NRL Ladder Predictor: Way-too-early predictions for 2024
Some clubs will soar and others will sink. Check out Pam Whaley’s way-too-early NRL ladder predictions for the upcoming rugby league season.
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Yes, it’s early. Beyond early. It’s premature.
But now that we’re back into pre-season training and squads are all-but finalised for 2024, we have a good enough idea to have a crack at a ladder predictor.
Pamela Whaley successfully predicted every result in the NRL Finals series, so who better to speculate on where each team will finish next season?
Let us know if you agree with her predictions in the comments.
1st – PENRITH
Four grand finals in a row and three straight premierships. Predicting the Panthers will finish first again in 2024 is the least risky guess on this list. Of course, they have lost Stephen Crichton to the Bulldogs and Spencer Leniu to the Roosters, but they have such a good system it’s hard to imagine it will have a profound enough impact to knock them off the top.
2nd – BRISBANE
They came so agonisingly close to the title this year and for many, they were the best team all season. They have a young squad and plenty of players who are still yet to find their peak. And while losing Tom Flegler and Herbie Farnworth (in particular) hurts, the Broncos can go again in 2024 and use the sting of grand final defeat to improve.
3rd – STORM
They’ve made the top four more often than they haven’t across their entire history as a club and that’s a hell of a legacy. People often doubt they can continue their success, and yet, they manage to do it year after year. The core of the squad remains together, and there’s every chance Ryan Papenhuyzen returns for round 1 too.
4th – MANLY
They’re one injury away from a season of struggles, but surely their luck has got to change at some stage. It could be 2024. A fit Tom Trbojevic changes the fortunes of this football team – and the addition of Luke Brooks to the halves alongside Daly Cherry-Evans, who is still one of the best players in the game, could make magic.
5th – WARRIORS
The Warriors had a fairytale season in 2023 and they should be in for more success in the coming year. They’re no longer a sleeping giant though. Adding Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to the squad only heightens the expectations on the team, and the major deciding factor will be whether they can handle it.
6th – KNIGHTS
Newcastle showed in the second half of the season that they’re a force to be reckoned with. Kalyn Ponga put his hand up as one of the best players in the game and despite a heap of injuries, they dared to dream on a 10-game winning streak. Now that we know what they’re capable of, they need to do it consistently.
7th – RABBITOHS
The Rabbitohs underachieved in 2023 by missing the finals, but they won’t stay down for long. A fit Latrell Mitchell will make all the difference, and the added flair and experience of Jack Wighton will create even more options in attack.
8th - ROOSTERS
The Roosters looked like they had no chance of making the finals in 2023 until they found some hot form in the last few weeks of the season. It will act as a wake up call for the squad that should be contenders every year and they’ll do enough to make it again in 2024.
9th – EELS
The Eels had a ruthless draw last season and they’ve got another tough one coming up. Injuries cruelled them and they struggled to catch up, and given a bit of luck that won’t be an issue in 2024. However, they’re still missing a strike weapon in the backline that can help take them to a new level.
10th – SHARKS
Cronulla were another side that struggled with a heap of injuries last season, but even when they were fit they weren’t totally clicking. With no new recruits to the roster they will need to rely on their development as a team to go better next season.
11th – COWBOYS
The Cowboys only won four games on the road last season and that form played a huge part in missing the finals. They came so close to making the top eight, and they’ll be thereabouts again, but like the Sharks they’ve made minimal changes to the roster and will need to make amends with the unavoidable issue of travel to climb the ladder.
12th – TITANS
The Des Hasler factor is the biggest unknown at the Titans next year. There is so much potential in the squad, and he’s the man to help uncover it. It might not happen straight away, but they will improve on their 14th placed finish from last season.
13th – RAIDERS
The Raiders landed in the finals on the back of gutsy, close wins, but they still managed to leak a whole lot of points in 2023. It’s an intensity that will wear thin over time, and it could catch up with them next year. Losing Jack Wighton is a huge blow.
14th – DOLPHINS
Another season under Wayne Bennett will be huge for the Dolphins and they will stun a few teams again in 2024. However, they may not find the kind of improvement and consistency they’ll need to finish higher up the ladder, despite the help of some important recruits.
15th – BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs have come into the pre-season without a first-choice halves combination or really any roles in the spine settled for 2024. It will need to be a hell of a pre-season to turn the club around. Stranger things have happened, but there’s not a lot of expectation on them this year – even with premiership star Stephen Crichton added to the roster.
16th – DRAGONS
It’s not the best sign that their best player of the past few years – Ben Hunt – already asked for a release for next season. He’s agreed to stay, but he’ll have to work hard to show he doesn’t have one foot out the door, and Shane Flanagan will have to work hard to keep him.
17th – TIGERS
They’ve got a lot of work to do to prove to anyone that they’ve grown beyond their last place finish from the past two seasons. Their squad deserves better than a wooden spoon, but teams above them should all improve this year too and Benji Marshall is the only rookie coach across the competition. Someone has to come last and the Tigers are the safest bet.
Originally published as NRL Ladder Predictor: Way-too-early predictions for 2024
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