A bridge too far for Warriors?
The 2018 NRL regular season has wrapped up, with finals starting this weekend. Rugby league writer Michael Minty racks and stacks the finals series and predicts whether your team is heading for the scrap heap or the big dance.
Storm v Rabbitohs
AAMI Park, tonight 9.40
Melbourne blew its chance to finish minor premiers against a desperate Panthers side last week, albeit missing some key personnel.
However, a host of stars return, including Billy Slater, whose retirement is imminent. But this hasn’t been a vintage year for Melbourne by any stretch and despite a few purple periods throughout the season there is no denying the Rabbitohs are resurgent and look on par with the Storm in 2018.
We’ll take them to shock the Storm, especially with
Cameron Smith’s likely Kangaroos successor, Damien Cook, looking to sniff out some yardage up the middle of the park behind the Burgess boys. Score: Rabbitohs 2214
Storyline: Could Rabbitohs coach Anthony Seibold emulate Trent Robinson’s feat as a premiership winning coach in his rookie year? The signs look good.
Where they end up
Storm: Beat the Broncos in week two before going down at the death to the Roosters in the preliminary final.
Rabbitohs: Heading to the big dance to fight it out with the rival Roosters in an all metro affair, but come up short.
Panthers v Warriors
ANZ Stadium, tomorrow, 7.30
This is one game in which anything could happen. Both sides could get blown off the park depending on who turns up. The Panthers will be buoyed by their upset victory in Melbourne last week, while the Warriors had to grind admirably against a Raiders side that was finishing off the season stoutly. The Warriors got a hiding at the hands of a second string Panthers side midyear and that will be fresh in the minds. However, this game is not being played in the Penrith cauldron.
Assuming the Panthers gain parity with possession, man for man they should be too big, too fast and too powerful for a Warriors side that has done well this season but may have forgotten what it takes to play finals footy.
Story line: Simon Mannering — the most capped Warriors player — is to retire. Is this the end or will it be 2011 all over again, with the Warriors upsetting their way to a GF appearance?
Score: Panthers 3416
Where they end up
Panthers: Succumb to the gritty Sharks in week two, signalling the end of a turbulent season.
Warriors: Mad Monday.
Roosters v Sharks
Allianz Stadium, tomorrow, 9.40pm
The Roosters snaffled the minor premiership off Melbourne in a dazzling display over the wooden spoonfed Eels and head into this battle against Cronulla in good form. Having said that, the Sharks also look to be peaking at the right time, indicating this could well be a tossthecoin game. It is hard to see many points scored — both rank in the top three for defence in the NRL.
However, the Roosters lead the NRL in the most ineffective tackles count, which should sound alarm bells.
A tough game to tip but the Roosters should have more to offer in attack and get home narrowly.
Storyline: With a new salary cap saga brewing at Cronulla, some media are suggesting the Sharks could potentially come out with a siege mentality. Could the minor premiers be using a life this week?
Score: Roosters 1912
Where they end up
Roosters: Squeak past the Storm in the preliminary to face the Rabbitohs, where they taste another premiership.
Sharks: Defeat the Panthers in week two but knocked out by the Rabbits in the preliminary final.
Broncos v Dragons
Suncorp Stadium, Sunday, 6pm
This is shaping up as a good old fashioned flogging. The Dragons have literally limped into the finals to finish seventh, despite setting the competition alight before the Origin period. They got thumped by the lowly Bulldogs a fortnight ago before scraping past the Knights last week. While it has been a year of ups and downs for the Broncos, there is no doubting they are one of the form sides heading into finals.
They have had the odd woops moment against teams they should have beaten but Wayne Bennett should have them ready for this week.
Storyline: The Dragons’ fall from grace has been a train wreck, but it all starts again. Victory seems impossible, but what a story it would be if they could win against the odds in front of a packed Suncorp Stadium.
Score: Broncos 406
Where they end up
Broncos: A trip to Melbourne against a wounded Storm outfit spells the end in week two.
Dragons: Mad Monday.