if i had to stab at a ladder
Melbourne
Cronulla
Brisbane
Penrith
Bulldogs
Manly
Dolphins
Cowboys
Roosters
Newcastle
Raiders
Bunnies
Eels
Dragons
Tigers
Warriors
Titans
I don't have a problem with CNK at fullback in isolation, but playing RTS on the wing is stupid.
Not sure Webby has got the ability, he lived off 2023 glory last year and showed an unwillingness to change when that plan failed.
On the halves, maybe Metcalf will justify the hype of the trial commentators and the league forum I'm part of, but his previous first grade matches he's been a good runner and that's about it.
I'm glad I'm starting this year with the usual lowered expectations, they were a bit higher (a tiny bit) last year which made the outcome even worse.
they should have been high last year! We were coming off a prelim, SJ should have won the Daly M, it all looked apples.
And it all fell apart at once, and what looked like real improvement was lots of lightening in a bottle
DWZ reverted to a bumbling diving idiot rather than a metre-eating try machine
Our edge defence fell apart
SJ fell even further than when he first came back
No one could stay as his halves partner
Harris's body collapsed.
CNK got slower.
it was a real ugly fall from grace.
SJ really fell apart and without Tohu in the middle we lost our way.
Im not sure Webby has settled on his halves yet either, especially since Boyd was injured.
Although CNK will be starting fullback unfortunately Im not convinced RTS will play there second choice either
There are some really fit teams to start the year this year and I wouldn't be surprised if we finish about the same, off the pace
Never can really read too much into pre season, but I had Roosters to fail this year and right now I’m thinking I’m on the money.
Not so with my Knights call lol
We'll have a better picture of where Newcastle sit by how much the Tigers beat them by in round one.
last set of trials, and a few actual first graders had a run.
Big losers the Roosters who put out a strong side and got absolutely bitch slapped.
The Knights who smacked them looked okay.
The Cowboys have some good young talent that got them over the Storm. Melbourne might have an issue at fullback, with their young up and comer joining Papenhuyzen in the Ryan Papenhuyzen Casualty Ward.
I watched a bit of the Broncos v Bulldogs game and it was actually first grade quality for the most part. Brisbane definitely looked good, way fitter than last year.
The Dragons bitch slapped the Bunnies before clocking off early. For a bit in the first half they scored with every set.
And so we are set for opening round in Vegas
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
last set of trials, and a few actual first graders had a run.
Big losers the Roosters who put out a strong side and got absolutely bitch slapped.
The Knights who smacked them looked okay.
The Cowboys have some good young talent that got them over the Storm. Melbourne might have an issue at fullback, with their young up and comer joining Papenhuyzen in the Ryan Papenhuyzen Casualty Ward.
I watched a bit of the Broncos v Bulldogs game and it was actually first grade quality for the most part. Brisbane definitely looked good, way fitter than last year.
The Dragons bitch slapped the Bunnies before clocking off early. For a bit in the first half they scored with every set.And so we are set for opening round in Vegas
Given Munster coming back from double hip replacement I expected him to be rusty, but Melbourne did look off the boil in both matches. However I expect Bellamy to read the riot act come round one.
I think the Dragons might win a few games before their old timers break down, may humble some teams in the process.
Broncos look ready to fire and a team to beat.
Roosters so far off its scary.
Tino actually playing for Titans lifts them a lot.
Bunnies and Nth Qld potentially ready to roll the dice on young halves in Humphries and Duffy in round one. I see neither lasting in that position through the season.
@antipodean Tigers fans should be optimistic but its hard to say how far they have come yet
Cronk talking up the warriors but none of use are buying it
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
their old timers break down
oof, there was one break where Gutho tried to run a support line and he was basically limping and pulled up. He is cooked.
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
their old timers break down
oof, there was one break where Gutho tried to run a support line and he was basically limping and pulled up. He is cooked.
absolutely, but ran the team well from the back, just how long he can hold together. A bit like watching Tohu at the end for us. Maybe he ends up playing 50 minute games with Sloan moving across who knows
Dont think they win the comp, but saw enough for them to be one of those annoying teams that could be hard to beat early in the season
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
absolutely, but ran the team well from the back,
yep, teh brain and the sweet hands are there, and he can still run, but fullback in teh NRL is pretty hard out. Ask Latrell, he can't keep up. Gutho would make a sweet 5/8
Got to love NRL players, two Canberra players already having a dust up in Vegas, although no cops involved, given rumors of an inflatable bat and given history of degeneracy of some raiders can only hope this is a PG story
hope they miss this weekend ..wont happen though
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
terrible signing. far out we suck.
Might as well say we want the spoon now
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
terrible signing. far out we suck.
Might as well say we want the spoon now
This is the selection that led you to that conclusion?
What a weird headline - why not just say he signed with the Warriors?
I don't remember how he went for Parra, was decent back in his Manly days.
dropped from Manly because couldn't tackle, went to Parra to fill in injury gaps, also dropped, technically signed now from North Sydney Bears as he didn't have an NRL contract hence signing to an NRL team
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
terrible signing. far out we suck.
Might as well say we want the spoon now
This is the selection that led you to that conclusion?
purely because they freed up salary cap to find an outside back..
but yes point taken 
i hope to be pleasantly surprised, but our spine looks Q-Cup level.
Harper makes our ropey edge defense even worse if that's possible.
Plus i hate his stupid haircut, and his stupid facial hair.
So hard to gauge our spine against the Storm. For me the success against a D grade Melbourne had more to do with TMM as an extra ball player at the fullback role than anything else. We all know CNK is not a ball player. In saying that in the first 40, Egan, CHT and Metcalf all played well. Big step up though.
If Demitric Vaimauga and Leka Halasima play with sustained enthusiasm and controlled aggression then our bench might offer some real impact, but again a big if.
Think we can beat the Raiders but my hopes are not high for the season
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
Egan, CHT and Metcalf all played well.
As long as we're up against the reserve grade teams each week we'll go well.
The leaguie forum I frequent love Metcalf, I have no idea why, he's "ran" well in first grade while not showing any ability to control a game, then has played well in trial matches showing some ability to control a game. But you'd think he was the next Andrew Johns the way they go on about him.
I let them talk me round with Egan late 2023/early 2024, then he reverted to type as 2024 went on, so I'm not making that mistake again by believing the hype. Our best 7 is a 6 -TMM, that's how bad our squad is.
If Demitric Vaimauga and Leka Halasima play with sustained enthusiasm and controlled aggression then our bench might offer some real impact, but again a big if.
Do those relative big boys make a Webby bench?
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
Egan, CHT and Metcalf all played well.
As long as we're up against the reserve grade teams each week we'll go well.
The leaguie forum I frequent love Metcalf, I have no idea why, he's "ran" well in first grade while not showing any ability to control a game, then has played well in trial matches showing some ability to control a game. But you'd think he was the next Andrew Johns the way they go on about him.
I let them talk me round with Egan late 2023/early 2024, then he reverted to type as 2024 went on, so I'm not making that mistake again by believing the hype. Our best 7 is a 6 -TMM, that's how bad our squad is.
If Demitric Vaimauga and Leka Halasima play with sustained enthusiasm and controlled aggression then our bench might offer some real impact, but again a big if.
Do those relative big boys make a Webby bench?
Both big boys picked on bench to play Canberra, sort of excited for this, but tempered with usual Warriors not going to go as expected.
I agree TMM is our best 7 so far in NRL games played. Webby does like Boyd, so potentially they even see Boyd as the back up 7 if Metcalf fails at this level or also breaks again.
Egan injured a lot last year so will I cut him some slack, he was mentioned in Origin circles so not a bunny.
Team for Vegas
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Taine Tuaupiki
Ali Leiataua
Adam Pompey
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
Chanel Harris-Tavita
Luke Metcalf
Forwards
James Fisher-Harris
Wayde Egan
Mitchell Barnett
Kurt Capewell
Marata Niukore
Erin Clark
Interchange
Dylan Walker
Jackson Ford
Demitric Vaimauga
Leka Halasima
It's not that bad a side haha. Yes full of journeymen but not as bad as it's being made out on here.
Probably a 10th to 12th place side on paper.
@African-Monkey said in NRL 2025:
It's not that bad a side haha. Yes full of journeymen but not as bad as it's being made out on here.
Probably a 10th to 12th place side on paper.
it's worse than last year and we finished 13th then.
SMH has it quite accurate I think..16th
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
Both big boys picked on bench to play Canberra,
Cheers, I hadn't seen the team. Hmmm, maybe the Webby leopard can change his spots?
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
@African-Monkey said in NRL 2025:
It's not that bad a side haha. Yes full of journeymen but not as bad as it's being made out on here.
Probably a 10th to 12th place side on paper.
it's worse than last year and we finished 13th then.
More expectation with that side which played a part in them underachieving, Johnson was done, and Harris was being held together by duct tape, but theyve both been moved on now. Other than that, it's not too dissimilar to last seasons side, with the exception of AFB being swapped out with JFH. Obviously everyone would have CNZ swapped out with RTS, but Webster seems quite stubborn on that issue.
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I reckon there's three players listed who would get a start in the majority of the NRL teams in the positions they're in - JFH, Barnett, and Capewell (based on his Oz rep).
I love CNK but I don't think he's getting picked for a lot of teams.
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
@Nepia Egan would walk into a few NRL teams, namely Parra, Newcastle, maybe even Broncos this year just to name a few.
RTS would be snapped up by someone even on the wing
Im not sure Capewell would now thoughAgree on CNK though
The Egan who finished 2024 - are you one of the dudes on my league forum?
If RTS is starting it's only because he's RTS, not because he's a top winger.
Capewell played Origin last year.
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
Capewell played Origin last year.
an absolutely dud pick that contributed to the series being lost. Billy should have questions to answer around that
As an FYI I'm in no way advocating for Capewell, I just thinks his stocks might be rated higher than we rate him, high enough for Billy to pick him twice.
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
Capewell played Origin last year.
an absolutely dud pick that contributed to the series being lost. Billy should have questions to answer around that
Yeah that was weird that selection....along with playing Kaufusi for about 20 mins across the whole series.
@antipodean said in NRL 2025:
Tigers to just miss the eight. Due primarily to an egregious bunker error.
I think they make massive strides this year, whether that includes an 8 spot or not.
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Get in before the Vegas games this weekend - only 3 of us in so at least we'll all be on the podium!