Rugby League World Cup 2022 crystal ball: Winner, runner-up, player of the tournament and more

The 2022 Rugby League World Cup is finally here, and while Australia will go in as the favourites once again, there are plenty of teams who could come up with a surprise throughout the tournament.

Zero Tackle's team have given our predictions from the champions to who they will beat in the final, and onto the player of the tournament and top try-scorer.

The first game will be played on Sunday morning (AEDT) between England and Samoa.

Here are our predictions.

Nick Bishop

Champions: Australia
Runners up: Samoa
Women's Champions: Australia
Player of the tournament: Isaah Yeo
Top Try-scorer: Brian To'o
Biggest surprise: Joseph Sualii stuns for Samoa and puts on a masterclass at 19.
Biggest disappointment: Tonga and England both have tournaments to forget.

Jack Blyth

Champions: Australia
Runners up: Samoa
Women's tournament: Australia
Player of the tournament: Cameron Munster
Top try-scorer: Ronaldo Mulitalo
Biggest surprise: Kangaroos come from behind in semi-final to book World Cup final spot
Biggest disappointment: Tonga

Ed Carmine

Champions: New Zealand
Runners up: Samoa
Women's tournament champions: New Zealand
Player of the tournament: Jahrome Hughes
Top try-scorer: Joseph Manu
Biggest surprise: Australia fails to make final.
Biggest disappointment: Australia refuses to accept that failing to respect the international game was reason behind early exit.

Matt Clements

Champions: Australia
Runners up: Tonga
Women's tournament champions: Australia
Player of the tournament: James Tedesco
Top try-scorer: Ronaldo Mulitalo
Biggest surprise: Lebanon to make the quarter-finals.
Biggest disappointment: England to fail to make it through the quarter-finals.

Edward El-Jalkh

Champions: Australia
Runners up: Samoa
Women's tournament champions: Australia
Player of the tournament: James Tedesco
Top try-scorer: Josh Addo-Carr
Biggest surprise: Samoa
Biggest disappointment: England

Mark Goodyear

Champions: Australia
Runners up: Tonga
Women's Champions: Australia
Player of the tournament: James Tedesco
Top try-scorer: Josh Addo-Carr
Biggest surprise: Tonga beat the hosts handily in the finals.
Biggest disappointment: Daly Cherry-Evans, who will be quickly dropped for Nathan Cleary.

Euan Kennedy

Champions: Australia
Runners up: Samoa
Women's tournament champions: Australia
Player of the tournament: Joseph Manu
Top try-scorer: Josh Addo-Carr
Biggest surprise: England and Tonga bow out in the quarter-finals.
Biggest disappointment: Another nation can't snatch Australia's crown.

Dan Nichols

Champions: Australia
Runners Up: Tonga
Women's Champions: Australia
Player of tournament: Joseph Manu
Top try-scorer: Daniel Tupou
Biggest surprise: Lebanon beat Ireland to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Biggest disappointment: England losing the semi-final.

David Piepers

Champions: New Zealand
Runners Up: Samoa
Women's Champions: Australia
Player of the Tournament: Latrell Mitchell
Top try-scorer: Joseph Manu
Biggest surprise: Cook Islands qualify for knockout stage.
Biggest disappointment: A headline player does an ACL in a relatively unimportant group game.

Scott Pryde

Champions: New Zealand
Runners Up: Tonga
Women's Champions: Australia
Player of the tournament: Joseph Manu
Top try-scorer: Ronaldo Mulitalo
Biggest surprise: Tonga - everyone is sleeping on Mate Ma'a. A unreal forward pack and a spine that is not at the top, but equal to that of Samoa.
Biggest disappointment: England - on home soil, missing the semi-finals will be unacceptable, but that is the fate awaiting the Three Lions, with a Tonga vs Samoa semi-final to be one of the all-time great international rugby league moments.