The Ultimate Matty Johns 2016 Scouting Report: Club-by-club analysis of each NRL prospect
THE kick-off for the NRL’s season 2016 is almost upon us but there are still many unanswered questions. Matthew Johns has run the rule over each club and put together his Ultimate Scouting Report.
THE kick-off for the NRL’s season 2016 is almost upon us.
Each club has recruited, each club has trained and each club has experimented during trial matches.
But where does that leave us on the eve of the competition’s official start?
There are still many unanswered questions as teams grapple with injuries or look to take a punt on fresh talent.
Matthew Johns has run the rule over each club vying for premiership glory.
This is his Ultimate Scouting Report.
WESTS TIGERS
These Tigers have talent.
They have been handicapped in recent seasons by club politics, at board level and between coaches and players.
The bottom line for the Tigers is that they have a decision to make.
They can continue to battle away and eat each other alive, or they can resolve whatever the major issues are and knuckle down to the business of beating opposition teams rather than themselves. Another 12 months of infighting will ruin careers.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE TIGERS
BRISBANE BRONCOS
Are the title favourites and I like them a lot.
What Wayne Bennett did with this squad last year was at least 12 months ahead of where most believed the Broncos would be when the veteran coach returned.
Apart from winning titles, what Bennett does best is improve his individual players. I suppose that goes hand in hand.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE BRONCOS
MANLY SEA EAGLES
Manly have recruited brilliantly and will enjoy significant improvement this year. The pack is a beauty.
Nate Myles is a great player and a natural leader, while Martin Taupau was one of the best big men of 2016 and it is hard to believe the Tigers let him go.
But the loss of Kieran Foran concerns me.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON MANLY
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
There is an old saying: “Don’t abandon the horse that took you to the top of the hill.” For that reason I’m curious how things turn out for Souths this season.
Michael Maguire runs a very tough, military regimen, a program he learnt and refined from his time working under Craig Bellamy at Melbourne. That regimen delivered South Sydney their first long-awaited title since 1971.
Yet last year there were murmurings that some players were starting to question the intensity of the training and disciplines which are the cornerstone of Maguire’s coaching. As a consequence, Maguire has adjusted the preparation.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE RABBITOHS
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
The Dragons surprised a lot of people last year. Paul McGregor proved himself to be a coach of real quality.
The Dragons started the year brilliantly and lost momentum down the back end of the season mainly due to injuries. That confidence and momentum never really returned and they were eliminated in week one of the finals.
But confidence and arrogance comes from the ability to score points and while the Dragons attacked well for periods last year, they very much relied on defence to win games.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE DRAGONS
NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
This team has the “potential” to do anything. There’s that word again, “potential”.
“Potential” is the word synonymous with the New Zealand Warriors. “Potential” gets coaches sacked and the Warriors do that better than anyone.
So the good news for Andrew McFadden is that he has a side which can win this competition. The bad news is, that places him under extreme pressure.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE WARRIORS
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
With the Knights recovering from the trauma of the Nathan Tinkler era, they see themselves returning to an old core principle: nurture the Hunter Region talent and build the future of the club with a focus on local juniors.
Let’s face it, they have shifted in this direction through necessity rather than desire.
Financial restraints are biting hard, as is the inability to attract marquee talent. Maybe in the not-too-distant future, being forced to refocus on local talent will be a blessing.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE KNIGHTS
PARRAMATTA EELS
Paramatta’s Auckland Nines win was a nice tonic to start the season and it’s clear this team will improve, it’s just a matter of how much? They have also recruited brilliantly.
If I had to pick one player in the NRL to play for my life it would be Kieran Foran. Kieran is one of the game’s toughest competitors, very talented and no playmaker plays straighter.
But this move is a big challenge for Foran because he is now the central playmaker.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE EELS
CRONULLA SHARKS
I think the Sharks are going to have a great season. The interchange reduction and shot clock to speed up the game will bring more fatigue into the contest and therefore benefit Cronulla.
They have plenty of youth and energy in the team combined with a pack which has plenty of 80-minute men.
I love the halves combination of James Maloney and Chad Townsend. Maloney brings big-game experience and a certain arrogance that winning teams need. He will be a terrific leader and give the Sharks quality direction.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON CRONULLA
SYDNEY ROOSTERS
Even before Australia Day, I saw this as a transitional year for the Roosters. You simply can’t lose the amount of talent they have and not feel the pinch, regardless of the quality of the youngsters coming through.
From last year the Roosters have lost a general in James Maloney, a major strike weapon in Michael Jennings and an attacking force of nature in superstar Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
And then Australia Day happened and they lost their skipper Mitchell Pearce
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE ROOSTERS
NORTH QLD COWBOYS
Unlike many defending premiers, the Cowboys still have almost the identical playing squad this year.
No side since the Brisbane Broncos in 1997-98 have gone back-to-back. The competition has been so even in the last 10 or so years that it only takes a key injury or a little drop in desire for the premiers to drop back to the pack.
The burnout factor is big, too. The World Club Series in England, as well as facing teams week in, week out who are right up for the challenge to beat the benchmark side, take a toll by mid-year.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE COWBOYS
CANBERRA RAIDERS
Like the Parramatta Eels, I’m certain the Raiders will improve. But quite a number of teams which missed last year’s finals will improve to varying degrees.
Improvement doesn’t necessarily equate to finals football. You can see Ricky Stuart enjoys coaching this team. He has a good mix of youth and experience, and his players are tough, honest and defend with plenty of energy.
The pack is formidable. Young front-rower Shannon Boyd is one of the biggest men in the NRL, while Paul Vaughan is big, fast and looks to be a representative player.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON CANBERRA
MELBOURNE STORM
You just know they’ll be in the running when September comes around.
It’s no secret where the keys to success lie: four of the most influential players in the NRL will control Melbourne’s fortunes.
Jesse Bromwich, Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and of course there is Billy Slater.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON MELBOURNE
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
There’s nothing Canterbury and their coach Des Hasler love more than being written off.
Dessie loves “flying under the radar”. It’s his mantra.
Des will therefore love what I’m about to write.
The Bulldogs face some big challenges this season.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE BULLDOGS
PENRITH PANTHERS
If you ask me if the Panthers will make the eight, my initial response is to say yes. Injury, more than anything, hurt Penrith last year and they have some youngsters who are top-drawer talents.
But who do I leave out of my eight to accommodate Penrith?
Therein lies the difficulty with trying to predict a season in which the difference between finishing fourth and just missing the eight could be a few close losses.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE PANTHERS
GOLD COAST TITANS
The Titans have had a wretched last few years, and go into this season with a very skinny roster.
They have lost so many key individuals.
Nate Myles was a tremendous forward leader but kits up for Manly, their main strike weapon James Roberts has left for the Broncos due to an embarrassing contractual controversy, while talented playmaker Aidan Sezer is now at the Raiders.
READ MATTHEW JOHNS’ FULL SCOUTING REPORT ON THE TITANS
Originally published as The Ultimate Matty Johns 2016 Scouting Report: Club-by-club analysis of each NRL prospect
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