General Predictions 2022

[Toookey]

Hey team

Thought it would be good to start a thread where anyone can post any predictions big or small for the 2022 competition, so it’s easier to come back to and brag (or laugh at) later on in the year.

I’ll start!

• Shaun Johnson to pull a Keiran Foran and after years of injuries, play a year of 20+ games.
• Warriors to finish in 6th place
• Rabbitohs the big sliders, falling to 7th or 8th and are the knocked out first round of the finals.
• Nikorima to start the year at 6 and have a decent run with 15+ try assists and finishing the year as our top 5/8th (Caveat - only if Shaun Johnson is there. If Shaun Johnson goes down then there’s no chance of this).

Aaaaaaand go!

 

[zaggo]

• It's our year, Warriors to win the grand final on a 50m Nikorima field goal in the 80th minute

 

[pompower]

2022 Prediction:

• We grind out a couple of results at the start of the season before losing a couple of key players to injury and going on a losing run.
• Around Origin time we pick up form and we're all quietly excited to make the finals.
• In the penultimate round of the year, we put up our worst performance of the season in a critical game and miss out on top 8.
• Finish the season with a good win against a top 8 side and optimism returns. Next year is our year, etc.

 

[AlexM]

2022 Prediction:

• We grind out a couple of results at the start of the season before losing a couple of key players to injury and going on a losing run.
• Around Origin time we pick up form and we're all quietly excited to make the finals.
• In the penultimate round of the year, we put up our worst performance of the season in a critical game and miss out on top 8.
• Finish the season with a good win against a top 8 side and optimism returns. Next year is our year, etc.

You've got the formula right there hahahaga

 

[Toookey]

2022 Prediction:

• We grind out a couple of results at the start of the season before losing a couple of key players to injury and going on a losing run.
• Around Origin time we pick up form and we're all quietly excited to make the finals.
• In the penultimate round of the year, we put up our worst performance of the season in a critical game and miss out on top 8.
• Finish the season with a good win against a top 8 side and optimism returns. Next year is our year, etc.

Thats not a prediction that happens every year lol 😂

Although last year we did miss the part where we get a good win over someone in the top 8

 

[eudebrito]

Based on other sports leagues, depth seems like it will be important, and we might actually have pretty good depth this year.

Not great players, but seen the likes of Arthurs, Nikorima, Taylor, Murchie, Katoa do good things at NRL level so its not like it’s a bunch of U20s we will be relying on to fill in.

But I don’t see a good year, guys who aren’t committed to the club long term like Lodge, Nikorima, Taylor, Chanel Harris-Tavita might lose the will if covid restrictions bite down again, or once they secure their next contract.

The return to Mt Smart is on shaky ground once again, even when the current wave dies down, who knows what variant is next, maybe Redcliffe and not living in a resort will help.

But the biggest problem is Nathan Brown hasn’t shown anything that indicates he can foot it with the best coaches, so while we might secure some wins against the other middling teams (and there are a lot of them) I can’t see the warriors suddenly tipping over the big sides and making some real noise. 11 or 12Ws 13 or 12Ls season which might be enough for 8th.

Panthers Roosters grand final, the storm might finally hit some bumps in the road with their forward pack, the eels didn’t help themselves and the rabbitohs had some big defections. Manly going from absolute battlers to scoring 50 points a game was pretty wild, not sure that happens again. So there is room to move up the ladder, can’t see brown managing it though.

Top try scorer - Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (with like 12-14)
Top try assists - Walsh (Shaun Johnson will have more per game, but will play less games)
Player of the year - Addin Fonua-Blake (Tohu Harris won't play enough to get it again)
Rookie of the year - Not sure anyone other than Ratuva qualifies, and he's more mythical than the sasquatch. Maybe Pride gets some games this year due to covid rotation and plays well enough to hold a spot.
Signing of the year - If you don't count Johnson, Pene does look like being a good consistent bench impact.

 

[Miket12]

I really can't see us finishing any higher than 10th - and a lot further down if Johnson gets injured and is out for more than half the games.

 

[Sup42]

2022 Prediction:

• We grind out a couple of results at the start of the season before losing a couple of key players to injury and going on a losing run.
• Around Origin time we pick up form and we're all quietly excited to make the finals.
• In the penultimate round of the year, we put up our worst performance of the season in a critical game and miss out on top 8.
• Finish the season with a good win against a top 8 side and optimism returns. Next year is our year, etc.

Using the science of probability is cheating.

Way to upset all the little boys and girls of the world.

I bet you outted Santa at an unnatural age (tongue in cheek that post is a thing of prophecy beauty)

 

[mrblonde]

Warriors between 9 and 5.
Harris to announce retirement before May.
Johnson to be quietly brilliant and thus not get much love from a public and media expecting fireworks from him. Will have an in-out-in-out season with lots of small injuries rather than one biggie.
Warriors fans to invent drinking game where they skull everytime an Aussie referee makes a dud call against us. The aforementioned Warriors fans will be in detox by about "time for oranges" (as Costo would say) in the second pre-season game. Also, skulling games based on Aussie commentators using certain Warriors cliches "tired foward pack" etc will be benched sharpish. Same with comments about "being away from home" etc.
The Warriors won't make it back to MSS this season.
Lodge to be released due to poor continual disciplinary record. But it will be painted as him wanting to go home....
RW to be top try-scorer.
Shaun Johnson to be top try assister and have an 80%+ kicking accuracy. Same too for RW.
RW to maybe play Origin 3.

 

[Motota]

Anyone worried about second year syndrome for Walsh? Or do we all think he is our new saviour?

 

[eudebrito]

Anyone worried about second year syndrome for Walsh? Or do we all think he is our new saviour?

Nah I don’t see it for him. Getting stupidly arrested should help tamp down any off field issues and usually the problem with 2nd year syndrome is the player gets loaded with more responsibility than what they had as a rookie, but we already gave him goal kicking, responsible for try assists inside the 20, responsible for support play and finishing tries inside the 20, last line of defence, organising the defence and long kicking responsibility unless Chud played that week.

If Johnson takes half of those jobs off of him, he should thrive.

But no one man can save the warriors.

 

[Toookey]

Nah I don’t see it for him. Getting stupidly arrested should help tamp down any off field issues and usually the problem with 2nd year syndrome is the player gets loaded with more responsibility than what they had as a rookie, but we already gave him goal kicking, responsible for try assists inside the 20, responsible for support play and finishing tries inside the 20, last line of defence, organising the defence and long kicking responsibility unless Chud played that week.

If Johnson takes half of those jobs off of him, he should thrive.

But no one man can save the warriors.

Yip I agree, at times I thought he made a few unforced errors as he was trying to do everything himself. Hopefully with Shaun Johnson, who evers playing half, and a full preseason under his belt he’ll go even better than last year.

I follow some of the guys on Insta and Walsh is always posting with/about the other boys, so it looks like they’ve really built that comradery within the team

 

[Sup42]

Well now that Johnson is back, in his new play maker iteration, the answer is really easy.

If the Warriors make the right decisions about defensive training in the off season, and they really nail that part of the game (I know this is a massive colossal if) but since this is a fantasy thread where you can make a fool of yourself.....

If they take on defending like they did for a brief time under Cappy, and a lot longer under SK season one....

Then they could win the NRL.

It really is that simple if they have luck with injuries, and they fix the defence they have the talent to out attack any team in this era.

They have the natural flair in almost every player to even out attack the Panthers.

Walsh
Johnson
Harris
Katoa
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
Nikorima
Taylor
Josh Curran
Addin Fonua-Blake
Lodge
Aitken
Ben Murdoch-Masila

These guys in a happy team that defends, can play Jungle ball as well as the 2002 side and see themselves in the Grand final.

Each player in form, consistent form on attack, is a massive threat to any team, like I say they would be Penrith plus.

And it all comes down to Injuries, and Johnson anchoring all those players, dictating the play, and letting them loose on the other teams.

Tohu Harris alone is one of the best ball playing forwards in the NRL unused by the Warriors.

If they fixed the defence, him, Aitken, and Curran would be the best attacking trio in the competition.

Same shit then....will the Warriors ever understand that they need to be better in defence and let the players play jungle ball on attack? or will they turn attacking freaks like Harris and Curran into tackle bots who do everyone else’s homework and do fuck all in attack???

Are you reading me Mohawk?

I dunno...but it has been twenty years exactly so who knows....maybe Brown will realise he just needs to do tackling every training and to tell Walshy and Johnson to spark some Park footy with Nikorima.

This line up is sick it looks like an international side.

But prepare to be disappointed.

 

[SouthernWorrier]

Anyone worried about second year syndrome for Walsh? Or do we all think he is our new saviour?

Im hoping not …as he seemed to have 2nd year syndrome at the end of his 2021 stint - seemed like he was found out by the opposition. Most of his strong attacking stats were in the first 50% of games.
Hopefully in the off season he’s working on lifting his base skills, especially defence, and the coaches are helping him work around the counter-measures opposition have worked out to stifle his impact

 

[Sup42]

Anyone worried about second year syndrome for Walsh? Or do we all think he is our new saviour?

He has been told by Brown that he can do whatever he wants.

So there really is no pressure from one year to the next.

 

[Worried2Death]

We'll come 4th, we're back to where we were that year Johnson broke his ankle. Melbs, Parra, and Souths to slide back to the rest of the pack, Dogs and Titans to make the 8. Shaun Johnson/Taylor/Egan/Walsh top 4 spine revelation. Most even comp ever with covid fucking up every team's roster. Chanel Harris-Tavita to sign with the Bunnies after they start the season with 2 from 6. Grand final Panthers v Warriors just like I predicted this time last year, only this time I'm even more drunk.

1. Panthers
2. Roosters
3. Storm
4. Warriors
5. Manly
6. Bunnies
7. Titans
8. Bulldogs
9. Sharks
10. Raiders
11. Broncos
12. Knights
13. Eels
14. Dragons
15. Tigers
16. Cowboys

 

[Toookey]

We'll come 4th, we're back to where we were that year Johnson broke his ankle. Melbs, Parra, and Souths to slide back to the rest of the pack, Dogs and Titans to make the 8. Shaun Johnson/Taylor/Egan/Walsh top 4 spine revelation. Most even comp ever with covid fucking up every team's roster. Chanel Harris-Tavita to sign with the Bunnies after they start the season with 2 from 6. Grand final Panthers v Warriors just like I predicted this time last year, only this time I'm even more drunk.

1. Panthers
2. Roosters
3. Storm
4. Warriors
5. Manly
6. Bunnies
7. Titans
8. Bulldogs
9. Sharks
10. Raiders
11. Broncos
12. Knights
13. Eels
14. Dragons
15. Tigers
16. Cowboys

My man! Now it’s a party!

 

[bruce]

Hey team

Thought it would be good to start a thread where anyone can post any predictions big or small for the 2022 competition, so it’s easier to come back to and brag (or laugh at) later on in the year.

I’ll start!

• Shaun Johnson to pull a Keiran Foran and after years of injuries, play a year of 20+ games.
• Warriors to finish in 6th place
• Rabbitohs the big sliders, falling to 7th or 8th and are the knocked out first round of the finals.
• Nikorima to start the year at 6 and have a decent run with 15+ try assists and finishing the year as our top 5/8th (Caveat - only if Shaun Johnson is there. If Shaun Johnson goes down then there’s no chance of this).

Aaaaaaand go!

Tookey is not Bruce...just saying like

 

[Worried2Death]

Tookey is not Bruce...just saying like

If Tooks was you he'd refer to himself in the third person, "What's that Bruce? I'm always right"

 

[bruce]

To be very honest...I am not looking at a good year:
Global warming accelerating
Economic downturn
A new covid variant stuffing the Warriors
Merka getting into a political turmoil
China and Russia stepping into the breach