Predicted Finish: 11th

Actual Finish: 1st

Fair to say I missed in a big way here. I had no idea that Penrith would be a player in 2020. They lost Maloney, their forwards seemed soft and I doubted Ivan Cleary. Which sides shall I enjoy with my serving of crow?

3. Star Player

Nathan Cleary

Despite missing two games, I had Nathan Cleary as a near undisputed Dally M medal winner. I still can't believe he wasn't handed the medal his season truly deserved.

Across 21 games in 2020 the Origin mainstay scored eight tries, laid on 17 try assists, made 11 line breaks, and forced an incredible 27 drop outs. He also ran for almost 90 metres per game, kicked for just under 500 metres per game and tackled at over 84%. He also landed 86 conversions at 80%.

Cleary dominated in almost every game across the regular season, and then two of his three finals games. He dictated where games were played with the boot via forcing teams to come out of their own end, or defend repeat sets.

NRL Rd 8 - Tigers v Panthers
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 04: Nathan Cleary of the Panthers thanks the crowd during the round eight NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Penrith Panthers at Bankwest Stadium on July 04, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)