Ah, the NRL pre season. It’s that wonderful time of year when every league fan dreams of an NRL premiership in early October. Sadly, for many of us those dreams are cruelly smashed before we get to the end of March.

Not every team can win, but we hope our teams can at least achieve what we would consider a pass mark for the season. It’s that magical mark where marquee players and coaches are safe and where mad Monday celebrations can go ahead without much scrutiny from the media.

So what is a pass mark for your club?

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Working from the top down, a pass mark for the North Queensland Cowboys and the Sydney Roosters is simply a premiership. North Queensland enjoyed a fairytale run through the semi-finals last year only to lose to the Melbourne Storm at the last hurdle. With Jordan McLean joining the club and Johnathan Thurston back from injury, expectations are rightfully high in Townsville.

Likewise the Sydney Roosters will expect to win the premiership. After finishing second in the regular 2017 season the addition of Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco arguably gives the Roosters the best roster on paper in the competition. However, the loss of Kane Evans and Aidan Guerra will test their forward depth.

For Melbourne Storm and the Parramatta Eels only a top-two spot will be considered a pass. The loss of Cooper Cronk will be felt at the Storm but we saw enough of Brodie Croft last season to know that he is a quality half. With Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cameron Munster in your team, the Storm will be playing deep into September again.

The Eels’ late-season surge last year had them finish only one win behind the second-placed Roosters, and they would be shooting for a top-two spot this year. The loss of Semi Radradra is immense – though the Eels do have some quality backs – while the signing of Jarryd Hayne with something to prove could be significant. Kane Evans also adds to their forward pack.



For the Brisbane Broncos, Penrith Panthers and Cronulla Sharks a top-four finish would be considered a pass, so you can see that not all clubs will hit the pass mark this year.

The Broncos have lost or released some key players this year and have picked up Jack Bird from the Sharks. The Broncos should again be towards the top of the pile, but they are not as strong as some of the other clubs. Nevertheless, the Brisbane fans will want results and Wayne Bennett will be under pressure. I’d like Bennett coaching the Newtown Jets, if only for the Elton John jokes, but that’s not likely to happen.

The Panthers have been about to cut loose for the past few years but have never quite delivered. The addition of James Maloney partnering with Nathan Cleary this year gives the Panthers some real stability in the halves, which could be just what they need with their exciting outside backs.

The Sharks have lost James Maloney and Jack Bird and picked up Matt Moylan and Josh Dugan. All are quality. Whether Cronulla have won or lost on these trades won’t be known until well into the season. The improvement of Valentine Holmes at fullback is also critical. If Holmes does this, Sharks fans can stop praying for the return of Ben Barba.

The Canberra Raiders, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Canterbury Bulldogs, Manly Sea Eagles and St George Illawarra Dragons should all feel that making the top eight is a pass mark for the year.

After falling one game short of the grand final in 2016 the Raiders were inconsistent last year, eventually finishing tenth. Other than perhaps Charlie Gubb, their recruitment hasn’t been outstanding. However, you could argue that Canberra underachieved in 2017 and will be looking to set the record straight this year.

For the Rabbits, 12th place last year was disappointing. Their key addition is Dane Gagai, although much will depend on the fitness of Greg Inglis and Adam Reynolds, who have both been suspect in recent seasons. Their forward pack was also off the pace in 2017.



It is an important year for the Bulldogs. A poor 2017 season saw the departure of Des Hasler and club stalwarts James Graham, Sam Kasiano and Josh Reynolds. On the plus side were the major signings of Kieran Foran and Aaron Woods. After this major clean out only a top-eight finish will be acceptable.

The Sea Eagles finished a surprising sixth last year under Trent Barrett and will be expecting to do so again in 2018. The signing of Joel Thompson from the Dragons will provide additional starch to their pack, but the loss of Blake Green, with a lack of other experienced halves in the club, may prove significant.

If any club is playing to right the wrongs of last year, it is the Dragons. Their fans are still trying to deal with the disappointment of missing the eight Losing Josh Dugan, Joel Thompson and Russell Packer will be felt. However, the key signings of Ben Hunt and James Graham should help them take part in the semi-finals.

And so to the rest, where anything less than top 12 will be a failure.

There is no doubt the Newcastle Knights have recruited well. They won’t take the spoon this year. Equally, expecting them to jump from last to top eight is probably too much. Key signings are Mitchell Pearce, Kalyn Ponga and a range of forwards. I expect them to win a lot more games, but not enough to be playing in September.

The Wests Tigers have now had a full preseason under Ivan Cleary and will also expect to improve their position this year. They have recruited well, but the loss of James Tedesco and Aaron Woods makes it difficult for them to play semi-finals.

The Gold Coast Titans finished down the ladder in 2017, and unfortunately their recruitment for 2018 is not strong enough to change that. However, they challenged and beat some of the top teams in 2017, so more consistency this year would bring a higher ladder finish.



And, finally, the New Zealand Warriors. The Warriors have had a major overhaul, with a number of high-profile departures and signings, such as Tohu Harris, Blake Green, Gerald Beale and Adam Blair. They should finish top 12 and probably higher. Whether they do or not remains to be seen.

So there’s my take of what a pass mark looks for your club in 2018. As always, there will be a divergence of views, so please agree or disagree in the comments.