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they were never a genuine title contender last year but made it to the penultimate weekend of the season and you can bet they’ll be thereabouts again this year. If The Big Four stay fit then maybe a premiership is possible in what could be Craig Bellamy’s final year as coach. Or he could coach for another decade and keep taking the Storm to the finals. Who knows?

DOLPHINS

Welcome to

Wayne’s

World – also known as Redcliffe. The Dolphins are entering their second season in the NRL and expectations are high. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Jamayne Isaako, Tom Flegler and Herbie Farnworth have the potential to dominate for the

Dolphins and take them into finals contention. They were the most suspended team in the NRL last year, mostly thanks to Felise Kaufusi and Tom Gilbert, who seem to get under the skin of rival fans too. The subplot to 2024 will be Bennett in his final season in charge of the Dolphins. What will the super coach do next? You can bet he won’t retire and if Bennett takes his time coming up with a decision he will be linked to every job in the game. It’s going to be great theatre. Phins up!

TIGERS

Ah, my beloved Wests

Tigers, the club

I once called to be wound up, prompting a barrage of abuse from jilted fans. Despite their lack of success over the past decade, the Tigers have somehow retained a strong following and continue to be hot news. Benji Marshall is embarking on his honeymoon period as an NRL coach, which doesn’t seem to last for long these days so he’d better show some encouraging signs early. At least the Tigers have Jahream Bula – a player the fans can get around – and black and orange are mean

club colours.

COWBOYS

There are plenty of theories around what happened at North Queensland last year after their stunning 2022 season. The Cowboys had an interrupted pre-season, lost key players, their egos became

inflated … the list goes on. The bottom line is, there is some serious talent in Townsville that should be able to challenge for this year’s premiership. Think Scott Drinkwater, Tom Dearden, Jeremiah Nanai, Valentine Holmes, Murray Taulagi. The only thing missing at the Cowboys is a villain now that Luciano Leilua has jumped ship. There’s no excuses for Todd Payten and the Cowboys – it’s time to get it done on the field and give the loyal people of north Queensland something to cheer about.

BULLDOGS

Has Phil Gould finally sorted out Canterbury or are the Bulldogs quickly becoming a 10-year project? No club has recruited more aggressively over the past few years than the Bulldogs, with ‘Gus’ seemingly signing anyone that has been chasing a contract. Stephen Crichton adds some spark but there’s still too many question marks around what is Canterbury’s best team. If Cameron Ciraldo, the most hyped coach in NRL history, doesn’t start to find some results then Belmore is sure to turn into a pressure cooker, not to mention the constant boardroom bickering. The Bulldogs may not be very attractive to watch on the field, but they’ll be hard to take your eyes off.

DRAGONS

The NRL needs to introduce a new award at the

Dally Ms – Shit Sandwich of the Year – and give it to Shane Flanagan. The new Dragons coach has inherited a basket case and you can only wish him luck as he attempts to resurrect the Red V. Apart from Ben Hunt, who doesn’t even want to be there, the Dragons have no superstars and are so desperate they’re splashing huge cash on average players. The Dragons have a loyal supporter base, presumably due to their history of success, which means they are always a story and this year promises to be no different. Godspeed, Shane.

WARRIORS

Well, isn’t a year a long time in football. Before the start of last season we had the Warriors ranked last in the ‘watchability’ stakes. Since then, Shaun Johnson remembered how to play the game and ‘Up the Wahs!’ was born as the Warriors romped to a top-four finish under rookie coach Andrew Webster. It was the stuff dreams are made of … until they were flogged by the Broncos in the preliminary finals.

The good news for the Warriors is Johnson remains at the club and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has returned from his dalliance with rugby union. Can they produce another fairytale season? Probably not. Will they be worth watching? Ask me again at the end of the season.

The Warriors are the NRL’s cryptocurrency – invest in them at your own risk. Prepare to be burned and ride the highs if they come good. But don’t say you weren’t warned.

KNIGHTS

Kalyn Ponga started the

2023 season with a series of concussions that threatened to end his career and finished it as the Dally M Medal winner. Go figure that out.

Ponga’s blistering form saved coach Adam O’Brien’s career and carried the Knights to a finals appearance. But it’s going to take more than a one-man band for Newcastle to do that again this year and expectations will be high in the Hunter.

The NRL seems like it’s a better competition when the Knights are winning and they are a tough team to hate – even if most fans can’t cop Jackson Hastings. But if they come out of the blocks slow, prepare for some early season Andrew Johns meltdowns on Channel 9 – which are always entertaining.

TITANS

Is Des Hasler the man to finally make the

Titans an NRL premiership contender and bring relevance to the Gold Coast? That’s the $1 million question heading into a crucial season for the NRL’s perennial underperformers. After back-to-back bottom four finishes, and nearly two decades of doing little in the NRL premiership race, Hasler has been brought in to give the Titans a tough edge. Hasler has already blasted suggestions he may be a spent force and he’s got star power with David Fifita, AJ Brimson and Jayden Campbell and a fearless leader in Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, who’s not very well liked south of the Tweed. Will the Titans be a surprise packet or continue being mediocre? We’re about to find out. One thing is certain – sky blue and yellow remains the least intimidating jersey in the game.

RAIDERS

Where do you start with

Canberra? On paper, the Raiders look like a bottom-eight team that’s lacking fire power. But that’s exactly what veteran coach Ricky Stuart wants you to think. Even if the Raiders don’t fire a shot on the field, Stuart is sure to provide plenty of sparks off it with his sideline theatrics and press conference gold.

The Raiders may be lacking star power, but they are always a team of bruisers that are tough to beat. Raging redhead Corey Horsburgh has become great to watch and Josh Papalii may have a few more big hits up his sleeve. Oh, and the Viking Clap is still catchy even after all these years. But who thought lime green would look good on anyone? Up the milk!

SHARKS

Who can hate the sky blue of the Sharks and that beautifully written song ‘Up, up, Cronulla!’? Everyone that’s not a Sharks fan, it seems. The Sharks may be on the slide and they can thank Brad Fittler for ruining 2022 Dally M Medal champion Nicho Hynes during last year’s Origin series.

If Hynes can’t regain his confidence then it could be a long season for the Sharks, who are a pretty boring team to watch when their sole attacking weapon isn’t firing. This is a really hard club to get excited about, apart from Ronaldo Mulitalo and Toby Rudolf. We all need a little more Ronaldo and Toby in our lives.