Wendell Sailor’s season preview: Roosters will win 2016 NRL grand final

THE knives are not far away for one NRL coach, NRL legend Wendell Sailor writes in his no-nonsense 2016 season preview.

Roosters v Bulldogs

IT began as the year from hell for the Roosters, but we’ll all have forgotten about it in 30 weeks when they win the grand final.

Here are my no-nonsense fearless predictions for 2016.

EELS BECOME PREMIERSHIP POWER

No pressure.

PARRAMATTA’S roster looks incredibly healthy this season. Very, very healthy. Everyone expects them to improve this year. Most people even have them sneaking into the top eight. I’ve got them forcing their way into the top four. The Eels’ roster is the most improved this season. Kieran Foran, Michael Jennings, Beau Scott and Michael Gordon is a huge recruitment haul.

If I was in the trenches and I could have one man with me it would be Beau Scott. So much of what he does goes unnoticed by fans, but it doesn’t go unnoticed by his teammates. He’s not flashy. He’s not pretty. But he is clinical. Everyone wants to play with him. He will be a huge asset for Parramatta and you can expect the entire squad to walk taller because he’s there alongside them.

Then there is Kieran Foran. The former Manly star is class and that’s exactly what Parramatta needed to win those close games at the end of last year. He brings leadership. He brings composure. He’s a winner. He gets it done. That’s what Parramatta need.

Nathan Peats is a star and having him back on the park is crucial to their success. With the Eels flying early, Peats has the potential to steal Robbie Farah’s NSW State of Origin jumper.

Watch out, NRL rivals, Parramatta Stadium is about to become a fortress again.

If Brad Arthur misses the top eight, the knives are going to be out. This roster is one of the best in the game.

Lock them in for the top four.

TITANS’ RECRUITMENT BUST

The one that got away.

THE Titans couldn’t afford to lose class players like Nate Myles and James Roberts. They did.

I don’t want to pick on them, but the Daly Cherry-Evans saga has really hurt them. All the eggs were in that basket and they ended up with it all over their face. I rate young halves Ash Taylor and Tyrone Roberts, but the simple fact is the one player they relied on to create something from nothing is playing for Brisbane this year.

ROOSTERS WIN PREMIERSHIP

This team is not on the slide.

EVERYONE has the Roosters as a team that will drop out of the top four – maybe even the top eight. Open your eyes and look at the talent that’s still on this roster. James Maloney and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck are big losses, but you don’t need to worry about the spine of this football club.

Blake Ferguson will be a star at fullback. This is his first full pre-season at the Roosters so expect him to take his game to a new level.

Everyone’s also worried about halves Jackson Hastings and Jayden Nikorima. Let me tell you this, I asked Wayne Bennett about why he let Nikorima and Ashley Taylor leave the Broncos at the end of 2015. The simple fact is, they were too good to be left on the bench or in reserve grade behind Broncos stars Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford. He knew last year Nikorima was too good to not be starting in the NRL every week. Don’t worry about how Jayden is going to play this year. He’ll be fine.

Then there is Jackson Hastings. I’ll just say this. There is a reason the Roosters were willing to let James Maloney go to Cronulla. That reason is Jackson Hastings.

I have huge respect for coach Trent Robinson and I believe this team is going to win the grand final.

The Broncos are the team on everyone’s lips, but even without Maloney and Tuivasa-Sheck, the Roosters have the best roster in rugby league.

MCFADDEN FIRST COACH SACKED

On the chopping block.

YOU can be a tactical genius and a brilliant drill sergeant, but it’s just as important for an NRL coach to be a man manager.

Warriors coach Andrew McFadden hasn’t shown us yet that he knows how to get the best out of his players. With stars like Issac Luke and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck joining the club this team has to get results. If they don’t play well right from round one, McFadden is going to get tapped on the shoulder.

He has no margin for error. The Warriors have shown they’re not afraid to sack a coach in the middle of a season. He needs things to click from round one.

DOGS SLIDE

Nothing left up those sleaves.

THE new interchange rules will sink the Bulldogs.

The new rules cut the total amount of bench rotations to eight. Combine that with the new shot-clock rules designed to speed up breaks in play – particularly the scrum – and this monster pack suddenly looks far too beefy.

Brett Morris is also a key to this team and having him watch the first four months of the season from the sideline has slashed any chance they had of playing finals footy.

DALLY M PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Cameron Smith

Plenty of life in the old legs.

NRL GRAND FINAL – Roosters defeat Broncos

WOODEN SPOON – Gold Coast

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Latrell Mitchell