As the dust settles on what has been an eventful 2016, the dawn begins to crack on 2017. With a new season comes a new bunch of player movements and ladder predictions.

I’ll likely be doing a ladder prediction after the new year, but for now, I thought I would make five unrelated predictions for season 2017.

1. Cronulla to miss the top four and bundle out of the finals in the first two weeks

The Sharkies will come into the season as defending champions for the first time in their history and no team has really even gotten close to going back to back in the last few years – let alone the last 20-ish years since Brisbane did it.

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With no Michael Ennis and Ben Barba to be gone, I don’t think Valentine Holmes will be as suited to fullback as a lot of us think.

They’ll find their feet near the end of the season but I think they’ll be knocked out week one or two of the finals.

2. Tensions still high between Australian Rugby League Commission and NRL clubs

With the backpedalling on the memorandum of understanding that has occurred over the offseason relating to club funding, tensions have been flaring concerning the relationship between chairman John Grant and the 16 clubs. With threats of some clubs forming a breakaway league.

While I don’t think it will end that badly, the ARLC still has a job on its hands and Grant digging his heels in isn’t going to help the issue. I don’t expect him to see out the year.

3. Dally M race between five players

The Dally M award is usually the last thing on my mind but by the time the voting closes I expect there to be roughly five players deep in the mix.

The Roosters’ Mitchell Pearce, Panthers’ Matt Moylan, Tigers’ James Tedesco and Titans Jarryd Hayne and Ash Taylor will be in a five-way race for Rugby league’s most prized individual award.



4. Young Blues outlast Maroons in State of Origin thriller

It’ll be a war, and the Blues will come out on top.

Series debutants such as James Tedesco, Nathan Peats, Ryan James and Jake Trbojevic will help guide the Blues to an unlikely series whitewash with no more than two points separating the sides in each game.

Hayne will return while Maloney and Pearce will be the next halves pairing to give NSW the edge. This result will also guarantee Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston’s retirement from the Maroons with Anthony Milford and Ash Taylor to take their place in 2018.

5. Panthers versus Titans Grand Final

The big day. Four young halves, two representative fullbacks, two monster forward packs.

Two exciting teams but only one can walk away with the Trophy.

I don’t have the balls to even hazard a guess at who will win. But my sneaky tip is Gold Coast by a Jarryd Hayne field goal.