NRL review: Biggest Broncos blunder; worrying Wayne trend for Dolphins: Verdict on NRL’s bottom 9….
The competition’s bottom nine teams have finished their season, with many of the teams that were predicted to do great things in 2024 coming up short. Where did everything go wrong, then? Every team that failed to make it to the finals this year is broken down by Matty Johns and Cooper Cronk, from South Sydney’s terrible season to Brisbane’s surprising surrender.
CANBERRA RAIDERS
The Raiders went agonisingly close to securing a finals berth after finishing ninth and on equal points with the Knights with a superior for and against getting Newcastle over the line.
Several pundits even tipped Ricky Stuart’s men to claim the wooden spoon, however the side showed enough at different stages of the season to suggest with some tinkering they could move up the ladder in 2025.
“I don’t think for the Canberra Raiders ‘what went wrong?’ is the term considering they had a good season,” Johns said on The Matty Johns Podcast.
“I think the injury to Jamal Fogarty in the middle of the year was a tough one.
“Going forward next year I’ve got them between six and 10 probably around the same – a couple of extra wins will push them into the eight.”
Cronk said the key to the Raiders improving rested on their ability to seek out new ways to win.
“It’s more like how can they win more games because they’ve been on the cusp for a while. I think they need to find a different way to win games,” he said.
“They’ve not got that gritty nature to win so I think their attack needs to evolve but Fogarty was a big miss but (prop) Joseph Tapine was their best player by a country mile.
“They need to find extra ways to win because they lost a couple of those extra games by two or four so they need more fire power.”
DOLPHINS
The Dolphins went agonisingly close to securing a finals berth in just their second season in the NRL.
Had they got over the Knights in the final round they would have finished eighth in what would have been a stunning achievement for the club after entering the competition last year.
You look at the Dolphins and go ‘what went wrong?’ because the middle part of the season they were on fire they looked like they were on course for the top four but the wheels came off the last third of the season,” Johns said.
Cronk said a lack of experience in the halves proved the difference for the Dolphins.
“There were a couple of times when (Dolphins halfback) Isaiya Katoa if he had decided to do something else they were probably a better chance of winning (some of their) games,” he said.
“But his upside is pretty good. (Kodi) Nikorima had a career best year. Hammer (Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow) was good as always and he’s the point of difference. But I think if their spine becomes a little bit more experienced and can manage games better.
The biggest one is they led Penrith at Penrith by a bit with 20 minutes to go and Isaiya Katoa takes a shot at a field goal and does something there’s a win that they need to probably get them into the eight.”
And with coach Wayne Bennett heading to the Rabbitohs, Johns said he didn’t envy incoming Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf’s assignment of taking over from the supercoach.
“A big question here for Kristian Woolf. There’s only ever been Tim Sheens who has taken the baton from Wayne (Bennett) and has made it a success. That was the Canberra side who turned into the green machine,” Johns said.
He was co-coach with Don Furner, Wayne goes to the Broncos, Sheens takes over the side and away they go. Every other coach (who has replaced Bennett) has gone off a cliff.
“When Jason Demetriou took over (from Bennett) I said ‘Wayne’s left a turd under the bench somewhere. You can smell it, you just can’t find it’.”
ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
The Dragons will be disappointed to narrowly miss the top eight but will be buoyed by their much improved performances in 2024 under new coach Shane Flanagan.
And while Flangan recently admitted his side was not yet where he wanted them to be, Johns said Dragons fans had a lot to be happy about.
“Great season for Flanagan, big improvement. The fact they went into the last game and were a chance to make the eight and they’ll be disappointed they didn’t,” he said.
“But that’s a big improvement. It’s just (about) getting used to winning again.”
Cronk said falling back into faulty systems of play cost the Dragons a place in the finals.
“It’s almost like they had bad habits for a long period of time and the bad habits turned up at the wrong time,” he said.
“They choked. They had eighth spot in their grasp and all they had to do was win one of those games and they conceded a lot of points and their intensity went out.
“That’s the one thing that they showed is that when their forward pack was dominant and made it physical they played their best football and when they didn’t that’s when they struggled.”
BRISBANE BRONCOS
Where do we start with Brisbane?
Finishing 12th is plain unacceptable for the Queensland powerhouse, especially following last year’s grand final appearance that was snatched by the Panthers in the dying minutes.
Johns said the club’s inability to handle the pressure following their golden run of 2023 was likely to blame for their stunning fall from grace.
“Last year’s success and the expectation that came with that success poisoned the well,” he said.
“As far as next season’s concerned they’ve got to have a lot of self-assessment if they’re going to go anywhere.”
Cronk said the side clearly lost focus in failing to build on the traits that made them so successful last season.
“You sit there and sift through all the reasons why,” he said.
“You could go attack, defence, discipline, errors, whatever it is, but the thing that underpins that whole thing is the Broncos last year as individuals and as a team had real laser focus to improve and get better and I don’t think they had that this year and it’s ultimately why they missed out on the finals.
contributing factor.”
Cronk blamed the Warriors’ stunning slide on complacency.
“I think the Warriors got comfortable. They played some really predictable and slow-moving football and lacked intensity,” he said.
“But then that last game against the Sharks showed that they can do it. No where’s that been 15 weeks prior?”
“I think with James Fisher-Harris (joining the club in 2025) is more a signing about spirit and being an example of what winning looks like as opposed to adding value to the way they play.
“I think what he’s done to that forward pack at Penrith ie Moses Leota he will do to that next front rower.”
GOLD COAST TITANS
The Titans were always going to be up against it to make the finals after losing their opening six matches of the season but showed enough to suggest they will be top eight contenders in 2025.
And despite a late charge that saw them teetering on the edge of the eight late in the season, injuries to key players greatly derailed their 2024 campaign.
“I thought with (coach) Des (Hasler) going there all the players are a year older I thought ‘this team is going to play finals’,” Johns said.
“I don’t know if it just took a while to adjust to Des’ methods I’m not sure exactly what it was. The loss of Tino (Fa’asuamaleaui) was a big one and the puzzle which was the spine there was a lot going on.”
Cronk applauded some of the Gold Coast’s performances but said the side needed to get both sides of the game in order.
“The thing with the Titans for me, they need to get good balance on both sides of the ball. Their defence needs to complement their attack and their attack needs to complement their defence,” he said.
“They defend really well and win games or they defend bad and their attack is so good it’s firepower in scoring points.
“They just need to find that perfect balance between the two.”
PARRAMATTA EELS
The Eels were tipped for big things in 2024 but fell well short to be one win away from collecting this year’s wooden spoon.
Their poor start saw coach Brad Arthur was sacked in May and the players never really responded after his departure.
“Brad did a great job but they probably held onto Brad a season too long in my opinion – they needed to change the formula,” Johns said.
“I think the players got too comfortable under Brad.
“The loss of Mitchell Moses of course in the middle of the year and Gutho (Clint Gutherson) – that was a factor and they never looked like a finals side.
With (incoming Parramatta coach) Jason Ryles if I’ve got a new coach coming in I’d be like ‘I can’t wait for a new start’ but it was almost like a resentment that Brad was gone and Trent (Barrett) wasn’t going to be the coach.”
Cronk said complacency had also contributed to the Eels’ downfall after their 2022 grand final loss to the Panthers.
“We’re talking about a team that played in a grand final a couple of years ago. Something for me tells you that they lack the desire to want to climb that mountain again,” he said.
“Because they did it to get there but all of a sudden they dropped off. Two years ago they were playing in a grand final and on the weekend they were playing in the Spoon Bowl.”
