Predict the top 8 ( 2021) + Spooner

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Yeah I have a feeling it’s going to be a **** year for the Dragqueens, who knows we might even have a chance of beating them this year!!
Yeah I think so
First thought they might go ok with Griffin as coach but now with Mcniniss drama and now his injury they haven't really bought anyone either going to be a long season for them I think
 
There’s three things other than Manly winning that I really enjoy in the game.

The Donkeys struggling
The Eels winning wooden spoons

&

The team inheriting our former coaches not doing well.
I agree with all of that, but boy I'd love to see Melbourne tank....like really tank this year. It won't happen, but one can dream.
 
Purely on the basis of appearing to be a club in turmoil even before the season starts.

Mark me down for the Sharks for the spoon.
 
Ok I want some brave tips on the Spoon for 2021 and why.
I go for Brisbane....why...they are lacking BIG time in the spine and have lost their strike backrower Fifita and hooker, Milford who went from a potential superstar at Canberra I cant try explain, apart from like Ben Barbe, Brisbane get these boys to bulk up and take away their greatest attribute in speed and agility ....I actually don't mind Dearden, but a young kid steering this ship full of holes and a broken motor is a big ask....
Let me also add Illawarra - McGuiness the heart and soul gone...Frizzell most /only destructive forward gone....Graham though tired and busted was motivating, gone....and Euen Aitken though has araldite on his hands and gives his wingers a cold, at leat added some strike...gone, bring back Bird who was very good, 4 years ago and lay your hope on his return and with halves that stink, will go to the wire with Briz - to think these sides were dominant back in the day - how the wheel turns !!
 
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I don't mind so much Maxta ya champ but mfb has got this question in his other thread...


party on
 
Ok I want some brave tips on the Spoon for 2021 and why.
I go for Brisbane....why...they are lacking BIG time in the spine and have lost their strike backrower Fifita and hooker, Milford who went from a potential superstar at Canberra I cant try explain, apart from like Ben Barbe, Brisbane get these boys to bulk up and take away their greatest attribute in speed and agility ....I actually don't mind Dearden, but a young kid steering this ship full of holes and a broken motor is a big ask....

You make good points because its true and i want to hear it

Also i just dont see kevvie as a coach that can turn things around in a hurry. I think he is relying on tradition and culture from the past to have more of an impact than it will

The old broncos have been way too disrespectful to the current crop in the media and i am not sure if there returning presence will present more problems than good
 
Warriors.

Perennial under-achievers. They played well last year under Payton; however, he is gone and they have replaced him with Brown...who did wonders with the Knights...they wonders why they hired him.

Now it looks like they will be in Aus the whole time and we saw how many players struggled with that last year. Now they have to go through it again. They are facing an uphill battle.

Bulldogs and Brisbane will both improve enough to keep away from the cellar. Sharks will slide but not enough to take the spoon and Dragons could struggle as well, but again, I’m not sure they’ll bottom out.
 
1. Manly
2. Storm
3. Souths
4. Roosters
5. Canberra
6. Penrith
7. Titans
8. Parra doesn't matter
Spoon - Dragons
 
NRL FOX SEXPERTS predictions


BEN IKIN

2021 PREMIERS

RAIDERS
: Josh Hodgson back, George Williams will be better for last year, unbelievable depth in the forwards.

TOP 4: RAIDERS, STORM, RABBITOHS, ROOSTERS

BOLTER TEAM

SEA EAGLES
: Hit hard last year by injury, so if they stay healthy, they have a strong enough roster to beat the best teams. Plus, something about Des Hasler and Manly just feels right!

SHARKS: They just fell into the top 8 last year and I suspect there will be some bottom eight teams who go past them this year.

SPOON

BRONCOS
: Wooden spooners last year and their roster is weaker this year. Too much uncertainty around who’ll play where, especially in the key positions, not forgetting they have the toughest draw in the competition.

RISING STAR

SAM WALKER:
Walker will get his chance in the halves at some point and show everyone why he is rated the best young playmaker prospect in the game. Great skill and vision, has great instincts but can also play to structure.


MAL MENINGA

2021 PREMIERS

PANTHERS
: Learnt from last year’s GF and no real weakness in their overall team.

TOP 4: RABBITOHS, RAIDERS, STORM, PANTHERS

BOLTER TEAM

TITANS
: I believe they will be very well prepared. They’re a young side but have genuine future superstars ready to start making their mark on the competition.

KNIGHTS: Question mark on their key players especially at the back end of the competition.

SPOON

DRAGONS
: Don’t believe they have the key players in the key positions. Cameron McInnes is a big loss.

RISING STAR

HARRY GRANT
: He’s playing in a team that will let him be him. Surrounded by an experienced forward pack and outstanding halves and fullback. Looking forward to his development this year.

DALLY M MEDALLIST

NATHAN CLEARY:
Dominant and more experienced player playing with the eventual premiers.

COOPER CRONK

2021 PREMIERS

ROOSTERS
: A little bias but I think they’ve changed the things that let them down last year and these changes will have a huge impact on their performances.

TOP 4: ROOSTERS, STORM, RAIDERS, RABBITOHS

BOLTER TEAM

DRAGONS
: Griffin coaches to have mentally and physically tough teams. He’s only missed the finals once in seven seasons coaching. I think he gets the best out of McCullough, Hunt and Norman

2020 TOP 8 TEAM THAT WILL STRUGGLE IN 2021

PANTHERS
: They will make the finals but I do t think it will be as dominant as last year. Very hard for young guys who have huge breakout years to back it up again because teams apply more pressure to them. Panthers have a lot of young guys who had missive years later year and I think they struggled slightly to get to that level again.

SPOON

WARRIORS
: Nathan Brown has a history of building teams up and he needs to build there spine quickly to be competitive this year. Outside of RTS not much star power behind big pack and good outside backs.

RISING STAR

JAYDEN BRAILEY:
I like what he did last year before his injury. He seems to be a guy that would work hard and use injury lay off to improve. I expect him to have a big year and get into rep calculations

DALLY M MEDALLIST

LUKE KEARY:
More responsibility, more involved, big season!
MICK ENNIS

2021 PREMIERS

RAIDERS
: They showed enormous resilience last year under the COVID affected season. I feel the team evolved mid-season, in particular English halfback George Williams. With Jack Wighton coming off a strong season and the return of Josh Hodgson, the Raiders will be there when the whips are cracking.

TOP 4: RAIDERS, ROOSTERS, STORM, RABBITOHS

WARRIORS: I really like the addition of Addin Fonua-Blake to the side. It’s a dynamic pack with Tohu Harris on an edge, emerging backrower Eliesa Katoa and the return of Ben Murdoch-Masila. If their back three fire the Warriors will be playing finals footy.

2020 TOP 8 TEAM THAT WILL STRUGGLE IN 2021

PANTHERS
: While they’ll still play finals footy I don’t think Penrith will be as dominant. Experience and balance are key to winning premierships and the loss of Tamou and Mansour will hurt. The season after a Grand Final appearance is tough as opposition teams are looking to take you down every week.

SPOON

DRAGONS
: The loss of James Graham and Tyson Frizell, in particular their professionalism and leadership will be hard to replace. Consistency from their halves is a must if the Dragons are any chance of challenging quality opposition.
RISING STAR

HUDSON YOUNG
: If Hudson can start the season how he finished 2020 he’s every chance of making his origin debut this year. I love him as player.

DALLY M MEDALLIST

HARRY GRANT:
He showed his class in a struggling side last season. Add to that his dominance in the Origin series was remarkable. There’ll be competition at the Storm with so much talent in key positions, but I expect Harry to be the standout player in 2021.
GREG ALEXANDER

2021 PREMIERS

PANTHERS
: Last year was a surprise. This year won’t be.

TOP 4: PANTHERS, RAIDERS, ROOSTERS, STORM

BOLTER TEAM

TITANS
: Finished the year strong and a couple of great buys to beef-up a bolter pack.

2020 TOP 8 TEAM THAT WILL STRUGGLE IN 2021

SHARKS
: They’ve got the look of a side that will drop out of the eight. The Shaun Johnson injury doesn’t help.

SPOON

COWBOYS

WHY
: They’ve struggled for three seasons since making the Grand Final. It’s going to be a big job for incoming coach Todd Payten.

RISING STAR

BRADMAN BEST
: I think he’s in for a big year. Glimpses of him last year, he looks the goods.

DALLY M MEDALLIST

NATHAN CLEARY
: He came within a whisker last year. He will go one better in 2021.
MATTY JOHNS

2021 PREMIERS



RABBITOHS
: The new rule changes will see the pace of the game go up another level. No team will benefit more from the increase in tempo than the Rabbitohs.

TOP 4: RABBITOHS, STORM, PANTHERS, RAIDERS

BOLTER TEAM

TITANS
: I see them as a team that will finish anywhere between 6th and 9th on the ladder. If there’s an old bloke by the name of Cameron Smith running around they might be in the top four.

2020 TOP 8 TEAM THAT WILL STRUGGLE IN 2021

SHARKS:
There’s a lot of uncertainty around who’ll be coaching the team in the future, which can be a distraction. Adding to that, key players will carry injuries into the start of the season.

SPOON

BRONCOS
: The loss of David Fifita will hurt Brisbane. Also we still don’t know which player will be pushing the Broncos around the park.

HARRY GRANT: Harry will be even better this season in the side he came through with over a number of years.

DALLY M MEDALLIST

CODY WALKER:
On the back of Souths outstanding season, Walker will benefit from the speed of the contest going up another level.

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GREG ALEXANDER

2021 PREMIERS

PANTHERS
: Last year was a surprise. This year won’t be.

TOP 4: PANTHERS, RAIDERS, ROOSTERS, STORM

BOLTER TEAM

TITANS
: Finished the year strong and a couple of great buys to beef-up a bolter pack.

2020 TOP 8 TEAM THAT WILL STRUGGLE IN 2021

SHARKS
: They’ve got the look of a side that will drop out of the eight. The Shaun Johnson injury doesn’t help.

SPOON

COWBOYS

WHY
: They’ve struggled for three seasons since making the Grand Final. It’s going to be a big job for incoming coach Todd Payten.

RISING STAR

BRADMAN BEST
: I think he’s in for a big year. Glimpses of him last year, he looks the goods.

DALLY M MEDALLIST

NATHAN CLEARY
: He came within a whisker last year. He will go one better in 2021.
 
Good to see the new Facebook laws aren’t affecting our ability to post things on Silvertails !
 
Rabbits
Penrith
Manly
Titans
Storm
Roosters
Canberra
Warriors

Spoon - Dragons
 
This season is seriously too hard to pick.

So I decided to revert to COMPLETELY random selection to determine my 8, and rely on an almost Tarot-card style determination for ****s'n'giggles

Bear with me. Totally Random, chance-based outcome here.

The method I used needs the following:
(a) Deck of Cards (including the Jokers)
(b) Some type of spreadsheet to register the numbers for Wins/Losses/For/Against or a working NRL Ladder Predictor works fine too etc

Rules I adopted:
(1) Each card is worth the value of the number on it (ie 2-10)
(2) Royals are worth 0 (J/Q/K all duds i'm afraid :D)
(3) Aces are worth 11
(4) Jokers are worth 12

How to draw:
(a) Copied draw as per NRL.com
(b) The entire week's games are drawn one half at a time (ie draw cards to get score at half time for every game, shuffle deck, re-do 2nd half)
(c) Each half has 2 cards drawn. Card 1 to Team 1, Card 2 to team 2, Card 3 to Team 1, Card 4 to Team 2, then Half-time. Same sequence for 2nd half.
Total 4 cards for the game for each team.
(d) Winner is determined by who has the highest score from 4 cards drawn

Example:

1st Half
Team 1 (home team) draws Jack of spades (0)
Team 2 (away team) draws 8 of clubs (8)
So effectively at 20-min mark its 0-8 to team 2.

Team 1 then draws 6 of spades (6)
Team 2 then draws 2 of Diamonds (2)
Half-time score = 6-10

Shuffle Deck

2nd Half
Team 1 draws King of Hearts (0)
Team 2 draws Ace of Diamonds (11)
Team 1 draws 3 of clubs (3)
Team 2 draws 5 of clubs (5)
Full-time score = 9-26

And I would normally push out the score to make the winning team the odd number (coz who kicks a 1-pt Field Goal when behind? Seriously...)

Final Score - 10-27 Team 2 wins!

Random, no way to preference, completely in the hands of Chance.

Special Conditions:
(a) If 1 team draws 2 aces in a half, the score becomes a blowout, and 30pts are attributed for that half. 4/54 chance each, and this happened 3 times all season.
(b) If 1 team draws 2 Jokers, the score becomes a domination, and 40pts are attributed for that half. This didn't happen once in the season for me. :) 2/54 chance per half, thanks to shuffle at half-time, odds are reset. so basically at best 2/54 chance of 40pt half, and it didn't eventuate once.
(c) There is NO GOLDEN POINT. Too hard to accommodate soz.
So any draw at full-time is a legit 1-pt split pts outcome - hence the high amount of Draws in the table below :)


SO WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME:

Here is your top-8 from a position of complete chance:

Titans
Eels
Storm
Manly
Dogs
Rabbits
Warriors
Raiders

Wooden Spoon:
Cronulla

So there you go, that's as good as any way of guessing such an even comp!

And Manly did well in the finals series too on my season - they made the Grand Final but were unfortunately an EXTREMELY close 2nd (by field-goal) ironically to the bloody Titans!! :D

So there you have it. Even the Gods of Chance have Manly up there in 2021 folks, along with other Good-news stories the Titans, Warriors and Doggies!

The wretched Chickens missed out, the Panthers choked after being GF losers; and most importantly - I **** YOU NOT - Random selection still has the Tigers finishing 9th. You couldn't script this.

Here is the total table for interest :D :D lol :D :D

NameWLDBFADiffPtsPlayed
Titans
17​
7​
1​
602​
479​
123​
36​
25​
Eels
15​
8​
1​
1​
526​
443​
83​
33​
25​
Storm
15​
9​
1​
590​
502​
88​
32​
25​
Manly
14​
9​
1​
1​
556​
535​
21​
31​
25​
Dogs
14​
10​
1​
553​
519​
34​
30​
25​
Rabbits
12​
10​
2​
1​
508​
481​
27​
28​
25​
Warriors
12​
10​
2​
1​
530​
553​
-23​
28​
25​
Raiders
11​
11​
2​
1​
539​
495​
44​
26​
25​
Tigers
11​
11​
2​
1​
492​
514​
-22​
26​
25​
Broncos
12​
12​
1​
477​
534​
-57​
26​
25​
Knights
10​
12​
2​
1​
466​
507​
-41​
24​
25​
Rooters
10​
14​
1​
526​
543​
-17​
22​
25​
Dragons
10​
14​
1​
542​
597​
-55​
22​
25​
Panthers
8​
15​
1​
1​
474​
560​
-86​
19​
25​
Cowboys
8​
16​
1​
486​
534​
-48​
18​
25​
Sharks
6​
17​
1​
1​
507​
621​
-114​
15​
25​
 
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Here are the Finals for 2021 :D :D Half-Time / Full-Time scores. All random, all chance :)

Doggies got the 2 aces in first half of 5v8 final against Raiders FYI. Crazy!! And even better, the vermin pulled 4 royals on their Qualifying Final, earning a donut against the Lesser-ranked Warriors. Suck. ****.


Finals
Dogs
30​
32​
Raiders
8​
22​
Titans
4​
18​
Manly
12​
20​
Eels
10​
22​
Storm
19​
27​
Rabbits
0​
0​
Warriors
13​
27​
Week 2
Titans
21​
36​
Dogs
8​
20​
Eels
2​
10​
Warriors
11​
30​
Semis
Manly
10​
31​
Warriors
12​
26​
Storm
6​
14​
Titans
16​
31​
GF
Manly
8​
26​
Titans
15​
27​
 
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Here are the Finals for 2021 :D :D Half-Time / Full-Time scores. All random, all chance :)

Doggies got the 2 aces in first half of 5v8 final against Raiders FYI. Crazy!!

Finals
Dogs
30​
32​
Raiders
8​
22​
Titans
4​
18​
Manly
12​
20​
Eels
10​
22​
Storm
19​
27​
Rabbits
0​
0​
Warriors
13​
27​
Week 2
Titans
21​
36​
Dogs
8​
20​
Eels
2​
10​
Warriors
11​
30​
Semis
Manly
10​
31​
Warriors
12​
26​
Storm
6​
14​
Titans
16​
31​
GF
Manly
8​
26​
Titans
15​
27​
How long did this little exercise take @AlxFromNthNarra
 
These are my Spoon contenders. To come last in NRL

Dogs – Yeah nah. They will try hard and have a couple of new troops. Barrett has never won the spoon

Broncos – current spoon holders, but commercial reality dictates they need to rise, so (miraculously) that will transpire.

Cows – a distinct possibility, despite having arguably the best player in the comp. Untried coach, still with JT hangover and hamstrung by having Morgan who did great but can’t do it any more

Knights – let’s see - the coach is a drunk (allegedly, apparently denied); they have Mitchell Pearce (lol); and a spoilt wonderboy (KP), so certainly a spoon is possible

Wests/Tigers (sorry not sure of correct grammar of their conglomerate nomenclature) – never make the 8 so logically always a chance for the spoon but always have a lot of decent talent such as Tedesco, Addo-Carr, Papenhuyzen, Tapau, Sironen, Aloiai, Moses, Suli, Woods, plenty of talent to avoid a spoon but not by much. Madge is a former coach in waiting.

St Merge – aha! A coach who has insulted indigenous players, lost the club’s best player McInnes and most talented player Frizell, still is stuck with Hunt and Norman, this is starting to look promising. Oh yeah, made a play for Folau, lol. And have the most dysfunctional club management in the NRL. That’s right, even worse than Manly and Parramatta.

Settled: wooden spooners will be St Merge (or whatever they are called), and it couldn’t happen to a better, er, entity. Lol

Ooh, hang on, I forgot one - Sharks! Stacked with has-beens, and a coach who, despite being a great bloke, has the stench of death about him in terms of being an NRL coach.



Wow, it’s going to be close. Saints. Shark. Saints. Sharks.

Stuff it, I will select the Knights, what a sorry bunch, and that part of the country deserves so much better. Knights for wooden spoon, Mitchell Pearce and the dog-boy wedding crashers to take out the title of least credible NRL side in 2021.
 

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Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
3 2 1 45 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 22 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
3 2 1 10 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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