NRL Finals Are Close

With only one round to play it will be soon down to 8 teams battling it out and 8 more dissecting what went wrong.

The top six is decided and all that remains fro them is where they finish. Bulldogs & Storm will be 1 & 2, it is just a matter of whether Bulldogs win their last game and maintain top position. Souths & Manly realistically should finish 3 & 4 but losses to either can see them drop to fifth allowing the Cowboys or the Sharks to grab the vital top four spot.  Sitting in 7th and 8th at the moment are the Raiders & the Broncos and victories are vital for both of the to stay in the eight, losses could still see them make with points differentials coming into play.

Looking at the middle tiered team it is interesting to see the spread. Go back ten rounds and everyone had written off the Raiders and any chance they had and their coach surviving the season. Brisbane on the other hand were looking a certain finals prospect but their chances faded with their ability to find the try line, and any semblance of attacking skill.The Broncos are clearly lacking in attacking flair and more importantly, speed. For a team with so much Origin experience they seem to let in a lot of soft tries. Following on their heals are 4 teams that most had in their top eight predictions at the start of the year, Tigers, Titans, Knights & Dragons. The Dragons are no surprise at missing out and were always going to struggle after Bennett left and didn't leave much of a legacy for them to follow on with. The Knights were always struggling and key signings for them just didn't stand up in the same way that Bennett's coaching style doesn't stand up so well any more either.  The Titans are also in the category of a team that had good signings but no reward from them, whilst Myles has had a good season, a lot more was expected from Idris who definitely looked to be playing injured all season. For me there is no surprise the the Tigers could and will miss out on the eight.  Whilst they may have Marshall and Farrah, there are too many under performing players at the club. This is a club that is too often only playing half a game.

Even with a round to play the Final predictions are already being discussed but I don;t think it is a certainty this year.  In the last 2 weeks, the Broncos had the chance to defeat the Bulldogs and Sea-Eagles and came up short. Storm also ave not been overly convincing but as usual grind their way to wins. Then you have the Cowboys who are the hot/cold team of the year but of late are hot and with Thurston and Bowen in form along with their team this is the team everyone should expect to see in the final. With the new finals format this year, the first round will be crucial. I expect that the teams in the top 4 who lose the opening round finals game will progress no further or if they do will not get to the final with injuries and fatigue playing a part.

Whilst I would love to see a Cowboys v Broncos final, I predict the Cowboys will be playing the Storm in the Final.