{"id":71173,"date":"2025-01-29T11:28:47","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T01:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/?p=71173"},"modified":"2025-02-07T09:07:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T23:07:14","slug":"2025-nrl-club-previews-part-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/2025\/01\/2025-nrl-club-previews-part-4\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 NRL Club Previews (Part 4)"},"content":{"rendered":"

With rugby league just weeks away from returning to our screens, we\u2019re previewing each club with one key question for the 2025 NRL season (read Part 1<\/a>, Part 2<\/a> & Part 3<\/a> here).<\/p>\n

14. Gold Coast Titans<\/strong><\/h5>\n

What does Hasler\u2019s first-choice backline look like?<\/em><\/p>\n

Despite more than two decades coaching in the NRL, I\u2019m not sure Des Hasler has endured a regular season campaign quite like the Gold Coast Titans 2024 season.<\/p>\n

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\u2026 quite a welcome for Hasler on the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n

Assuming their 2025 campaign is a little more settled, there\u2019s plenty of improvement in this Titans squad this season.<\/p>\n

The Gold Coast will play with one of the biggest forward rotations in the league this year.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a different model to some of the better teams in the comp right now (Penrith, Canterbury & even Melbourne barring Big NAS) but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not a winning one.<\/p>\n

They should have no trouble bending the line in yardage before hitting the edges where Kini & Co are waiting.<\/p>\n

Kieran Foran is the perfect half to straighten the attack in these actions despite recent talk in the media that he\u2019s best suited to a #14 role in this Titans side.<\/p>\n

That leaves Jayden Campbell, AJ Brimson and now Carter Gordon to fit in between five-eighth, centre and the bench.<\/p>\n

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 <\/em>convincing transition into rugby league.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure how or where they all fit into this Titans side, but the Gold Coast can\u2019t afford to not<\/em> get the most out of Campbell and Brimson each week, in particular.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

15. Parramatta Eels<\/strong><\/h5>\n

What can we learn about Jason Ryles as an NRL Head Coach?<\/em><\/p>\n

Aside from Wests Tigers, Parramatta are arguably the biggest watch to kick-off NRL season 2024.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s still unclear who will replace them.<\/p>\n

In saying that, Parramatta have carried a top heavy roster for a while now and they needed a change.<\/p>\n

Jack Williams is a sneaky smart pickup in the middle and while the \u2018Momax\u2019 rhetoric on socials (Mitch Moses X Zac Lomax) is a little over the top, the appeal is clear to see.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

What should we expect from a Ryles\u2019 coached footy side?<\/p>\n

How do Moses and Dylan Brown share the average 41 touches per game usually offered by Gutherson at fullback?<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

16. South Sydney Rabbitohs<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Does this new-look Bunnies roster bounce back?<\/em><\/p>\n

Wayne\u2019s back, Trell\u2019s fit; Souths are all good, right?<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s plenty for Rabbitohs fans (g\u2019day) to be optimistic about this year, there are two sides to every coin.<\/p>\n

A host of key players are returning from long-term injuries, but will they all hit the ground running this year?<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

Star fullback Latrell Mitchell looks<\/em> fit but can he stay <\/em>fit and on the field longer for South Sydney this season?<\/p>\n

Wayne Bennett is the perfect fit for this Souths squad in the sense that he\u2019s not an ex\u2019s and oh\u2019s coach.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Cody Walker & Mitchell will command the headlines but I\u2019m excited to finally see how Campbell Graham and Jack Wighton\u2019s yardage carries influence the Rabbitohs attack.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

I like South Sydney to return to finals footy this year but they\u2019ve got a few pieces of the puzzle to fit into place before that happens.<\/p>\n

17. Wests Tigers<\/strong><\/h5>\n

How fast can Wests climb up the NRL ladder?<\/em><\/p>\n

If you believe everything you read on social media, the Wests Tigers are the biggest swing side of NRL season 2025.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no denying the quality they\u2019ve introduced over the summer.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Shane Richardson is a shrewd operator and knows what a winning club looks like.<\/p>\n

While there are lingering questions over Luai\u2019s ability to run a team on the field and Benji Marshall\u2019s ability to do the same off it, we need<\/em> to give the Tigers time.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Ladder position is a fair indicator for success but it isn\u2019t the only one.<\/p>\n

Wests will undoubtedly improve in 2025 but we don\u2019t need to see them soar up the premiership ladder and into the Top Eight within 12 months.<\/p>\n

In fact, it\u2019s unlikely we will.<\/p>\n

How Wests finish <\/em>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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is the burning question for your club in NRL season 2025? Let us know in the comments.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Written by Oscar Pannifex | RLWAPPAREL.COM<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With rugby league just weeks away from returning to our screens, we\u2019re 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\u2019s first-choice backline look like? Despite more than two decades coaching in the NRL, I\u2019m not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":71176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,598,344],"tags":[1048,27,1328,1050,5163,1147],"hub_post_cat":[8162],"class_list":["post-71173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rugby-league","category-special-interest","category-sports","tag-gold-coast-titans","tag-nrl","tag-nrl-preview","tag-parramatta-eels","tag-south-sydney-rabbioths","tag-wests-tigers"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":null,"md_tip_date_end":null,"md_market_url":"","tip_date":"29\/01\/2025","event_country":"Australia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71173"},{"taxonomy":"hub_post_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub_post_cat?post=71173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}