NRL - Gaw's mid-season report card for every team

With 13 rounds gone, season 2013 has most certainly had its share of excitement. New stars have emerged while others have struggled. Some teams have excelled while others have under-delivered. Where does your team sit? Read on...

Glory, glory to South Sydney?

It’s been a long time since the Bunnies were this close to living up to their theme song. Souths are sitting pretty at the top on the NRL ladder and looking to better their 2012 finals appearance. With the Burgess boys leading up front, the Sutton/Reynolds halves combo firing and Greg Inglis in devastating form, perhaps this could be their year.

Weathering the Storm

The 2012 Premiers Melbourne Storm seem to have righted the ship after a couple of off weeks with the football. With the key triumvirate of Slater, Cronk and Smith leading the way they are well poised for another crack at the title. No team has won back-to-back titles since Brisbane in 1992 and 1993 (not counting ‘97 Super League and ’98 NRL) but Melbourne could very well be the first.

Are the Roosters the real deal?

The Sydney Roosters’ great form has caught everyone by surprise in 2013 and propelled pivot James Maloney into Origin footy. The Chooks appear well-balanced in both attack and defence with the right mix of experience and youth to take the club forward. But is it too soon to expect a premiership in Bondi? I suspect so. They’re on track to make the eight and maybe even the top four, but a lack of finals experience may be the telling factor.

Manly in the mix

The Sea Eagles sitting in fourth despite suffering a few key injuries, even if question marks are starting to be asked in regard to their recent form. But the boys from Brookie still have the personnel to do some damage, and let’s face it, at this point in 2011 probably no one had them earmarked as the eventual premiers that year. Manly are still very much in the mix.

Gold Coast building for the future

After a couple of lean seasons, most people had the Gold Coast Titans pegged as a bottom-half-of-the-table team. But no one told the Gold Coast. Halves Aiden Sezer and Albert Kelly are making the plays to win games while centre Jamal Idris is having his best season in years. When it comes to the business end of the season they mightn’t be able to overcome the classier, more experienced sides but Titans fans can be confident that John Cartright is building a great base for future success.

Fighting back in the ASADA Shark tank

After having the start of their season gatecrashed by the ASADA allegations, Cronulla seem to have steadied the ship and gotten back to the business of winning football games. Their last start thrashing by Melbourne will have rattled their confidence but with a roster packed with talent the Sharks can still push for the top four.

A Dog of a start
The mighty Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs started the season playing more like Maltese Terriers. Now with six wins from their last seven the confidence and combinations are coming back but the Dogs have still to beat a top side to prove they’re truly a force in 2013. They have the personnel –their resurrection began once the full forward pack returned, while Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson are steering the team nicely – but too many errors each week mean the Dogs have been getting the cash but they’re not putting sides away. If they clean up their game, deserved glory will come.

What to make of Canberra?

On their day, the Canberra Raiders can play hands-down like the best team in the comp. But as with previous years consistency is the big question mark. A fit Terry Campese over the last six weeks is making a big difference to the team, but I need to see more of the Raiders before I make my judgement.

Newcastle’s Knight-mare

In Wayne Bennett’s second year at Newcastle he seems to be going backwards. Apart from the Sunday afternoon demolition of the Bulldogs a month or so ago there hasn’t been much from Newcastle to show they can offer anything in season 2013. Granted they have a few key injuries but with the talent that’s on their roster and master coach Bennett calling the shots, their fans have a right to expect more.

Have Penrith run out of steam?

The Panthers surprised many recently when their team of relative no-names went on a great winning run that saw them flirt with the top eight. But a last start loss to the lowly Tigers seems to have recalibrated expectations back to pre-season levels. With a difficult game this weekend against Canberra, Penrith risk drifting further from the top eight, a proposition that will most certainly heap additional pressure on their young playmakers.

Broncos on the slide

Brisbane are exactly where they should be considering the talent they have in 2013. It’s sad but true. They may boast a stable of Origin players in Justin Hodges, Corey Parker, Matt Gillett and Ben Hannant, but their spine is ordinary and their halves are sorely lacking – an over-the-hill Scott Prince and an inconsistent (and by some reports unhappy) Peter Wallace are not the key to winning football games.

Can Dugan help the Saints march in?

The Dragons suffered an ordinary start to the year but the arrival of Origin hopeful Josh Dugan has definitely given the team a spark. The team that kept trying to play like the Bennett-era Dragons are finally trying new things and it’s starting to win them some football games. They lack the class to win the premiership but with some consistent form a top eight finish is not out of the question.

Do we need to worry about the Warriors?

After a woeful end to their 2012 campaign and a 2013 start that was not much better, the Warriors have started to show signs of the potential we all know they have in recent weeks. There’s a lot of work yet to be done and they’re at the wrong end of the table, but there’s enough rounds left in the regular season for them to make a play for the top eight. And I wouldn’t want to be playing them if they get there.

Toothless Tigers

The Tigers were never going to threaten for the premiership in 2013. But an out-of-form Benji Marshall and a decimating injury toll saw the Tigers slide right to the bottom of the table a couple of rounds back. Two hard-fought victories have seen them climb a few rungs back up, but from here it’s all about rebuilding for next year. And they can start by locking in their juniors at the expense of Marshall.

Will the Real North Queensland please stand up?

The Australian front row and the best five-eighth in the world, in a team that went deep into last year’s playoffs and may have gone further if not for refereeing errors. We all expected a lot more from the Cowboys in 2013. Where the rot is who knows, but if North Queensland don’t figure it out soon they can consign this season to the books.

Poor-ramatta

A new coach and the same familiar position at 16^th on the ladder. You’ve got to feel for the Parramatta Eels. They’re not so much a team as a rag-tag collection of guys who play football on weekends. With Ricky Stuart’s announced clearout it is clear the club will take several seasons to come right, but let’s not forget Steve Kearney also had a long term plan, and that failed. Plus apart from inheriting a premiership team in the 2002 Roosters Stuart really doesn’t have any proven success as a club coach. Parra fans, I feel for you. I really do.