The 2025 regular season has finished. Teams played 24 matches and had three byes to complete 27 rounds. So how did they go? Most teams had tough injury runs, the demands of modern sport ensure that is the case. Ignoring that, here we go from bottom to top with brief opinion for each club.
Newcastle Knights: They lacked quality in depth, especially in the forwards. They went from a finals appearance to last in one season. The coach then left as expected.
Gold Coast Titans: Had potential and at times looked really good but rarely played their best for a full game. Dropped two places from 2024 and another coach left.
St George-Illawarra: Could have been a wooden spoon winner but scraped enough wins together to avoid that ignominy.
South Sydney Rabbitohs: Without the top players regularly participating, the team looked ordinary.
Wests Tigers: They strengthened their squad and avoided another last place but are very much a work in progress.
North Queensland Cowboys: Fifth last year but dropped seven places in 2025. Looked good going forward but overall inconsistent.
Parramatta Eels: A solid roster and improved toward the end of the season. Not enough to make the finals but there is promise.
Dolphins: Can do the razzle-dazzle, which led to a good points difference for a side that failed to make the finals. Perhaps not enough grind.
Manly Sea Eagles: A good but not great side, they finished where they deserved to.
Sydney Roosters: Came home strongly to snatch a finals spot. In form, they are formidable.
Penrith Panthers: Second place and grand final winners last year, they languished at the foot of the table during the season. They got their act together and made the finals. That said, the team is not as strong as last year.
New Zealand Warriors: I predicted they wouldn't make the finals but did so through grit and determination. Most of the games they played were tight. Overachieved? Maybe, but proved a hard side to beat, even though they did fade toward the end of the competition.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks: They quietly went about their business in an effective way. Another good season.
Brisbane Broncos: Inconsistent at the beginning of the season but toward the end very impressive.
Canterbury Bulldogs: A surprise package and led the competition for a while but finished below their best.
Melbourne Storm: Not quite the consistent Melbourne but very still competitive and came in second.
Canberra Raiders: They surprised everyone but the coach. They were much more consistent and that paid dividends. They simply were tough to beat.
The finals summary will follow once the matches are completed.
No comments:
Post a Comment