Top 8 finish – Titans 3.25 @ Bet365
The Titans finished 2013 in 9th places, missing
the playoffs by just 2 points with the 8th best attack in the
competition and 9th best defence but injuries to several key players
hamstrung them throughout pivotal points of the season. On paper the Titans are
a much better team than a lot of people give them credit for. Their halves
pairing lacks experience, but on talent the combination of Aidan Sezer and
Albert Kelly is matched by few other pairs in the competition. During their
first season together they meshed incredibly well with the calculated kicking
game of Sezer beautifully complimented by the gamebreaking ability of Kelly. Up
front the Titans pack is led by three of the best representative forwards of
recent years in Nate Myles, Greg Bird and Ash Harrison. They pack plenty of
size and muscle in the likes of Big Dave Taylor, Ryan James, Luke Douglas, Luke
Bailey, Matt White while young hooker Matt Srama has shown he can punch well
above his weight during his time in first grade. In the backs while they’ve
just lost the enigmatic monster Jamal Idris, they’ve added former Storm strike
weapon Maurice Blair who they’ll be hoping doesn’t suffer the same fate as so
many others who have departed Melbourne. They also possess one of the fastest
pairs of backs in the competition in David Mead and Kevin Gordon while Will
Zillman is a very talented and versatile option who flies under the radar. This
team has a lot going for it, if they can stay healthy then I have them
pencilled in to my top 8.
Dally M – Greg Inglis 8.00 @ Bet365
The hot tip of many to walk away with the award last year,
Inglis claimed the Dally M Fullback of the Year and Provan-Summons award in
2013 but fell short of the top prize. Prior to his late season knee injury,
Inglis was unquestionably the most destructive attacking weapon in the
competition. A former five-eight of the year, Origin and International centre
and now playing at fullback and deemed the best in the competition there,
Inglis has all the talent in the world and a herculean build to match. At just
26 with a birthday around the corner, the strapping Rabbitoh won’t likely be
slowing down this year surrounded by a star studded Bunnies team. Inglis is
arguably the greatest athlete the game has ever seen and looks to be at the
height of his powers, it’s going to take an incredible effort for anybody to
beat him this year.
Grand Final Winner -
Rabbitohs 6.50 @ Bet365
Many, including myself, thought 2013 would be the year the
Bunnies went all the way. The third ranked attack and fourth ranked defence led
Souths to finishing the 2013 tied at the top with 40 points winning 75% of
their games. After flaming out in 2012 after star halfback Adam Reynolds picked
up an injury against the Dogs, things were shaping up nicely for the Bunnies as
they took down the Storm in their qualifying final but Manly put a halt to
proceedings in the preliminary final sending them home 30 to 20. While the
Bunnies certainly had a few old heads at the club, this team still has plenty
of room to grow with key players like Adam Reynolds and George Burgess just 23
and 21, the Rabbitohs also spent last year blooding boom young half Luke Keary
into the first grade side and they’re lead by some of the truly elite talents
in the world with Sam Burgess, Greg Inglis and Issac Luke who show no signs of
slowing down. The perfect script for 2013 that so many spoke of was a Bunnies
vs Roosters final, the Bunnies could not do their part but so often in sport we
see teams need to lose like that before they can cross the final hurdle, now is
the time for Souths to finally bring the glory back to South Sydney.
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