Wow. Who can believe the NRL regular season is already half-over. It seemed like only yesterday that round one brought the first fix of 2009 for the rugby league faithful.
So here we are after 13 rounds of football. We've seen spectacular tries and individual and team heroics. We've celebrated our clubs' victories and we've endured the bitter taste of defeat. The NRL has been rocked by fresh controversies both on and off the field. Coaches have been under siege, while other coaches have prospered. New stars have emerged and with them new teams are announcing themselves as genuine premiership threats. So far 2009 has had it all.
So where does your team fit into the 2009 season? As usual I will analyse club-by-club, but this time I will start with those clubs in the top eight. My reasoning here is my belief that barring one or two exceptions, the finals mix is already taking shape. The teams currently in the eight are likely to be there come September, though not necessarily in their current order.
So here we go, in current placing order...
St George Dragons
The Dragons have been arguably the form team of the comp so far this season. Jamie Soward has led the team around the park brilliantly, and performances by origin debutants Justin Poore and Michael Weyman, together with Darius Boyd excelling at his new club have lifted the side significantly. Look for a top four finish and provided the red and whites don't get stage fright, perhaps this is the year that elusive premiership returns to Kogarah.
Canterbury Bulldogs
The mighty Doggies have bounced back from last year's disappointing wooden-spoon finish with a vengeance and are now firmly entrenched in the finals race. Dubious decisions have robbed the club of four premiership points that would otherwise see them clear at the top of the ladder, however the side has managed to put these trivialities behind them and focus on what they do best – winning football games. Brett Kimmorley, Mick Ennis and Ben Hannant have been sensations for the club, inspiring more long-term clubmen to bring out their own best once again.
Gold Coast Titans
Yet again the NRL newbies find themselves at the top at this stage of the season. The difference this year though is the training wheels have come off and the Titans now know how to win games without Scott Prince. Forwards Luke Bailey and Anthony Laffranchi have been sensational, while Mat Rogers is enjoying arguably his best season since his return to the NRL. Watch out for the Titans in 2009.
Brisbane Broncos
The Broncos have shrugged off the loss of former coach Wayne Bennett and several stars in the off season, winning eight out of twelve games to enjoy an equal share of the lead. Not that it was going to be any other way. As I said in my season preview, Brisbane don't go badly – It just doesn't happen. Watch for the likes of Hunt, Folau, Lockyer, Wallace and Thaiday to keep excelling and for Brisbane to be right there at the end of the regular season.
Melbourne Storm
After a shaky start to the year the Storm have begun to display signs of the football club they are capable of being. More consistency is needed though – the Storm will destroy anyone on their day as evidenced by their recent wins over Canberra and Brisbane, but dumb football has started to leak into some of their performances this year and that will need to be addressed in the second half of the season. Expect the Storm to finish comfortably in the eight, but there are too many good sides this season to say the Storm can definitely win it.
North Queensland Cowboys
Finally the beast may again be emerging. For years we have watched the Cowboys sputter and disappoint while knowing their roster is capable of so much more. As at the conclusion of round 13 North Queensland are sitting in sixth, having beaten premiership leaders St George and along the way shown some returns to form among key players. Whether they can improve enough to be a genuine threat, it is too early to tell.
Penrith Panthers
One of this season's biggest surprises, Penrith are firmly entrenched in the eight after having played some fantastic football. Young guns Lachlan Coote and Wade Graham are enjoying tremendous form, whilst Luke Lewis is playing his best football for years. Michael Jennings too is performing sensationally, having earned a NSW jumper for his efforts. Where the Panthers go from here is unknown – some are calling them genuine contenders but like with the Cowboys, it is still a long season before the start of finals football.
Newcastle Knights
Another big success story in 2009 is the resurgence of the Knights as a potential finals side. Sitting on sixteen points after eight wins, it would seem Brian Smith's long term plan for the club is starting to bear fruit. Kurt Gidley's sensational club form has seen him captain a NSW Origin side that teammate Jarrod Mullen was unfortunate to be omitted from. And as to whether the club is missing Danny Buderus – the answer is a firm no with recruit Isaac De Gois performing admirably in the number nine.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Souths have managed to keep mostly in touch with the eight but are yet to prove their credentials to join it. As usual Nathan Merritt has been sensational, as has reborn utility Craig Wing. The Bunnies have banked five wins and a draw to their 2009 account, but will need to win more than they lose from here on in if they want to figure in the equation at the business end of the year.
Manly Sea Eagles
After a horrid start to the year, the Eagles are starting to string some important wins together and are possibly the only team currently outside of the eight with legitimate premiership credentials. The personnel from last year's grand final winning team are mostly intact, and provided Manly can keep their newly rediscovered belief they will be a team to watch out for.
Canberra Raiders
Canberra have had a mixed season thus far. Again their big weakness is their away form; at home they have been impressive however on the road they continue to falter. You can however expect Terry Campese to return from origin fired up and inspire the Raiders to a few more big wins this year – but if they don't begin their charge soon then I'm afraid they'll be in the grandstands come September.
New Zealand Warriors
Another disappointing season of inconsistent and indifferent form. The Warriors promised so much this year after making the finals last year and welcoming star Stacey Jones back into the fold for 2009. Since then it's been the same bad old New Zealand, showing patches of form but winning only four games out of eleven starts. Question marks hover over the decision to relegate the in-form Nathan Fien to make way for Jones, however if that was their only problem they'd be in a better position than they are now.
Parramatta Eels
Parramatta are all about 2010 now. The resignation of chief executive Dennis Fitzgerald is evidence that change was needed; and the signings for next year of Justin Poore and Shane Shackleton suggest that the future is where the club's concentration lies. The Eels have had a disappointing year – indifferent form and Brett Finch's walkout not helping the side's fortunes. One positive has been the resurgence of Jarryd Hayne, but one man alone cannot play for the whole team. Sorry Eels fans, but you may as well turn your TV sets off until next March.
Wests Tigers
Well, Benji Marshall has stayed on the field all year and the Tigers still find themselves near the bottom of the table. As always, they've shown glimpses of what they're capable of with the football but again have also shown just how dumb they can be. 2009 will be chalked down as another disappointing season of inconsistent form, with the promise of improvement next year. Tigers fans are however starting to grow weary as the seasons roll on.
Cronulla Sharks
Cronulla players and fans would be forgiven for thinking they're stuck in a horror movie. Poor early season form, coupled with the New Zealand sex scandal, the club's financial woes, Reni Maitua's positive drug test and now the standing down of chief executive Tony Zappia. It can't get any worse in the shire. It doesn't help either that the players are unsure what to even play for – they may not have a club anymore come September. At least they're not coming dead last.
Sydney Roosters
The Roosters are gone for 2009, and coach Brad Fittler will gone soon too. The appointment of "assistant" coach Arthur Beetson is evidence the club board don't believe Fittler has what it takes – and only three wins from twelve starts is the proof. Thank god for their fickle latte sipping fans that the Swans are at least in the AFL eight.
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