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I know its ridiculously early to be talking about next season but what the hell:
1. Storm (can't see them being any less dominant than they were this season.)
2. Warriors (a really strong side that is going to become really dangerous over the next few seasons)
3. Tigers (There's been a lot of player movement but they've made some good buys. Adam Blair will be a huge asset and if Benji fires then they're a good premiership chance)
4. Manly (They still look like a very good side on paper but I think they may have overachieved a little this year. Still a very real contender though)
5. Knights (It's hard to say what will happen with the Knights. Even with Bennett as coach I still don't think they're a premiership team. You never know though)
6. Roosters (A disappointing season last year due to injury and off-field distractions. The loss of Carney won't help, but Anasta is an adequate 5/8 and we
have one of the best halfbacks in the comp as well as a very good hooker and one of the most damaging young front rows in the NRL. A definite top 8 team, but I wouldn't say premiership-worthy)
7. Cowboys (I don't like the look of this team on paper, but if Thurston plays well you'd expect them to make the top 8)
8. Raiders (Far too much talent to have yet another disappointing season. They'll miss Alan Tongue, but their young guys should get them a finals spot)
9. Broncos (They have a really good side, but they'll miss Lockyer. He hasn't exactly been dominant in recent years, but he's definitely been the backbone of this club. It'll take at least a year of rebuilding to recover from his loss.)
10. Sharks (They have an absolute workhorse in Gallen and they've made a couple of good buys in Isaac De Gois and Bryce Gibbs. They'll miss Luke Douglas and Kade Snowden though, and Gallen can only carry them so far.)
11. Dragons (Bennett worked magic with this team, but they showed in the back end of this season how devoid of solid leadership and desire they are. Soward has overtaken Jarryd Hayne as the most overrated player in the NRL.)
12. Titans (They've made some big-name buys, but what they really need is hard working forwards, not marquee signings like Idris and Myles. They'll continue to struggle)
13. Parra (Sandow is a terrible buy. Hopefully they choose not to continue with the Hayne at five-eigth experiment as it clearly isn't working. Hindmarsh will keep the team afloat, but they'll continue to fail to make any real impact in the competition.)
14. Bulldogs (There is just nothing brewing here. They were so lacklustre this season, and I can't see that changing next year with the loss of a number of players and absolutely no noteworthy gains as of yet. They should be entering a rebuilding phase around now and looking towards a run for the premiership in 2013 or 14)
15. Panthers (Similar boat to the Bulldogs, except the Panthers have already started rebuilding. I'm not convinced that having Phil Gould in charge is going to help them too much. They'll miss Petero, and despite some okay purchases, I can't see them making an impact.)
16. Souths (No hope for these guys. As overrated as Sandow is, he kept them from the bottom of the ladder this year. Greg Inglis will continue to prove himself as a ridiculous waste of money, and Russell Crowe will probably go on Oprah or Leno again and brag about how he's turning the club around, when in reality they'll struggle to win more than a couple of games in the whole season.)
1. Storm (can't see them being any less dominant than they were this season.)
2. Warriors (a really strong side that is going to become really dangerous over the next few seasons)
3. Tigers (There's been a lot of player movement but they've made some good buys. Adam Blair will be a huge asset and if Benji fires then they're a good premiership chance)
4. Manly (They still look like a very good side on paper but I think they may have overachieved a little this year. Still a very real contender though)
5. Knights (It's hard to say what will happen with the Knights. Even with Bennett as coach I still don't think they're a premiership team. You never know though)
6. Roosters (A disappointing season last year due to injury and off-field distractions. The loss of Carney won't help, but Anasta is an adequate 5/8 and we
have one of the best halfbacks in the comp as well as a very good hooker and one of the most damaging young front rows in the NRL. A definite top 8 team, but I wouldn't say premiership-worthy)
7. Cowboys (I don't like the look of this team on paper, but if Thurston plays well you'd expect them to make the top 8)
8. Raiders (Far too much talent to have yet another disappointing season. They'll miss Alan Tongue, but their young guys should get them a finals spot)
9. Broncos (They have a really good side, but they'll miss Lockyer. He hasn't exactly been dominant in recent years, but he's definitely been the backbone of this club. It'll take at least a year of rebuilding to recover from his loss.)
10. Sharks (They have an absolute workhorse in Gallen and they've made a couple of good buys in Isaac De Gois and Bryce Gibbs. They'll miss Luke Douglas and Kade Snowden though, and Gallen can only carry them so far.)
11. Dragons (Bennett worked magic with this team, but they showed in the back end of this season how devoid of solid leadership and desire they are. Soward has overtaken Jarryd Hayne as the most overrated player in the NRL.)
12. Titans (They've made some big-name buys, but what they really need is hard working forwards, not marquee signings like Idris and Myles. They'll continue to struggle)
13. Parra (Sandow is a terrible buy. Hopefully they choose not to continue with the Hayne at five-eigth experiment as it clearly isn't working. Hindmarsh will keep the team afloat, but they'll continue to fail to make any real impact in the competition.)
14. Bulldogs (There is just nothing brewing here. They were so lacklustre this season, and I can't see that changing next year with the loss of a number of players and absolutely no noteworthy gains as of yet. They should be entering a rebuilding phase around now and looking towards a run for the premiership in 2013 or 14)
15. Panthers (Similar boat to the Bulldogs, except the Panthers have already started rebuilding. I'm not convinced that having Phil Gould in charge is going to help them too much. They'll miss Petero, and despite some okay purchases, I can't see them making an impact.)
16. Souths (No hope for these guys. As overrated as Sandow is, he kept them from the bottom of the ladder this year. Greg Inglis will continue to prove himself as a ridiculous waste of money, and Russell Crowe will probably go on Oprah or Leno again and brag about how he's turning the club around, when in reality they'll struggle to win more than a couple of games in the whole season.)
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