2012 Teams Verdict ...So Far

[MK Eagle]

Interested to see who ppl rate at this stage -who is underachieving & who has raised the bar.
For mine Storm are a much better proposition than 2011 where they peaked all season but had no extra gears come finals time. As expected the big 3 are firing but players like Widdop,Duffie & Proctor have improved & getting Nielson back, seem the yardstick atm.
The biggest fail so far is Newcastle, Tigers & NZ but I wont be suprised to see the latter 2 get a roll on by seasons end & challenge Manly/Melbourne come finals time.
Tipped Sharks for top 5-8 but have exceeding my expectations & could easily be undefeated at this stage. Have a strong foward pack & Gallen love or hate him - is a legit freak. Carney has added spark & they are competing for 80 mins a game. Gardner could be a crucial loss.
Realise its early days but whats the opinions at this stage??

 

[Dan]

Far too early to tell in my opinion, Teams are just starting to sort themselves out a little bit.

At this stage ball control is still absolutely woeful and the Storm are the only team really playing well. Every other team bar maybe Bulldogs and Broncos as well seem to a fair bit behind the expected pace. I'd say by round 10 we should have a better picture as the teams even out a bit.

Origin is always a killer however

 

[Stevo]

Manly are the best

 

[MadMarcus]

1. I expected the Storm to be up there but they do appear to be a clear cut above everyone so far. Slater is on fire. I hope they choke at the end of the year but unfortunately I think they are a good chance at winning and are clear favourites imo

2. The Broncos are doing much better than I expected without Lockyer (probably because they have replaced him with Alfie who spends more time on the field than Tooves ever did as a trainer). I have managed to catch them a few times on the odd occasion they play on FNF and they look like a genuine contender to me.

3. Bulldogs are doing better than expected, but I can see it all crashing down from round 8 onwards... No way they are anything near the real deal.

4. The Sharks are probably doing a bit better than I expected but like you MK I did expect them to be quite competitive this year as long as Carney stays out of trouble. I think they will finish somewhere in the middle of the top 8.

5. I did not expect the Roosters to be this high but expect to see them slip back down the ladder where they belong before the year is out.

6. Same goes for the Raiders.

7. As for Manly, I'm not surprised we had a few losses in a row there. I predicted we would get off to a slow start so the good times we have had so far are a bonus. I expect us to improve substantially as the season progresses and hopefully injuries and suspensions are a bit kinder to us than they have been so far. We are a genuine shot at B2B.

8. I think Bennett will find it much harder to find success at the Knights than it was finding it at the Dragons. The Knights results so far reflect that. They are no hope this year.

9. I never know what to make of the Cows. One superstar, a couple of good players and a core of losers. Middle of the table seems about right and I think they will stay thereabouts unless Thurston gets injured in which case they will drop like a stone.

10. At Souths Matt King seems to be going better than expected and Everingham is a revelation. Their new halfback seems ok too and I think they will forget Sandow pretty quickly. But overall Souths continue to live up to my expectations of perpetual mediocrity.

11. The Dragons success ended when Bennett left. I think they will make the bottom half of the 8 by the end of the year though. Hopefully somebody will punch Jamie Soward in the face at some point.

12. I expected nothing from Penrith after they lost Petero and they are all delivering exactly that.

13. The Warriors have been very disappointing. I expected them to be much higher. Maybe Cleary was responsible for their success? It is getting to the point where I am starting to think they can't turn it around.

14. I never bought into the Tigers hype. They are doing a little bit worse than I expected but I am not surprised at all that they are not leading the comp like the experts predicted. I'm loving every minute of their current predicament to be honest.

15. I am very surpised that the Titans.... are still in the competition. On the field they are performing as expected.

16. Parra are last. The only surprise is the Kearney hasn't been sacked yet.

From what I have seen the Storm, Broncos and Manly are the only real contenders for the title.

 

[Crusher_Cleal]

I don't think the Sharks have the outside backs quality to compete this year. The pack and Carney can only carry them so far.

 

[MK Eagle]

I don't think the Sharks have the outside backs quality to compete this year. The pack and Carney can only carry them so far.

At crunch time I think your spot on mate - but the better teams will have to beat them - they wont capitulate like in recent seasons.

 

[torana355]

I think Marcus has summed up my thoughts pretty much. One thing that most people agree on and that includes supporters of other teams is that Manly is probably the only team that has the roster at full strength to beat the Storm at the business end of the year. i also think the Broncos will fall in a heap once they have to play on another night other then Friday and they play some decent teams, the only real decent team they have beat is Stgeorge at Suncorp.

 

[Frank]

11. The Dragons success ended when Bennett left. I think they will make the bottom half of the 8 by the end of the year though. Hopefully somebody will punch Jamie Soward in the face at some point.

I live in hope.

 

[Dan]

One thing that the Sharks have been able to do, is to control the footy and this makes a massive difference. They spend the early part of games just completing sets and pushing for penalties, they get the weight of possession and score points off the back of it. They then sit back and try to defend the lead, because they can't do it for 80 minutes. This will not win them much more than half the season, eventually teams get under their skin and things will fall apart. Either that or teams will see out the opening half and put on plenty in the second when things start to go awry for the sharkies

 

[The Who]

With the exception of a few matches (ie. Manly V Warriors) the standard of football has been below previous years. I don;t see this improving until all the rep games are over.
My pre-season tip for the minor premiership, Brisbane, is on track. Why wouldn't it be when they get such a cushy draw? But they haven't got the ball players to win the comp. And they'll have to play finals matches on non-Friday nights!
Melbourne are the benchmark, but they have been in others years as well, only to stumble when it most matters. And they are susceptible to an injury of their 'big three' ruining their chances.
Our chances rely on injuries. If we are near full strength at finals time then we will go back-to-back.
I hope Cronulla continue to do well and make up the top four. I like their spirit.
The other finalists 'will' be: Illawarra, Canterbury and Cowboys, with the Worriers (by far the most disappointing team to date), Souths, Tigers and Newcastle fighting for eight place.

 

[mozgrame]

Anyone willing to back the Raiders tonight?

 

[NewwyEagle]

Contenders - Storm, Sea Eagles, Broncos
Dark Horses - Cowboys, Raiders
Top Eight Potential - Sharks, Roosters, Bulldogs, Dragons, Warriors, Knights, Tigers, Rabbitohs
Not a Chance - Eels, Titans, Panthers

 

[MK Eagle]

Contenders - Storm, Sea Eagles, Broncos
Dark Horses - Cowboys, Raiders
Top Eight Potential - Sharks, Roosters, Bulldogs, Dragons, Warriors, Knights, Tigers, Rabbitohs
Not a Chance - Eels, Titans, Panthers

That Not a chance is spot on & almost agree with the rest.
I see Broncs in that 4-6 area. Many will disagree but I find Wallace very overrated. He is solid but not the matchwinner you need at 7. Shows how thin we are for NSW half when his name keeps popping up as frontrunner....
Raiders have a kicka## foward pack & if Dugan & Campo stayed fit they could scare plenty.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Storm are going well BUT injury free (to date), can they go a whole season injury free????...if so could easily win.

Bronco's are going real well, but are their "young guns" ready for the big time finals later in the year??

Manly have had a terrible draw, the trip to the UK and a horrid start with injuries, at full strength we could beat any team.

Sharks are a surprise, but I agree with what Dan said...it's simple no fuss footy and methinks that doesn't win finals.

Warriors looked fabulous in game 1, don't write them off yet.

Dragons also going ok, and I think these sides will there in September.

The rest, well at this point not a chance!!