Parker: Why Queensland teams can sweep NRL finals in 2024
It’s only happened once before, but Corey Parker believes this could the year every club in the Sunshine State makes the finals. Find out why.
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It’s been a long time coming.
Not since 2016 has every Queensland side made the NRL finals. It’s the only time it’s happened since Gold Coast joined the competition in 2007.
But 2024 could be the season it finally happens again with revamped squads, rising rookies and untapped potential in all four Queensland sides.
After the first round of the NRL pre-season challenge, former Brisbane captain and premiership-winner Corey Parker has seen enough to believe it.
“It’s difficult to get a real gauge on trials, there’s so many dynamics and different combinations,” he says.
“But all the Queensland teams are in a good spot, and if you’re being genuine about the Queensland sides, there’s no reason why they can’t play finals football.”
Ahead of the second week of the trials, Parker analyses the big issue and great hope for all four teams.
BRONCOS
2023 finish: Runner-up
Pre-season challenge
Rd 1: defeated Cowboys 46-20
Rd 2: v Sea Eagles
For the 2023 grand finalists, their biggest challenge is mental.
“They need to quite simply be prepared to pay the price,” Parker says.
“They have to want to pay that price week in and week out, the same way they did last year. If they feel like they’re just have to turn up and it’ll happen it’s not going to be the case.”
It can be an easy trap to fall in to.
“It can be if you want to be complacent,” he continues.
“On the one hand they know what it takes to get there now, so that can be a real bonus because they’ve trained at a standard that is worthy of playing in grand finals.
“The challenge, is are they willing to do it for another 12 months? Week in and week out, day in and day out, to ensure they do get there.
“Grand finals are hard to make.
“I played 16 seasons, 350 games and I played in two, won one and lost one.”
The Broncos have lost four stars from last year’s grand final team in Herbie Farnworth, Kurt Capewell, Tom Flegler and Keenan Palasia, but Parker says they have the depth to fill the roles.
“They truly have the team to back up,” he says.
“You take four players out of that grand final side, one was a Dally M centre of the year, one was an Australian front-rower, one was a Queensland representative and premiership-winner, and another was an underrated player off the bench in Keenan Palasia.
“They’re pretty substantial losses. They can be replaced but it’s going to take time.”
TITANS
2023 finish: 14th
Pre-season challenge
Rd 1: defeated by Dolphins 14-26
Rd 2: v Eels, North Ipswich Reserve, Ipswich
It’s been a lean few seasons for the Titans, but the key to improvement is Des Hasler-style, tough, defensively resilient football.
“The Titans have always shown they have talent, it’s their resilience that’s let them down. Put Des Hasler in the mix and obviously they’re a different football side,” Parker says.
They played only a few NRL stars in their 26-14 loss to the Dolphins in their first trial, but week two are expected to dust the cobwebs off a few more as they plan for Round 1 against St George Illawarra at home on March 9.
Adapting to Hasler’s hard-nosed style of training and new defensive systems will be the biggest challenge for the Titans in 2024, but the improvements are already obvious.
“I think we saw enough (against the Dolphins),” Parker said.
“You’ve got to assume they’ll be a better football side this year and I firmly believe that.
“Their biggest downfall and it has been for a long time has been defence, scoring points has never been an issue for them.
“It’s their ability to defend points which comes down to resilience, to toughness and the mental fortitude to be able to repel teams away.”
COWBOYS
2023 finish: 11th
Pre-season challenge
Rd 1: defeated by Broncos 20-46
Rd 2: v Raiders, Seiffert Oval, Queanbeyan
The Cowboys were the surprisingly hot form team of the season back in 2022 but last year had a dramatic dip in form that left them out in the cold.
A run of wins at the back end of the year wasn’t enough to save their season and coming into 2024 it’s hard to know what to expect from Todd Payten’s side.
But there is no shortage of talent, and for Parker, success at the Cowboys comes down to a new mentality.
“It’s a mindset,” he says.
“What have they been doing over the summer to make sure they don’t fall into that same trap as what they did last year?
“ Midway through last year we thought, here comes the Cowboys and they left the run way too late.
“Two years ago they went within a whisker of making the grand final, to not making finals last year.”
The challenge is finding what went wrong to cause such a dramatic turn of events.
“They’ve got a big point to prove for this year and an array of talent right across the park,” he says.
“They very much underperformed last year, and they were open and honest about that.
“I expect them to be far different this year. To get a real indication of where they’re at, I think we’ll get that this weekend (against Canberra).”
DOLPHINS
2023 finish: 13th
Pre-season challenge
Rd 1: defeated Titans 14-26
Rd 2: v Warriors, Go Media Stadium, Auckland
A Wayne Bennett-coached side can never be underestimated.
After a debut season of highs and lows, it was the lack of depth and inexperience that cost the Dolphins in 2023.
But another year on, lessons have been learnt and new recruits add more steel to the competition’s newest franchise.
“Dolphins will be far better than what they were last year, because they’ve had another 12 months, another pre-season, they’ve enjoyed each other’s company, they understand the system they’re in,” Parker says.
“You include the new recruits and they’re a better outfit than they were last year.
“Connection and cohesion is a big one for them.”
Depth is still their major issue, however, especially when injuries and suspensions inevitably strike.
“We saw that last year, their depth really got tested towards the back end of the season,” he says.
“The Dolphins were the talking point last year and they took everyone by surprise, so if they can turn up with a similar style that we saw them play, a never say die attitude, a willingness to compete on every play, a Wayne Bennett-style football side, along with Jake Averillo, Herbie Farnworth and Tom Flegler and Jeremy Marshall-King back to full strength, there’s no reason they can’t play finals football.
“The duration of the season is going to be a challenge, and that’s a challenge for everyone.”
Originally published as Parker: Why Queensland teams can sweep NRL finals in 2024
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