Shock results see some teams struggling, namely Newcastle, Easts and New Zealand. There always has to be someone at the bottom and right now it’s the Roosters, who have lost a few key players. The Warriors gained some key players in the off-season who are just now starting to find form.
The Sharks, Broncos and Tigers show early promise. The Cowboys are looking strong. After four rounds the Titans were joint leaders – who’d have thought!
After a promising start, injuries have brought Souths back to the field, and they’ll be hoping to build momentum in coming weeks. Round 5 saw a gripping contest with rivals Manly, Souths prevailing 16-12. Sam and Tom Burgess are back, with John Sutton and Adam Reynolds to return soon.
Still, it’s early days. Anything can happen, and probably will! It’s a very tight competition, and State of Origin will test a few teams.
For the record, the following tips were posted before a ball was kicked in the regular season. Our tipsters Phil, Lorna, Gavin, Andrew and John offer their predictions for this year’s top eight.
Phil: Broncos, Cowboys, Eels, Eagles, Roosters, Rabbitohs, Bulldogs, Storm.
Lorna: Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Panthers, Eels, Bulldogs, Roosters, Tigers, Broncos.
Gavin: Broncos, Cowboys, Eagles, Roosters, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Sharks, Storm.
Andrew: Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Broncos, Roosters, Eagles, Storm, Dragons, Bulldogs.
John: Broncos, Cowboys, Eels, Rabbitohs, Sharks, Tigers, Storm, Bulldogs.
