Eels Blogs

It’s not that long now until the pre-season games and trials will be here, so I thought it’s time for some good footy talk. There’s been a lot of talk about the how the Eels will go (naturally) and too many team lists, but I'm interested in how you all think the other teams will go this year. Here are my thoughts for all of the 16 clubs. I've included the expected finishes as well as the realistic finishes to differentiate between the fan and media's expectations, who always demand more than what teams are capable of delivering, and the realistic expectations of where teams will more likely finish.

Raiders

Ricky Stuart’s first year as coach was far from impressive, and yet he is bullish about their 2015 prospects despite losing their best player. Looking at their roster though it’s actually not that bad; there’s a team in there somewhere with a fair bit of potential. Very young, though. Frank-Paul Nu'uausala should improve their forward pack and it will be interesting to see if his game improves under Stuart. Based on their finish last season however, I can’t see them improving that much at all. They haven’t recruited well enough and they lack experience in key positions. I also question their mental toughness. Expected finish: This is Stuart’s final chance to prove himself as a quality coach. If he doesn’t haul the Raiders out of the bottom four and at least look like they’re improving then the curtain must surely fall on his career. The media will not stand by him for much longer. 10^th-12^th at least. Realistic finish: Their roster has arguably gone backwards after losing Milford. How can they be expected to improve? 15^th-16^th.

Panthers

United and tough, no coach was probably prouder of his team than Ivan Cleary was after the Panthers’ top four finish last season. Coming into 2015, the Panthers haven’t recruited much at all and will instead rely again on determination and enthusiasm to win them games. The difference this time round, however, is that everyone will be watching them and it will be impossible for them to fly under the radar. Things are going to get tougher for the Panthers, as opposition teams will now take them more seriously and the media will expect them to be serious contenders. For a club that doesn’t usually attract much attention, how will they handle the pressure? Jamie Soward has shown that he doesn’t cope well at all when faced with criticism and gets extremely defensive and agitated, yet he certainly appears to have found his comfort zone nestled under the tender bosom of Gus Gould. Expected finish: Definitely top four and at least another preliminary finals appearance. Realistic finish: I can’t see much reason why the Panthers should finish below the top four. Their lack of genuine superstars could hurt them a bit I suppose. 3^rd-5^th.

Souths

They finally did it. What a wonderful revival this club has enjoyed under Russell Crowe. Souths should once again challenge for the title, but I’m not convinced they’ll consistently be the best team throughout the entire season. It may take a while for them to click into gear. Glen Stuart seems an unnecessary signing to me. Expected finish: Top four and another crack at the title. Realistic finish: They should finish in the top four, but I don’t think they’ll go back to back.

Wests Tigers

Young, talented, and confident. With a new coach, the Tigers will put their poor 2014 season behind them and will be ready to rip into 2015. I’m expecting a fairly good year from this team. The Tigers have some great young players and a pretty handy forward pack led by Farrah and Woods. Yet there does appear to be some ego in a few of their players and I’m unsure whether Farrah is truly committed to this club. I’m also not convinced that Jason Taylor is a good long-term coach for the Tigers, as he has always placed an emphasis on game-plan and tactics rather than on toughness and a resolute defence. Remember when he was Souths coach the score would often read 36-24 or something similar? That said, I think he will enjoy a good ‘honeymoon’ season with the Tigers and I won’t be surprised if they make the finals. Expected finish: Unsure. There’ll be a little bit of pressure on the club to improve, but Taylor I think will not be targeted by the media in his first year. They’ll get away with 10^th. Realistic finish: I’ve got a feeling the Tigers will start well before slumping a bit around the Origin period. Finals won’t surprise but probably more likely around 10^th.

Cowboys

The dark horse of the competition. Time is fast running out for the Cowboys to mount a serious challenge for the premiership before their superstars retire. They need to get rid of their slow starts and stop assuming they’ll charge into the finals. I think the Cowboys will have a good year. They finished 2014 strongly and Paul Green seems like a decent coach. Expected finish: Patience from fans and the media has run out for the Cowboys. Anything less than a top five finish and a deep run into the finals will be unacceptable. Realistic finish: I’m confident of a top five finish. If they can host their finals matches rather than traveling to Sydney I think they can go a long way into September.

Bulldogs

The mercenary club. The Dogs appear to be in some sort of holding pattern in terms of roster development. Their team hasn’t changed a lot at all over the past few years, and they haven’t been able to go the next level and clinch the premiership. Their new hooker could spice things up for them, but in my view Ennis epitomised everything what the Bulldogs are about. A grubby player for a grubby club. They should have held onto him in my opinion despite his obvious deficiencies. Brett Morris will improve their backline, but they need a superstar ball-playing fullback if they’re going to stick with Reynolds and Hodkinson as their halves. Expected finish: The Dogs will be expected to make the top four and challenge for the title. By making the grand final last season they’ve inadvertently placed more pressure on themselves heading into 2015. Realistic finish: Lichaa is an unknown so it’s hard to say. I’ll go with 6^th, but I won’t be surprised where they end up finishing to be honest.   

Storm

Melbourne’s reign of terror has finally ended. I think their string of finals appearances will come to an end in 2015. It would still be unwise to underestimate this team but there’s no doubt their aging superstars are slowing down and they no longer have the forward pack to dominate opposing teams. Their focus needs to turn to rebuilding and finding a new crop of star players. Expected finish: The Storm will always be expected to do well as long as they have the Big Three in their team. A respectable showing in the finals will suffice. Realistic finish: No one fears the Storm anymore. They’ll slump to 10^th-11^th.

Titans

I can’t figure this team out. Their roster’s not the best but it’s still not that bad and yet they’re specials for the spoon. Their forward pack is tough and experienced and they have some real speedsters out wide. Their spine, admittedly, is far from brilliant. The Titans will be depending on their new coach to get them back on track and challenge for the finals. Off field issues could distract them, as every year their relevance in the competition is questioned. Expected finish: Not much. They haven’t recruited well (Hoffman won’t save them) and Neil Henry’s in his first official year. 15^th-16^th. Realistic finish: I struggle to see how they’ll improve on last season. Apart from Sezer their spine is pretty bad to be frank. They’ll deliver some spirited upsets but I think it’s the bottom four for them.

Knights

A very frustrating team to predict. Sometimes they play brilliantly yet other times they look plain awful. They have a roster capable of challenging for the finals, with consistency presenting their biggest issue. I think reinstating Rick Stone as their coach was a mistake. He’s been at the club for quite a number of years now and he wasn’t that impressive last time he was coach. The Knights need someone new who can bring fresh ideas and reinvigorate the playing squad. Expected finish: They finished 2014 strongly so they’ll be expected to improve further. Stone won’t receive any leniency because he’s already coached them. Around 9^th. Realistic finish: Very hard to say. Possibly finals but I think it will be more of the same for the Knights. Anywhere from 9^th to 12^th.

Roosters

This year will be the big test for the Roosters. They’ve had two years at the top and still have a roster capable of challenging for the title. It will be all about mental application for the players at Party HQ. Can Trent Robinson keep them motivated? Or will they spiral downward like they did after three consecutive GFs from 02-04? Expected finish: They still have a great roster so definitely top four and a strong finals campaign. Realistic finish: I honestly don’t know. They could finish anywhere from 1^st to 8^th or even lower. Nothing will surprise me.

Warriors

Another extremely frustrating team to predict. So many people say that the Warriors are soft because they seem to throw in the towel when things get tough. A fair point but I would put it differently. I would describe them as highly emotional where if the players feel good about themselves they are unstoppable, but when something upsets them they play horrible. I think, however, that the Warriors are due for a good season. Things appear to be falling in place for them and I think they will challenge for the top four. Expected finish: Patience has run out for the Warriors to get their act together. Top Eight and a good finals showing. Realistic finish: They are so unpredictable so I’m not overly confident of where they’ll end up. Nevertheless I’ll say 5^th.

Dragons

What’s happening with the Dragons? They’ve invested so much in forging a strong backline but they’ve completely neglected their forward pack. They’re probably at least three premier forwards short of having a good pack. When you see Ben Creagh playing as a front rower and George Rose is your biggest signing, then you know something is seriously wrong. And now they’ve lost beloved son Morris to arch-rivals Canterbury. It is imperative that the Dragons get off to a good start to the season, as pressure is mounting on this club since they nose-dived after winning the GF in 2010. Even with Steve Price gone, the blood lusting media will tear the Dragons to shreds if they don’t make big improvements. They will be depending so much on getting the green light to recruit Russell Packer, and then hoping that he quickly becomes the blockbusting prop they dearly need. Expected finish: As one of the top glamour clubs expectations are always high at the Dragons. Even though ‘Marry’ is in his first official year as coach, they will be expected to return to the finals on the back of their strong backline. If Marshall thought he was under constant pressure at the Tigers, then he’ll find it a lot tougher at the Dragons. Will he be able to handle it? The Dragons need to make the finals to keep the wolves at bay. Realistic finish: Regardless of whether they get Packer I don’t think they’ll make the finals. We’ve seen that against a stout defence Marshall’s effectiveness is drastically reduced. I reckon they’ll finish a lowly 13^th.

Sharks

Very experienced but lacks genuine strike power. The Sharks have their coach back and they will be eager to put the ASADA mess behind them. Yet by the looks of things they still seem pretty bitter about it and are very defensive whenever they are asked about their involvement in the drug scandal. I wonder whether they are truly over it. In typical Sharks fashion, they are trying to recruit their way out of the hole they’re in. Many people think that the Sharks are headed back to the finals with the players they’ve bought, but I just can’t see it happening. They have an aging forward pack and Lewis and Heighington are far past their best. Gallen is good but he’s injury prone, though they still have Fifita. Ennis is clearly a signing out of desperation; they were fools for letting go of Lichaa.       

Their backline isn’t that bad, but their season will hinge on whether Barba can return to form and deliver them points. Outside of Barba they don’t have many points of attack. Gordon is great but he isn’t really a ball-player. Depth is a big issue for them in some areas. Expected finish: With Flanagan back they’ll be expected to get out of the bottom four, but I don’t think they’ll be expected to make the finals. 10^th will earn them a pass mark. Barba, however, will be heavily scrutinised and there will be severe pressure on him. He seemed so desperate to get out of Sydney when he left the Dogs and claimed it was for family reasons. His return pretty much confirms for me that there was a big cover up at the Dogs and they just wanted to get him out of the joint. Realistic finish: Injuries could really cruel their season. They don’t have the depth to maintain a competitive team over the long season. Bottom four again.   

Manly

Tough and hard, Manly is still a team that demands respect. They may be on the way down, but you can be sure that they’ll go down swinging. Their forward pack has been decimated and is lacking experience, but they still have a backline that remains perhaps the best in the league. Rumours of player unrest could derail their season. Is Geoff Toovey the problem? It will be very interesting to see how Mateo goes. Expected finish: Their roster remains pretty strong and they will always to be tough to beat at home. Manly will be expected to make the finals, but challenging for the title may be beyond them. Realistic finish: Manly’s at their best when in siege mode. I think they will continue their magnificent finals run, but they won’t make the top four. I reckon around 7^th.  

Broncos

The return of Bennett is the obvious talking point. Will his return herald a new era of dominance for the club? They have a good all-round team with a nice mixture of youth and experience. They have recruited heavily, with a clear Bennett-themed emphasis on experience and toughness. The Broncos will be under severe pressure to entrench themselves in the top eight and maybe even challenge for the top four. If the Broncos have another ‘poor’ season, Bennett will start to cop criticism. He can’t remain the untouchable supercoach forever. Expected finish: Top five. There will be enormous hype surrounding Bennett’s return. Realistic finish: You’d have to say the top eight, but I think top four is out of reach for them. 6^th-8^th.

Eels

Wow! If someone told you 12 months ago that we would come within a whisker of making the finals, but then our best player would end up abandoning the club whilst also poaching Manly superstar Anthony Watmough, how would have you reacted? Never a dull moment being an Eels fan. There are so many things to talk about I could go on for ages, so I will try to be concise. A lot of people will point to our win/loss ratio when we’ve played without Hayne and will be quick to write us off. That record has now lost a great deal of relevance. In the past our attack revolved around Hayne. This isn’t the case now. Our playing style will be different and will focus on other players. Sandow and Norman will have to step up; many of our games will hinge on their performances. Hopoate is another critical player who will need to deliver.

Our attacking structure will need to be far more direct and less lateral than in 2014. We lack the speed out wide (particularly in the centres), and especially with no Hayne, to get around opposition defences. We will now have to go through them. Thankfully we have enormous potency and punch on both sides of the ruck with our impressive edge forwards who will make half-breaks and can also produce deft touches with the ball. The long awaited return of Peats will be like a new signing for us, and he will remind everyone why he’s a future rep star. Physical and mental toughness, along with our defence, will also be improved. These improvements alone will save us from the bottom four. I’m expecting us to be a bit messy and clumsy in attack early in the season but we’re going to be very physical right from the get go. We’ll be depending on this fast-paced bash and barge style of play to win games in the early rounds, but we won’t be able to keep it up for too long. We must acquire a high enough level of footy intelligence to finish off teams late in the game; this was a problem for us last year. My big concern is set attacking plays (including scrum plays) inside the opposition 20m zone where our halves and backline will need to manufacture points. Getting straight to the point, we lack class. Removing Hopoate from the centres takes away the quick pass to an unmarked winger, which we used to great effect last year. If Takairangi, Toutai, and Champion present our best options for the centre positions, I think we could really struggle to create tries. Playing Hopoate at fullback (assuming this is the case) is the big question; I sure hope the move pays off. Lastly, Sandow’s kicking game will need to be consistently excellent in every aspect for a successful season, and if we lose him to injury then it’s game over for us.   

Expected finish: We’re the underdogs for 2015. No one expects the Eels to do very well at all. Making the finals would be a massive achievement, but that’s probably too far out of reach. We’ll get away with another 10^th place finish. Realistic finish: Being underestimated will play into our hands. We’ll definitely cause some rousing upsets, and hopefully snare a number of early wins to boost the players’ confidence. But I just can’t shake the feeling that this season will be a bit like 2011, where we won’t have too much trouble in getting into the grind but ultimately we’ll struggle to land the killer blow due to an obvious lack of attacking strike power. No doubt aware of this, I suspect BA has made Pauli Pauli his pet project and he will become our secret weapon. Nevertheless, I think it will be another year of missing the finals. I reckon we’ll finish around 9^th-11^th amongst the likes of the Knights, Tigers, and Storm.