We look at how the NRL NT sides are shaping up ahead of the 2022 finals

The NRL NT finals are upon us and we’ve taken a look at how each of the sides are shaping up heading into the first week. Who do you think will win? Take our poll.

It’s finals time in the 2022 season of the NRL NT and the four remaining sides are primed and ready for their shot at the premiership trophy.

We have taken a look at each of the remaining A-Grade sides ahead of first weekend of finals rugby.

NORTHERN SHARKS

Season Record:

Wins: 15

The reigning premiers have gone up another level in 2022 and have seen off all-comers in an undefeated home and away season.

They’ve approached each game in the same calm manner and have risen to the challenge each time.

Sharks have well and truly left behind the years where they struggled outside of finals and now boast players who work for each other at each and every play.

Damien Mick and Mitch Burke are the dynamic duo at the centre of every play, and with multi-position player Dakota Marsh run the flow of the game.

And with backs such as Cooper Segeyaro, Simaika Salaa, Tom Gunn and Lachie Wright, there’s plenty of options to get the job done in offensive play.

Sharks David Munro as Palmerston Raiders take on Northern Sharks at Goodline Park in Roseberry. Picture: Glenn Campbell

But the hallmark of this Sharks side in 2022 has been their defence and the work rate of their forwards.

Cameron Versteegh and Adam Hall, among others, have often put the hard work early in the match fending off attack after attack to set the foundation for a late-game blitz from the backs.

If there is any chink in their armour it’s that they’ve been less dominant than they were at the beginning of the season.

A 20-10 win over Litchfield, in which Sharks spent 30 minutes a man down, remains their closest winning margin, but a hard fought 26-6 win against Brothers in Round 14 was another close call.

Until the final 20 minutes the match was on a knife’s edge only to spill over late thanks to Sharks’ fitness.

Fitness will be key in finals for Sharks and they will rely on that to see them through finals.

PALMERSTON RAIDERS

Season Record:

Wins: 10

Losses: 5

It was a slow start to the year for the usually strong Raiders and as a result the side slipped under the radar in a way they haven’t managed in recent years.

Perhaps that may be to the benefit of Palmerston.

A running theme over the past decade has been the club dominating the regular season only to falter during finals.

That’s not to say anyone will be taking them lightly, they still came second.

But they’re not coming in with all the pressure of expectation as they have been in years past.

The major semi-final is the first hurdle.

Not just are they facing the league leaders but in Sharks they are also facing their bogey team.

Palmerston’s Tevita Kanalagi in the NRL NT A-Grade match between Nightcliff Dragons and Palmerston Raiders. Picture: Glenn Campbell

For Raiders fans it was another heartbreaking loss in the 2021 grand final and in 2022 they’ve been unable to cross double digits against Sharks losing 36-0, 28-4 and 38-6 across their three encounters.

Any way you look at it this is a quality Palmerston side with plenty of long term names in and around their squad.

Shane Smith and Steven Smith remain among the premier forwards, aided by long term Raider Brad Hansen and the destructive Sean Huirame.

Their backs are equally as deadly on their day with captain Alex Johnson, Tevita Kanalagi, Jake Rainger and Will Beers all in strong form and more than able to run in a try.

DARWIN BROTHERS

Season Record:

Wins: 9

Losses: 6

It’s been an up and down year, but the Brethren have never looked out of the finals fight.

Their growing depth has shown once again and fortunately they’ve been able to get many of their best players on the field each week.

Still the smallest side in the league, but they know that and have an exciting style of play to complement their talents.

They’ve lacked some of their key players from recent years such as Leon Rotumah, Tommy Clarke and Nick Yarran, but still have plenty of firepower coming through their ranks.

Chief among them has been captain Isaac Sedan-Kurnoth, who’s proven his ability to both make the important tackles in defence and the big carries in attack.

Darwin Brothers captain Isaac Sedan-Kurnoth Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Lachie Braun has proved all season why he was honoured with the Player’s Player award in 2021 and, alongside Darcy Holmes and Elijah Coombes, has stepped up in the forward pack each week.

Then there’s the excitement of Caleb Niki whose powerful leg drive has been on show for many years now.

First year rugby union convert Hayden Riggs and young gun Jye Fong have also proven exciting in the backs feeding into the fast paced game style of the club.

Falling to third late in the season means they have to go the long way around to reach finals, but after 2020’s premiership, that might just be how they like it.

For Brothers it’s just a matter of holding on against the big sides long enough to give their exciting backline a chance to run.

LITCHFIELD BEARS

Season Record:

Wins: 6

Draws: 1

Losses 8

The Bears are back in the finals fight and will be hoping to make their mark.

Litchfield have plenty of young talent among their ranks and the rebuild that started after the disappointment of losing the 2020 grand final is already paying off.

However, they come in knowing success will be an uphill battle with only one win over the top three – a tight 24-20 victory against Palmerston in Round 7.

And 2021 NRL NT Rising Star winner Nathan Dixon has cemented his place in the halves and has had the new look Bears playing a fast paced game.

That’s been to the benefit of the side’s backs, particularly captain David Jacobson whose elusive running has caught many a side.

Litchfield captain David Jacobson dives for a try after a fumble from Nightcliff . Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Those two need to fire alongside some of the forwards such as Dillan Vanderburg for the side to find success in the finals series.

It’s a long trip to the grand final for the young side who has to first face Brothers in the minor semi-final - a side they’ve yet to beat in 2022.

But coach Jake Barnes knows what success in the NRL NT feels like and many of the older heads in the squad will want to push their side back to that experience.

So 2022 may be a year too soon for this group, but surprises have become the norm in NRL NT finals in recent years and Bears will be wanting some of those surprises to go their way.