NRL FANTASY: Have you picked your team? Get started!
Cronulla or North Queensland to win their first comp, Wayne Bennett under the pump from the get-go and Gus Gould to cop it in the neck: they are just some of the fearless predictions from a panel of league experts we polled on the eve of season 2015.
The Final Rev-up quizzed News Corp trio Phil 'Buzz' Rothfield, Dean 'Bulldog' Ritchie and Dave Riccio, The Australian's Brent Read and Rugby League Week's Mole to get the lowdown on the NRL's most pressing issues.
Here's what we found:
Who will the 2015 premiership?
Buzz Rothfield: Cronulla
Bulldog Ritchie: Bulldogs
Brent Read: Cowboys
Mole: Roosters
Dave Riccio: Roosters
Who will take out the spoon?
Buzz: Penrith
Bulldog: Titans
BR: Dragons
Mole: Titans
DR: Dragons
Who will win the Dally M?
Buzz: Paul Gallen
Bulldog: Greg Inglis
BR: Johnathan Thurston
Mole: Mitch Pearce
DR: Mitchell Pearce
The coach most under pressure is...
Buzz: Gus Gould (yes Gus!)
Bulldog: Wayne Bennett
BR: Geoff Toovey
Mole: Wayne Bennett
DR: Geoff Toovey
The player most under pressure is...
Buzz: Jamie Soward
Bulldog: Daly Cherry-Evans
BR: Sam Thaiday
Mole: Ben Barba
DR: Will Hopoate
I predict drama for...
Buzz: Penrith as their five year plan becomes six
Bulldog: Manly. If they lose their two stars it will do irreparable damage
BR: Manly because there's always drama at Manly
Mole: The Titans...as if they need anymore
DR: Mal Meninga after back-to-back State of Origin series losses.
The 2015 competition will be remembered for...
Buzz: A club winning its first premiership: the Mighty Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Bulldog: Souths making back to back GFs with Glenn Stewart starring all the way
BR: North Queensland winning the comp for the first time and Queensland regaining the Origin crown
Mole: A ding-dong battle between bitter rivals Souths and the Roosters for the title - I see them finishing one and two.
DR: Redemption stories; Blake Ferguson, Ben Barba and Rick Stone to make an immediate impact with their respective clubs.
DCE stands for Don't Care (about) Eagles
Veteran manager Wayne Beavis used to joke that the early time he heard from Steve Menzies was when the Christmas card would lob in the mail.
Contract after contract, Beaver would tell Beavis to get the deal done at Manly and he'd stay – even if it cost him a few dollars on offer elsewhere.
Menzies stayed at Manly for 349 games to become a Sea Eagles legend for life.
Geoff Toovey did business the same way as a player, putting happiness and success ahead of money in staying at Manly for 14 consecutive years.
Both blokes are still involved at the club.
Then you've got a bloke like Daly Cherry-Evans, who is being hocked around like he is a walking talking version of Gumtree.
As one mate, who bleeds maroon and white, asked this week: "Which street corner is DCE on today?"
Cherry-Evans may still end up at staying at Manly but he will never be enjoy the sort of adulation and respect enjoyed by the likes of Toovey, Menzies and those other Manly only greats who went before him.
The Australian newspaper's Brent Read got it spot on when he wrote:"Cherry-Evans insists on thumbing his nose at the club that gave him the chance to become a State of Origin and Test star. As good as he is — and he is very good — Manly have every right to ask whether he is worth the trouble.
Fulton a real bozo
They don't meet until late in the season but expect plenty of feeling when the Sharks next run into the Tigers.
The ill-feeling stems from some loose comments made by former Tiger Liam Fulton online as he co-commentated the trial match between the clubs on Saturday night.
"I think the Sharks are a bit weak in the middle," Fulton said in the early stages.
It was soon followed by: "He's (Mitchell Moses) been hit late by Michael Ennis..he's a bit of a grub, Ennis. We'll look to get a couple of penalties from him."
You can bet your bottom dollar the remarks have made it back to the Shire.
Out and about
Spotted #1: Former Penrith, NSW and Australian star Craig Gower tucking into a salad at a pop up shop in Kings Cross on Monday
Spotted #2: Rugby league target Kurtley Beale making short work of his fish n chips at Bondi
Spotted #3: Brett Stewart enjoying a flutter on the ponies at Manly Wharf Hotel's TAB
Rumour #1: Who's the star back who proved a BIG hit with the ladies at a recent fans' day?
Rumour #2: Which club is already feeling the strain internally...and we haven't even kicked off yet. And no, we're not talking Gold Coast or Manly
Rumour #3: Manly are filthy over some of the influential people getting in Kieran Foran's ear. Expect to hear more soon
NRL FANTASY: Have you picked your team? Get started!
