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WHAT THE FAR NORTH WANTS TO SEE IN RUGBY LEAGUE DURING 2017

FIRST, it was Chinese astrologers.

Now rugby league’s biggest names are declaring 2017 the Year of the Rooster.

Only three days out from the NRL season opener, News Corp can reveal 16 club captains have surprisingly selected the Roosters among their top two premiership favourites.

According to the esteemed voting panel, which included the likes of Cam Smith, Greg Inglis, Paul Gallen and Johnathan Thurston, it will be the boys from Bondi Junction challenging Melbourne in October’s grand final.

When asked ‘Which team besides your own will win the premiership’, six captains chose the Melbourne Storm.

Next best, however, was the Roosters with four.

The result means that despite coming off a horrific 2016 season, which opened with Mitchell Pearce’s Australia Day saga and finished with them ahead of only Newcastle, the Tricolours have incredibly polled in front of more fancied rivals Penrith, Canberra and North Queensland.

The Panthers received three votes in the anonymous poll, with the Cowboys earning two and Warriors one.

Defending premiers Cronulla did not get a single vote.

Currently, the TAB has Melbourne and Penrith as $7.50 premiership favourites.

Next comes Thurston’s Cowboys ($8) and Canberra ($9), with the Roosters sitting on the fifth line at $10.

Ironically, 2017 is also the Year of the Rooster in Chinese astrology.

But as for what weight that carries? Not much.

Of the Roosters’ 13 premierships, only one has previously fallen in their zodiac year, 1945.

South Sydney and St George Illawarra have also only scored one title in the year of the Rabbit and Dragon respectively, while none have lined up for years of the Tiger, Dog or Horse.

Yet having already claimed the Auckland Nines trophies, the Roosters are now being tipped to bag a historic double by the men who matter most.

Apart from the hyped resurrection of halfback Mitchell Pearce, who was fined $125,000 and banned from the opening eight rounds of 2016, the Roosters also appear to have solved their No. 6 woes after the signing of former Rabbitoh Luke Keary.

Elsewhere, Test forwards Boyd Cordner and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves are both ready to fire after missing extending periods of last season with injury while incoming fullback Michael Gordon adds a solid goalkicking resume, another area the side lacked last year.

The Roosters will also be looking for continued improvement from a host of 2016 NRL rookies including Latrell Mitchell, Connor Watson and teenage forward Nat Butcher.