guess last season's ladder is a good place to start
Storm: Well beaten in the GF no matter what the score. The least affected by the off-season, have added a little bit more back talent, now it's fitting them in. I thought last year their weakness was the middles, and Cam Munster being a bit shit. They've added a talent who didn't want to be at the Tigers, so he'll probably be a rep player by the end of the year. Currently the favourite, and will good reason. Bellamy is still the coach, they have a great spine. Will definitely finish top 4.
Penrith: Coming of a four-peat (remember when it was impossible to go back-to-back?). As with all successful teams they are getting picked off. This time they have lost their heart in Luai and Fish. Still a loaded squad, and the Yeo/Cleary/Edwards trio are the best winners out there. Martin and To'o are in the conversation for the best in the league in their positions. That's a lot of international level talent. BUT, Cleary can't take a month off this year to freshen up without Luia to carry the load. They have signed a couple of really good players to fill in, but for once their team isn't just a role-call of rep players. Shit, surely this year they can't win? Will still make top 4 unless their injury luck runs out.
Roosters: The first of our big fallers. Managed to finish 3rd last year, then went out after a hiding from Melbourne in the prelim. They are without halves with Walker broken, and Keary in England. They have signed The Chad but what does that do? Manu is gone. Suaalii Half their pack is gone. They looked ordinary for large parts of last year, and they haven't signed much. Lots resting on Collins, Leniu, Butcher and Radley. Can easily see them missing the 8.
Sharks: There or thereabouts for the last 2 seasons before doing little in the finals. Their middles are an issue, so they went and got AFB off us. Everything rests on Hynes at 7. Origin has ruined that poor boy, so hopefully for him he isn't even thought about in that arena this year and he just plays club football. Will finish top 4 and should push for a GF.
Cowboys: The first real "who the fuck knows" clubs. They have rissoled the Chad which will improve them. But they have lost a bit of talent. Val Holmes is in Illawarra. Luki broke his knee. Jury is still well out on Peyton as a coach too. Can see them sliding, can't see them finishing higher than last year.
Bulldogs: Just keep buying Penrith players until you win. They have offloaded the naughty JAC to the Eels, and signed a couple of experienced pros. Defensively they are really good, but i think their attack is a bit shit. Should make the 8.
Manly: More questions than answers. Got towelled by the Roosters in their last game last year. Does DCE have one more good year in him? Can Tommy Turbo survive a year. Is Seibold a good coach? Manly were scitzo last year, in the same game they would look sublime, and then fall completely in a heap. They've really bolstered their pack by signing Jazz off us. They haven't really lost anyone. They should make the 8 but i wouldn't be at all surprised to see them finish 10th
Newcastle: As usual, among the favourites for the spoon. They haven't signed any needle movers. Their halves options are among the worst in the comp. As usual, it's "can Kalyn Ponga" make it through a season? If he goes down, Knights for the spoon, and AOB first coach sacked.
Raiders: Sticky Ricky and his merry bunch of battlers. They have lost a bit of experience around the place, guys like Cotric and Rapana, and they will be pretty young. The Raiders do have some shithot young players at their disposal, and while Ricky's teams aren't good to watch, or score too many, they are seldom easy to beat. Hovering around the edge of the 8 as usual.
Dolphins: Will Christian Woolf be the first coach to buck the Bennett curse? The roster is actually in a decent spot, so he is better placed than most. They have lost some decent forwards in Aitken and Bromwich, but they have added some nice pieces like Finefeuiaki and Saifiti. They will rely on the rest of the veteran forwards standing up, Katoa to continue to develop, and Hammer to be the showpiece.
Dragon: Early spoon favourites believe it or not. Lost Hunt to the Broncos, and Lomax to the Eels, who were their best players last year. They have added the oldest cohort in the league in Cook, Gutherson and Holmes. Gutho's knees are cooked, but the other 2 have something to offer, and at least Gutho never stops trying to win. Their halves look like they will stink, and i hope all sorts of bad luck happens to Flanagan. Bottom 4
Broncos: The biggest question mark. You will rarely see a team operate so far below its talent level as the 2024 Brisbane Broncos. Kevvie lost his way, and you could see their effort dropped. So they bought in Madge who is a hard-ass, and so we find out what happens when a bunch of pampered pretty boys meets a guy who just wants to yell at them. They have added Ben Hunt to cover the half the season Reynolds is not available, and they didn't really lose anyone. They need middles to not rely on Payne Hass and Pat Carrigan to do absolutely everything. They need backs who care about effort and defending. They need a hooker who can pass (ie not you Billy). If it goes will, they will finish top 4. If it doesn't the blow up will be spectacular.
Warriors: Eesh. We're in the spoon fight boys. Last year was a disaster. We lost the best attacking prop in the game. At least we replaced him with a guy who commands immediate respect. Harris and SJ are gone, but they had poor years. We haven't added much in the way of needle movers, so we are hoping for internal improvement. I think the pack will be solid, if lacking in edge threats. I have grave concerns of our halves, CNK at FB, the attacking threat our centres provide, and the speed of our outsides. Webby will have to coach his ass off. This side cannot play the patient pressure game he tried last year, we need action and we need points. Expect little.
Titans: A spoon contender if ever i saw one. Des will be in the gun early. Questionable halves. Too many fullbacks. Big name forwards on big money who don't always turn up. Tino is apparently playing this weekend which is a huge in. They better hope a couple of others come back too. Does David Fifita even want to be there? Have they learned to tackle yet? I don't see much hope on the GC
Eels: last year was ugly, it cost their coach his job, and they did not improve. They got the coveted signature of Jason Ryles, and he wasted no time stamping his mark. Gutho is out. RCG is out. Couple they wanted to keep are gone too in Talagi and Sanders. Zac Lomax is in, but he brings the headache of being one of the best wingers in the comp who wants to play centre, where he is average. This team lives and dies on Mitch Moses. If Mitch gets hurt they are going nowhere.
Bunnies: Wayne is here, prepare the parade!!! i am not sure 100 year old Wayne Bennett has the energy for this. the squad is definitely better than 2nd last, but they are light in the halves. They let Cook go. And now Latrell is out for a while with a hamstring, and Cam Murray fucked his knee and might miss the year. Both in one training session. Fucking ouch. Aitken is a good get. They got a young half from St Helens. But i think the squad is a bit light, especially when you stick their injuries on top of it. Will take a miracle for them to compete.
The Tigers: Ah the Tigers. Is this the year they rise from the bottom? It was supposed to be last year after they got rid of the Board, and they won 6 games, and in their "final" ie the game that might let them avoid the spoon, they got belted. Can Benji even coach? They have added some decent pieces. Jerome Luia is obviously the biggest. He's bought Turuva with him from Penrith. Bird, Hunt, Skelton and May will all go straight in to the 17. Word is they are trying to offload Klemmer before the season even begins. They have good young players with a solid core. If not this year then probably never and they should just fold the club.
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if i had to stab at a ladder
Melbourne
Cronulla
Brisbane
Penrith
Bulldogs
Manly
Dolphins
Cowboys
Roosters
Newcastle
Raiders
Bunnies
Eels
Dragons
Tigers
Warriors
Titans -
I don't have a problem with CNK at fullback in isolation, but playing RTS on the wing is stupid.
Not sure Webby has got the ability, he lived off 2023 glory last year and showed an unwillingness to change when that plan failed.
On the halves, maybe Metcalf will justify the hype of the trial commentators and the league forum I'm part of, but his previous first grade matches he's been a good runner and that's about it.
I'm glad I'm starting this year with the usual lowered expectations, they were a bit higher (a tiny bit) last year which made the outcome even worse.
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they should have been high last year! We were coming off a prelim, SJ should have won the Daly M, it all looked apples.
And it all fell apart at once, and what looked like real improvement was lots of lightening in a bottle
DWZ reverted to a bumbling diving idiot rather than a metre-eating try machine
Our edge defence fell apart
SJ fell even further than when he first came back
No one could stay as his halves partner
Harris's body collapsed.
CNK got slower.it was a real ugly fall from grace.
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SJ really fell apart and without Tohu in the middle we lost our way.
Im not sure Webby has settled on his halves yet either, especially since Boyd was injured.
Although CNK will be starting fullback unfortunately Im not convinced RTS will play there second choice eitherThere are some really fit teams to start the year this year and I wouldn't be surprised if we finish about the same, off the pace
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Never can really read too much into pre season, but I had Roosters to fail this year and right now I’m thinking I’m on the money.
Not so with my Knights call lol -
We'll have a better picture of where Newcastle sit by how much the Tigers beat them by in round one.
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last set of trials, and a few actual first graders had a run.
Big losers the Roosters who put out a strong side and got absolutely bitch slapped.
The Knights who smacked them looked okay.
The Cowboys have some good young talent that got them over the Storm. Melbourne might have an issue at fullback, with their young up and comer joining Papenhuyzen in the Ryan Papenhuyzen Casualty Ward.
I watched a bit of the Broncos v Bulldogs game and it was actually first grade quality for the most part. Brisbane definitely looked good, way fitter than last year.
The Dragons bitch slapped the Bunnies before clocking off early. For a bit in the first half they scored with every set.And so we are set for opening round in Vegas
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@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
last set of trials, and a few actual first graders had a run.
Big losers the Roosters who put out a strong side and got absolutely bitch slapped.
The Knights who smacked them looked okay.
The Cowboys have some good young talent that got them over the Storm. Melbourne might have an issue at fullback, with their young up and comer joining Papenhuyzen in the Ryan Papenhuyzen Casualty Ward.
I watched a bit of the Broncos v Bulldogs game and it was actually first grade quality for the most part. Brisbane definitely looked good, way fitter than last year.
The Dragons bitch slapped the Bunnies before clocking off early. For a bit in the first half they scored with every set.And so we are set for opening round in Vegas
Given Munster coming back from double hip replacement I expected him to be rusty, but Melbourne did look off the boil in both matches. However I expect Bellamy to read the riot act come round one.
I think the Dragons might win a few games before their old timers break down, may humble some teams in the process.
Broncos look ready to fire and a team to beat.
Roosters so far off its scary.
Tino actually playing for Titans lifts them a lot.
Bunnies and Nth Qld potentially ready to roll the dice on young halves in Humphries and Duffy in round one. I see neither lasting in that position through the season.
@antipodean Tigers fans should be optimistic but its hard to say how far they have come yet
Cronk talking up the warriors but none of use are buying it -
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
their old timers break down
oof, there was one break where Gutho tried to run a support line and he was basically limping and pulled up. He is cooked.
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@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
their old timers break down
oof, there was one break where Gutho tried to run a support line and he was basically limping and pulled up. He is cooked.
absolutely, but ran the team well from the back, just how long he can hold together. A bit like watching Tohu at the end for us. Maybe he ends up playing 50 minute games with Sloan moving across who knows
Dont think they win the comp, but saw enough for them to be one of those annoying teams that could be hard to beat early in the season
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@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
absolutely, but ran the team well from the back,
yep, teh brain and the sweet hands are there, and he can still run, but fullback in teh NRL is pretty hard out. Ask Latrell, he can't keep up. Gutho would make a sweet 5/8
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Got to love NRL players, two Canberra players already having a dust up in Vegas, although no cops involved, given rumors of an inflatable bat and given history of degeneracy of some raiders can only hope this is a PG story
hope they miss this weekend ..wont happen though
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What a weird headline - why not just say he signed with the Warriors?
I don't remember how he went for Parra, was decent back in his Manly days.
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terrible signing. far out we suck.
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@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
terrible signing. far out we suck.
Might as well say we want the spoon now
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@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
terrible signing. far out we suck.
Might as well say we want the spoon now
This is the selection that led you to that conclusion?
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What a weird headline - why not just say he signed with the Warriors?
I don't remember how he went for Parra, was decent back in his Manly days.
dropped from Manly because couldn't tackle, went to Parra to fill in injury gaps, also dropped, technically signed now from North Sydney Bears as he didn't have an NRL contract hence signing to an NRL team
Morgan Harper signs with NRL team for 2025
