NRL’s biggest failure revealed; title surge no one saw coming: 2023 Season Report Card
The NRL season is done and dusted, with the Panthers once again lifting the trophy at the year’s end.
But there was very little to cheer about and the first win didn’t come until the Tigers stunned the Panthers at home in Round 9. That decision doomed the Dragons from the get-go and by Round 11 they’d won just two games and Griffin was sacked. Things started promisingly when Canterbury upset the Storm in Round 2 and then beat the Tigers before a narrow loss to the Warriors and a win over the Cowboys to sit eighth after Round 5.
On eight occasions the Titans led or drew with their opponent at the halftime break before going on to lose the game. That’s a third of their 24 games. There weren’t high hopes for Wayne Bennett’s men in their debut season, but they managed to overachieve despite their lack of depth being severely tested in the back end of the season.
$800k man Josh Schuster came under the microscope on a number of occasions this season, with teammates calling out his work ethic and conditioning. He finished the season playing reserve grade and is set for a permanent shift to the second row next season. Ryan Matterson made the odd decision to take a three-game suspension at the start of the year instead of a $4k fine. The recruitment of Josh Hodgson fell flat with the veteran hooker unable to find form before a career-ending injury.
Remarkably, the Rabbits were top of the table at that stage, but a calf injury to Latrell Mitchell during Blues camp sent Souths on quite the spiral. With that said, the Raiders still managed to play extra rugby league this season for the fourth time in five seasons and went close to upsetting the red-hot Knights in an elimination final.
Trent Robinson’s side then knocked off the Sharks in the first week of finals before having their hearts broken by the Storm and winger Will Warbrick. Meanwhile, Robinson’s Joey Manu halves experiment didn’t work out while backrower Angus Crichton was also sidelined due to injury and mental health issues.After going out in straight sets in 2022, Cronulla lost by a point to once again flunk out of the finals in week one in 2023.
He explained Cronulla need a roster rebuild and to bring in players capable of orchestrating points, with Hynes doing the bulk of playmaking duties. While it wasn’t all smooth sailing in Cronulla, in only his second season in charge, Craig Fitzgibbon once again finished in the top eight, giving fans hope they can improve in 2024.Adam O’Brien’s Knights captured the hearts of the region once again in 2023, making the finals off the back of a magical 10-game winning streak.
Elsewhere, the spine trio of Phoenix Criossland, Tyson Gamble and Jackson Hastings punched well above their weight. Instead New Zealand became the hottest ticket in town and ‘Up the Wahs’ chants spread like wildfire as the Warriors captured the hearts of a nation. Meanwhile, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Addin Fonua-Blake, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Tohu Harris were all excellent.
However, they had to continue to compete this season after losing a mountain of experience, with several veteran forwards leaving. Bellamy also juggled his first choice centre pairing this season, with regular starter Justin Olam losing his place in the side in the middle of the year. The youthful spine pairing of Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam were excellent throughout 2023, while Adam Reynolds wound back the clock at halfback.
After beating the Broncos to record the biggest ever grand final comeback victory, Penrith matched the 1980s Eels team.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘The name they want’: Brownlow winner floated in bombshell rumourThe AFL silly season is slow kicking into gear after the 2023 season came to an end with Collingwood’s Grand Final victory over Brisbane.
Read more »
NRL grand final 2023 LIVE updates: Panthers battle Broncos in quest for three-peatCan Penrith seal a third straight premiership or will Brisbane spring one final surprise in a season full of them? Follow all the action from Accor Stadium.
Read more »
NRL grand final 2023 LIVE updates: Panthers battle Broncos in quest for three-peatCan Penrith seal a third straight premiership or will Brisbane spring one final surprise in a season full of them? Follow all the action from Accor Stadium.
Read more »
NRL grand final 2023 LIVE updates: Panthers battle Broncos in quest for three-peatCan Penrith seal a third straight premiership or will Brisbane spring one final surprise in a season full of them? Follow all the action from Accor Stadium.
Read more »