NRL 2024: 21 spicy takes and predictions for the remainder of the season
The 2024 NRL season may be precisely one round old, but it is never too soon for some ridiculously early takes on the coach of the year, buy of the year and blunder of the year.
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Ridiculously early hot takes, throws at the stumps, predictions, observations, rants, call them what you will.
Coach of the year, buy of the year, calling out stupid rules that will be headaches all season – it’s all here and so much more.
In no particular order, here’re 21 things to watch for heading into Round 2.
A PENNY FOR CRITTA’S THOUGHTS
What is October going to look like for Stephen Crichton this year? After playing in the past four grand finals, what’s going through his head? What have I done? Is it time to snap up an early deal for an overseas holiday?
Crichton looked a dejected figure at times during the opening round loss to Parramatta and one image in particular painted a grim picture.
Looking dejected with both hands on his hips, you couldn’t help but think that was the moment when the penny dropped for the Bulldogs’ captain.
The realisation that chasing the big bucks, around $800,000 per season, to join the Bulldogs has only bought him a spot on the couch during the finals after three straight titles with Penrith.
ARTHUR LIVES ON
Brad Arthur will be Parramatta’s coach in 2025. There is already talk that the longest serving Eels coach is on the nose and won’t be in charge if the Eels miss the finals for a second-year running. But Parramatta looked like a serious football team that is headed for the finals, and ready to save the coach’s job.
FLANNO COACH OF THE YEAR
Shane Flanagan is a genius and will lead the Dragons to the finals. Flanno is the runaway clubhouse leader for clipboard holder of 2024, give him the trophy now.
BIG BUCKS ON THE BENCH
The rise of Ben Trbojevic will turn Manly’s Josh Schuster into a $800,000 per season bench forward. Trbojevic might not have the flashy plays like Schuster but what he does possess in spades is effort and work ethic. That will keep Schuster out of Anthony Seibold’s starting side in 2024. The best Schuster can hope for is a bench spot.
Campo is fired up after some questionable round one Dally M votes. Is the system broken? If so, how do we fix it?#nrl#dallympic.twitter.com/mtQ55OXD3c
— NRL Boom Rookies (@BoomRookies) March 11, 2024
DALLY M DISASTER
Dally M judging should not be anonymous. Judges will determine the winner of the game’s highest individual accolade and for the sake of the medal’s integrity should be accountable for bad calls. Dolphins fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow had a shocker but earned a point in the tally. Dodgy voting, with no ramifications, will only open the door for accusations of bias and risk tainting the sanctity of the medal.
BACK LATRELL
Souths will miss the finals again if the Rabbitohs’ other spine members continue to sit back and let Latrell Mitchell spark everything in attack – he can’t do it all. It was the case for large parts of the Rabbitohs’ season-opening loss to Manly. He was the only spine member to get a pass mark in Vegas, with Damien Cook, Cody Walker, and Lachlan Illias all putting in average performances. It’s time to step up and help the star No. 1 or it will be another very long season.
REYNOLDS’ CONCERNS
How much good footy does Adam Reynolds have left in the tank? He was slow out of the blocks against the Roosters and picked up a knee injury. Miraculously, he also picked up a Dally M point for his effort in Vegas but the fact Joseph Manu’s incredible performance didn’t even get a point in voting speaks volumes about the mystery judges on that game. Reynolds’ opposite number, Sam Walker, racked up more SuperCoach points than him, too (55-45). There’s no doubting 33-year-old Reynolds’ class, and he will most likely carve up the depleted Rabbitohs this week, but what sort of physical shape will he be in for the business end of the season? That’s the big concern.
RAIDERS’ X-RATED MESSAGE
If you’re wondering whether the Canberra Raiders have taken note of all the experts writing them off this season, wonder no more. A sign in the Raiders’ change rooms after Thursday night’s win over Newcastle sums up their backs to the wall attitude. “F--- em’’ it says succinctly.
BROOKS-VALE
Luke Brooks has broken from his Wests Tigers shackles and will go on to claim buy of the year. Speed to burn and is a threat with the ball when he’s in a happy place and it looks like a happy place at Brookvale.
NFL-STYLE ‘END-ZONES’
Fully coloured in-goals should be compulsory at all NRL games such as the belters we saw in Vegas! Make them standout from the rest of the boring grass. It’s the place to be, so let’s make it special. It would also be a throwback for rugby league, returning to the glory days of the old Winfield Cup all red in-goals on grand final day.
TEDDY TO EXTEND TROPHY CABINET
Sydney Roosters and NSW captain James Tedesco will lead the Blues to an Origin series win, sending his many critics ducking for cover. And to cap it off, he’s likely to be there on grand final day with the Chooks, too. No player is marked harder by the punters than Tedesco and he’s copped the blame for just about everything wrong with NSW bar the rising price of groceries, and he knows he’s only one dropped ball away from being written off again.
DITCH THE SHORT KICK
The head scratching short restart rule tweak will continue to cause issues for purists all season. It’s so nonsensical and it was there for all to see during the Dragons v Titans clash in Round 1. Ben Hunt’s dropout fell well short of 10 metres before going into touch but was called “Contestable” by the referee. How can a kick be deemed contestable if the ball hasn’t gone the required distance to allow players to legally compete for it? “Contestable kick, could have gone 10 metres. Changeover.” said ref Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski. Short restarts are a roll of the dice and you should be penalised if you get it wrong.
FRESH SPOON CONTENDER EMERGES
Des Hasler’s Titans have thrown themselves in the wooden spoon mix with the usual suspects. Sure, they’ve got some players to come back but that performance against the Dragons was a stinker and if they keep it up the spoon beckons.
HIP DROP CONFUSION
The hip drop lottery will continue for another season. Last year the NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley said the hip drop tackle wasn’t complicated and the boxes to tick were a “grab, twist and body weight onto the leg”. Looking at that checklist, it’s hard to work out how Canberra’s Emre Guler escaped with a fine for his tackle on Newcastle’s Dylan Lucas.
ENFORCER TO MAKE MAROONS RETURN
Back rower Jaydn Su’A to play Origin again for the Maroons. Made a blazing start under Shane Flanagan for the Dragons and will add to his four games for Queensland this year after last playing in 2021.
LUAI PLAYMAKING WOBBLES
Have the Wests Tigers made the right call, outlaying big money for Jarome Luai as a chief playmaker? The Panthers looked frazzled a few times in attack against the fast-moving Storm defence, including a handful of occasions when Luai had the ball on the fifth tackle and couldn’t come up with the right play. It’s a part of the game the Wests Tigers will be relying on heavily when he starts getting paid $1.6m from next year onwards as a chief playmaker.
KNIGHTS DIDN’T GET IT RIGHT
The Knights were out muscled and outplayed by a Raiders side tipped to challenge for the spoon. The attack is still too reliant on Kalyn Ponga. But giving Jack Cogger a crack in the halves with Tyson Gamble at lock gives the side more options in attack. Tactics and selection calls are on the coach. O’Brien was hanging on by a thread before a 10-game winning streak saved his job and earned him three more years in December. Club powerbrokers should have waited to see if the late season surge was a one-off or if O’Brien was the real deal.
SUPERCOACH SIRENS
Parramatta’s Bryce Cartwright will cannibalise teammate Shaun Lane’s attacking stats in 2024. A third of SuperCoach owners would have been relieved to see Shaun Lane play the full 80 minutes on the left edge but hardly over the moon with his output. Given Bryce Cartwright’s form and willingness to get his hands on the ball on the right side, there’s a risk less attacking plays go down the left channel, stealing points from the popular pick Lane. Lane also has the tough task of breaking down Penrith’s right edge on Friday night of Brian To’o, Izack Tago, Liam Martin and Nathan Cleary – all very handy defenders.
FITZGIBBON’S FINALS HOODOO
Craig Fitzgibbon’s first finals win as Sharks coach will come in 2024. Cronulla were labelled pretenders and their record against top eight sides is less than desirable (three wins from 11 games in 2023) but showed against the Warriors the side had turned a corner on both fronts. The Sharks look gritty, and led by Nicho Hynes, are poised to be more than the side that merely makes up the numbers.
NEW TOP DOGS IN QUEENSLAND
The Cowboys will lasso the Broncos to finish on top of their ‘big brother’ on the ladder in 2024. Big, fit and brimming with talent, the Cowboys are poised to give the premiership a shake this year and replace the Broncos in the top four. Brisbane, however, looks like a side that has left its grand final appearance go to its head. Kicked off with some pre-season off-field drama and while they’ll make the finals, the Broncos will play second fiddle to the Cowboys as the Queensland team to beat, with the Dolphins and Titans bringing up the rear.
BELLAMY BOWS OUT A WINNER
Craig Bellamy will call time on his illustrious career as a head coach once and for all, and will do so with another title in tow. The Storm rediscovered their impeccable defence to keep Bellamy’s 22-year round one win record alive, imagine what is possible if the side played each week with the motivation to send out Bellamy out a winner. The old adage does go that ‘defence wins premierships’ and it was the Storm who turned the cliche into a truism.
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