With eight rounds remaining in the NRL season, it’s time to break down where every team ranked in the top 10 should finish, based on the remaining games, the opposition they will face and where every team currently stands.
Unfortunately for teams sitting in slots 11-17 their season is over, time to start planning for next year and to blood new players from their lower grades.
Here’s where teams currently stand and where they should finish considering the remaining games and the opposition they will face.
1. Raiders: Eels (H), Knights (H), Dragons (A), Manly (H), BYE, Panthers (A), Tigers (H), Dolphins (A).
Four home games and a bye with five games against non-finals teams and only one tough game against Penrith and maybe the Dolphins (both away) the only danger of them losing some points.
On 32 points they should pick up 12 out 16 points on offer and that would take them to minimum of 44 points with a maximum of 48. Tthey have the best draw of any team for the remainder of the season, on paper they should win the minor premiership.
2. Storm: Manly (H), Roosters (A), Eels (A), Broncos (H), Panthers (A), Bulldogs (H), Roosters (H), Broncos (A).
The Panthers away game is the hardest left. Currently on 30 points they should pick up 14 to at least get to 44 points with a maximum of 46 if they can beat Penrith.
3. Bulldogs: Dragons (H), Manly (H), Tigers (A), Warriors (H), Roosters (A), Storm (A), Panthers (H), Sharks (H).
They’ve got five home and three away games so they should win six, including road games against the Tigers and Roosters. On 30 they should end up on 42 points with a maximum of 48 if they beat Penrith and Melbourne.
4. Warriors: Knights (A), Titans (H), Dolphins (H), Bulldogs (A), Dragons (H), Titans (A), Eels (H), Manly (A).
They should go 6-2 with games against the Dolphins and Bulldogs their only danger of dropping points. On 28, they should get to a minimum of 40 points with a maximum of 44 if they can beat the Dogs and Phins.
5. Broncos: BYE, Eels (H), Souths (H), Storm (A), Dolphins (H), Knights (A), Cowboys (A), Storm (H).
On 24, they should win five of their remaing matches to get to 34, perhaps as high as 38 if they beat the Storm and Dolphins at home.
Sam Walker of the Roosters is tackled. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
6. Panthers: Souths (H), Tigers (H), Titans (A), Knights (A), Storm (H), Raiders (H), Bulldogs (A), Dragons (A).
On 23, should pick up 14 points in the run home to get to 37 or 39 if they go unbeaten.
7. Manly : Storm (A), Bulldogs (A), Roosters (H), Raiders (A), Tigers (A), Dolphins (H), Dragons (A), Warriors (H).
Five away games hurts their chances. It will require a mighty effort to win more than three of their remaining fixtures – on 22 points, they may only get to 26, dropping out of the eight altogether due to a less than kind draw for the remainder of the season.
8. Roosters:, Sharks (A), Storm (H), Manly (A), Dolphins (A), Bulldogs (H), Eels (A), Storm (A), Souths (H).
On paper they should win three times and that would take them to 28 points. Unfortunately for them, that may not be enough to make the eight.
9. Sharks: Roosters (H), Souths (A), Cowboys (H), Dragons (A), Titans (H), BYE, Knights (H) Bulldogs (A).
On 22 points, they should pick up 14 points of 16 on offer and that would take them to 36 points.
10. Dolphins: Cowboys (H), BYE, Warriors (A), Roosters (H), Broncos (A), Manly (A), Titans (H), Raiders (H).
On 20 points they should pick up 12 out 16 points to get to 32.
Based on the remaining fixtures and considering the opposition each team has, the final eight would probably be like this:
1. Storm (equal in points with Canberra but better differential)
2. Raiders
3. Bulldogs
4. Warriors
5. Penrith
6. Sharks
7. Broncos
8. Dolphins
The Roosters will just miss out and Manly would finish 10th or 11th. The rest of the teams just can’t get there – some major upsets will need to happen for the finals order to change.
Let me hear your opinions in the comments.
The Mexicanhttps://https://ift.tt/E6ylrkU then there were 10 … who’ll finish where in the NRL finals wash-up
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