Immortal and two-time premiership winner Andrew Johns has named which team he believes is the 'smokey' to win the 2024 NRL Premiership.
The NRL season is moving towards the backend of the competition, with two and a half more rounds to go, and multiple teams have showcased they have what it takes to dethrone the three-time defending premiers, Penrith Panthers.
At the moment, the Cronulla Sharks, Sydney Roosters andย Melbourne Storm are looming as Penrith's biggest threats, but former representative captain and Immortal Andrew Johnsย believes another team has what it takes to win the competition.
Speaking on Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth, Johns has predicted that the Manly Sea Eagles are his 'smokey' to win the competition and shouldn't be counted out of the Grand Final race.
The statement from Johns comes as the Sea Eagles sit in seventh position on the NRL ladder at the moment after a shock loss to the Wests Tigers on Thursday evening in Luke Brooks' return match to Leichhardt Oval.
"They have players who can go whack, big game players," Johns said.
"(Daly) Cherry-Evans has done it at all levels. Turbo Tom (Trbojevic) is a freak of nature, (Lachlan) Croker's back, you've got (Haumole) Olakau'atu.
"Outside of the Roosters, Penrith, Melbourne who could win it, it'd be Manly. But they need everything to go their way."
While Johns believes the Sea Eagles could go all the way, another premiership winner believes they are incapable of defeating the bigger games against the Panthers, Storm or Sharks.
"They're going to have to win some big games, I don't know if they can win that many big games," Brad Fittler added.
After losing to the Wests Tigers, the Manly Sea Eagles will end the regular season with matches against the Canterbury Bulldogs and Cronulla Sharks.
