2025 NRL Season Preview

Take on the Brisbane Broncos and take them on all season, bookmakers are off their rocker if they think the Broncos are the third most likely team to win the premiership this year.

Their floor is far greater than their ceiling,

There is plenty of faith being put in Michael Maguire but his record at the Tigers and the second half of his Souths run was poor-to-diabolical.

One Origin series win does not erase that and there are plenty of rumours doing the rounds that the players are far from happy.

Even assuming the Broncos are at full health this year, their squad looks exceptionally thin.

The club has no edges with Piakura one of the worst starting backrowers in the comp and Riki not much better.

Hooker is a major worry, particularly if Ben Hunt is forced to play in the halves.

The best bench is one of the worst in the competition and the remainder of the squad has very little scope for improvement.

The fact that two of the spine will turn 35 this year and another one is suspended for nine games are two more major, major worries.

If the Broncos stay fully healthy, they have enough upside to push for a lower Top 8 berth but with a bottom five draw and such little depth, they look every chance of missing out again.

• Prediction: 12-12 (10th)
• Best Bet: Brisbane Miss Top 8 ($3.40) – For the second straight year, the Broncos are the most overrated team in the competition. How they sit on the third line of betting is anyone’s guess. They are an even money shot to miss the eight so the $3.40 is a great play.
• Player To Watch: Ben Hunt – Hunt returns to Brisbane this season and despite his poor finish at the Dragons, had a strong run with the club. He will be used as a mixture of five-eighth and hooker this year. Turns 35 so age against him but the Broncos need him to shine.
• Top Tryscorer: Deine Mariner – A Broncos winger has won this honour nine of the last 11 seasons. Mariner finished three clear of Walsh but doubled everyone else. Stands out again.

No team overachieved more in 2023 than the Raiders, they went 12-12 despite a differential of -127.

The Raiders overshot their true win number by 2.53 on the back of going 8-2 in close games.

Both are major red flags that suggest significant regression because, to put it frankly, the Raiders were closer to a 9-15 team last year than a 12-12 side.

The loss of key veterans Jordan Rapana and Elliott Whitehead will not help their cause.

Having made a strong case against the Raiders though, two things do stand out to give Canberra fans a sliver of hope.

The Raiders have been gifted the easiest draw and teams with the easiest draw nearly always play finals football.

Canberra also don’t bottom out like other teams, since 2017, the Raiders have made the finals 50% of the time and under Stuart, Canberra have finished worse than 10th only in his debut season, winning at least 10 games since 2015.

Stuart is not a coach to win a premiership but he is a pretty good coach at getting the most out of limited teams.

The Raiders are a bottom four team on talent but there is enough to suggest that if things break right they will overachieve again.

That is odds-against but it is not hopeless.

• Prediction: 8-16 (14th)
• Best Bet: No Bet – The market has the Raiders generally right. If pressed, the under 9.5 wins is probably a ½ win too high. The worry though is Ricky Stuart generally gets enough out of his team for them not to bottom out.
• Player To Watch: Zac Hosking – We got a little taste of Hosking last year and he was outstanding before missing most of the season with a shoulder injury. He has had an injury-plagued preseason but if he gets his body right he can prove a great asset with a great workrate and the ability to run quality lines.
• Top Tryscorer: Xavier Savage – The Raiders lack genuine tryscorers so Savage looks to have this at his mercy over the coming seasons. If he stays healthy for the season, he will win this honour.

This season shapes as a fork-in-the-road season for the Bulldogs, who after the better part of a decade in the doldrums found their way back to the finals last year as 2024’s fairytale story.

It was a significantly improved performance with the roster overhaul paying dividends and second-year coach Cameron Ciraldo indicating he may have some idea what he is doing.

The biggest worry underpinning the Bulldogs’ hopes this year was that everything went so right for the Bulldogs last year.

They were the healthiest team in the competition, there were few off-field dramas until late, plus the team seemed incredibly happy and driven.

While the happiness may remain, the injury toll is highly unlikely to be as kind.

The big concerns with the Bulldogs remain too, Connor Tracey performed well at fullback but in an era of elite fullbacks he is probably in the bottom quadrant and Toby Sexton did a job last year but halfback remains an issue.

The Bulldogs lack quality through the middle, the discipline of Reed Mahoney did more damage than good.

This is a team now though that has plenty of class with an Australian international at No.6, Stephen Crichton in the centres and some elite edge runners.

One suspects it will be more of the same for the Bulldogs with a bottom of the top eight the likely finishing destination but more required to make a serious title run.

• Prediction: 13-11 (7th)
• Best Bet: No Bet – The market is bang on with the Bulldogs. They are more likely than not to regress but this is a vastly improved team on paper. Watch and see.
• Player To Watch: Jacob Preston – An outstanding edge backrower with a large thirst for work, Preston is a threat on both sides of the ball. He is a genuine 80-minute player. Somehow he fell behind Jaeman Salmon in the pecking order but hopefully Cameron Ciraldo has learned from that major error.
• Top Tryscorer: Bronson Xerri – Jacob Kiraz is very short in this market. He scored 12 tries last year to lead the Bulldogs tally, but he has just a 40.7% strike rate. Xerri has 23 in 41 games and looks nice odds to lead the Dogs.

Few teams slip under the radar more than the Sharks with their September woes typically clouding views of the team for the following season but this team has made the playoffs in nine of the last 10 seasons including all three under Craig Fitzgibbon.

They have won at least 10 games each year for the last decade and have topped 15 wins five times.

In the three years under Craig Fitzgibbon, the Sharks have won at least 14 games and finished in the top four twice.

Fitzgibbon does not get the credit he deserves either as a high level coach.

He is 49-29 as a coach, has a finals win and has a pretty clear vision for how his team should play and how his roster should be constructed.

In his short-time at the helm too he has shown a real penchant for being able to lure the biggest free agent names on the market. Bringing in Addin Fonua-Blake, arguably the best prop in the NRL, is his latest market slaying.

The Sharks are not making enough ground on the top two teams to win it all but they are the clear third best side in 2025.

• Prediction: 16-8 (3rd)
• Best Bet: Cronulla Over 14.5 Wins ($1.88) – There is no real reason to suggest the Sharks are going backwards this year. They have a more difficult draw but they are big believers in continuity and bring just that with the addition of the best prop in the NRL.
• Player To Watch: Nicho Hynes – The former Dally M Medal winner has become much-maligned, tarred with the brush that he has a fragile ego and an inability to stand up in big games. Those charges seem unfair but Hynes has been moved out of the primary playmaking role. His season will dictate Cronulla’s, particularly come September.
• Top Tryscorer: Ronaldo Mulitalo – Mulitalo has led Cronulla’s tryscoring for three straight seasons with tallies of 17, 21 and 18. With 83 tries in 110 games, he is one of the preeminent finishers in the game.

Betting around the Dolphins this year is absolutely ridiculous and the traders don’t seem to have assessed a team more wrongly than the Dolphins.

This is a good team with strong foundations who look poised to make their first finals run, not a team facing notable regression that will contend for the spoon.

The Dolphins have built a good roster with an elite fullback in The Hammer, an elite centre in Herbie Farnworth, a nice supporting cast in the backline with the likes of Averillo and Isaako and a quality pack that contains the likes of Gilbert, Kaufusi, Plath and Flegler (when healthy).

The Dolphins have added nicely with the addition of Daniel Saifiti and Kulikefu Finefuiaki.

With a particularly easy draw, the Dolphins look poised to break their finals maiden.

The big worry is the halves, Isaiya Katoa is coming on nicely but is still a poor decision-maker while Kodi Nikorima is unlikely to repeat his 2024.

• Prediction: 14-10 (5th)
• Best Bet: Dolphins Over 9.5 Wins ($1.88) – This is absolutely one of the best bets across the board. If the Dolphins can avoid the curse of Wayne – and they should as he left on good terms – then they have the talent to make the Top 8. All the betting around them is wrong.
• Player To Watch: Tom Gilbert – The desperately unlucky former Cowboy has not played since midway through the 2023 season but at his best is one of the most exciting young forwards in the game. He has the class to add some real dynamism to an already strong Dolphins pack.
• Top Tryscorer: Jamayne Isaako – Isaako topped the tryscoring for the Dolphins in their inaugural season before having a quietish 2024 that still resulted in 12 tries. With 36 tries in 48 games for the Dolphins.

Give the Titans credit for consistency – they have finished bottom four in eight of the last 11 seasons and have not posted a winning record since 2010.

That has spanned four permanent head coaches, two ownerships, numerous splashy signings and four NRL CEOs.

It’s been a long time since the Titans have managed to build a winning team and the squad they are sending out in 2025 doesn’t look like it is about to turn that squalid history around.

There is no doubt some top-end talent as Tino Fa’asaumaleaui returns from injury, David Fifita and AJ Brimson are both decorated rep players.

Unfortunately for them, there is just no depth and no cohesion.

The roster balance is all out of whack, Hasler seems intent on contiuing to play a very old Kieran Foran and the hooking situation is a debacle.

Hard pass on the Titans in 2025.

• Prediction: 8-16 (15th)
• Best Bet: Gold Coast Under 10.5 Wins ($1.88) – The Titans have topped 10.5 wins just twice since 2010 and have not surpassed 11.5 wins over that time. There is far more upside in betting the Titans to continue to be mediocre than there is in betting this club to come good.
• Player To Watch: David Fifita – One of the most enigmatic players in the game, David Fifita has carried the Titans on his back at times but has let the club down more often. Any Titans success will come on the back of Des Hasler unlocking any form of consistency.
• Top Tryscorer: Alofiana Khan-Pereira – AKP has scored 20 and 24 tries in his first two seasons to top the Titans tally. A run of 44 tries in 44 games makes him a certainty if he remains healthy.

Manly are a team that has snuck under the radar this year.

There are a lot of ‘ifs’ about Manly – if Tom Trbojevic remains healthy, if Luke Brooks can start contributing, if the pack can square up consistently, if the coach doesn’t lose the plot – but the ceiling is high for the Sea Eagles and they can rise as high as the Top 4.

It all starts, of course, with Tom Trbojevic.

There is no bigger game breaker and if he can stay healthy enough then Manly can really beat anyone on their day.

Last year they beat both Penrith and Melbourne and there are few more threatening backlines truth be told, particularly with ball in hand, and they have depth with one of Tommy Talau or Lehi Hopoate likely to miss out from their strongest 17.

The biggest worry is the pack, Lachlan Croker is an average hooker at best and outside of Haumole Olakau’atu, the pack lacks punch.

The additions of Jazz Tevaga and Siosiua Taukeiaho are positives though.

They will need some breaks Manly but they can go a long way in 2025.

• Prediction: 15-9 (4th)
• Best Bet: Manly Top 4 ($3.25) – There are a few teams who could fill fourth place but the best bet is Manly. There is an assumption here that Tom Trbojevic stays healthy but if he does this team has the upside to finish Top 4.
• Player To Watch: Lehi Hopoate – Hopoate was outstanding when given a chance at the backend of last year. He looks likely to win a wing position but with rumours circulating that Tom Trbojevic may be shifted to the centres, Hopoate could find himself in the No.1 jersey.
• Top Tryscorer: Jason Saab – Manly have had five different top tryscorers the last five years. The two best strike rates are Turbo and Saab. Happy to bet Saab stays healthier. His 63 tries in 86 games is an elite effort.

This is the year the Storm catches the Panthers and ends their incredible and historic streak.

Melbourne came very close last year, winning the minor premiership and jumping favourites in the decider.

While this forecast is a little to do with Penrith perhaps taking a half-step back, it is more about the Storm getting even better.

The addition of Stefano Utoikamanu is a massive up for a team that comes off a 19-win season.

There are the soft improvements too, Papenhuyzen now has a season under his belt from his serious injuries.

Sua Fa’alogo has a full year under his belt in the top grade, Cameron Munster starts the season healthy, plus Tyran Wishart and Jack Howart have emerged as quality top graders.

The Storm are also in the rare position of having depth with players like Christian Welch and Alec MacDonald, among others, likely out of the Top 17.

Melbourne enters 2025 as the best team in the comp, they will finish in the Top 4 and another Grand Final looms.

It will be their ability to get over Penrith that will determine whether they lift the trophy or not.

• Prediction: 19-5 (1st)
• Best Bet: Melbourne Win Minor Premiership ($4.00) – There are a lot of great bets around the Storm this year but the most confident play is the Storm to finish the regular season on top of the ladder. They have won at least 16 games in eight of the lat nine seasons with five minor premierships over that run and Penrith are expected to face a tougher regular season.
• Player To Watch: Ryan Papenhuyzen – All eyes will be on The Pap this year. There was a sense of relief to see the star Storm custodian get through 2024 after such a horrid run with injury but he was a long way from his best. Fully fit there is an expectation we will see The Pap of old in 2025.
• Top Tryscorer: Will Warbrick – Warbrick has topped the Storm tryscoring the last two seasons and the Storm do seem to prefer attacking to the right more than the left.

Every man and his dog is chips out on the Knights this year and it is hard to argue with the market push.

Newcastle have astonishingly played finals football in four of the last five seasons but suspect that run will not continue in 2025.

This is a team who have not been gifted an easy draw though it is only middling.

They overachieved last year, going 6-3 in close games and overshooting their true win number by nearly a full win.

There were not significant excuses on the injury front last year and perhaps, most significantly, their average roster has gotten worse with the loss of Daniel Saifiti and no notable additions to the squad.

The most glaring issue is the halves, as there were four potential halves last year and O’Brien chopped and changed so much he used five.

He is now floating using Fletcher Sharpe, giving him six players to chop and change, damaging any chance of continuity.

This is a limited team that will be shown up this season.

• Prediction: 9-15 (12th)
• Best Bet: No Bet – The Knights have been well found in the market. They are facing significant regression but punters and traders alike are all over it.
• Player To Watch: Fletcher Sharpe – It will be fascinating to see how Adam O’Brien deploys talented young fullback Fletcher Sharpe. With Kalyn Ponga in he will not be playing fullback. It was expected he would get a wing spot but speculation is rife that he could be used in the halves.
• Top Tryscorer: Fletcher Sharpe – This will depend a little on where Sharpe plays but with 11 tries in 12 NRL appearances his strike rate must be respected.

One look at the departures list of the Warriors and it look for all money like a team that struggled last year will go backwards at a rate of knots.

Addin Fonua-Blake, arguably the best prop in the game, has left for Cronulla, plus veterans Shaun Johnson and Tohu Haris have retired, and contributors Jazz Tevaga and Marcelo Montoya are gone.

All is not as bad as it seems for the Warriors though with plenty to suggest there is enough improvement in New Zealand to make a charge for the Top 8.

The key indicators here was the Warriors’ awful record in close games, where they won just three of 11 one-score matches.

They also finished 1.3 wins shy of their true win number, New Zealand have been gifted the second easiest draw in the premiership while they get arguably their most important back, Luke Metcalf, back from injury.

The Wahs have been underrated coming into the season.

• Prediction: 12-12 (9th)
• Best Bet: New Zealand Over 10.5 Wins ($1.88) – There are a lot of indicators that suggest the Warriors will improve on last year including their large injury toll and poor record in close games. There is more upside to the Wariors than many think.
• Player To Watch: Luke Metcalf – The talented back just cannot get his career going. Since moving to the Warriors, he has been restricted to 19 games due to injury. He is key to opening up the Warriors attack.
• Top Tryscorer: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak – An outstanding finisher, DWZ has topped the Warriors tryscoring list in each of the last three seasons and there is no credible threat to changing that this year if he stays healthy.

Disaster could be looming for a North Queensland team that looks all but certain to go backwards in 2025.

This team has all the hallmarks of a side that is on the verge of collapse and it would not shock if the Cowboys finished bottom four, sacked Todd Payten and set about a total rebuild.

North Queensland massively overachieved last year so are starting on a much lower base than their win-loss record from last year suggests.

And that is before we look at the large list of outs that includes leading tryscorer Kyle Feldt, quality outside back Valentine Holmes and young edge backrower Kulikefu Finefuiaki.

The Cowboys are a very thin team.

Reece Robson is departing so there is some in-built instability, both Heilum Luki and Tom Chester are out for the year.

The coaching under Todd Payten has been average at best.

The Cowboys are a team that will miss the eight and it would not shock if the team totally collapsed this season.

• Prediction: 9-15 (13th)
• Best Bet: North Queensland Miss Top 8 ($1.75) – One of the best bets on the board this season. The Cowboys project as a team that will fall fast and it would not surprise at all if they finished with the wooden spoon. This is a fragile team and they could shatter any moment.
• Player To Watch: Zac Laybutt – We only got four games of the hot young centre last year before injury ruined his season. He is an excellent defender and runs a super line. The Cowboys are trying to regenerate their outside backs and will look to build around Laybutt.
• Top Tryscorer: Scott Drinkwater – Kyle Feldt has topped the Cowboys tryscoring in eight of their last nine seasons. Drinkwater has double digit tries the last three seasons and looks a likely candidate to replace Feldt as the club’s top tryscorer.

Few are expecting a lot from the Eels this year but even with relatively mediocre expectations they look a team that won’t meet them.

The leap of faith the Eels have shown in Jason Ryles seems to be severely misguided and if this turns into another Stephen Kearney situations, it would not surprise in the slightest.

He was not renowned for his intelligence as a player and he has not coached at any lower level and that is normally a major red flag.

The dismissal of Clint Gutherson will have a major bearing on the young players and there is enough to suggest Isaiah Iongi is not going to be the solution.

Dylan Brown’s contract creates plenty of uncertainty. Brendan Hands is not up to it at hooker.

It is more likely Zac Lomax will return to the enigmatic, error-prone player of prior years now he is back in the centres and playing in a undisciplined system.

Bottom four looms large for the Eels.

• Prediction: 7-17 (16th)
• Best Bet: Parramatta Miss Top 8 ($1.65) – The Eels are not setup for success either in the short-term or long-term. Jason Ryles does not look the answer and some major risks are being taken at fullback and hooker.
• Player To Watch: Isaiah Iongi – It is very hard to succeed in the NRL without an elite fullback. The Eels have gone all-in on a one-game player who could not even win a spot in Penrith’s three-quarter line across three seasons. He is about the biggest risk a club has talent this year.
• Top Tryscorer: Josh Addo-Carr – Maika Sivo has topped this list in five of the last six seasons but is now in Super League. Josh Addo-Carr has been injury prone the last two seasons but still knows his way to the tryline and with no other big tryscorers he is the play.

There is no doubt that this Penrith era of dominance sits second only to the great St George team that won 11 straight but for the first time over that stretch the Panthers will not start a season favourite.

The club has never been afraid to let players leave but this year may be the tipping point with the loss of Jarome Luai arguably as big as any of the players let go over the last five years.

He is not only a key playmaker and perfect foil for Nathan Cleary but had the ability to step up and lead the team.

Penrith don’t have that this year meaning they can take less time with Cleary injuries or worries and the loss of forward leader James Fisher-Harris also hurts.

The club recruited well in bringing in Blaize Talagi and Isaiah Papalii but they do not cover Luai and Fisher-Harris.

Penrith will, of course, be good, very good in fact.

They are clearly one of the two best teams in the premiership.

No home ground, a trip to Vegas and the loss of key personnel though create enough doubt to side with their top rival.

• Prediction: 18-6 (2nd)
• Best Bet: Penrith Top NSW Team ($2.85) – The Panthers are just an incredible fifth straight premiership but are going to face their biggest challenge with Melbourne back to full strength. Their best play is to finish as the top NSW team at the end of the regular season, an award they have won for six straight years.
• Player To Watch: Blaize Talagi – There is no doubting that Talagi is a supreme talent but he has big shoes to fill and how he settles into the Penrith system will be key. Playing out of position will also present challenges.
• Top Tryscorer: Casey McLean – Fun fact: four of Penrith’s last five top tryscorers are no longer with the club. Brian To’o is all that remains and is the deserved favourite in this market but McLean has elite speed and with three tries in seven games he looks all over a top-tier tryscorer.

The Dragons were big overachievers last year and the likelihood of repeating that is slim.

Shane Flanagan did an admirable job in his first year with the Dragons, getting them to 11 wins.

He belted Zac Lomax into shape, among other things, he ended the season though driving Ben Hunt out of the club and there is no way in the world a club entering a season with a top halves pairing Lachlan Ilias and Kyle Flanagan.

The Dragons overshot their true win number by 1.36 victories and their rise from five to 11 wins suggests there will be some regression this year, particularly considering the Dragons were the healthiest team in the competition last season.

Their recruitment also seems to be a denial of where the club is currently at and that is a concern.

With a few whispers around about how the players are reacting to some of the coaching, happy to suggest this is the team that will take the spoon.

• Prediction: 7-17 (17th)
• Best Bet: Dragons Under 9.5 Win ($1.80) – The Dragons go into the season with the second worst rated roster and the worst halves pairing in the competition by panels. They are going to find it tough in 2025.
• Player To Watch: Clint Gutherson – Gutho made an impact as long as he landed at the Dragons, leading the time trials. That leadership is going to be key to getting the most out of a limited roster with plenty of young players.
• Top Tryscorer: Tyrell Sloan – Sloan has a nice tryscoring rate of 30 tries in 59 games and he shifts from fullback to the wing this year so should see the tryline more often.

No team could have had more go wrong than Souths did last year.

Coach Jason Demetriou should have been fired before the season but continued on and caused all kinds of dressing room dramas with his inability to promote a culture of accountability and respect.

No team was even close to being as injured as Souths were last year.

Latrell Mitchell found himself in the headlines over and over again for all the wrong reasons.

But you can put a line through anything you saw last season.

This is a new Souths team as Wayne Bennett returns and that is so important.

He gets not only the best out of his players but has the genuine respect and adoration of key players Mitchell and Cody Walker.

Souths have not splashed on big names but have recruited nicely with halfback Lewis Dodd having significant upside.

Souths won just seven games last year but they were closer to a nine-win team and back at much better health in a much more stable setting with a winning coach at the helm, the Bunnies are headed back to the finals.

• Prediction: 14-10 (6th)
• Best Bet: South Sydney Top 8 ($1.85) – South Sydney are a team well and truly on the up this year. Everything that could go wrong last year did go wrong and with Wayne back at the helm, Souths have significant upside.
• Player To Watch: Lewis Dodd – The former St Helens halfback is best known for slotting the winning field goal in a World Club Challenge clash with Penrith. Thriving through a full season of NRL is a different question. He can make or break the Bunnies year.
• Top Tryscorer: Tyrone Munro – Legendary tryscorer Alex Johnston will miss half of the year through injury. Betting on young speedster Munro to get through the year. He has six tries in seven NRL appearances.

There has been a huge amount of turnover at the Roosters this year and combined with two significant injuries, they are one of the hardest teams to rate this year.

James Tedesco will be the only Roosters spine member from last year that will play in the opening part of the season with Luke Keary retired and Sam Walker and Brandon Smith both recovering from serious injuries.

Sandon Smith, Chad Townsend and Connor Watson have an extraordinarily difficult job ahead of them with any thought of continuity from last year fanciful.

Both starting centres are also gone with a one-game rugby convert and an always-injured Billy Smith the replacements (though Joey Manu likely returns mid-season).

Having found the holes in the Roosters, there is still plenty to like led by the indefatigable Tedesco and a quality pack that contains four internationals.

The numbers also bode well too for the numbers, who finished nearly a full win short of their true win number and had one of the most injured spines last season.

There is light at the end of the tunnel for the Roosters but there will be some dark days ahead.

• Prediction: 13-11 (8th)
• Best Bet: No Bet – There is no harder team to assess this year. The Roosters lost six starters to other clubs and will be missing two more to start the year through injury.
• Player To Watch: Sandon Smith – Smith has not only been elevated to the starting No.6 jersey but will need to be the chief playmaker with Sam Walker out hurt for half the season. He carries plenty on his shoulders.
• Top Tryscorer: Dominic Young – Young has 63 tries in 73 games and has topped 20 tries each of the last two seasons. If he stays healthy he is a moral for this honour.

After three straight wooden spoons and a decade-plus of complete and utter futility, there is finally some hope at the Tigers.

New boss Shane Richardson has done a quality job in overhauling the roster, bringing in some quality talent while keeping the few that deserve to be kept.

The signing of Jarome Luai was a huge coup and he brings some experience and pedigree to the halves that will surely benefit young prodigy Lachlan Galvin.

Understated in the offseason spree that also netted Suniasa Turuva, Jeral Skelton and Royce Hunt was the signing of Terrell May.

May is an extraordinary prospect who can rack up some ridiculous numbers.

The Tigers now have a quality pack, an excellent spine and a set of outside backs that are at least competent and first grade standard.

Benji Marshall is yet to prove himself as a coach and the Tigers have shown no ability to put things together but there is some upside at the club for the first time in a long time.

• Prediction: 10-14 (11th)
• Best Bet: No Bet – Suspect there is a fair bit of upside to the Tigers this year but after three wooden spoons it would take a game punter to put money on it.
• Player To Watch: Terrell May – It has never really been made clear why May was forced out of the Roosters but it certainly had nothing to do with his on-field performance. Prop who can make a big impact and play huge minutes. He is an upgrade on Utoikamanu.
• Top Tryscorer: Jeral Skelton – Former Bulldog managed just eight first grade games but scored four tries and will have locked down a regular spot in 2025.