NRL 2021 season preview: Paul Kent rates every team’s chances
Season 2021 is here and Paul Kent has crunched the numbers to deliver his verdict on how the ladder will look at the end of the regular season.
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Can Penrith bounce back from last season’s heartbreak or is it the year of the Rabbitoh? Will Cameron Smith’s absence stop Storm from going back-to-back?
And which sides from outside the top eight can make the jump to finals footy?
Ahead of the 2021 NRL season, Paul Kent has predicted where every team will finish on the ladder.
Check out Paul Kent’s big calls for the 2021 NRL season and have your say in the comments section below.
PENRITH
The trick for the Panthers is whether they have the grit to do it all again. The first charge to a grand final is an adrenaline ride, a rush that trying to repeat that experience without getting ahead of yourself has proven to be difficult over the years.
In their favour, the Panthers have the most exciting young roster in the NRL and another year’s experience will do none of them any harm. The whole campaign for coach Ivan Cleary is getting his players up each week without having their thoughts drift too far ahead to finals time. The loss in experience is a worry, but only small.
Kenty’s season prediction: 1st
SOUTH SYDNEY
It is easy to forget the Rabbitohs have made the preliminary finals the past three seasons, even though they have had to overcome the premature retirements of big name players Greg Inglis and Sam Burgess, as well as the season-ending injury to Latrell Mitchell last year. Considering that, and with Mitchell returning fit and fast and the recruitment of the likes of Josh Mansour and Jai Arrow, Souths are ideally placed to add to the premiership last won in 2014. This is the best chance the Rabbitohs have had since their last premiership and, in a reflection of that, the intensity has picked up at Redfern to ensure they don’t blow the chance.
Kenty’s season prediction: 2nd
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SYDNEY ROOSTERS
Discount the Roosters at your peril. Luke Keary’s shift to halfback answers the obvious question about who will guide the team after the Roosters struggled to bed down an established halves combination last season. But there is so much strike in the team it hardly mattered. Some subtle adjustments to allow for the rule changes have the Roosters feeling clucky after they found themselves a little slow to adjust last season. All the boxes are ticked and all coach Trent Robinson will be aiming to do is make sure his troops get it right on the day. Will be right in it again.
Kenty’s season prediction: 3rd
CANBERRA
The big question for the Raiders is how will they cope without John Bateman, who brought more to the Raiders than simply his playing skills. Bateman had an unorthodox style and a will to win that rubbed off on teammates. Having said that, the Raiders loom as the competition dark horses. They have tremendous depth but most of all will benefit hugely by the return of hooker Josh Hodgson, who missed the second half of last season with injury. The Raiders go into this season just hoping for their share of luck.
Kenty’s season prediction: 4th
MELBOURNE
Despite Cameron Smith’s exit from the Storm after 19 seasons Melbourne’s style won’t change as much as most would believe. Harry Grant’s return to Melbourne will allow the Storm to play with the same width they did under Smith, making it a smoother transition than if, say, Brandon Smith was to play hooker. Still, having predicted the demise of the Storm after the loss of Cooper Cronk, then Billy Slater, is it possible they won’t slip just a little with all of the Big Three now gone? Don’t expect a lot different from the Storm, which is not a bad thing.
Kenty’s season prediction: 5th
PARRAMATTA
In just about any other competition coach Brad Arthur, with his consistent top-four finishes, would be celebrated. But the Eels are now in the longest premiership drought in the club’s history. While it seemed to take an eternity for their first premiership in 1981, that wait of 34 years has now been superseded by what is now a 35-year wait since their last in 1986. Arthur has turned over the roster in a bid to change that but, still, much will depend on Mitchell Moses. It’s all there for the Eels, they just have to deliver.
Kenty’s season prediction: 6th
MANLY
While it was widely held that injuries sabotaged Manly’s season last year the greater sin at Brookvale was the Sea Eagles’ lack of depth, which ultimately shortened their run into the playoffs. Another year later, another year older, though, and this season should see Manly’s junior stars begin to emerge. For instance, John Schuster is a potential superstar and is set to make his mark this season. Still, no team’s results are as reliant on one player as Manly’s are on Tom Trbojevic who already will miss the start of the season after tearing his good hamstring.
Kenty’s season prediction: 7th
NEWCASTLE
After a troubling off-season the Knights are making all the right noises. The key inclusions for the season will be Blake Green’s continued presence as a deputy to Mitchell Pearce and the return of Jayden Brailey, who missed most of last season. If the Newcastle spine can remain healthy the Knights, with the likes of Tyson Frizell also in town, will be able to build on the style that saw them sneak into the playoffs last season. So much depends on Pearce, though. As a team the Knights have a habit of reflecting his energy, so he needs to keep himself in shape.
Kenty’s season prediction: 8th
WESTS TIGERS
The wisdom of Michael Maguire’s appointment will emerge this season and the doubters’ sniping from the trees will be silenced. Since arriving Maguire has preached win teams win premierships and, after a little internal resistance, the players have got on board and are set to flourish this season where the new rules will favour the fitter teams. Harry Grant remains a loss but the inclusion of James Tamou, James Roberts, Joe Ofahengaue and the exciting Daine Laurie have the Tigers moving in the right direction.
Kenty’s season prediction: 9th
GOLD COAST
Don’t consider the Titans’ ninth-placed finishing last year a fluke. Instead, it is the indication of a team on the rise. Halfway through last season Justin Holbrook’s influence on his team was obvious. The Titans went from the early season rabble Holbrook inherited to a clear style, understanding not only what the coach wants but why, and the impact was so much they finished the season with five straight wins. That, as much as the inclusion of gun forwards David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, is enough to give Titans fans great hope for this season.
Kenty’s season prediction: 10th
NORTH QUEENSLAND
Incoming coach Todd Payten is concentrating on bringing a more up-tempo style that suits the new rules and which was largely overlooked as the Cowboys failed to adapt last year. Gone is the plodding, slow, set up for a block play into a block play that stifled the Cowboys attack in recent seasons. Payten is concentrating on a fast, reactionary style that should suit some of the instinctive players that litter the line-up. Chief playmaker Michael Morgan was never more at his best than playing such a style.
Kenty’s season prediction: 11th
CRONULLA
There was a little fool’s gold surrounding Cronulla’s performance last season, given they qualified for the top eight but all season failed to actually beat a top eight team throughout the season. It speaks to the uncommon toughness at Cronulla. Having said that, the Sharks are in a transformation, with big-timers like Josh Dugan, Aaron Woods, Matt Moylan and Shaun Johnson all coming off contract and a host of junior players ready to flourish. It should make for competitive times at Shark Park, which is only good for a team still fighting to be relevant.
Kenty’s season prediction: 12th
WARRIORS
While much was made about the hardship of the Warriors living away from home last season, as they look set to do again, little was said about the benefits. In many ways, it was like a 20-week Origin camp, with many close bonds forged over the duration. Togetherness and harmony are strong advantages. Expect the Warriors to improve this season again under new coach Nathan Brown, with the omnipresent Phil Gould overlooking things. Their impact has already been felt with some astute buys in the likes of Addin Fonua-Blake, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Bayley Sironen, Kane Evans and Euan Aitken.
Kenty’s season prediction: 13th
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA
Coach Anthony Griffin is gambling old hands can bring a new style at the Dragons, with the coach trusting in Ben Hunt, Andrew McCullough and Corey Norman to lead the Dragons into their new era. Clearly Griffin’s thinking here is to rely upon players he is familiar with, and who are familiar with each other, to fast-track the style he plans to implement. It will take some time, with the expectation the Dragons have a tougher draw than most of their rivals they will be looking to break free from, will finish better than they begin.
Kenty’s season prediction: 14th
BRISBANE
Few want to admit it, but rookie coach Kevin Walters has won second prize in a beauty contest with these Broncos. Not only did he lose the highly talented David Fifita over the summer, and not only have the Broncos failed to compensate by recruiting poorly, signing nobody of note, Walters is also the first coach in Broncos history tasked with lifting the Broncos from the bottom of the table. Only so many stories about past glories and the Broncos way can have an impact on this squad. The spine is largely inexperienced and underperforming, while the draw does the Broncos no favours.
Kenty’s season prediction: 15th
CANTERBURY
For too many seasons now Canterbury has struggled to score enough points to give themselves a reasonable chance of winning the game. That said, there are several reasons for hope at Belmore this season. New coach Trent Barrett was widely credited for being the architect behind Penrith’s brilliant attack last season while the recruitment of young playmaker Kyle Flanagan gives the Bulldogs a pure halfback to guide the team around. Add the likes of Nic Cotric and Corey Allan in the backs, and Jack Hetherington and Corey Waddell in the forwards, and hopefully these Dogs will learn to bite.
Kenty’s season prediction: 16th
Originally published as NRL 2021 season preview: Paul Kent rates every team’s chances
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