Blake Ferguson, Manly, Ivan Cleary to provide biggest headlines of 2016

WITH the dust settled on one of the most dramatic NRL season’s on record, David Riccio takes a look at who will provide five of the biggest headlines in 2016.

Roosters

WITH the dust finally settled on one of the most dramatic NRL season’s on record, chief sports writer David Riccio takes a look at who will provide five of the biggest headlines in 2016.

1. BLAKE FERGUSON

Blake, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to fill the void left by two of the Sydney Roosters greatest fullbacks of the past 15-years.

By beginning next year in the no1 jumper, you will be asked to replace the NRL’s most gifted talent in New Zealand Warriors star-signing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who incredibly showed more potential last season than his predecessor, the champion custodian since the early 2000s, Anthony Minichiello.

The opposition know that your experience at fullback is limited. Brilliant centre, tick. Virtually unstoppable on the wing, tick.

But at fullback, you are one of the most important player’s in your side next year.

Your rivals will test your conditioning, your positioning at the back and they will come after you with an array of targeted kicks.

Undoubtedly, your coach Trent Robinson has faith in you. He’ll have you ready and you have proven in the past that you can overcome obstacles.

But this could be your greatest challenge.

The prize? A return to State of Origin for NSW awaits.

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2. COOPER CRONK

2016 is all about decisions for the Melbourne Storm’s greatest ever halfback. It just might be the biggest decision Cronk ever makes.

Off-contract at the end of next season, what will the 32-year-old playmaker do in 2016?

It will be one of the biggest headlines of the year when he makes that call.

Independent and confident in his ability to succeed in life away from rugby league, Cronk won’t be afraid to walk away from the game all together.

His recent alignment with respected player agent George Mimis, whose ability to manage a player’s brand is unrivalled, suggests Cronk is already considering life post-football.

He has signed with Fox Sports in 2016 and given he treats his body like a temple, there’s no denying a fit and healthy 33-year-old Cronk would prove appealing to a string of Sydney clubs in 2017.

3. THE MAROONS

Were they cracks in the fortress beginning to appear last month? Absolutely, they were.

Certainly, we rarely see the Queenslanders publicly kneecap their own.

For the first time since the 2006 State of Origin series, Queensland will take on NSW next year without Mal Meninga as their coach.

This wasn’t planned for by the Queensland Rugby League. If they had their way, big Mal would still be in charge.

And here’s the problem, the mighty Maroons are struggling to find an able replacement.

Given their esteemed history, their brotherhood and culture, you would think Queensland would boast a conveyor belt of candidates pleading to take over the best jobs in sport.

The QRL wanted Paul Green to take over, but the players response to that was, at best, lukewarm.

Kevin Walters wants the job, but the QRL can’t commit to him. Cam Smith as captain-coach has even been tossed up, while Wayne Bennett has questioned who is making the decisions at the QRL.

There’s division in the ranks and NSW coach Laurie Daley is loving it.

4. IVAN CLEARY

Gone, but not forgotten.

To all 16 head coaches in the NRL, be prepared to have Cleary’s name attached to your job, should you arrive in April with anything less than one win against your name.

Absolutely, Cleary is the biggest name in NRL coaching without a gig in 2016.

His sacking from Penrith came as such a shock, that only one week prior to his departure, gun fullback Matt Moylan was readying himself to play five-eighth in 2016.

Cleary, 44, was told by Penrith general manager Phil Gould that he was burnt out and he needed to go.

So Gus appointed Anthony Griffin, who is five years older than Cleary.

It’s a cutthroat business, NRL coaching. There will be a short-list of coaches under pressure before Easter. You can put Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor on the list right now.

However, he isn’t the only one, with the distinct possibility Cleary could be coaching your club by May.

5. MANLY SEA EAGLES

New coach, new players, new head office ... the only thing that isn’t new in 2016 at Manly is Brookvale Oval.

Led by Bob ‘Bozo’ Fulton, no other team in the NRL has demonstrated more ambition to overhaul who they are as a club, on and off the field following a poor 2015, than the Sea Eagles.

Rookie NRL head coach Trent Barrett is blessed to commence his head coaching career with a roster that has left his rival coaches questioning how he has been able to acquire such a star-studded side in his first year.

Just perfect, they say on the Peninsular, the hatred for Manly is back.

But Barrett has been around long enough to know that with expectation comes pressure.

And a glimpse at his roster has every Manly fan expecting success.

Nate Myles, Dylan Walker, Martin Taupau, Lewis Brown, Darcy Lussick and Api Koroisau have arrived to compliment Manly mainstays Jamie Lyon, Brett Stewart, Daly Cherry-Evans and Steve Matai.

And don’t forget their rising star Tommy Trobojevic.

They should be favourites to win the 2016 premiership and top four hopes at the very least.

Stay out of Bozo’s way if they fall short.

Originally published as Blake Ferguson, Manly, Ivan Cleary to provide biggest headlines of 2016