Officially Unofficial 2025 NRL Ladder Predictions

[Proud Shark]

Cleaned it up for you, but you left quite a few teams off

That's a pretty novel idea, and could work. I'm surprised no one on the forum has ever mentioned the idea of Tricky playing 7 and Hynes 6.

You're an innovator, Bort!

 

[bort]

That's a pretty novel idea, and could work. I'm surprised no one on the forum has ever mentioned the idea of Tricky playing 7 and Hynes 6.

You're an innovator, Bort!

I'm more interested in how we'll go playing the entire Storm side at fullback. Sure to put more pressure on our cap than Kennedy does, even with higher upside

 

[Sharkfox]

Hynes 6 (left side, more running as 5-8)
Trindal 7 (right side, game manager and main kicker)

Thats my added extra prediction for 2025

 

[Gumby]

This was my ladder prediction back in October

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

Due to the season having not started yet I am changing my prediction

 

[bort]

This was my ladder prediction back in October

Was thinking about revisiting mine too
You have so little info before now it's tough to know what will and won't work, and extra injuries.

 

[Gumby]

1. Storm
2. Sharks
3. Penrith
4. Broncos
5. Manly
6. Bulldogs
7. Cowboys
8. St George
9. Knights
10. Titans
11. Tigers
12. Eels
13. Dolphins
14. Warriors
15. Raiders
16. Souths
17. Roosters

Will go with something like this. Only the top 4 I see as locks to make the 8. The rest of the ladder is an absolute mystery.

 

[bort]

Injuries always make ladder predictions such a lottery.

1 Storm - best team last season, gets better
2 Sharks - AFB to fit straight in and elevate the squad
3 Sea Eagles - slide them a spot for every 2 games Tom misses
4 Penrith - JFH and Luai perhaps their two biggest losses, or at least since Api. But Cleary and Yeo remain. Surely Cleary mostly plays...
5 Bulldogs - can see them having a much similar season
6 Cowboys - Loss of winger will be Feldt. Val too. Will have great attack and no defence. Making up the numbers come finals.
7 Roosters - Robbo, Teddy too good. Think Walkers return will have them charge back up the ladder and dangerous by finals.
8 Broncos - side is too good to not compete but slide them a spot for every 4 games Mam misses.
9 Rabbitohs - backing Wayne to have a turn around year thanks to Trell and Walker (7) + healthy Graham/Munro
10 Dragons - slight improvers again thanks to Flanno but Lomax is a big loss of strike power. Drop bellow Eels if they lose Hunt for '25.
11 Knights - will be kept relevant by form of Ponga and not much else
12 Eels - lot of questions Ryles needs to answer here, but a win or two clear of the spoon. Moses+Lomax to keep them relevant.
13 Raiders - gritty as always but I think a couple second year syndromes hit them (FB Weekes, and Strange) & Elliot/Raps big losses.
14 Warriors - gain Fish but the spine is hot trash especially with Egans woes. SJ hangover.
15 Dolphins - Wayne's departure always ****s around sides, maybe up a couple spots if Flegler plays most of season.
16 Tigers - +1 win on last year but finishing ahead of Titans due to improvement both sides of the ball
17 Titans - 1 less win than last year and a leaky defence will see them spoon. Inconsistency in the halves to continue.

Cowboys I think maybe drop a bit further than I had them - very rookie reliant and there are some other decent looking sides too.
Roosters drop lower but I could still see them getting Manu, Walker and Cheese all back mid season and making a run. Obviously you need all three and returning well or they could be a spoon contender. I'll put them as not quite making it.
Broncos move up a couple spots - Hunt a good get and I also rate the Carrigan to prop move
Rabbitohs already smashed by injury and the 7 they are going to use looks poor, slides from what I had.
Knights attack looks crazy, will be propped up by big wins but need to find some consistent halves or they lose a couple more games and fall quite a bit down my ladder

Maybe something like

1 Storm
2 Sharks
3 Sea Eagles (drop a spot every 2 games Tom misses)
4 Panthers
5 Broncos
6 Bulldogs
7 Cowboys
8 Knights
9 Dragons
10 Roosters
11 Eels
12 Titans
13 Raiders
14 Tigers
15 Warriors
16 Rabbitohs
17 Dolphins

I think 7-13 will be very hard fought with maybe just a win or two in it, the sides with the better for and against making finals. I think most of these sides are a bit soft in the middle so maybe someone who isn't like a Raiders could squeeze out the extra 1 or 2 wins to make finals.

Not sure Tigers are ready to come out of their curse (injury, sin bins, disruptions) yet, but maybe will start to move more next season.
Dolphins could go fine but Wayne departure, unclear 6 and difficulty keeping pack on the park in the past I could see them being usually competitive but just not being able to finish wins. It's tough putting Wayne and Rabbits so low but their spine and injuries are a mess and I could see it continuing this year.

 

[stormshark]

1 Broncos
2 Manly
3 Pemriff
4 Sharks
5 Storm
6 Warriors
7 Dolphins
8 Dragons
9 Eels
10 Dogs
11 Knights
12 Tigers
13 Rorters
14 Raiders
15 Cowboys
16 Souffs-
17 Titans -

 

[bort]

6 Warriors

What do you like about the Warriors?

Personally I think they'll struggle but could position themselves well to become a threat again in next year or two. Fish will be great for their many young forwards and I think Metcalf and TMM can learn to go well. I just don't think it comes together this season, vs what they lose in SJ and AFB

(not having a go, you're welcome to rank finishes where you wish, just interested)

 

[Vichyssoise]

I haven't followed the offseason/preseason at all and thus I'm quite literally pulling this out of my arse. But if at the end of the season I'm somehow spot on, be ready for some never-ending gloating.

1. Storm
2. Broncos
3. Penrith
4. Bulldogs
5. Sharks
6. Sea Eagles
7. Dargons
8. Warriors
9. Tigers
10. Roosters
11. Cowboys
12. Raiders
13. Knights
14. South
15. Titans
16. Dolphins
17. Eels

Grand Final (of Hell) Dogs v Broncos

 

[bort]

I haven't followed the offseason/preseason at all and thus I'm quite literally pulling this out of my arse. But if at the end of the season I'm somehow spot on, be ready for some never-ending gloating.

So that's why it looks like ****?

Nah - that's as good a system as any!

 

[apezza]

So that's why it looks like ****?

Nah - that's as good a system as any!

I was going to say - what else is new? - but you beat me to it!

 

[stormshark]

I think they been stiff, had injuries etc last few seasons. The old Cliche "They been building" . Good Coach, good Crowds, threat of 2nd team in NZ on horizon .Their forwards are better than half the NRL and Backs pretty Slippery. 4 halves into 2 should work Think we will see a slick Warriors outfit with plenty of points in em.

 

[Bundy Shark]

I’ll get to ladder prediction later but I think with the evolution of our team & the maturity of players etc we should be top 4.
Don’t necessarily care where come although 1-2 is preferred, even jag the MP for pure bragging rights & the paltry $$$ that come with it.

Fingers crossed we are blessed with injuries & everyone is available late in the season where hopefully everyone is humming knowing there are guys ready to take their spot if they aren’t pulling their weight.

I’ll even be ok if we are 8/12 even though based off other teams form so early there are a lot of winnable games inside 1-12 opening rounds.
We have a stack of travel the first few week.
Vegas,
North Qld
WA
that’s gotta come back to us sooner or later & flatten us.

 

[Western Sharkie]

Broncos
Sharks
Penrith
Storm
Sea Eagles
Bulldogs
Cowboys
Dargons
Warriors
Tigers
Raiders
Knights
Titans
Dolphins
South
Eels
Roosters

But I reserve the right to change that list after round 27……….

 

[Capital_Shark]

What do you like about the Warriors?

Personally I think they'll struggle but could position themselves well to become a threat again in next year or two. Fish will be great for their many young forwards and I think Metcalf and TMM can learn to go well. I just don't think it comes together this season, vs what they lose in SJ and AFB

(not having a go, you're welcome to rank finishes where you wish, just interested)

JFH is a massive pickup. But he does not replace Harris, AFB and SJ. Then their best fallback will again be playing centre. No DWZ for a while either. JFH should spread an attitude that will keep them out of the bottom 4 but can’t see them in the 8. 12 to 13 I’ll go.

 

[Gards]

1. Storm

8. Dargons

17. Cows

 

[bort]

No Manu coming back I'll slide Roosters - still think they pick up enough late season wins to stay clear of a spoon, but I'll shift tigers up out of bottom 4

1 Storm
2 Sharks
3 Sea Eagles (drop a spot every 2 games Tom misses)
4 Panthers
5 Broncos
6 Bulldogs
7 Cowboys
8 Knights
9 Dragons
10 Eels
11 Titans
12 Raiders
13 Tigers
14 Roosters
15 Warriors
16 Rabbitohs
17 Dolphins

 

[Gumby]

Really think the two teams who will surprise a few this year will be the Dragons & Eels.

Eels on paper have so many good players scattered through their squad and I think Flanno now in his 2nd year at St Merge will have them better than last year which was 1 win out of the 8.

 

[bort]

Really think the two teams who will surprise a few this year will be the Dragons & Eels.

Eels on paper have so many good players scattered through their squad and I think Flanno now in his 2nd year at St Merge will have them better than last year which was 1 win out of the 8.

I agree
re: Dragons, I just think they won't do massively better than last year (Hunt to Lomax did work for them), so I have them up to 9th from 11. More Flanno and a better balanced side but I just think that 7 and 6 will struggle to beat the top 8, besides an ambush or two

Eels could easily finish like 5th or 6th if a fullback fires, which looks possible. Hard to get a read on when we don't know what we will see from their forwards. Plenty of potential in there. Arguably more reliant on Moses now without Gutho though so he is key. With fullback and pack settling I've guessed they narrowly miss out, probably with equal wins to a side that does make it though but Cows/Knights to have better for and against.