Rugby league is upon us!
I have been waiting many months to type those magical words.
The NRL pre-season is underway, with the real stuff not too far away.
With every new season comes excitement, hope, and predictions!
Today we kick of our annual 50 NRL predictions with a look to 2025.
50. Sydney Roosters to wreak havoc!
With a host of superstars having left the club in 2024, the Sydney Roosters now have the infamous "war chest" to target any player they desire.
They've already added NSW number nine Reece Robson to their ranks for 2026, and despite denials, are heavily linked with Kiwi star Dylan Brown.
Every single player who comes off contract is going to be linked to the tri-colours, and for good reason. Expect them to land some major names as they aim for the quickest 'rebuild' in NRL history.
49. The Titans to score 600 points but concede 700
The Gold Coast Titans are going to score so many points in 2025. 600+ to be exact. Keano Kini, Jayden Campbell, AJ Brimson, Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Jojo Fifita, David Fifita! The points will rain down on the holiday strip.
Unfortunately though, defensively they look brittle, especially out wide. They may also have the most easily targeted halves combination in the competition. They'll concede 700+ points.
To put this into context, only five teams scored more than 600 points last year while two conceded 700. They're going to be the most entertaining team in the comp, good and bad!
48. All Stars games to continue despite stars pulling out
The 2025 All Star game missed some serious talent, including two of the games biggest superstars in Latrell Mitchell and Nicho Hynes.
There have been calls to scrap the pre-season contest, given the fact so many big name players are becoming unanavailable.
This game is more about what happens off field than on and I fully expect it to continue no matter who lines up for both sides.
47. Nines World Cup announced
The above said, I cannot believe the NRL haven't opted to bring back the Nines, in some form. Be that in the pre-season or for a second World Cup.
The success of the Nines Premier League combined with interest stemming from the Aussie 7s success and the short form T20 cricket, fans were calling for the Nines to return.
I expect to see the Nines World Cup idea return and a competition to be locked in.
46. Jacob Preston to emerge as the game's next second-row star
Angus Crichton, David Fifita ... Jacob Preston?
This kid is so good that I expect to see his name with the second-row superstars of the game by year's end.
He'll cross the 50 NRL game mark in 2025, has a big work rate and has a knack of scoring tries. His name will be on everyone's lips by the end of the year.
45. Stefano Utoikamanu to return to Origin
Stefano Utoikamanu had an ordinary 2024 season. His attitude didn't scream "die for the team" and he never looked like retaining his NSW Origin jersey.
That all changes in 2025!
Craig Bellamy has made a career out of turning good players into great players. Big Stefano can be literally anything under the guidance of the master coach. He'll return to Origin at some stage in 2025.
44. Ridiculous contract terms to emerge
On the back of Dylan Brown's "get out" clauses, fans can be forgiven for being nervous that their teams stars may have similar contract clauses.
NRL managers these days are super slick (that's one word to describe them) and are always looking for ways to increase their players, and their own, earning capacity.
I have no doubt that another, ridiculous contract clause will come to light in 2025. The Eels and Tigers seem to be the big offenders but look for a newly re-signed player to suddenly become "available" due to an out of the ordinary clause.
43. Liam Ison to establish himself as Sharks number one
I am an unashamed fan of William Kennedy, however the abilities of boom youngster Liam Ison will be too substantial to ignore in the Shire.
Craig Fitzgibbon will absolutely name Kennedy for Round One, and I expect the under fire fullback to start the season well.
Ison is already the premier fullback in the NSW Cup competition despite only debuting in 2024. He will be firmly established as the Sharks number one by the end of the season.
42. Dragons to miss Ben Hunt early
The Dragons scored 89 tries in 2024. Ben Hunt scored four of them and had 30 try assists. He was directly involved in just under 40% of their tries last year.
That is a huge amount of try involvements to make up for. For context the Sharks saw Trindall involved in 26% of his teams tries and Hynes 17%.
Considering their new halves combination is made up of discards from other teams, it's a huge ask. I think the Dragons will start slow on the back of losing their main strike half.
41. Two point field goals to flow
Last year we saw five two-point field goals kicked. I expect them to become part of the game-plan in 2025 with long shots becoming the norm.
Zac Lomax named two in 2024 while Matt Burton looks very capable of slotting long range shots at will.
Add Cleary, Moses and other boots to the equation and I'm sure field goal attempts will be flying from everywhere in 2025.
If Ison is good enough to threaten Kennedyโs position, then Kade Dykesโs days at Cronulla look like they will be over when he comes off contract at the end of the season.