NRL 2022: The ultimate fan guide to why your team can push for the title
Canterbury finished last in 2021 but a huge off-season has them ripe to rocket up the ladder. Find out why the Bulldogs are on the rise — and why your team can challenge for the title in 2022.
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Supporters of every NRL team have reason to hope of premiership glory at this stage of the season.
Dave Riccio outlines the grounds for optimism at your club.
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PANTHERS
When the mighty mare Winx was winning race after race, the biggest fear from her connections wasn’t the opposition. It was injuring herself at the barriers.
The same can be said for Nathan Cleary and his recovery from shoulder surgery.
Whenever the best halfback in the NRL is on the field for Penrith, they deserve to be favourites with the bookies to win the match and this year’s title.
The loss of Matt Burton, Brent Naden, Paul Momirovski and Kurt Capewell would be concerning if not for Penrith’s production line of talent. Write down the name Izack Tago. A centre, he’s a beauty.
RABBITOHS
Rival fans penning a line through the Bunnies based on the exit of Adam Reynolds should invest in a bottle of liquid paper. Because think about this: Cody Walker has set up more tries than any other player in the NRL over the past five seasons – including Nathan Cleary, Daly Cherry-Evans, James Tedesco and Tom Trbojevic.
Any team with Latrell Mitchell, Damien Cook, Cam Murray, Alex Johnston, Campbell Graham, Tom Burgess and Walker can expect to be busy every weekend until October.
ROOSTERS
The Roosters finished fifth in 2021 with more players admitted to the recovery ward during the year than an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
VIPs James Tedesco, Joey Manu, Luke Keary and Victor Radley didn’t play a single game together in 2021. That’s exciting to think what they can achieve if those four stay healthy.
Connor Watson, back at the Roosters after a stint at the Knights, will prove a sensational buy. So much so, watch him to push for NSW Origin selection.
TITANS
Want to know something that is frightening? The human wrecking ball David Fifita is turning just 22 on Friday. He’s still so young and with so much more experience to gain as an NRL player, yet the Titans backrower is single-handedly reason enough for the Gold Coast to think big in 2022.
SEA EAGLES
Imagine if Tom Trbojevic had two healthy hamstrings instead of just one?
The phenomenal Dally M Medal winner is to Manly what Nathan Cleary is to Penrith.
As a team though, Manly need to grow up. They need to be able to match it with the best teams. They may have finished a strong fourth in 2021, but they still lost all six games against Penrith, Souths and Storm in 2021 by an average margin of more than 20 points, including two 20-point losses in the finals.
SHARKS
Only need marginal improvement on their ninth-placed finish last year to feature at the business end in 2022.
Talk to any player about life under rookie coach Craig Fitzgibbon this summer and they’re buzzing over the clarity in the game plan, intent in defence and belief in each other.
This is the Sharks’ strongest roster since 2017 – also, it’s been kept under wraps but watch for Ronaldo Mulitalo to feature in the centres.
EELS
On stats alone, the Eels are title contenders, winning almost 75 per cent of their games at their home ground CommBank Stadium. Then there’s their motivation. This squad will never play NRL together again beyond this season, with the exit at year-end of Reed Mahoney, Marata Niukore, Isaiah Papali’i, Ray Stone and Oregon Kaufusi. Young centre Will Penisini is a star, while in a position that a lot of clubs are struggling for depth, the signing of back-up hooker Mitch Rein could be the buy of the season.
RAIDERS
Two years ago, Jack Wighton was the best player in the NRL – and the Raiders made the preliminary final as a result. After a dip year in 2021, Wighton has presented over summer in the fashion that suggests he’s preparing to again carry the Green Machine on his back. Origin winger Nick Cotric is back at the club and in rising stars Xavier Savage and Matt Timoko, the Raiders have two players who can turn a match in an instant.
KNIGHTS
At 23 and almost 100 first-grade games, Kalyn Ponga is ripe to lead the Knights all the way.
I still have visions of Ponga emerging as a leader, like so many of the past champions have, in Origin III for Queensland last year.
His presence was enormous in the Maroons’ upset win and I get the feeling he’ll love the fact that Mitchell Pearce is gone and this is now his team.
The addition of explosive centre Dane Gagai into the Knights backline hasn’t been spoken about enough. Gagai produced 93 tackle busts last year – just five less than Latrell Mitchell.
WESTS TIGERS
One of the first decisions new GM of football Tim Sheens made when he arrived last year was the Tigers would be sticking with coach Michael Maguire for at least the entire 2022 season. It won’t stop the noise, but at least Maguire can go for broke this winter without keeping half of his office supplies in a removal box. On the field, fullback Daine Laurie and young prop Stefano Utoikamanu are two players every club would love in their roster.
Wests must find consistency. The Tigers have not strung three wins together since early in 2018 and have not won four straight games since 2012.
DRAGONS
Like Bunnings during Covid, the Dragons must ban all barbecues.
Secondly, three of the Dragons four first-choice spine members last year – Corey Norman, Matt Dufty and Adam Clune – will not be at the club in 2022.
Given their mediocre past three seasons, that should excite every Saints fan.
The Dragons will have no choice but to play a new brand of footy, with rising stars Jayden Sullivan or Junior Amone to partner Ben Hunt in the halves. Tyrell Sloan at fullback is a future star.
BRONCOS
Payne Haas is the best prop forward in the game and after he’s trampled the defensive line, awaiting the ball with time and space, there’s one of the best halfbacks in the game.
The savvy addition of veteran playmaker Adam Reynolds puts the Broncos right in the frame this year. Think about this: Since Reynolds‘ debut in 2012, he has forced the most dropouts, produced the most kick metres and the second-most points across the entire NRL.
How significant is that for the Broncos? They were in the bottom four of the competition for points-scored and forced dropouts in 2021.
BULLDOGS
For GM of football Phil Gould and head coach Trent Barrett, the push for the club‘s first premiership since 2004 is underway.
Rock bottom 16th in 2021, Canterbury must be thinking finals football this year after a mass of key signings who will cause plenty of nerves for their opposition this year.
Recruits Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Dufty, Paul Vaughan, Brent Naden and Tevita Pangai Jr will transform the Dogs, while in the boardroom – and this important for a club such as Canterbury – they have never been more settled.
STORM
Never back against the machine – even with the loss of Nicho Hynes, Dale Finucane and Josh Addo-Carr.
Time and again, Melbourne have shown they can handle changes to their roster, unlike any other club in the league. The Storm have missed the top-four just once in 11 seasons.
Xavier Coates, down from the Broncos, is worth a wager to become the NRL’s leading try scorer in 2022.
WARRIORS
Teen sensation Reece Walsh at fullback and a forward pack to rival any in the competition.
That’s before mentioning the homecoming of golden boy Shaun Johnson, who is likely to work alongside Ashley Taylor on a lifeline mission and with a point to prove.
Since Taylor’s debut in 2016, he and Johnson both rank in the top six in try assists for halves.
COWBOYS
Must find rapid improvement – but capable.
Joining Jason Taumalolo, Valentine Holmes, Coen Hess, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow this year are premiership-winning halfback Chad Townsend and rising playmaker Tom Dearden.
The NRL is increasingly a young man’s game and the Cowboys will field one of the youngest teams in the competition with 16 of their top 30 squad aged 23 or younger.
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