The calendar has just ticked over into March and for those of our readers based in Australia – and any of our readers interested in sports betting – this means just one thing … the start of the 2014 footy season.
Australia represents a unique place in the sporting world in that it boasts not one, not two, but four major football codes which are all very well supported and attract big crowds every week. Of course, they include the soccer which runs right through the Aussie summer, the Super 15 Rugby Union which kicked off two weeks ago and the AFL which starts in mid-March, but this Thursday sees the start of the 2014 Rugby League season – also known as the NRL.
Can Sonny Bill Williams lead the Roosters to another title?
While Rugby League might be a slightly foreign sport to those of you born and bred in Asia, it is one of the two dominant footy codes Down Under, alongside AFL, and the opening round of any new season has the Eastern and Northern parts of Australia jumping up and down with anticipation.
So what do you need to know? Well, although all 16 teams will head into 2014 with high expectations, we can probably narrow it down to five or six sides who could realistically consider themselves a genuine chance of winning the competition. They are the Sydney Roosters, Manly Sea Eagles, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Melbourne Storm as the main chances with the likes of the Cronulla Sharks and North Queensland Cowboys outside hopes but with enough talent to lift the trophy should luck fall their way.
Last year’s premiers, the Sydney Roosters, will again be very tough to beat. They boast a tough, skilful forward pack led by the brilliant Sonny Bill Williams and their halves duo of Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney complement each other brilliantly. They are also a superb defensive unit although having won the title in 2013, will they still have the hunger to do it all again this time around?
South Sydney superstar Greg Inglis
One side that will definitely be determined to go all the way is Manly, who came so close last season before being beaten by the Roosters in the grand final. The Sea Eagles have reached the finals every year for the past nine years – a phenomenal record – and having won the premiership in 2008 and 2011 they know what it takes to go all the way. Their halves pairing of Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans is probably the best in the NRL and their backline is lethal, but they have lost some experience and depth in the forwards which could prove difficult to overcome should injuries strike.
South Sydney has been one of the best sides in the NRL the past two years and they do appear to have the most complete squad of all sides in the NRL. Their monstrous forward pack should be able to run over all opponents should they fire, they have speed and skill out wide and many believe halves John Sutton and Adam Reynolds will be the long term pairing for the NSW State of Origin team in the future, but having bowed out a week before the grand final in consecutive years, it’s fair to question whether they have the self-belief to play their best when it matters most. Time will tell.
The Melbourne Storm has been the most feared side in the NRL over the past decade and with their “big three” of Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater running the show they will always be hard to beat. They are one of the few sides we can say with confidence will definitely be there come the final two weeks of the finals, but their rivals have grown somewhat accustomed to their style of play and do they rely too heavily on Smith, Cronk and Slater?
Billy Slater and the Storm will again be hard to stop
The Sharks have made great strides in recent years and aren’t too far off the pace, but with their coach currently suspended for 12 months they will again have some off-field distractions to overcome, while the North Queensland Cowboys continue to be the NRL’s great under-achievers. On paper they should have won at least one or two titles in the past few years but they remain the most frustratingly inconsistent side in the competition and will need to address that problem if they are to break their premiership drought. Perhaps new coach Paul Green can instil better discipline.
Keep an eye on the Brisbane Broncos, who will pose much greater attacking threat with Ben Barba at fullback this year, while the Newcastle Knights remain a smoky with their big pack and talented halves.
It all starts this Thursday night when the Roosters and Rabbitohs go head to head and we look forward to bringing you lots of tips, news and updates throughout the year right here at wgm8.com.
