How to make the NRL’s bottom 9 great again: Who goes up, who stays down in 2024?

The Broncos were Queensland’s great NRL hope in 2023, with the Cowboys, Titans and Dolphins falling behind. We investigate which Sunshine State clubs can reverse their fortunes in 2024.

Who goes up and who stays down in 2024?

Whether it was a coaching scandal, accusations of a toxic culture, mass injuries or suspensions, something went wrong with the bottom nine NRL teams this year.

But how can they bounce back from the disappointment of this season and make their clubs great again in 2024?

We predict which teams can climb out of the cellar and who is facing more of the same next season.

RABBITOHS

How it came to this

They came into 2023 as one of the competition’s title favourites, but it all went down the gurgler dramatically.

Reports of player unrest came out of poor performances midway through the season, and when issues between members of coaching staff were exposed, it turned hopeless.

Their spectacular fall saw them go from the top four coming into round 15, and following back-to-back losses to the Dragons and Cowboys, they were soon eighth and struggling. A loss to the Roosters in the last round ended their chances.

Reason for hope

Fullback Latrell Mitchell was heavily criticised for his performances this season and that alone should be enough to fire up the champion everyone knows he is. The arrival of Jack Wighton adds another x-factor into the side, and the former Canberra star will relish the chance for a fresh start with so many eyes on him.

Key issues

Souths are on a precipice now, and recent history says the club won’t don’t stay down for long without making big changes. They’ve had a similar team for the past few years, and have added only Wighton to the mix again this year. Fixing the issues around coaching and off-field harmony will be the key in taking this squad to the heights it deserves, otherwise they will be in danger again in 2024.

EELS

How it came to this

The Eels lost a handful of key players coming off the 2022 grand final, and on top of that, nothing went their way this season.

Injuries to Mitch Moses and Shaun Lane and long suspensions for Dylan Brown and Reagan Campbell-Gillard didn’t help their cause.

They looked tired this season, and close losses early in the year left them scrambling at the business end with nothing left in the tank.

Reason for hope

They seem to be the only team that knows how to beat Penrith. And that should count for something. In 2023 they beat the premiers twice, and if they can muster that same energy every week this season instead of saving it for their fiercest rivals, they’ll be hard to stop.

Key issues

Once again there hasn’t been a lot of turn over in the squad, which should be a good thing, except they were desperately looking for an x-factor last season and it doesn’t look like they’ve found one yet.

Coach Brad Arthur again comes under pressure after a disappointing season, but he’s been able to turn things around from here before. Another bad year could spell trouble.

COWBOYS

How it came to this

The Cowboys were heavily favoured to do something special this season but instead 2023 was bitterly disappointing. They finished 11th, but they were second from last midway through the season, with a six-game winning streak at the back end of the year flattering their overall results. They missed Jeremiah Nanai, Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes through either suspension or injury through the year, and never really looked on track.

Reason for hope

They had a 12-12 record and narrowly missed the finals. If anything, 2024 will determine one of two things – that either their success in 2022 was a fluke, or the misery of 2023 was an anomaly. Knowing the talent in the squad and the rising stars still yet to reach their full potential under coach Todd Payten, it’s going to be the latter.

Key issues

The biggest issue is consistency with the Cowboys. They had a miserable patch and close losses that cruelled them in 2023 and Payten needs to find a way to refresh the squad without much turnover.

SEA EAGLES

How it came to this

Yet another year without Tom Trbojevic in full flight, that’s how. The superstar fullback only played half the season at below his best, and then suffered another heartbreaking injury during Origin to rule him out for the rest of the year.

With so much of the salary cap tied up in him, Manly struggled with a lack of depth and didn’t get enough from Haumole Olakau’atu and Josh Schuster.

The weren’t in the top eight at any point after round 13, despite one of the best seasons of Daly Cherry-Evans’s career.

Reason for hope

Rising talent Tolutau Koula stunned at fullback in the final two games of last season, with a total of 522 running metres, 28 tackle breaks, two tries and five try assists. If they can find the right spot for him, he can be a genuine superstar. The addition of Luke Brooks to the halves could spark his career (and the team) too.

Key issues

With Brooks to play five-eighth, the big issue is whether Schuster can replicate his form of 2021 in the second row. Getting him firing will be essential to success. It goes without saying that Tom Trbojevic needs to be fit too, and getting both he and Koula involved in games will be a puzzle for Anthony Seibold.

DOLPHINS

How it came to this

They might be on this list but it was a solid first season for the Dolphins in the NRL.

They produced the moment of the season with a win in round 1 and followed it up with three straight wins to start the year, but injuries took their toll and they struggled as they dropped out of the top eight at the midway point.

Although they were scraping together a team at the end, they did the club proud and ‘Phins up’ became a big endorsement for successful expansion.

Reason for hope

The revival of Jamayne Isaako from a reserve grader to top tryscorer was one of the shining lights of the season, as well as the emergence of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow as a star of the game. Key recruits in Broncos grand final stars Herbie Farnworth and Tom Flegler will help take the Dolphins to another level as they begin to build a future.

Key issues

In 2024 they’ll deal with the realities of the NRL.

A group of experienced players are signed on short-term deals and the development of young players will be paramount to success now and in the future. It will be Wayne Bennett’s last season in charge too, with assistant Kristian Wolfe to take over as head coach from 2025.

TITANS

How it came to this

Gold Coast were sitting eighth when Justin Holbrook was sacked in June, and from there any hopes of making the finals were dashed.

They won just three of their last 11 games, including close losses to Canberra, Dolphins and Parramatta. But the shock call to bring in Des Hasler for 2024 signalled the club’s intentions to end mediocrity and contend for premierships.

Reason for hope

Two words – Des Hasler. The experienced ex-Manly and Canterbury coach brings a level of gravitas and legitimacy to the Gold Coast that they have desperately needed.

The long-term extension of powerhouse Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is another shot in the arm for the club, as well as David Fifita re-signing.

Key issues

The biggest issue will be how quickly Hasler can turn around the club.

There’s a sense of impatience with the Titans after two years of missing the finals, and he’ll need results fast to restore belief in the club with fans.

BULLDOGS

How it came to this

Even the Bulldogs are struggling to understand what is happening at the club at the moment.

They started the season with tentative positivity with Cameron Ciraldo taking over as coach. But it quickly spiralled into disaster with poor on-field results that ended with claims of a toxic culture within the playing group and coaching staff accused of bullying.

Reason for hope

They’ve had somewhat of a clean-out and recruited Penrith hero Stephen Crichton, which is reason enough to hope. But it’s going to take more than a quality player or two to fix things at Belmore.

Key issues

Shocking revelations about the club’s culture and accusations of bullying within the squad have eroded any remaining trust between fans and club. Ciraldo has attempted to set some standards within the team, but that line is blurry and it hasn’t landed the way he’d hoped. How he handles that in a club desperate for success will be his biggest test in 2024.

DRAGONS

How it came to this

It was another season of disappointment for St George Illawarra, who didn’t start out on the right foot. There was little hope for their season and poor results cost Anthony Griffin his job after 11 rounds, causing skipper Ben Hunt to threaten to walk out on his contract. They finished with just five wins and a lot of questions about how to fix the mess.

Reason for hope

Cronulla’s premiership-winning coach Shane Flanagan could be the man to turn things around after five seasons without making the finals as a club. There’s plenty of rising stars on the books and he knows how to get the best out of young talent.

Key issues

Hunt has been the club’s best player over the past few years and the Dragons need him to buy into Flanagan’s coaching to get the best out of the whole team. For now he’s agreed to see out his deal but keeping him engaged in the club will be the biggest issue.

TIGERS

How it came to this

It was another season from hell for the Tigers and the second wooden spoon in a row.

They won just four games all year around seven-game and 10-game losing streaks, while the coaching structure fell apart and Tim Sheens eventually stepped aside as coach for 2024 after just one season.

As has become typical, they had moments of positivity on the field but not even big name recruits Apisai Koroisau, David Klemmer, Isaiah Papali’i and John Bateman could turn it around.

Reason for hope

The Fainu brothers Latu and Samuela look like genuine stars of the future, while the ongoing development of fullback Jahream Bula is a huge bright spot for Tigers fans.

Benji Marshall’s appointment as head coach could be a stroke of genius and there’s hopes he can fire up the attack that suffered so much in 2023.

Key issues

Supporters have every right to be anxious about the year ahead given Marshall’s lack of coaching experience and the 12 years of misery he’s been tasked to turn around.

The return of Aidan Sezer to the NRL will also be a point of interest after the exit of Luke Brooks.

Originally published as How to make the NRL’s bottom 9 great again: Who goes up, who stays down in 2024?