As with each and every NRL season, at least half the competition is not going to qualify to play Finals footy.
In recent years it was eight teams missing out, but in 2023 we have added a ninth team heading for an early holiday, while the club's fans ponder over what went wrong.
Well, I'm here to make it easier for those fans by pointing out what, I believe, went wrong in 2023.
Some of the below are to be taken more seriously than others. For instance, I could provide ten paragraphs on the Dragons, Dogs and Tigers, while the Dolphins' issues were obvious since the pre-season.
These aren't attacks on your club, but just where I felt your side faltered this season.
With an eye to making friends, below is a short description of where it all went wrong for your team in 2023:
Parramatta Eels - Slow start
Those expecting last season's defeated Grand Finalists to burst out of the blocks were left to wait until Round four for their first win of 2023.
A loss in Round Five to the Roosters meant the Eels started the season 1-4. It was always going to be very difficult to make Finals from there.
Unfortunately, a suspension to Dylan Brown added to a run of indifferent form in the back end of the season while the Eels were attempting to chase down the pack.
Even a massive, upset victory at Penrith in Round 26, their final game of the season, wasn't enough to see them qualify for the Finals.
No doubt in the world Brad Arthur will be hammering home the need to avoid a similar slow start in 2024.
There were other issues across the season but I challenge any side to win just one game in their opening five fixtures to make up the ground and qualify.
North Queensland Cowboys - Second-year syndrome hits hard
This may feel like a bit of a cop out but everything that worked for the Cowboys in 2022 simply didn't work in 2023.
Chad Townsend was found out, leading to a massive over-reliance on Scott Drinkwater to create. Drinkwater provided 25 try assists. His halves combined for 22.
Teams worked out both Jeremiah Nanai and Valentine Holmes, two of the Cowboys' biggest stars in 2022.
Todd Peyton won the Dally M Coach of the Year award in 2022. Everything he touched turned to gold. Despite glimpses in 2023, he just couldn't replicate those efforts.
Peta Hiku and Kyle Feldt were incredible last year but both fell away drastically this year. Father time remains undefeated.
I don't want to be overly harsh here but it never felt like the Cowboys were in the serious running for Finals. Their horror 66-18 loss to the Tigers will never be forgotten.
South Sydney Rabbitohs - Stars fail to shine
For the purpose of this, I want to stay away from the off-field stuff. As it stands, it remains rumours,
There is no reason in the world that a side boasting a spine consisting of Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Damian Cook should miss Finals. None!
Except the three just simply couldn't fire with any sort of regularity.
At times, Latrell was red hot. There was a time when I named him the form player of the competition. It didn't last.
Cook had his moments, and his stats are great, but at the business end of the season, he was barely sighted. His game against the Roosters saw him become a ghost.
The fact that Souths missed the Finals is still unbelievable to me. They need to take a very long and serious look at themselves if they want to bounce back next season.
Manly Sea Eagles - DCE left alone
I almost put injuries as the main reason Manly missed out on Finals. Their horror un at the back end of the season, especially in the middle, was unmatched.
That said, I still believe the biggest reason Manly didn't scrape into the Finals at the expense of the Raiders is due to the fact they provided little to no help for Daly Cherry-Evans.
I'm sure there is a magnificent footballer in Josh Schuster, but it isn't in the halves.
He started the season on fire, with three try assists in Round three - his first game of the season.
From there though, there were only rare flashes of brilliance. Very rare at times. There were games where he'd do something magical in the 75th minute and it would be the first time you noticed him all night.
Cooper Johns also failed to reach any great heights. Manly started playing much better footy once Jacob Arthur came in full-time, but I believe that has more to do with the strength of the opposition.
Gold Coast Titans - Seemingly no plans
We've just seen 27 rounds of NRL action and I still can't tell you who the Titans' number-one fullback is.
Aj Brimson is fantastic and best at fullback. Jayden Campbell is brilliant and seemingly can only play fullback.
Having spent two million dollars on two forwards, the Titans need to work out how to fit these two into their best 13 as they can no longer go to market.
A change of coach mid-season didn't help but from about round ten it felt like a holding pattern with 2024 in mind.
Des Hasler's first decision needs to be who to put in the fullback role. I suggest it be Campbell given he can't seem to play anywhere else.
With a huge chunk of the cap tied up in two players, Hasler and co need to find a way to pad the squad with more than squad fillers.
The Dolphins - Lack of squad depth
We all knew that the Dolphins' biggest concern heading into the season was a lack of depth in their squad.
The Dolphins shocked us all with an early season charge. At one point they were flying and talking Finals footy.
Then the injuries and suspensions rolled in and the Dolphins were forced to blood players who wouldn't have been in ideal plans for NRL action this season.
Anthony Milford's failure to fire really exposed their halves. This was made worse by an injury to Sean O'Sullivan.
No one is blaming the Dolphins for failing to fill out their squad. They were up against it just signing a starting 13 that could compete.
That, however, doesn't change the fact that the Phins had, by far, the most shallow squad in the competition.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - Big guns fail to fire
The Dogs have run a series of heavy recruitment drives with hopes to returning to Finals footy.
For 2023, they brought in Reed Mahoney and Viliame Kikau. Two huge names, and huge money, signings with supreme talent and plenty of experience.
I fully understand Kikau was injured for many weeks but he failed to sure up that ledge edge as expected.
Mahoney tried his backside off but I would argue was outplayed by Jerry Marshall-King, the man he replaced.
Of course, I'm not placing full blame on two players, especially one who was injured for so long, but their signings were shaped as quick fixes.
The Dogs will go again in 2024 on the back of yet another round of big name signings. Perhaps those will be the signings to finally kickstart a revival.
St George Illawarra Dragons - Competition's worst squad
This won't win me any friends, but I stand by it. The Dragons have the worst squad in the NRL.
Some will flock to the comments to disagree, as is your right, but I challenge you to name the Dragons strongest second rowers, prop rotation or five-eighth.
Zac Lomax and Moses Suli entered the season as the Dragons' big guns in attack. They provided the club's greatest strength and easiest route to victory.
So of course their since sacked coach Anthony Griffin switched their roles, and sides, throwing Lomax off completely and seeing him relegated to reserve grade.
You know there's trouble when you're million million-dollar half-back and club captain is begging to be let go from the club.
Wests Tigers - Everywhere/Everything
I wanted to avoid an entry that stated "everything", it is lazy, but I think it would be unfair to put anything other than "everything" here.
The Tigers endured a laughable situation where they hired Tim Sheens to find them a new coach. He hired himself, stunk up the joint and left a rookie coach to face the music.
The club, for the third straight season, wouldn't allow a desperate to leave Luke Brooks to walk away, and then failed to re-sign him.
The chaos in the front office is easy fodder for opposition fans, for good reason.
Fans can feel as though they were sold a bill of goods in the form of Isaiah Papali'i, who didn't look anything like the player who tore the competition up last year for the Eels.
Whatever the club is paying Apisai Koroisau, they should double it. Name him as captain/coach ... and CEO. The bloke kept the club afloat.
Api – fully agree.