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CLUB PREVIEWS: SEASON 2020 CONTINUED CRONULLASUTHERLAND
SHARKS
LAST YEAR: ELIMINATION FINALIST HEAD COACH: JOHN MORRIS CAPTAIN: WADE GRAHAM HOME GROUND: REMONDIS STADIUM WEBSITE: www.sharks.com.au TICKETS: www.tickets.nrl.com/team/500028 CONTACT: 461 Captain Cook Dr, Woolooware, NSW 2230 POSTAL: PO Box 2219, Taren Point, NSW 2229 PHONE: +61 2 9527 8200 TAB ODDS: $19.00 For the first time since 2001 a Cronulla Sharks side will be without Paul Gallen who has finally retired after 348 NRL games. The ultimate one-club man will be sorely missed on and off the field. It will be interesting how the players react to not having the grizzly veteran defend for his life in the front line and to intimidate young halves who fancied running down his alley. Someone who played 105 games in five years with Gallen at the Sharks is head coach John Morris who had his first season in charge in 2019.
GOLD COAST
TITANS
LAST YEAR: 16TH PLACE HEAD COACH: JUSTIN HOLBROOK CAPTAIN: TBC HOME GROUND: CBUS SUPER STADIUM WEBSITE: www.titans.com.au TICKETS: www.titans.com.au/ticketing CONTACT: 76-122 Napper Road, Parkwood, QLD 4214 POSTAL: PO Box 841, Gold Coast Mail Centre, QLD 9726 PHONE: +61 7 5656 5650 TAB ODDS: $101.00 Prior to last season the Gold Coast Titans had the most impressive recruitment spree in the club’s history creating quality depth in nearly every position. Shannon Boyd, Tyrone Roberts and Ryley Jacks and marquee signing Tyrone Peachey were part of a strong side on paper. But they managed just four wins from 24 matches to finish last in 16th place, as much a shock to the players as the fans. The Titans have pinned their hopes on new head coach Justin
MANLY WARRINGAH
SEA EAGLES
LAST YEAR: SEMI-FINALIST HEAD COACH: DES HASLER CAPTAIN: DALY CHERRY-EVANS HOME GROUND: BROOKVALE OVAL WEBSITE: www.seaeagles.com.au TICKETS: www.tickets.nrl.com/team/500002 CONTACT: Sydney Academy of Sport, Wakehurst Parkway, Narabeen, NSW 2101 POSTAL: PO Box 994, Narrabeen, NSW 2101 PHONE: +61 2 9970 3000 TAB ODDS: $12.00 It did not take one of Manly Sea Eagles favourite sons to turn things around last season. Des Hasler, who guided Manly to two Premiership titles in his first spell as head coach and also won two titles as a player, stepped into the breach after the club’s worst ever finish of 15th in 2018. Last season Hasler took his beloved Sea Eagles all the way to the semi-finals where the South Sydney Rabbitohs put a
He says young guns Jack Williams and Billy Magoulias are most likely to wear Gallan’s famous 13 jersey. Former Warriors playmaker Shaun Johnson had what can only be described as a mixed season at best in his first season away from Mt Smart. But now settled in Sydney and feeling injury free with a season in blue under his belt, expect to see the match winning capabilities of Johnson back on display in 2020. In 2019 he missed seven games with quadriceps and hamstring issues stemming from an old back injury. “I actually had it 2010. I did it in the captain’s run before our Toyota Cup grand final for the Warriors. And then I missed the pre-season in 2011 when I debuted and sort of managed it, then every now and then it would just flare up. It was a pretty bad one last year,” he told www.sharks.com.au. Johnson is back goalkicking for the Sharks but does not get too carried away about the importance. “I’ve never, ever once claimed winning a game through goal-kicking and I’ve never, ever once claimed losing a game through goal-kicking. There are so many other factors that go into a game.” The Sharks are used to playing finals footie. Whether they can kick on to a Grand Final may come down to how well Johnson plays. Holbrook, who recently won the Super League title with St Helens, to obviously improve results on the field and try to bring a culture of success to the club. No easy task indeed with a lack of confidence throughout the whole club. The one signing that has given fans hope is Beau Fermor from the Newcastle Knights. The 21-year-old is regarded as one of the best young backrowers in the NRL. Fermor was the NSWRL and Newcastle Jersey Flegg player of the year in 2018 and he was a key member of the Queensland under-20 team that won its maiden interstate clash with NSW. “Beau is an exciting prospect as evidence by the fact he is on the radar with the Queensland selectors. He will bring depth to our playing pool,” head of performance and culture Mal Meninga told www.nrl.com. Another good signing is experienced England international centre Kallum Watkins who is back to full fitness after suffering an ACL in 2018. He won three Super League grand finals, two Challenge Cup finals and a World Club Challenge title with Leeds and has played in two World Cup campaigns for England. Things may get worse before they get better with captain Ryan James likely to miss most of the season with a serious knee injury suffered at pre-season training.
stop to any notions of a third title for the little maestro. It was an impressive return to Brookvale Oval with Hasler a positive influence on captain and key playmaker Daly Cherry-Evans. The brilliant playmaker is expected to resume his excellent partnership in the halves from last season with Dylan Walker with the talented Tom Trbojevic at fullback. Manly’s 2019 top-point scorer Reuben Garrick and hardworking forwards Jake Trbojevic, Martin Tapau and Addin Fonua-Blake are all key men in what looks a finely balanced Manly squad. The loss of two hookers in Api Koroisau and Manase Fainu have been offset by the signing of former Newcastle Knights and Warriors rake Danny Levi who will be desperate to impress. Arguably the two most improved centres in the competition proved their worth last season. Brad Parker and Moses Suli showed their best form after struggling at times in the NRL. Look to them to set up some quality tries for their wingers. One area Hasler will have worked on during a rigorous pre-season is how his team deals with kicks. The Sea Eagles conceded the most tries from kicks during the regular 2019 season with 27 at an average of 1.1 per match. That amounted to 36 per cent of the 75 tries they allowed overall.
