Find out how your NRL NT team is placed for season 2023
Old rivalries, new faces and experienced heads will collide once again when the NRL NT season kicks off for season 2023. See how each club is shaping up.
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The NRL NT is back for another season and the competition’s six clubs are ready to go all eager to claim the 2023 premiership cup.
It was Palmerston Raiders who took home the trophy in 2022, breaking their decade-long drought in a fierce grand final against Northern Sharks.
But a new year is a new year and with the cup trading hands to four separate teams over the past four years there’s no telling who will come out on top in 2023.
The Round 1 blockbuster between Palmerston and Sharks is likely to set the tone for the season, but they’re unlikely to be the only sides in the running.
The NT News takes a look at how each of the NRL NT clubs are shaping up ahead of the season with new look squads.
PALMERSTON RAIDERS
Palmerston finally broke their finals curse in 2022, after almost a decade of strong seasons ending in disappointment.
It was a fine way to cap off an era for the club who, since their 2013 triumph, had come so close on numerous occasions only to collapse in the knockouts.
But in 2022 they got the job done, though are likely to undergo a number of changes as they look towards a premiership defence.
Perhaps the most significant change is at coach with Merg Mikaelian making way for experienced NT league heads Daniel Roach and Ed Murphy.
And with the likes of powerful prop Shane Smith and 2022 grand final best on ground Jake Rainger still around the club they will be a tough side for anyone to face.
All eyes will be on Palmerston this time around, after they somewhat went under the radar in 2022, meaning the pressure will be on.
Can they live with the pressure and repeat the feat?
“We have lots of numbers at training, everyone is raring to go and I’m pretty excited to get stuck in,” Roach said.
“We’ve got a lot of new blokes, from out of town, from town south such as Queensland and New South Wales, so yeah a lot of fresh blood in the club.
“The boys tried many a time to get over the line and to finally get the job done meant a lot to them and now the pressure is on to go back to back.”
NORTHERN SHARKS
Sharks would have counted themselves unlucky not to have secured back to back premierships after losing the 2022 grand final in the most agonising fashion.
The Sharks were unbeaten all year and were sure favourites to win it all, but a red card with more than 60 minutes left on the clock saw their 8-0 lead crumble to a painful 12-8 loss.
However, they’re still the side the watch retaining much of their squad, all of whom are eager to get revenge for last year’s loss.
Long-time stalwarts Lachie Wright and Jacob Collie will once again form the club’s leadership team.
Mitch Burke and Damien Mick are also vital cogs in the Sharks machine running the show in the halves and setting up opportunity after opportunity for their strike runners.
They’ve also retained coach PD Downes who has won the past two Coach of the Year accolades.
Downes has instilled a composure to the side which has more than once kept them in the contest, even when the run is against them.
Add that to their fitness and depth and Sharks will once again be the side to keep an eye on in 2023, particularly as they eye off a Round 1 grand final rematch.
“Fitness will be our best attribute this year, it’s what will get us through alongside effort,” Wright said.
“The boys will be hungry this year after losing last year’s grand final and that’s something we will be fighting for.
“We have a few new faces, particularly from union, and we have a lot of strong players who are still with us.”
DARWIN BROTHERS
The young squad who shocked the competition in 2020 are another year older and are hoping to make their mark once again.
The rebirth of Sharks and continued strength of Palmerston meant the Brethren haven’t pulled off similar success since, but this year could be the one.
Brothers are the smallest side in the comp, but their speed and flair makes them a danger to any side able to punish the slightest slipped ball.
That’s how they won a premiership, and the core of the side who succeeded three years ago are still together led by 21-year-old captain Isaac Sedan-Kurnoth.
Caleb Niki is another lynchpin of the outfit with his leg speed a weapon against anyone whether he’s trying to avoid a tackle or just planning to force his way through one.
Plenty of older Brothers’ heads are also making a return for this season including Joey Forrester, Drew Tobin, Aaron Pollard and Matthew Goodson bringing their wealth of experience to the squad.
And as always, under coach Leon Cleal, the Darwin boys have a strong youth contingent ready and waiting to get their chance on the field.
Brothers are a side to watch out for, but to truly compete with the bigger sides need to ensure they have the power up forward.
“We have some new players, some players returning, but we still have that same core who came through juniors together,” Sedan-Kurnoth said.
“Our style will again be the fast, basic footy, that’s how Brothers have been playing for as long as I can remember, that structured flair we’re known for.
“Having those older guys back brings a lot of energy and allows us some guidance, they’ve been there and done it. They’re great to have around.”
LITCHFIELD BEARS
Litchfield are another squad who have invested heavily in their youth over the past couple of seasons, and we might see those efforts pay off in 2023.
After being the dominant side at the close of last decade it was only natural for the Bears to spend a couple of years out of the big games as they focused on a rebuild.
And now those young guns have become some of the best talents in the league particularly five-eighth Nathan Dixon, who is a standout in both rugby codes.
Lock Trent Wedding has taken over as captain for season 2023 aided by the experience of 2018 and 2019 premiership winning coach Jake Barnes.
David Jacobson joins him in the leadership team and he’s a man who will be looked to for his experience and natural talents, particularly on the counter attack where he can be lethal.
It’s now just a matter of putting all those pieces together and Litchfield will see their efforts over the past few seasons pay off.
“We’re going well, growing from where we were last year, training has gone well and hopefully we can build some confidence heading into Round 1,” Wedding said.
“We didn’t get what we wanted last year so our focus has been on the little things; repeating sets, limiting our errors and penalties and things will go from there.
“We’ve had a lot of boys coming though from our juniors, it’s a big culture thing at Bears and we’ve got even more coming from under 18s this year.”
NIGHTCLIFF DRAGONS
Nightcliff did not have the year they were hoping for in 2022, despite their 60th anniversary celebrations, as they failed to make finals.
It was a strange result for a club which has for so long been a powerhouse in the Top End league community, and one they will be wanting to recover from.
In an attempt to achieve that goal they’ve brought in Darren Manaway as coach, a man who played 200 A-grade game and won six premierships with the club.
It’s the pedigree and experience the Dragons’ faithful will be hoping drives a resurgence for the proud club which last tasted premiership success in 2015.
Dragons faltered late in the year when job commitments and injuries stole much of their squad, so depth and a real focus on juniors should be the aim in 2023 to secure the future.
Two-time Frank Johnson medal winner Robbie Butcher was judged the best player in the comp over the past two seasons and is someone who can create chances out of nothing.
Tim Muhammad and David Tabuai will both make an impact in their own right, while Trey Crowley has been a consistent performer over recent seasons.
And a club of Nightcliff’s pedigree is always going to find a way of attracting quality players as they need.
But can they convert all these positives into a successful season?
SOUTH DARWIN RABBITOHS
South Darwin may have finished bottom of the ladder without a win once again in 2022, but it was undoubtedly a better year than we’ve seen from the Bunnies in some time.
The Rabbitohs held their own through the early stages of the season consistently scoring and keeping their scores against as respectable as they could.
A high point was the 16-all draw against Litchfield in Round 8 which should have marked a turning point in their season.
However, it wasn’t to be and Souths reverted to their form of old losing in landslides and forfeiting their Round 13 match, also against Litchfield.
Once again it’s a season of question marks for the club, but with coach Willie May staying on-board they will have that consistency to go forward.
May played a massive role in the early season uptick and knows the club which has often struggled with numbers and results won’t turn their fortune around overnight.
It will be some time until we see the club who last won in 2003 on top, but will this be the season where things start to come together?
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