With rugby league just weeks away from returning to our screens, we’re previewing each club with one key question for the 2025 NRL season (read Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3 here).
14. Gold Coast Titans
What does Hasler’s first-choice backline look like?
Despite more than two decades coaching in the NRL, I’m not sure Des Hasler has endured a regular season campaign quite like the Gold Coast Titans 2024 season.
Early & long term injuries to senior players, two points from the first nine rounds, a record win midway through the season, an historic breakout year for Keano Kini and a five game losing streak to round out the season… quite a welcome for Hasler on the Gold Coast.
Assuming their 2025 campaign is a little more settled, there’s plenty of improvement in this Titans squad this season.
The Gold Coast will play with one of the biggest forward rotations in the league this year.
It’s a different model to some of the better teams in the comp right now (Penrith, Canterbury & even Melbourne barring Big NAS) but that doesn’t mean it’s not a winning one.
They should have no trouble bending the line in yardage before hitting the edges where Kini & Co are waiting.
Kieran Foran is the perfect half to straighten the attack in these actions despite recent talk in the media that he’s best suited to a #14 role in this Titans side.
That leaves Jayden Campbell, AJ Brimson and now Carter Gordon to fit in between five-eighth, centre and the bench.
Campbell and Brimson have been victims of their own versatility in the past but are both genuine first-graders while Gordon has reportedly made a very convincing transition into rugby league.
I’m not sure how or where they all fit into this Titans side, but the Gold Coast can’t afford to not get the most out of Campbell and Brimson each week, in particular.
It’s not an easy climb up the NRL ladder right now and Hasler needs to find his first-choice spine and backline before the Titans can begin climbing.
15. Parramatta Eels
What can we learn about Jason Ryles as an NRL Head Coach?
Aside from Wests Tigers, Parramatta are arguably the biggest watch to kick-off NRL season 2024.
A first-time NRL Head Coach Jason Ryles is currently overseeing one of the biggest overhauls of the rugby league summer; Clint Gutherson and Reagan Campbell-Gillard cast long shadows in this Eels roster and it’s still unclear who will replace them.
In saying that, Parramatta have carried a top heavy roster for a while now and they needed a change.
Jack Williams is a sneaky smart pickup in the middle and while the ‘Momax’ rhetoric on socials (Mitch Moses X Zac Lomax) is a little over the top, the appeal is clear to see.
Overall though, there are plenty of questions in Parramatta right now and the early rounds of the regular season are a chance for us to get some answers.
What should we expect from a Ryles’ coached footy side?
How do Moses and Dylan Brown share the average 41 touches per game usually offered by Gutherson at fullback?
How do the Eels get the most out of boom centre Will Penisini? And where do Shaun Lane and Ryan Matterson best fit into this Eels pack?
No doubt Ryles still has a few questions of his own and will be using the opening rounds to get some answers himself. I want to see how much we can learn along with him.
16. South Sydney Rabbitohs
Does this new-look Bunnies roster bounce back?
Wayne’s back, Trell’s fit; Souths are all good, right?
While there’s plenty for Rabbitohs fans (g’day) to be optimistic about this year, there are two sides to every coin.
A host of key players are returning from long-term injuries, but will they all hit the ground running this year?
The arrival of so many new players creates healthy competition within the squad, but will a lack of combinations translate into a slow start on the field?
Star fullback Latrell Mitchell looks fit but can he stay fit and on the field longer for South Sydney this season?
Wayne Bennett is the perfect fit for this Souths squad in the sense that he’s not an ex’s and oh’s coach.
Instead of the Rabbitohs needing time to develop new systems (see Eels above and Tigers below), we can simply expect a marked improvement in their effort areas while their top-tier talent in key playmaking positions does the rest.
Cody Walker & Mitchell will command the headlines but I’m excited to finally see how Campbell Graham and Jack Wighton’s yardage carries influence the Rabbitohs attack.
If Souths can get out of their own end cleanly, expect it to have a snowball effect on how they use the ball down the far end of the field.
I like South Sydney to return to finals footy this year but they’ve got a few pieces of the puzzle to fit into place before that happens.
17. Wests Tigers
How fast can Wests climb up the NRL ladder?
If you believe everything you read on social media, the Wests Tigers are the biggest swing side of NRL season 2025.
There’s no denying the quality they’ve introduced over the summer.
Jarome Luai headlines a list of top-tier signings in a variety of positions; a change in tune following a decade of questionable roster management decisions.
Shane Richardson is a shrewd operator and knows what a winning club looks like.
While there are lingering questions over Luai’s ability to run a team on the field and Benji Marshall’s ability to do the same off it, we need to give the Tigers time.
Jahream Bula (22 years old) and Lachlan Galvin (19) have impressed on their own but now have perfect mentors in Luai and Api Koroisau to guide them into grade.
Learning how to manage games and building combinations in this new-look Tigers spine is far more important than banking a few early wins, and there will be growing pains along the way.
Ladder position is a fair indicator for success but it isn’t the only one.
Wests will undoubtedly improve in 2025 but we don’t need to see them soar up the premiership ladder and into the Top Eight within 12 months.
In fact, it’s unlikely we will.
How Wests finish the season – what defensive systems they come up with, what roles they establish for Galvin & Bula, how their pack rotation works – will be a better indication of the Tigers 2025 campaign than the number beside them on the NRL ladder, come Round 27.
What is the burning question for your club in NRL season 2025? Let us know in the comments.
Written by Oscar Pannifex | RLWAPPAREL.COM