General Will we make the 8?

[Completion Rate]

Yeah just gotta look at the next step really, less focus on winning a comp at the moment and becoming a consistent top 8 / 4 team, if we win a comp in the next 5 years we probably look back at 2025 as the foundation for it. So the focus needs to be on laying it now

If you look at premiership winners historically, the majority have been making at least preliminary finals in the 2 or 3 years before winning the big one. As long as we are trending as finalists consistently, we'll have a year where it all works out. It's a 25/26 round comp and getting through that relatively unscathed is the hardest part.
So I 100% agree as you say, hopefully we'll look back at the 25'season as a cornerstone year.
Very hard watching knowing it likely won't be this year though, but keeping the faith in the club actually seems viable atm and not the masochistic fantasy it has been in the past.

 

[CWC]

If you look at premiership winners historically, the majority have been making at least preliminary finals in the 2 or 3 years before winning the big one. As long as we are trending as finalists consistently, we'll have a year where it all works out. It's a 25/26 round comp and getting through that relatively unscathed is the hardest part.
So I 100% agree as you say, hopefully we'll look back at the 25'season as a cornerstone year.
Very hard watching knowing it likely won't be this year though, but keeping the faith in the club actually seems viable atm and not the masochistic fantasy it has been in the past.

We made it in 2023 as well, 2/3 to build from for the new coach and surviving players (Pompey Ford Barney Metcalf Dallin Berry TT CNK Egan etc)

 

[Naynay]

Knights winning today opens up the play our full team and try for a win, broncos are no guarantee against storm coming off an embarrassing loss.

 

[CWC]

So Panthers or Roosters R1 it looks like

 

[MXRecord]

So Panthers or Roosters R1 it looks like

Either of those teams will smash us.

 

[Evil_Mush]

I think the order of likelihood of opponents in week 1 are (if I've mathed the maths correctly) :

- Panthers (likeliest scenario being they beat the Dragons and we either lose, or win but also Brisbane/Cronulla both win keeping it 6v7, though if they somehow lose to Dragons and Roosters jump to 7th beating the Bunnies, with us winning and one of Brisbane/Cronulla losing then would be a 5v8 clash)

- Roosters (basically the opposite scenarios to above, with them jumping to 7th if they win/Panthers lose with us staying 6th as above, or us jumping to 5th as above with them staying in 8th if either Panthers win or Roosters lose but not to the extent that Dolphins or god forbid Manly get a big win to leapfrog them hah)

- Raiders (1v4 - only possible if we win and both Brisbane and Cronulla lose, all other results irrelevant)

- Dolphins (5v8 - only possible if we win and one of Brisbane/Cronulla lose, along with Bunnies upsetting the Roosters and Dolphins upsetting the Raiders for a combined margin of 16+)


Manly have a massively outside chance to sneak into 8th, but given they need to beat us by a big margin (combined winning margin between them beating us and Bunnies beating Roosters of 83, with their difference of 67 with Dolphins if they win plus winning margin against Raiders also needing to be reversed) means we would stay in 6th so wouldn't have to see their dumb faces again in that horror scenario



But the games where players are rested in the higher ranked teams could go any way, so nothing set in stone I guess.

 

[juju]

We haven't had our annual flogging by anyone yet?

Yet!

 

[Evil_Mush]

I'd class the Melbourne game as a flogging, just quietly. Were lucky not to concede 50 that day.

 

[CWC]

Thought Raiders shagged us in Vegas

 

[juju]

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/1n573ri/2025_r26_how_high_low_can_they_go/#lightbox

12.7% chance of top 4

 

[Kav1]

As Bronx are first up on Thursday, we'll know whether top 4 is still a dream for us Friday night at Manly. After that, if it's still on, then, no choice, we're backing Doggies Saturday night. Really?? Awe yuk

Dogs are sure to rest their main players eg Crighton , Galvin, Preston and will lose to the Sharks who will be eying up a top4 spot if the Storm beat the Broncos.
Surely Bellamy will play his top side including Hughes after the Rooster's thrashing last week. He will be looking to make a positive statement.

 

[BlackToko88]

Dogs are sure to rest their main players eg Crighton , Galvin, Preston and will lose to the Sharks who will be eying up a top4 spot if the Storm beat the Broncos.
Surely Bellamy will play his top side including Hughes after the Rooster's thrashing last week. He will be looking to make a positive statement.

Dogs and storm arent resting

 

[Kav1]

Dogs and storm arent resting

Very interesting news. We have a good chance of beating Manly (missing their star-centre). If Storm and Dogs are fielding their best teams, there is every chance they will win both matches, allowing us to re- capture top4. Part one of this scenario plays out on Thursday night when the Broncos take on the Storm.

 

[Worried2Death]

Very interesting news. We have a good chance of beating Manly (missing their star-centre). If Storm and Dogs are fielding their best teams, there is every chance they will win both matches, allowing us re- capture top4. Part one of this scenario plays out on Thursday night when the Broncos take on the Storm.

It seems the stars are aligning and there could be a late plot twist

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Great news everyone is playing their best teams.

Hopefully the NRL has laid down the law behind the scenes as the integrity of the competition was at stake.

You can’t have teams gifting opposition results by taking out their superstars if it has an impacts on the final ladder.

 

[Kav1]

Great news everyone is playing their best teams.

Hopefully the NRL has laid down the law behind the scenes as the integrity of the competition was at stake.

You can’t have teams gifting opposition results by taking out their superstars if it has an impacts on the final ladder.

Intriguing situation. Lends itself to the possibility of both Storm (2nd) and Bulldogs (3rd) playing off and us (4th) playing Raiders (1st).