Laurie Daleys 2012 predictions

[Berkeley_Eagle]

Eels at 13


Laurie Daley says: "Coach Stephen Kearney will certainly develop them this year, and they’ll be hard to beat on any given day; they’re an improving team but they may struggle to match it with the big guns. That said, Chris Sandow will certainly take the pressure off Jarryd Hayne, and they’ve got Willie Tonga out wide – so they’ve got some strength."

The Adjudicator says: "Listen hear, Chris Sandow. You might never have heard of the great Peter Sterling, but there will be plenty of people talking about you this year. I’ve sat back over the past 20 years and seen enough Eels No.7s make their coach’s hairline look like Sterlo’s. Good luck, son. Paul Osborne ensured the revolving door still got some good use at Parramatta Stadium this off-season, but if Sandow continues to pull rabbits, I mean eels, out of the hat like he did last season,  the only cracks in Parramatta’s performance might belong to Nathan Hindmarsh."


Dogs at 12

Laurie Daley says: "Des Hasler will certainly bring a disciplined game plan to the table; they’ll be a tough football team, very well coached, but I’m still not quite sure of their best combination in the halves - and that’s a bit of a concern."

The Adjudicator says: "Tough pack to please, the hounds in the Kennel, and Mr A. is frightened for Dessie: will the 'hounds' remember he's one of their own when the going gets tough? Or will they forget he's no longer the mongrel from across the bridge whom they've jeered for years? Still, Dessie's a good name for a dog - I once had a mate who named his ridgeback Des - and I reckon he'll fit in nicely at Belmore. After all, he did well at Manly establishing an 'us against the world' mentality, and that'll endear him to fans of the dishlickers."

 

[swoop]

"Dessie's a good name for a dog!"

lol

 

[Cameron]

"Dessie's a good name for a dog!"

lol

A low dog. Maybe it's des lozza doesn't like.

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

Dragons at 11

Laurie Daley says: "Steve Price is taking on a massive job after Wayne Bennett, and he’s still got plenty of talent on his roster; they’ve certainly got plenty of experience to challenge anyone, but they’ve been up for three years and they might be about to hit a flat spot under a new coach. This might be a year they struggle, especially after they lost momentum last season."

The Adjudicator says: "Your old friend The Adjudicator watched with a sick sense of pleasure for the best part of 20 years as the Dragons steamed to pole position before slipping in to first-date mode and spilling the premiership cup before tasting its contents; so it was hard to know how to feel about their new-found maturity under Wayne Bennett. But with the master coach jumping ship, and Jamie Soward retreating into old habits late last season, I feel safe in declaring that old will be new again in 2012. Chokers? This year they won't even climb high enough to reach the noose."

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

Roosters at 10
Laurie Daley says: "They’ve got a combination of experience and youth, and reports say they’re training well and jumping out of their skin after winning their final four - and five of their last six - last season. They did reach the 2010 grand final, and I think they’re a team that’ll have a pretty good year."

The Adjudicator says: "Mr A is a regular in the chair at Bondi Ink, and, over the past few years, there's been that many Roosters players sitting alongside me, it's often felt like I was at a Chooks recovery session. Judging by the Roosters' departure lounge, however, Brian Smith has had a gutful. Ink merchants Daniel Conn and Todd Carney are out the door and you have to wonder if more clean skins equals more clean attitudes. Either way, the Roosters are no chance of contending; it'll be a long year in my chair at Bondi Ink with only Mitchell Pearce for company."

-----------------

Broncos at 9
Fox Sports Stats: "Brisbane head into a new era without club legend Darren Lockyer: with Lockyer having played 355 matches for the Broncos, their reaction to his loss will determine their 2012 season. In 2011, he made 22 linebreak assists (fourth in the NRL) and 25 try assists (second in NRL). The pressure to produce now falls on Peter Wallace, who managed only 13 linebreak assists and 18 try assists in 2011."

Laurie Daley says: "If Lockyer was playing, they'd be hard to beat for the comp; but with the loss of the great man, I'm still not sure who will handle that role. He's got them out of so many tough situations in the past and there’s no doubt his class will be missed. I still think they'll be very competitive but I think they may find themselves missing the eight."
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Souths at 8

Laurie Daley says: "The Rabbitohs have got a great forward pack so the big responsibility lies with the halves - John Sutton and Adam Reynolds or Ryan Carr. If they can keep a combination in the halves, that will go a long way towards giving them continuity. If the halfback can settle in to his role in the team, they're strong all over the park so I think they'll do well."

The Adjudicator says:  "This is the year South Sydney fans! No, wait … last year was the year. No, wait, wasn’t it the year before? Or, wait, maybe it’s next year … I know Rabbits fans have hit the streets of Redfern hailing Michael Maguire’s appointment, but he’s not fooling your Adjudicator, who is still spewing he didn’t get a guernsey in the Rabbitohs’ leadership group. Maguire might have boasted recently about having Sir Alex Ferguson as a contact in England, but what’s he thinking recruiting a world-class team with no one to steer the ship? Souths fans had better hope John Sutton takes the ANZ Stadium turf as seriously as he takes the waves at Maroubra, cross their fingers that Sam Burgess spends more time on the field than smiling sipping lattes, and pray that whatever scrimmaging they did at training in 2011 is thrown out of the coaching manual in 2012 so their key players actually make it onto the field. They’re a chance, the Bunnies, but it might be all about next year …"

 

[Cameron]

No no no no no !

Our season is doomed he's tipped us to make the 8. We're screwed

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

Raiders at 7

Laurie Daley says: "They're a team that underperformed last year when you look at them on paper. They've got an outstanding forward pack, Terry Campese's back and the disappointment of last season will drive them on."

The Adjudicator says: "With the heart and soul of the Raiders disappearing from the Canberra Stadium car park when skipper Alan Tongue drove away in his Datsun last year, Mr. A questions where the Green Machine will find its stomach for a fight in 2012. The return of notorious sticky tape man Terry Campese will provide some much needed structure (until his season is inevitably ended by injury), and archetypal Gen Y outside backs Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson add the dash and panache, but where do the Raiders find their starch? There's no salary cap concessions for red heads in the forward pack, but playing in the frosty Canberra conditions every second week should mean that, for the Raiders, the more ginger the better."

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

Storm at 6

Laurie Daley says: "With the big three - Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk - on deck again, as long as they stay injury-free, the Storm are capable of challenging for the title. The loss of Adam Blair will be a big one but if they can get Jason Ryles on the field along with Ryan Hoffman, who's a good buy coming back , they'll win more than their fair share."
The Adjudicator says: "The clouds are rolling in... the temperature drops... there's a rumble of thunder in the distance and the heavens open. Is it the ominous sign of a Storm brewing, or just the sight of a standard Melbourne summer? While 98 per cent of the Victorian population turns their dials from Bill Lawry over to Eddie's mob and the aerial ping-pong, Bellamy and the big three will be oiling the cogs of the Storm machine in time for their big arrival. Their destination - ANZ Stadium on the first weekend of October."

 

[Brookvale]

In 2012, I predict that his snoz grows an inch and fatty vomitin pulls daleys wig off his head

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

Cowboys at 5

Laurie Daley says: "The Cowboys should be a lot better this year. Their confidence is high and they showed real grit in the way they defended last year, so expect that to continue to improve. They've got some of the best young forwards in the game in Tariq Sims and Jason Taumalolo, and, if they can push on as I expect them to, the sky is the limit as far as what the Cowboys can achieve."
The Adjudicator says: "Sorry, Cowboys fans. What makes you think Robert Lui won't be overawed by Johnathan Thurston, when he could never quite step out of the shadow of Benji Marshall? The Cowboys didn't quite read the script right last year: you improve, boys, when your star man returns. But folks, I'm trying to pick apart a flaw in this team, and I'm clutching at straws."

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

MANLY AT 4

Laurie Daley says: "Their top 20 players are as good as any other side in the comp, if not the best. As long as they don't get too many injuries they'll be there when the whips are cracking."

The Adjudicator says: "Hairy Dasler was the undisputed king of Brookvale during his stint as Manly coach and Mr A wonders if Geoff Toovey has the regal air to boss the beaches in quite the same way. Manly's player roster is among the most talented in the comp, granted, but it also contains a collection of the biggest egos. One of Hairy's best attributes was managing the inflated heads he was working with to the point that he commanded absolute loyalty. Is Toovey the equal of the master manipulator he succeeds? If not, I'm tipping he'll be chewed up and spat out by the two-headed monster that is the Manly player group

 

[Cameron]

I'm surprised he tipped us so high tbh

 

[Disco]

So far i think his tips have been quite good

 

[Chip and Chase]

So that leaves Tigers, Knights and Warriors as the top 3. He's expecting big things from Bennett obviously.

 

[Dan]

I cant see the knights finishing top 4. Bennett is undoubtedly a good coach, but he isn't going into a team that was on the verge of winning like the Dragons were

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Knights will be super-motivated.

Don't discount the momentum they've got from the Tinkler takeover and the signing of the supercoach. So much is mental at this level, and they will all be feeling their club is on an upward surge .A one-team town that really gets behind their team if they think they have a shot.

Bringing back locals like Buderus and Tahu is a good move from the team culture point of view, and they've signed some handy new players. There will be no resemblance between the Knights of 2011 and this lot. Could be a couple of quality forwards short of being premiers, but I reckon they will be strong and are a chance.

 

[kingoftherodeo]

Big heads? Really? Who?

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

Knights at 3

Laurie Daley says: "The Bennett factor is huge. The spine of their football team - Danny Buderus, Kurt Gidley, Jarrod  Mullen and Darius Boyd - is one of the best in the competition and you need that to win games of football. They will improve as the season goes on, but they'll be tough to beat in every game.."

The Adjudicator says: "It seems Wayne Bennett is the rugby league world's very own Carson Kressley ... you know, the bloke from that show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? The Adjudicator once lost a bet to Mrs A over Monday Night Footy and was forced to sit through an episode in her hope of yours truly gaining some 'style' and 'culture'. Since when have Hawaiian shirts and denim-on-denim combos been considered unfashionable? Anyhow, if your side is lacking coordination, style or the ability to get the job done, just call Benny's Eye for an NRL Side. With an all-star cast, Nathan Tinkler directing and an entire competition anxiously watching on, expect the Knights to bring pizzaz to the Hunter and go almighty close to winning the whole shebang."

 

[bob dylan]

Big heads? Really? Who?

A lot of my mate reckon Lyon Matai Watmough the Stewarts have big heads. They have been saying it for years.
I agree with them to some degree but you have to remember to the best you have know your the best.

 

[wombatgc]

Manly's player roster is among the most talented in the comp, granted, but it also contains a collection of the biggest egos. .......If not, I'm tipping he'll be chewed up and spat out by the two-headed monster that is the Manly player group

What a load of crap.