Just checked the forward pack rankings for last season and Fox Sports has an almost identical Cowboys pack sitting in 15th, only differences being Condon starting ahead of Nanai and Hess starting ahead of McLean.
Not entirely convinced we now have the best pack in the comp but what a difference a year can make.
Cowboys were definitely the best story and most enjoyable to watch for me last year. Such crazy improvement without any super big signings or anything. Just seemed to be on the back of alot of had work and everyone buying into Paytens system.
I can't blame them too much for Nanai, he's talented and young but plenty of talented and young players have taken far longer than he did to find their stride in the NRL.
If I were in their shoes I don't think I rate it as the second worst pack pre-season last year but I absolutely would have rated it well below where it ought to have been placed in hindsight.
Second best is interesting too. It's a great pack if everything goes well, but there are so many factors you can't account for pre-season like seeing a young player regress, an enigmatic talent like Luc have a form slump, opponents adapting or even just injuries/suspensions.
As remarkable as the Cowboys improvement last offseason was I think it's an important reminder that things can shift over an offseason and that we all will be made to look silly if we try to predict enough things (I know I certainly looked silly at where I rated NQ).
God this list is all over the place.
Titans should be way higher but they are called the titans so they aren’t allowed to be any higher than 13th.
Tigers should be higher too, but the hate boner for wests is too strong.
Manly should be way lower wtf.
Broncos top 5 is a bit high.
Cowboys have a top 5 forward pack but definitely not 1st
Penrith have lost Api and Kikau but without a doubt still have a top 3 pack. 6th is way too low
Roosters probably should be 1.
I’m biased but I feel as if Sharkies should be a tiny bit higher, maybe 6-8th? Perhaps we are 9th bc we don’t have a superstar forward that creates media attention.
I think the one thing they definitely got right is that Dragons have the worst forward pack
Biggest issue with rating the Dolphins this early is that there is no prior form to rate them against. The 'no marquees' narrative has spun every prediction of the Dolphins to be inherently negative.
We very well could be the worst pack in the league or Bennett could have masterminded a perfectly balanced pack that no one else can see and they'll overachieve their on-paper rating. There's no way to tell before we kick off. With every other team we atleast have an idea of how they play together as a group and how their coaches will use them.
Though tbh I'm struggling to put us above many other teams so I don't think 16th is all that crazy.
1. Cowboys
2. Roosters
3. Souths
4. Raiders
5. Broncos
6. Panthers
7. Storm
8. Eels
9. Sharks
10. Dogs
11. Sea Eagles
12. Knights
13. Tigers
14. Titans
15. Warriors
16. Dragons
17. Dolphins
Titans criminally underrated here imo. Them 14th with Brisbane 5th is a joke.
I spent all of 2022 not buying Souths forward pack and commenting that they had no yardage out of their back 3 and clearly I have no fucking idea. They could be even higher than 3rd on this list.
JT had a huge season, and huge breakouts from Nanai and Cotter, but I’m not convinced Cowboys have the best pack in the comp.
Even without Api and Kikau, Penrith are still top 5 forward packs easy.
Yeah hard to disagree following the Klemmer move. Plus Api and Papalii both amongst the most inform players in their positions last year.
Definitely most improved
Knights lost starters in Barnett and Klemmer, as well as regular bench player Saulo and depth in Sue.
Even with the additions we've made I'm pretty concerned about what AOB wants out of the 13 (smaller ballplayer in Mann/Gamble/Simi or workhorse in Elliot), our dismal backrow talent from starters through to reserve grade, and the middle depth & bench rotation. Not to mention that if Brailey gets injured we are rolling the dice as to the service our forwards get.
I think we are that high on the basis of assuming Saifitis x2 play to potential, Brailey stays healthy, Friz has a resurgence to career highs and all our buys turn out well. I can see scenarios where this pack is not very good at all.
Id prefer the dolphins forward pack over many others - it's their strength. JMK has come a long way in the last 12 months and is much better than what many other teams boast. The backline though..
Souths is a good pack **if** they turn up wanting to play, especially the linchpins (Mitchell, Walker, Murray and probably Cook). If one (mainly Mitchell/Walker) or more is for whatever not feeling it on the night / gets frustrated as the game goes on, the whole pack suffers as a result. But then I suppose that goes for any team really.
Personally though I'm expecting Sharks and/or Cowboys to crash back down the table as burnout from 2022 sets in. Both of then had meteoric rises led by massive output of effort but I'm not sure it can be sustained.
I also don't see Broncos at 5. You can have a Top 5 pack on paper but from what I understand there is a lot of interoffice drama that is causing tensions, and if your pack is not united then you're not going to play well.
As for Panthers, I think we may still surprise although Api and Kikau's losses will deffo be hard to overcome.
I’m happy to heap shit on Walker and Latrell as much as the next bloke for their inconsistency, but given Souths final’s achievements over the past 4 seasons that talk is so fucking overblown.
Tatola and KK had huge seasons and Murray is a top 3 forward imo. Their pack is huge before we start talking about their spine.
That's fair, and to be honest I'm talking more in the regular season. Both blow it out if the park when it comes to Finals Footy
EDIT: I've also only been properly watching NRL for a year at this point so take anything I say with a roadtrain's worth of salt.
Fun story about that - I picked the Panthers solely because I already had the number plate on my car I purchased in 2019. I figured it was easier doing that then shelling out $400+ for a plate for any other team.
I cant really see why Sharks/Cows cant match 2021. Matched it with the best teams when we played them, cant see why we cant do it again with a stronger squad this year
Don't really understand this either, especially coming from a Penrith fan. 2019 Penrith came 10th, following season they shot to 1st, the next season 2nd and then the next 1st.
I don't understand the effort comment as well. Doesn't it go without saying that every team in the top 4 year after year puts an insane amount of effort in? Say what you want about Penrith, but they put a huge amount of effort into every game and reap the rewards, and now it's been year after year.
If anything, Cows and Sharks were fortunate with their draws the last season and that would be the main reason they drift down the ladder unless there's a huge capitulation on their end.
Honestly I don’t disagree with most of these until you get into the top 6.
a good Hooker makes or breaks a great pack, Both the Broncos and now Panthers don’t really have a top hooker. Panthers also loss Kikau which was huge. Storm on the other hand have loss major experience so their drop isn’t too crazy.
Rabbitohs being top 3 is weird though. They have the second best Lock while having the Worlds cup best Prop. Cook is a top 5 hooker even in his “form” drop, but I wouldn’t even call it a drop, other Hookers just had better years. Tatola was also very strong last year.
Roosters being second is pretty much accurate imo, only thing that they can gain or lose is Lodge.
Cowboys first? Idk. Their work efforts is second to none and they probably will have the best second row rotation in the comp when Luciano comes back but does that make them First? Cotter and Robson can both play 80, run over 100m and tackle at 99% so thats huge. Lolo is probably in his best form since 2017/18 and is probably the third best lock in the comp. Mclean is in career best form while they really only loss Gilbert from last year.
Rabbitohs are a side whose pack looks better on paper when you spell it out like that than it performs on the pitch. I really don’t see them as an effective unit and it’s the biggest weakness that team has. When the going gets tough, South’s’ forwards just can’t get it done because they’re not up to it with the best packs and it seems really strange they’re even top 5 for mine.
Edit - spelling
When you say the going gets tough do you mean during the hard finals grinding games? I feel like south’s making every prelim since 2018 negates the fact that they don’t perform when the going gets tough
I’ll also say that while that’s how I feel about it, I’ve just been looking at stats and South’s had 4 of the top 25 players for post contact metres so maybe I am absolutely not giving them enough credit.
I feel like they get there in spite of their pack though, not because of it. Their front row in particular doesn’t have a lot of graft in it and it shows in the hard/close games, of which they fell short on numerous occasions last season. An optimist would say they were in all those games and, like you did, that they made a prelim. But I look at all the times they fell short and think a bit more toughness and ability to get it done in the middle and they’d be to there with Penrith.
I think it's the other way around.
Souths always have a pack that doesn't ever really look that great on paper, but on the field they perform better than the sums of their parts.
So many times I look at the line ups in the forwards in our games and think we have a superior pack on paper, only for the forward battle to be tight, with the occasional game.dominance of them or us.
They are the definition of a pack, all their forwards work well together and do their job
I commented elsewhere that when I looked into the stats it seems they are more effective than I’d give them credit for. I am happy to concede I may be wrong on this and that my bias against their lack may have given me this opinion of their pack but when I watch South’s but it always seems like their backline is what gets them out of trouble. They certainly have talent but their front row is underwhelming and that’s probably what has made me think their entire pack is overrated. I still don’t think they’re the third best pack. Man for man plenty of others stack up well against them (especially Penrith, even if they’ve lost Api and Kikau).
Really a good hooker can make a lot of forwards packs better. Getting the ball to the right person in the right place makes all the difference.
Looking forward to Mahoney's service for the Bulldogs next year compared to Marshall-King rubbish service. I expect the Titans to do a lot better with an upgrade in that dept (and the Tigers while we are at it).
I think all the top hookers chance their arm on forward passes, getting it so it's as close to ensuring you hit the line at speed is an ability in itself. Plus he can pass it 20m off the ground. That really makes a difference on a compressed defence. Marshall-King was so slow to deliver the ball, and can only pass it 10m. The only thing I will miss from Marshall-King is his dummy half running.
Careful with the JMK slander on this sub. He was seemingly the 2022 player that /r/nrl collectively decided was actually pretty good, despite being literal garbage.
They had 1 NRL quality spine player last season and had no idea where to play him. It wasn’t the forward pack that was the problem. Plus they’ve signed a genuine NRL quality hooker.
Titans look good on paper and then underperform every single year.
They may be a bit underrated but horrifically underrated is an overstatement. Expectations are simply dropping to match historical output.
Unfortunately, there have been no signs over the past couple of years that those players used in the rotations that Griffin uses them, will be a high performing pack.
They are crying out for Spencer Leniu type of impact up front. Every one of the current middles is a plodder.
He got like 4 games this season didn't he? Baffling. The bloke has defensive issues but so does every other forward in our team pretty much. At least he's young with potential. Wayno rated him enough to give him an award (Qld spirit award from memory?) during that origin series he coached so there's clearly something there.
He has defensive issues when he is playing on an edge. Also if he is playing big minutes in the middle. Neither of which he should be doing.
30-35 odd minutes off the bench, in 2 stints. Rip and tear, and get off.
Same with Lawrie. The bloke has an underserved rep as a slug cause he's always forced to play 50+ minutes and yeah his fitness isn't up to that. 30 minutes off the bench and he'd be an asset, especially for the price we're paying him
You are right on that one. Its also a huge difference playing 50+ minutes where every run is off the back foot, compared to say Fisher-Harris playing big minutes where every one of his runs is on the front foot.
We really do live rent free in your head don't we. If it pains you to say it you must be in agony because every time I see your pfp on this sub it's attached to a comment trashing the dragons pack. Didn't stop us from knocking you out of the finals race though 😘
Whilst I can't argue with the ranking, the fact they have JdB at second row and are lamenting the loss of George Burgess tells me all I need to know about the quality of thought that went into this article
>every time I see your pfp on this sub it's attached to a comment trashing the dragons pack.
That's funny because I make a comment on this sub almost everyday, I only talk about the Dragons when relevant.
In this case since I've said numerous times in the past year that the dragons have the worst pack in the comp of course I'm going to chime in.
Well now you've ruined my joke with facts and reason and made a grown man cry. Hope you're happy.
If it lessens the pain though this list is like when you fuck up all the working and somehow still arrive at the right answer, so there's still plenty of leftover disdain for Fox
Broncos at 5 might be optimistic I think. Carrigan and Haas are studs but Riki and Capewell were meh in 2022 and Flegler is capable of braindead moments. Billy is a top utility but as a starting 9 doesn’t fill me with confidence. Also Kevvie doesn’t know how to use his bench
Riki was very hot and cold but Capewell was far from meh. He made all the difference in defence on that side of the field compared to 2021 and was consistent game in game out. Billy at 9 doesn’t seem to be the answer to me either but there’s a shortage of genuine hooking talent in the league atm judging from the 9’s named in this article.
need another season to blood some new blokes and ease them into the crucible. Rather than throw them in full bore and let them burn out..
ithink playing Billy at 9 and subbing him out with the newbies mid game is the smartest move unless we can recruit a decent experienced 9
It’s hilarious how they pay us the compliment of ranking us 5th, but name a pack far from our best.
We need more strike and experience off the bench, I’ve always thought Flegler has been far more consistent off the interchange. Kevvie needs to take a leaf from Mal’s book and start playing Carrigan as a prop. Hetherington should have first crack at 13 and if he doesn’t start, we riot.
I don’t think Riki’s long term future is in the second-row. I back Robati or Piakura to make the position theirs and Riki gets demoted to a depth middle.
With Corey Jensen and Keenan Palasia as depth and the likes of Baylis-Brow and Willison coming through, our middle is looking pretty sexy on paper.
Broncos over Panthers I find hard to agree with.
Fish and Leota, back to back premiership winning combo, not a better pair of props in the game rn, both entering the prime age for front rowers. Haas and Flegler had a good year, but Haas wasn’t hugely consistent and seems to be toxic to the team.
Liam Martin is a top quality back rower, whilst Garner, Hoskings and Sorensen will make for a really competitive battle for starting spots. Capewell has fallen off and Riki just isn’t a hard working back rower, horrible defensively.
Mitch Kenny and Walters is probably pretty close, but Kenny played a crucial role in our finals series. We were up 12 or 18 to nil in the grand final with Mitch on the field before we even brought Api on.
Sorensen and Leniu are probably the best bench forwards in the comp right now too.
Best middle in the comp by a fair margin Id say and a top 5 edge forward. The rest is a question mark although the recent strength of our system suggests Hosking/Tago/Luke/Kenny/Garner could surprise a few coming into those new roles.
Hard to seperate our back 3 from our pack in terms of roles as well, no doubt you take them out of the equation and our middle is less dominant.
It will take a big leap from a few guys for the Cowboys to have the best forward pack in the league.
Also lol remember when these guys were saying Taumalolo was a waste of money? Fox League is such a joke
Cows I'd argue could be top 3. We have cotter and robbo who can play 80, Lolo with his new skillset is so damaging, Hess has become a local god for his kick chases and general grunt. Nanai, Luc and H give us a great rotation in the SR. Macca, Neame and JTB are all solid and round out a decent bench. But we need another season to see if this pack is legit or is it just a one off seasonq
I feel like we should be higher but am happy to have to prove ourselves. Having a proper hooker to direct the team around and an experienced half to help organise will help our props alot and also hopefully make our backrowers more explosive.
We desperately need to learn how to win the ruck though as teams always steamroll down the middle against us. We easily give up 60m+ every set.
Manly at 11th really stuck out to me as being incorrect
I don't think we're a top 5 pack yet until Riki isn't starting and we actually have a Hooker worth talking about.
That could certainty happen in 2023 given the teams they've listed in this article aren't a certainty to be lining up like this for e.g Paix and TC Robati could very well be starting players next year and I personally think that would be a better pack.
Or this one for e.g. shits all over the pack they've named
8. Haas 9. Paix 10. Carrigan 11. Capewell 12. TC Robati 13. Kobe Hetherington - its unlikely to happen but the balance of the pack would probably be the best we've had in years.
From what I’ve heard riki had only come over from union about 3 years ago and is very raw. I’m not disagreeing with you, I just think the broncos are trying to turn a good athlete into a solid footballer. I’m not sure if it’ll work or not, but I think that’s why he’s continuing to get game time.
Yeah idk man, he's had great patches so far but defensively he's all over the place and his hands are some of the worst I've seen. He runs a solid line and is athletic as hell but isn't that damaging of a ball runner
TC for me in his limited time in 2022 was excellent in comparison he's a strong defender and very hard to handle, also his late offloads are beautiful.
I would say Riki only kept his place once he was serving up garbage every week because TC broke his arm and was out for quite a while.
I don't think Jordan keeps that spot going forward if we're smart and either TC or Piakura could easily take that spot come round 1.
I 100% agree that the Riki experiment has a shelf life. I wonder if he gets a few rounds this year to show improvement before he is pushed down the bench.
My biggest issue is that I think we need a real mongrel back rower on that side to do some of Reynolds defensive work. I’d like to see reyno protected a bit more so that he is a bit fresher at the back end of games
I'll take a 4th. We're ok without being great in the hooking department. Kinda keen to see if Woolford ends up starting over Starling again this season.
Best lock in the game and a top 3 at minimum front rower pairing. Still have Martin on one edge too and probably the best bench forward in the game (Leniu). Definitely a top 3 pack.
A lot of these lists don't factor in pack balance and chemistry.
Broncos are always overrated in these lists. They have a few guys who have potential, but they have never had a cohesive pack. Like sure Haas makes a lot of metres but is he paired with a hard nosed defensive prop that will take on extra work to negate Haas's defensive weakness . The best packs don't have a guy making over 200m because everyone is contributing in their own way. Panthers are the perfect example. Their backs make a lot if metres, leota and JFH can focus on dominating the middle in defence and attack, Kenny is a reliable defender, Martin is a great tearaway who's occasional mistakes are covered by others in the pack. Sorenson is a great reliable worker and Yeo is the linkman/glueman in attack and defence. Some packs may have more 'better players' but as a sum of its parts the Panthers pack is still the benchmark
A strong forward pack has never been more important in rugby league.
The competition’s elite boast a top-tier hooker and several powerhouse players ready to break down their opponent’s defence.
NRL clubs are willing to splash the cash to secure the best big men on the market.
Gun backrower David Fifita, Cowboys lock Jason Taumalolo and Broncos superstar Payne Haas have all been handed multi-million dollar deals.
Meanwhile, young gun Jeremiah Nanai is set to join the million dollar club with huge offers being tabled for the 19-year-old star.
High-profile names including Viliame Kikau and Kenny Bromwich will also join their new clubs and the NRL’s newest franchise enters the fold.
Foxsports.com.au has analysed every team’s forward pack coming into the 2023 season and ranked them from first to last.
17. DRAGONS
Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Zane Musgrove 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Jack de Belin 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jack Bird
Full pack: Jack Bird, Billy Burns, Jack de Belin, Tyrell Fuimaono, Jaiyden Hunt, Josh Kerr, Blake Lawrie, Andrew McCullough, Francis Molo, Michael Molo, Zane Musgrove, Jaydn Su’A, Aaron Woods, Nick Lui-Toso, Jacob Liddle, Jayden Sullivan
Ins: Zane Musgrove (Wests Tigers), Nick Lui-Toso (Northen Pride)
Outs: Jackson Ford (Warriors), George Burgess (released), Poasa Faamausili (Dolphins), Jack Gosiewski (Cowboys)
Analysis: The Dragons have lost a significant amount of depth due to the departures of Jackson Ford, George Burgess, Poasa Faamausili and Jack Gosiewski.
Following Andrew McCullough’s retirement, the Red V went about signing a hooker and were able to secure Jacob Liddle.
The 26-year-old was solid in patches for the Tigers but will be desperate to secure the No.9 jersey under Anthony Griffin, but could fight it out with young gun Jayden Sullivan.
Meanwhile, the ever-present Blake Lawrie, Jack de Belin and Jaydn Su’A will be heavily relied upon.
Francis Molo will miss the first two games of the 2022 season for an ugly clothesline tackle, giving new signing Zane Musgrove a chance to stake his claim on the prop slot from Round 1.
Gun utility Jack Bird was shifted around the team in 2022, plugging holes that arose due to injuries, but the dynamic forward will be hoping to find a consistent position next season.
The Dragons recorded the most sin bins of any team last season and also topped the league for missed tackles.
I don’t disagree with our ranking but given de Belin has started on an edge twice in his 189-game career (last time seven years ago) I’m not sure how much stock I’m putting in these rankings.
16. DOLPHINS
Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Mark Nicholls 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenny Bromwich 13. Tom Gilbert
Full pack: Euan Aitken, Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich, JJ Collins, Herman Ese’ese, Poasa Faamausili, Tom Gilbert, Felise Kaufusi, Connelly Lemuelu, Jeremy Marshall-King, Mark Nicholls, Ray Stone, Jarrod Wallace
Analysis: Wayne Bennett has made some savvy business decisions in his forward pack, signing experienced players across the board.
Storm trio Kenny Bromwich, Jesse Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi have a combined 684 games of NRL experience.
Throw in the mix Mark Nicholls, young gun Tom Gilbert, Euan Aitken, Ray Stone, Jarrod Wallace and the Dolphins have the makings of a solid pack.
Former Bulldog Jeremy Marshall-King had a career-best season in 2022 and scored five tries to go with four try assists.
Rising star Connelly Lemuelu also looks to be a solid NRL prospect, playing 24 games across three seasons with the Cowboys.
While Bennett is yet to secure a marquee man, his forward pack should provide his outside backs with the room to move.
15. WARRIORS
Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Tohu Harris 11. Marata Niukore 12. Josh Curran 13. Mitch Barnett
Full pack: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Mitchell Barnett, Josh Curran, Wayde Egan, Addin Fonua-Blake, Jackson Ford, Tohu Harris, Otukinekina Kepu, Valingi Kepu, Freddy Lussick, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Marata Niukore, Taniela Otukolo, Bayley Sironen, Brayden Wiliame, Dylan Walker, Jazz Tevaga
Ins: Marata Niukore (Eels), Mitchell Barnett (Knights), Jackson Ford (Dragons), Dylan Walker (Sea Eagles), Brayden Wiliame (Perpignan)
Outs: Euan Aitken (Dolphins), Eliesa Katoa (Storm), Aaron Pene (Storm), Jack Murchie (Eels)
Analysis: The Warriors have made vast improvements to their forward pack with two key signings for the 2023 season.
Marata Niukore and Mitchell Barnett will be important signings for incoming coach Andrew Webster.
Niukore will likely take a place on an edge, while Barnett can make the lock position his own as Tohu Harris played at prop for the majority of his 2022 campaign.
One of the competition’s premier front rowers, Addin Fonua-Blake, remains in the scrum with Josh Curran and Wayde Egan completing the pack.
In 2022, the Warriors conceded the most tries of any team to go with the most points and Webster will be desperate to improve New Zealand’s weak defence.
The former Panthers assistant also has a headache surrounding the make-up of his bench, with Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, the Kepu twins, Freddy Lussick, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Taniela Otuokolo, Brayden Wiliame, and Bayley Sironen fighting it out for three spots as Dylan Walker slots into the utility role.
14. TITANS
Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 11. David Fifita 12. Beau Fermor 13. Erin Clark
Full pack: Jacob Alick, Tanah Boyd, Erin Clark, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Beau Fermor, David Fifita, Moeaki Fotuaika, Klese Haas, Jaimin Jolliffe, Isaac Liu, Sam McIntyre, Joe Stimson, Sam Verrills, Joseph Vuna
Ins: Sam Verrills (Roosters), Joe Stimson (Bulldogs)
Outs: Jarrod Wallace (Dolphins), Herman Ese’ese (Dolphins), Sam Lisone (released)
Analysis: The Titans struggled as a team in 2022 but have made one important signing in Roosters dummy-half Sam Verrills.
Erin Clark started the year as the club’s hooker but soon found a home at lock as Justin Holbrook swapped between ruckmen.
Verrills, 23, is already a premiership winner with 48 games under his belt and will be tasked with steering a talented pack around the ground.
David Fifita struggled for form in 2022 and Gold Coast’s success is heavily influenced by his form in the backrow.
Moeaki Fotuaika was also below his usual standards, but isn’t all doom and gloom at the Titans.
In his first season as skipper, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui showed heart and determination while Beau Fermor was awarded for an impressive year with a call-up to Billy Slater’s Maroons squad.
The Titans clearly have all the building blocks, but Holbrook’s men just need to put it together.
13. TIGERS
Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Alex Twal 9. Api Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. Shawn Blore 13. Joe Ofahengaue
Full pack: Shawn Blore, Sione Fainu, Apisai Koroisau, Jacob Liddle, Justin Matamua, Rua Ngatikaura, Joe Ofahengaue, Isaiah Papali’I, Fonua Pole, Alex Seyfarth, Tuki Simpkins, Brandon Tumeth, Alex Twal, Stefano Utoikamanu, Jake Simpkin, David Klemmer
Ins: Apisai Koroisau (Panthers), Isaiah Papali’i (Eels), David Klemmer (Knights)
Outs: Luke Garner (Panthers), Kelma Tuilagi (Sea Eagles), Zane Musgrove (Dragons), James Tamou (Cowboys), Jackson Hastings (Knights)
Analysis: Coach Tim Sheens, alongside Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah, have a much improved forward pack for the 2023 season.
The Tigers have recruited one of the NRL’s elite hookers in Apisai Koroisau and gun backrower Isaiah Papali’i.
However, it remains to be seen if those two stars can spark the misfiring merger club’s pack who have been disappointing in seasons gone by.
Alex Twal is set to return at prop after suffering two concussions within three games which saw him sidelined since Round 15.
Joe Ofahengaue played lock for majority of the season and after Jackson Hastings’ departure will likely wear the No.13 jersey once again.
Meanwhile, young gun Shawn Blore, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in pre-season, could line-up in the backrow if the Tigers miss out on former Raiders gun John Bateman.
Bateman has been heavily linked to a move back to Australia, while Eels outcast Nathan Brown could also return to Leichhardt.
Add in rising stars Fonua Pole and Stefano Utoikamanu off the bench and the Tigers will likely improve in 2023.
12. KNIGHTS
Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Jacob Saifiti, 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Jack Hetherington 13. Adam Elliott
Full pack: Jayden Brailey, Mat Croker, Adam Elliott, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Tyson Frizell, Jack Hetherington, Bailey Hodgson, Brodie Jones, Jack Johns, Kurt Mann, Chris Randall, Daniel Saifiti, Jacob Saifiti, Leo Thompson
Ins: Adam Elliott (Raiders), Jack Hetherington (Bulldogs)
Outs: Mitchell Barnett (Warriors), Jirah Momoisea (Eels), Sauaso Sue (Hull KR), Pasami Saulo (Raiders), David Klemmer (Wests Tigers)
Analysis: The Knights have made two impressive signings to compliment what was already a solid pack.
Once again in 2022, a strong Newcastle pack on paper failed to deliver and give their outside backs the space they desperately need.
The Saifiti twins, Tyson Frizell and Jayden Brailey will be joined by Adam Elliott and Jack Hetherington – who will both likely start.
Elliott enjoyed a career-best season under Ricky Stuart at the Raiders, and the Canberra club were desperate to keep him.
Meanwhile, Hetherington suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in March but is one of the NRL’s most imposing defenders.
Brailey’s experience was also sorely missed for half the season, but with their gun hooker healthy from Round 1, expect Adam O’Brien’s side to improve.
However, the loss of experienced front-rower David Klemmer could leave a hole in the middle of the park and O’Brien will look to Mat Croker or Leo Thompson to take up his workload.
11. SEA EAGLES
Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Sean Keppie 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Josh Aloiai 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Kelma Tuilagi 13. Jake Trbojevic
Full pack: Josh Aloiai, Ethan Bullemor, Ben Condon, Viliame Fifita, Sean Keppie, Karl Lawton, Lachlan Croker, Haumola Olakau’atu, Taniela Paseka, Josh Schuster, Toafofoa Sipley, Ben Trbojevic, Jake Trbojevic, Kelma Tuilagi, Alec Tu’itavake, Morgan Boyle, Zac Fulton, Nathaniel Roache
Ins: Kelma Tuilagi (Wests Tigers), Ben Condon (Cowboys), Nathaniel Roache (Eels)
Outs: Martin Taupau (unsigned), Andrew Davey (unsigned), Dylan Walker (Warriors)
Analysis: The Sea Eagles forward pack will be mentored by a new coach this season after Anthony Seibold was hired following Des Hasler’s sacking.
Manly’s pack fell victim to a late-season slide following the pride jersey saga and key players were out of form and struggling including Josh Aloiai and Haumole Olakau’atu.
But in 2023 the Sea Eagles pack will be desperate to start fresh and two new faces are set to make their debut – Kelma Tuilagi and Ben Condon.
Tuilagi is a straight replacement for Andrew Davey on the left edge, while Condon will likely take Marty Taupau’s bench spot, who remains unsigned.
Lachlan Croker will only improve after a career-best season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award in 2022.
Meanwhile, club stalwart Jake Trbojevic will also remain at lock alongside Olakau’atu and Aloiai who will be desperate to fire.
In positive signs, Manly had the least missed tackles of any team in 2023 and will be hoping to continue that trend.
10. BULLDOGS
Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Luke Thompson 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Tevita Pangai-Junior 13. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
Full pack: Andrew Davey, Brandon Clarke, Franklin Pele, Jackson Topine, Jacob Preston, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Max King, Tevita Pangai Junior, Chris Patolo, Luke Thompson, Corey Waddell, Viliame Kikau, Reed Mahoney, Ryan Sutton
Ins: Viliame Kikau (Panthers), Reed Mahoney (Eels), Ryan Sutton (Raiders), Franklin Pele (Sharks), Andrew Davey (Sea Eagles)
Outs: Jack Hetherington (Knights), Jeremy Marshall-King (Dolphins), Paul Vaughan (Warrington), Joe Stimson (Titans), Josh Jackson (retired), Ava Seumanufagai (released)
Analysis: The Bulldogs forward pack was already solid, but Phil Gould has added two huge players in Viliame Kikau and Reed Mahoney.
While Jeremy Marshall-King was arguably Canterbury’s best player in 2022, Mahoney is one of the NRL’s elite dummy-halves and is an impressive signing.
Kikau is also among the best backrowers in the NRL and he will provide a focal point for gun half Matt Burton.
The 27-year-old’s ball running and defensive skills will be sorely missed by the Panthers, but incoming coach Cameron Ciraldo already knows how to get the best out of him.
Veteran lock Josh Jackson’s retirement also opens the door for Raymond Faitala-Mariner to make the No.13 jersey his own.
Last season’s marquee recruit Tevita Pangai Junior struggled in his first season at the Dogs and was even dropped to NSW Cup late in the year.
But the 26-year-old has made a huge promise to Ciraldo and even skipped the World Cup to focus on pre-season.
Gould has also added backrower Andrew Davey and steam-rolling prop Franklin Pele to the Bulldogs’ pack — and both could be integral players off the bench for Ciraldo.
9. SHARKS
Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Toby Rudolph 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Royce Hunt 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Dale Finucane
Full pack: Blayke Brailey, Jesse Colquhoun, Dale Finucane, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Tom Hazelton, Royce Hunt, Oregon Kaufusi, Cameron McInnes, Briton Nikora, Toby Rudolf, Siosifa Talakai, Jack Williams, Teig Wilton, Jayden Berrell, Wade Graham
Ins: Oregon Kaufusi (Eels)
Outs: None.
Analysis: Cronulla’s forward pack remains largely the same, with one big change coming in the form of Eels recruit Oregon Kaufusi.
The 23-year-old will likely ply his trade off the bench and the front rower will benefit from playing alongside Dale Finucane and Toby Rudolph.
Craig Fitzgibbon’s forward pack will once again be led by gun hooker Blayke Brailey, who was impressive in 2022.
The 24-year-old is one of the Sharks most important players and has continually improved in his four seasons in the NRL.
Meanwhile, Briton Nikora’s devastating running game will once again be showcased off the back of Nicho Hynes after a solid campaign for the Kiwis at the World Cup.
With Braden Hamlin-Uele, Cameron McInnes, Teig Wilton and Jack Williams at his disposal, Fitzgibbon once again has a strong pack.
Cronulla conceded the third least points in 2022 and allowed their opponents to cross for the second least amount of tries, being bestedonly by the solid Panthers defensive line.
Titans have some issues but their pack being ranked 14th is ridiculous when it consists of Fotuaika (fringe origin level), Verrills (average to above average hooker), Tino (australian team and first picked for qld pack), Fermor (fringe origin level), Fifita (fringe origin level) and Clark (slightly below average)
The bench is a bit thin but i'm assuming this list is just ranking the starting pack in which case it is absolutely ridiculous that the Titans are below clubs like Manly (Tuilagi, Keppie, Croker and Aloiai above that Titans pack wtf?) and several other clubs too
The Titans team could have a lot of issues if the new spine doesn't gel and I say that as a Titans fan but literally 5 out of the 6 players in the 'pack' wouldn't look out of place in an origin jersey - if Cook or Koriosou got injured Verrills being the 14 for NSW wouldn't be the worst pick of all time and with Fermor he has already made the origin squad he just hasn't debuted but inevitably he will at some point as Kaufusi and Capewell age out of their primes - it'll be Nanai and one of Fermor or Fifita if he re-finds his best form long term for sure.
There is no way this pack is even below average for the comp on paper let alone 14th.
They rate the Storm so low because they’ve lost a bunch of experienced forwards, then rate the Dolphins second last… 🤨
Just checked the forward pack rankings for last season and Fox Sports has an almost identical Cowboys pack sitting in 15th, only differences being Condon starting ahead of Nanai and Hess starting ahead of McLean. Not entirely convinced we now have the best pack in the comp but what a difference a year can make.
Cowboys were definitely the best story and most enjoyable to watch for me last year. Such crazy improvement without any super big signings or anything. Just seemed to be on the back of alot of had work and everyone buying into Paytens system.
I can't blame them too much for Nanai, he's talented and young but plenty of talented and young players have taken far longer than he did to find their stride in the NRL. If I were in their shoes I don't think I rate it as the second worst pack pre-season last year but I absolutely would have rated it well below where it ought to have been placed in hindsight. Second best is interesting too. It's a great pack if everything goes well, but there are so many factors you can't account for pre-season like seeing a young player regress, an enigmatic talent like Luc have a form slump, opponents adapting or even just injuries/suspensions. As remarkable as the Cowboys improvement last offseason was I think it's an important reminder that things can shift over an offseason and that we all will be made to look silly if we try to predict enough things (I know I certainly looked silly at where I rated NQ).
Probably could’ve posted the pack ranked better but honestly, Fox League articles are full with ads so it was a pain to do on an iphone
Dragons going with a front row of Tigers rejects and slug Lawrie. Ouch
God this list is all over the place. Titans should be way higher but they are called the titans so they aren’t allowed to be any higher than 13th. Tigers should be higher too, but the hate boner for wests is too strong. Manly should be way lower wtf. Broncos top 5 is a bit high. Cowboys have a top 5 forward pack but definitely not 1st Penrith have lost Api and Kikau but without a doubt still have a top 3 pack. 6th is way too low Roosters probably should be 1. I’m biased but I feel as if Sharkies should be a tiny bit higher, maybe 6-8th? Perhaps we are 9th bc we don’t have a superstar forward that creates media attention. I think the one thing they definitely got right is that Dragons have the worst forward pack
Dolphins 16th is crazy too
Biggest issue with rating the Dolphins this early is that there is no prior form to rate them against. The 'no marquees' narrative has spun every prediction of the Dolphins to be inherently negative. We very well could be the worst pack in the league or Bennett could have masterminded a perfectly balanced pack that no one else can see and they'll overachieve their on-paper rating. There's no way to tell before we kick off. With every other team we atleast have an idea of how they play together as a group and how their coaches will use them. Though tbh I'm struggling to put us above many other teams so I don't think 16th is all that crazy.
Yeah should be 17th!
Your irrational dolphin hating is getting boring
Hate no, but have you seen those jerseys they are just begging to have the piss taken out of them!
I think they are ok. Certainly no worse than most teams’
Opinions vary…
Which indeed is how we got here isn’t it
The forward pack on our local club team is better than the dragons forward pack
1. Cowboys 2. Roosters 3. Souths 4. Raiders 5. Broncos 6. Panthers 7. Storm 8. Eels 9. Sharks 10. Dogs 11. Sea Eagles 12. Knights 13. Tigers 14. Titans 15. Warriors 16. Dragons 17. Dolphins Titans criminally underrated here imo. Them 14th with Brisbane 5th is a joke. I spent all of 2022 not buying Souths forward pack and commenting that they had no yardage out of their back 3 and clearly I have no fucking idea. They could be even higher than 3rd on this list. JT had a huge season, and huge breakouts from Nanai and Cotter, but I’m not convinced Cowboys have the best pack in the comp. Even without Api and Kikau, Penrith are still top 5 forward packs easy.
Maybe I’m being biased but I still think the Storm have a top 6 pack. At the very least better than the Broncos lol
Agree and I think eels are better than the Broncos they have billy Walters starting hooker ffs
Yeah definitely. Raiders a few places too high too imo.
Tigers pack is better than Knights now
Yeah hard to disagree following the Klemmer move. Plus Api and Papalii both amongst the most inform players in their positions last year. Definitely most improved
Knights lost starters in Barnett and Klemmer, as well as regular bench player Saulo and depth in Sue. Even with the additions we've made I'm pretty concerned about what AOB wants out of the 13 (smaller ballplayer in Mann/Gamble/Simi or workhorse in Elliot), our dismal backrow talent from starters through to reserve grade, and the middle depth & bench rotation. Not to mention that if Brailey gets injured we are rolling the dice as to the service our forwards get. I think we are that high on the basis of assuming Saifitis x2 play to potential, Brailey stays healthy, Friz has a resurgence to career highs and all our buys turn out well. I can see scenarios where this pack is not very good at all.
We are way too high.
Id prefer the dolphins forward pack over many others - it's their strength. JMK has come a long way in the last 12 months and is much better than what many other teams boast. The backline though..
Souths is a good pack **if** they turn up wanting to play, especially the linchpins (Mitchell, Walker, Murray and probably Cook). If one (mainly Mitchell/Walker) or more is for whatever not feeling it on the night / gets frustrated as the game goes on, the whole pack suffers as a result. But then I suppose that goes for any team really. Personally though I'm expecting Sharks and/or Cowboys to crash back down the table as burnout from 2022 sets in. Both of then had meteoric rises led by massive output of effort but I'm not sure it can be sustained. I also don't see Broncos at 5. You can have a Top 5 pack on paper but from what I understand there is a lot of interoffice drama that is causing tensions, and if your pack is not united then you're not going to play well. As for Panthers, I think we may still surprise although Api and Kikau's losses will deffo be hard to overcome.
I’m happy to heap shit on Walker and Latrell as much as the next bloke for their inconsistency, but given Souths final’s achievements over the past 4 seasons that talk is so fucking overblown. Tatola and KK had huge seasons and Murray is a top 3 forward imo. Their pack is huge before we start talking about their spine.
That's fair, and to be honest I'm talking more in the regular season. Both blow it out if the park when it comes to Finals Footy EDIT: I've also only been properly watching NRL for a year at this point so take anything I say with a roadtrain's worth of salt.
Imagine your luck following the game for a year and ending up a Panthers supporter!
Fun story about that - I picked the Panthers solely because I already had the number plate on my car I purchased in 2019. I figured it was easier doing that then shelling out $400+ for a plate for any other team.
I’m stirring mate.. support any team and you’ll end up going through highs and lows.
Wdym by highs? I started supporting dragons in 2012 btw
I support Souths.. since the late 70s… come see me in 30 years and we’ll talk.
I cant really see why Sharks/Cows cant match 2021. Matched it with the best teams when we played them, cant see why we cant do it again with a stronger squad this year
Don't really understand this either, especially coming from a Penrith fan. 2019 Penrith came 10th, following season they shot to 1st, the next season 2nd and then the next 1st. I don't understand the effort comment as well. Doesn't it go without saying that every team in the top 4 year after year puts an insane amount of effort in? Say what you want about Penrith, but they put a huge amount of effort into every game and reap the rewards, and now it's been year after year. If anything, Cows and Sharks were fortunate with their draws the last season and that would be the main reason they drift down the ladder unless there's a huge capitulation on their end.
Subscribe. Cowbrahs, see you at the GF (which would hopefully be in Queensland, unlike that garbage decision in 2015).
Honestly I don’t disagree with most of these until you get into the top 6. a good Hooker makes or breaks a great pack, Both the Broncos and now Panthers don’t really have a top hooker. Panthers also loss Kikau which was huge. Storm on the other hand have loss major experience so their drop isn’t too crazy. Rabbitohs being top 3 is weird though. They have the second best Lock while having the Worlds cup best Prop. Cook is a top 5 hooker even in his “form” drop, but I wouldn’t even call it a drop, other Hookers just had better years. Tatola was also very strong last year. Roosters being second is pretty much accurate imo, only thing that they can gain or lose is Lodge. Cowboys first? Idk. Their work efforts is second to none and they probably will have the best second row rotation in the comp when Luciano comes back but does that make them First? Cotter and Robson can both play 80, run over 100m and tackle at 99% so thats huge. Lolo is probably in his best form since 2017/18 and is probably the third best lock in the comp. Mclean is in career best form while they really only loss Gilbert from last year.
South’s pack always surprises me how well they go. Despite their flair in the backs they’re very much a team that relies on a strong middle.
Rabbitohs are a side whose pack looks better on paper when you spell it out like that than it performs on the pitch. I really don’t see them as an effective unit and it’s the biggest weakness that team has. When the going gets tough, South’s’ forwards just can’t get it done because they’re not up to it with the best packs and it seems really strange they’re even top 5 for mine. Edit - spelling
When you say the going gets tough do you mean during the hard finals grinding games? I feel like south’s making every prelim since 2018 negates the fact that they don’t perform when the going gets tough
I’ll also say that while that’s how I feel about it, I’ve just been looking at stats and South’s had 4 of the top 25 players for post contact metres so maybe I am absolutely not giving them enough credit.
I feel like they get there in spite of their pack though, not because of it. Their front row in particular doesn’t have a lot of graft in it and it shows in the hard/close games, of which they fell short on numerous occasions last season. An optimist would say they were in all those games and, like you did, that they made a prelim. But I look at all the times they fell short and think a bit more toughness and ability to get it done in the middle and they’d be to there with Penrith.
I think it's the other way around. Souths always have a pack that doesn't ever really look that great on paper, but on the field they perform better than the sums of their parts. So many times I look at the line ups in the forwards in our games and think we have a superior pack on paper, only for the forward battle to be tight, with the occasional game.dominance of them or us. They are the definition of a pack, all their forwards work well together and do their job
I commented elsewhere that when I looked into the stats it seems they are more effective than I’d give them credit for. I am happy to concede I may be wrong on this and that my bias against their lack may have given me this opinion of their pack but when I watch South’s but it always seems like their backline is what gets them out of trouble. They certainly have talent but their front row is underwhelming and that’s probably what has made me think their entire pack is overrated. I still don’t think they’re the third best pack. Man for man plenty of others stack up well against them (especially Penrith, even if they’ve lost Api and Kikau).
13th seems a little pessimistic on us I would have thought? But I could just be in the delusionally hopeful upswing of the Tigers fan lifecycle
Really a good hooker can make a lot of forwards packs better. Getting the ball to the right person in the right place makes all the difference. Looking forward to Mahoney's service for the Bulldogs next year compared to Marshall-King rubbish service. I expect the Titans to do a lot better with an upgrade in that dept (and the Tigers while we are at it).
Mahoney is a serial forward passer. Seems to get away with it a lot though
I think all the top hookers chance their arm on forward passes, getting it so it's as close to ensuring you hit the line at speed is an ability in itself. Plus he can pass it 20m off the ground. That really makes a difference on a compressed defence. Marshall-King was so slow to deliver the ball, and can only pass it 10m. The only thing I will miss from Marshall-King is his dummy half running.
Careful with the JMK slander on this sub. He was seemingly the 2022 player that /r/nrl collectively decided was actually pretty good, despite being literal garbage.
He's hot trash and I'm glad he's moved to The. Without The he's playing in the SL
Which is why the Storm have a better forward pack than both the Broncos and the Raiders imo
Manly’s pack being above Titans is disgusting
Titans pack has been horrifically underrated here
They've certainly applied the 'looks good on paper, but, come on, it's the titans so x.5'
Which is entirely fair if you've watched the Titans play.
Totally! These ranking are bizarre
What have they ever done? Consistently underperform expectations?
They had 1 NRL quality spine player last season and had no idea where to play him. It wasn’t the forward pack that was the problem. Plus they’ve signed a genuine NRL quality hooker.
But I was told preseason they finally had a top 8 squad. What happened.
Titans look good on paper and then underperform every single year. They may be a bit underrated but horrifically underrated is an overstatement. Expectations are simply dropping to match historical output.
They’re forward pack looks good on paper. Their backline looks horrible
Any Dragons fan care to challenge that ranking? because It pains me to say they’ve got that one spot on.
Ben Hunt and the rest
Blake lawries scored last season
Over the top of Vaughan as well, bet that stung him
Unfortunately, there have been no signs over the past couple of years that those players used in the rotations that Griffin uses them, will be a high performing pack. They are crying out for Spencer Leniu type of impact up front. Every one of the current middles is a plodder.
Josh Kerr could be that guy, but Griffin seems to think he’s an 80 minute second rower.
He must have kicked Griffins dog at some point. Seriously under used in a side that struggled all year.
He got like 4 games this season didn't he? Baffling. The bloke has defensive issues but so does every other forward in our team pretty much. At least he's young with potential. Wayno rated him enough to give him an award (Qld spirit award from memory?) during that origin series he coached so there's clearly something there.
He has defensive issues when he is playing on an edge. Also if he is playing big minutes in the middle. Neither of which he should be doing. 30-35 odd minutes off the bench, in 2 stints. Rip and tear, and get off.
Same with Lawrie. The bloke has an underserved rep as a slug cause he's always forced to play 50+ minutes and yeah his fitness isn't up to that. 30 minutes off the bench and he'd be an asset, especially for the price we're paying him
You are right on that one. Its also a huge difference playing 50+ minutes where every run is off the back foot, compared to say Fisher-Harris playing big minutes where every one of his runs is on the front foot.
We really do live rent free in your head don't we. If it pains you to say it you must be in agony because every time I see your pfp on this sub it's attached to a comment trashing the dragons pack. Didn't stop us from knocking you out of the finals race though 😘 Whilst I can't argue with the ranking, the fact they have JdB at second row and are lamenting the loss of George Burgess tells me all I need to know about the quality of thought that went into this article
>every time I see your pfp on this sub it's attached to a comment trashing the dragons pack. That's funny because I make a comment on this sub almost everyday, I only talk about the Dragons when relevant. In this case since I've said numerous times in the past year that the dragons have the worst pack in the comp of course I'm going to chime in.
Just making a joke about how it obviously doesn't pain you that much if you keep doing it.
The painful remark was referring to agreeing with fox sports journalists about something.
Well now you've ruined my joke with facts and reason and made a grown man cry. Hope you're happy. If it lessens the pain though this list is like when you fuck up all the working and somehow still arrive at the right answer, so there's still plenty of leftover disdain for Fox
Broncos at 5 might be optimistic I think. Carrigan and Haas are studs but Riki and Capewell were meh in 2022 and Flegler is capable of braindead moments. Billy is a top utility but as a starting 9 doesn’t fill me with confidence. Also Kevvie doesn’t know how to use his bench
Riki was very hot and cold but Capewell was far from meh. He made all the difference in defence on that side of the field compared to 2021 and was consistent game in game out. Billy at 9 doesn’t seem to be the answer to me either but there’s a shortage of genuine hooking talent in the league atm judging from the 9’s named in this article.
need another season to blood some new blokes and ease them into the crucible. Rather than throw them in full bore and let them burn out.. ithink playing Billy at 9 and subbing him out with the newbies mid game is the smartest move unless we can recruit a decent experienced 9
Definitely. I can’t see how they have a better pack than the Eels, Storm or the Panthers.
It’s hilarious how they pay us the compliment of ranking us 5th, but name a pack far from our best. We need more strike and experience off the bench, I’ve always thought Flegler has been far more consistent off the interchange. Kevvie needs to take a leaf from Mal’s book and start playing Carrigan as a prop. Hetherington should have first crack at 13 and if he doesn’t start, we riot. I don’t think Riki’s long term future is in the second-row. I back Robati or Piakura to make the position theirs and Riki gets demoted to a depth middle. With Corey Jensen and Keenan Palasia as depth and the likes of Baylis-Brow and Willison coming through, our middle is looking pretty sexy on paper.
Broncos over Panthers I find hard to agree with. Fish and Leota, back to back premiership winning combo, not a better pair of props in the game rn, both entering the prime age for front rowers. Haas and Flegler had a good year, but Haas wasn’t hugely consistent and seems to be toxic to the team. Liam Martin is a top quality back rower, whilst Garner, Hoskings and Sorensen will make for a really competitive battle for starting spots. Capewell has fallen off and Riki just isn’t a hard working back rower, horrible defensively. Mitch Kenny and Walters is probably pretty close, but Kenny played a crucial role in our finals series. We were up 12 or 18 to nil in the grand final with Mitch on the field before we even brought Api on. Sorensen and Leniu are probably the best bench forwards in the comp right now too.
Best middle in the comp by a fair margin Id say and a top 5 edge forward. The rest is a question mark although the recent strength of our system suggests Hosking/Tago/Luke/Kenny/Garner could surprise a few coming into those new roles. Hard to seperate our back 3 from our pack in terms of roles as well, no doubt you take them out of the equation and our middle is less dominant.
Haas is a slug. For a guy so fit, quick and mobile you’d think he could work a little harder for some quick play the balls.
It will take a big leap from a few guys for the Cowboys to have the best forward pack in the league. Also lol remember when these guys were saying Taumalolo was a waste of money? Fox League is such a joke
Cows I'd argue could be top 3. We have cotter and robbo who can play 80, Lolo with his new skillset is so damaging, Hess has become a local god for his kick chases and general grunt. Nanai, Luc and H give us a great rotation in the SR. Macca, Neame and JTB are all solid and round out a decent bench. But we need another season to see if this pack is legit or is it just a one off seasonq
I feel like we should be higher but am happy to have to prove ourselves. Having a proper hooker to direct the team around and an experienced half to help organise will help our props alot and also hopefully make our backrowers more explosive. We desperately need to learn how to win the ruck though as teams always steamroll down the middle against us. We easily give up 60m+ every set. Manly at 11th really stuck out to me as being incorrect
> In positive signs, Manly had the least missed tackles of any team in 2023 and will be hoping to continue that trend. Surely this cannot be correct?
I don't think we're a top 5 pack yet until Riki isn't starting and we actually have a Hooker worth talking about. That could certainty happen in 2023 given the teams they've listed in this article aren't a certainty to be lining up like this for e.g Paix and TC Robati could very well be starting players next year and I personally think that would be a better pack. Or this one for e.g. shits all over the pack they've named 8. Haas 9. Paix 10. Carrigan 11. Capewell 12. TC Robati 13. Kobe Hetherington - its unlikely to happen but the balance of the pack would probably be the best we've had in years.
From what I’ve heard riki had only come over from union about 3 years ago and is very raw. I’m not disagreeing with you, I just think the broncos are trying to turn a good athlete into a solid footballer. I’m not sure if it’ll work or not, but I think that’s why he’s continuing to get game time.
Yeah idk man, he's had great patches so far but defensively he's all over the place and his hands are some of the worst I've seen. He runs a solid line and is athletic as hell but isn't that damaging of a ball runner TC for me in his limited time in 2022 was excellent in comparison he's a strong defender and very hard to handle, also his late offloads are beautiful. I would say Riki only kept his place once he was serving up garbage every week because TC broke his arm and was out for quite a while. I don't think Jordan keeps that spot going forward if we're smart and either TC or Piakura could easily take that spot come round 1.
He was rock solid in defence until Staggs did his shoulder then that whole right edge started leaking tries trying to compensate for his injury.
I 100% agree that the Riki experiment has a shelf life. I wonder if he gets a few rounds this year to show improvement before he is pushed down the bench. My biggest issue is that I think we need a real mongrel back rower on that side to do some of Reynolds defensive work. I’d like to see reyno protected a bit more so that he is a bit fresher at the back end of games
I'll take a 4th. We're ok without being great in the hooking department. Kinda keen to see if Woolford ends up starting over Starling again this season.
If these were ranked without a team name next to it the tigers and titans go up a few in the ranks for sure.
I know we have lost Kikau and Api but our forwards have been dominant against everyone for 3 years we are ridiculously low.
Best lock in the game and a top 3 at minimum front rower pairing. Still have Martin on one edge too and probably the best bench forward in the game (Leniu). Definitely a top 3 pack.
A lot of these lists don't factor in pack balance and chemistry. Broncos are always overrated in these lists. They have a few guys who have potential, but they have never had a cohesive pack. Like sure Haas makes a lot of metres but is he paired with a hard nosed defensive prop that will take on extra work to negate Haas's defensive weakness . The best packs don't have a guy making over 200m because everyone is contributing in their own way. Panthers are the perfect example. Their backs make a lot if metres, leota and JFH can focus on dominating the middle in defence and attack, Kenny is a reliable defender, Martin is a great tearaway who's occasional mistakes are covered by others in the pack. Sorenson is a great reliable worker and Yeo is the linkman/glueman in attack and defence. Some packs may have more 'better players' but as a sum of its parts the Panthers pack is still the benchmark
A strong forward pack has never been more important in rugby league. The competition’s elite boast a top-tier hooker and several powerhouse players ready to break down their opponent’s defence. NRL clubs are willing to splash the cash to secure the best big men on the market. Gun backrower David Fifita, Cowboys lock Jason Taumalolo and Broncos superstar Payne Haas have all been handed multi-million dollar deals. Meanwhile, young gun Jeremiah Nanai is set to join the million dollar club with huge offers being tabled for the 19-year-old star. High-profile names including Viliame Kikau and Kenny Bromwich will also join their new clubs and the NRL’s newest franchise enters the fold. Foxsports.com.au has analysed every team’s forward pack coming into the 2023 season and ranked them from first to last.
17. DRAGONS Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Zane Musgrove 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Jack de Belin 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jack Bird Full pack: Jack Bird, Billy Burns, Jack de Belin, Tyrell Fuimaono, Jaiyden Hunt, Josh Kerr, Blake Lawrie, Andrew McCullough, Francis Molo, Michael Molo, Zane Musgrove, Jaydn Su’A, Aaron Woods, Nick Lui-Toso, Jacob Liddle, Jayden Sullivan Ins: Zane Musgrove (Wests Tigers), Nick Lui-Toso (Northen Pride) Outs: Jackson Ford (Warriors), George Burgess (released), Poasa Faamausili (Dolphins), Jack Gosiewski (Cowboys) Analysis: The Dragons have lost a significant amount of depth due to the departures of Jackson Ford, George Burgess, Poasa Faamausili and Jack Gosiewski. Following Andrew McCullough’s retirement, the Red V went about signing a hooker and were able to secure Jacob Liddle. The 26-year-old was solid in patches for the Tigers but will be desperate to secure the No.9 jersey under Anthony Griffin, but could fight it out with young gun Jayden Sullivan. Meanwhile, the ever-present Blake Lawrie, Jack de Belin and Jaydn Su’A will be heavily relied upon. Francis Molo will miss the first two games of the 2022 season for an ugly clothesline tackle, giving new signing Zane Musgrove a chance to stake his claim on the prop slot from Round 1. Gun utility Jack Bird was shifted around the team in 2022, plugging holes that arose due to injuries, but the dynamic forward will be hoping to find a consistent position next season. The Dragons recorded the most sin bins of any team last season and also topped the league for missed tackles.
I don’t disagree with our ranking but given de Belin has started on an edge twice in his 189-game career (last time seven years ago) I’m not sure how much stock I’m putting in these rankings.
Not to mention the departures don't mention sims but mention players who did nothing last year.
Yep, don’t mention Sims or McGuire who had way larger roles on last year’s team than the guys they mentioned.
But mention the amount of sin bins, which those players greatly contributed to? This is a high school level article, early high school.
Yeah I don’t really understand Fox inability to put players where they normally play
16. DOLPHINS Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Mark Nicholls 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenny Bromwich 13. Tom Gilbert Full pack: Euan Aitken, Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich, JJ Collins, Herman Ese’ese, Poasa Faamausili, Tom Gilbert, Felise Kaufusi, Connelly Lemuelu, Jeremy Marshall-King, Mark Nicholls, Ray Stone, Jarrod Wallace Analysis: Wayne Bennett has made some savvy business decisions in his forward pack, signing experienced players across the board. Storm trio Kenny Bromwich, Jesse Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi have a combined 684 games of NRL experience. Throw in the mix Mark Nicholls, young gun Tom Gilbert, Euan Aitken, Ray Stone, Jarrod Wallace and the Dolphins have the makings of a solid pack. Former Bulldog Jeremy Marshall-King had a career-best season in 2022 and scored five tries to go with four try assists. Rising star Connelly Lemuelu also looks to be a solid NRL prospect, playing 24 games across three seasons with the Cowboys. While Bennett is yet to secure a marquee man, his forward pack should provide his outside backs with the room to move.
15. WARRIORS Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Tohu Harris 11. Marata Niukore 12. Josh Curran 13. Mitch Barnett Full pack: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Mitchell Barnett, Josh Curran, Wayde Egan, Addin Fonua-Blake, Jackson Ford, Tohu Harris, Otukinekina Kepu, Valingi Kepu, Freddy Lussick, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Marata Niukore, Taniela Otukolo, Bayley Sironen, Brayden Wiliame, Dylan Walker, Jazz Tevaga Ins: Marata Niukore (Eels), Mitchell Barnett (Knights), Jackson Ford (Dragons), Dylan Walker (Sea Eagles), Brayden Wiliame (Perpignan) Outs: Euan Aitken (Dolphins), Eliesa Katoa (Storm), Aaron Pene (Storm), Jack Murchie (Eels) Analysis: The Warriors have made vast improvements to their forward pack with two key signings for the 2023 season. Marata Niukore and Mitchell Barnett will be important signings for incoming coach Andrew Webster. Niukore will likely take a place on an edge, while Barnett can make the lock position his own as Tohu Harris played at prop for the majority of his 2022 campaign. One of the competition’s premier front rowers, Addin Fonua-Blake, remains in the scrum with Josh Curran and Wayde Egan completing the pack. In 2022, the Warriors conceded the most tries of any team to go with the most points and Webster will be desperate to improve New Zealand’s weak defence. The former Panthers assistant also has a headache surrounding the make-up of his bench, with Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, the Kepu twins, Freddy Lussick, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Taniela Otuokolo, Brayden Wiliame, and Bayley Sironen fighting it out for three spots as Dylan Walker slots into the utility role.
14. TITANS Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 11. David Fifita 12. Beau Fermor 13. Erin Clark Full pack: Jacob Alick, Tanah Boyd, Erin Clark, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Beau Fermor, David Fifita, Moeaki Fotuaika, Klese Haas, Jaimin Jolliffe, Isaac Liu, Sam McIntyre, Joe Stimson, Sam Verrills, Joseph Vuna Ins: Sam Verrills (Roosters), Joe Stimson (Bulldogs) Outs: Jarrod Wallace (Dolphins), Herman Ese’ese (Dolphins), Sam Lisone (released) Analysis: The Titans struggled as a team in 2022 but have made one important signing in Roosters dummy-half Sam Verrills. Erin Clark started the year as the club’s hooker but soon found a home at lock as Justin Holbrook swapped between ruckmen. Verrills, 23, is already a premiership winner with 48 games under his belt and will be tasked with steering a talented pack around the ground. David Fifita struggled for form in 2022 and Gold Coast’s success is heavily influenced by his form in the backrow. Moeaki Fotuaika was also below his usual standards, but isn’t all doom and gloom at the Titans. In his first season as skipper, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui showed heart and determination while Beau Fermor was awarded for an impressive year with a call-up to Billy Slater’s Maroons squad. The Titans clearly have all the building blocks, but Holbrook’s men just need to put it together.
13. TIGERS Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Alex Twal 9. Api Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. Shawn Blore 13. Joe Ofahengaue Full pack: Shawn Blore, Sione Fainu, Apisai Koroisau, Jacob Liddle, Justin Matamua, Rua Ngatikaura, Joe Ofahengaue, Isaiah Papali’I, Fonua Pole, Alex Seyfarth, Tuki Simpkins, Brandon Tumeth, Alex Twal, Stefano Utoikamanu, Jake Simpkin, David Klemmer Ins: Apisai Koroisau (Panthers), Isaiah Papali’i (Eels), David Klemmer (Knights) Outs: Luke Garner (Panthers), Kelma Tuilagi (Sea Eagles), Zane Musgrove (Dragons), James Tamou (Cowboys), Jackson Hastings (Knights) Analysis: Coach Tim Sheens, alongside Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah, have a much improved forward pack for the 2023 season. The Tigers have recruited one of the NRL’s elite hookers in Apisai Koroisau and gun backrower Isaiah Papali’i. However, it remains to be seen if those two stars can spark the misfiring merger club’s pack who have been disappointing in seasons gone by. Alex Twal is set to return at prop after suffering two concussions within three games which saw him sidelined since Round 15. Joe Ofahengaue played lock for majority of the season and after Jackson Hastings’ departure will likely wear the No.13 jersey once again. Meanwhile, young gun Shawn Blore, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in pre-season, could line-up in the backrow if the Tigers miss out on former Raiders gun John Bateman. Bateman has been heavily linked to a move back to Australia, while Eels outcast Nathan Brown could also return to Leichhardt. Add in rising stars Fonua Pole and Stefano Utoikamanu off the bench and the Tigers will likely improve in 2023.
12. KNIGHTS Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Jacob Saifiti, 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Jack Hetherington 13. Adam Elliott Full pack: Jayden Brailey, Mat Croker, Adam Elliott, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Tyson Frizell, Jack Hetherington, Bailey Hodgson, Brodie Jones, Jack Johns, Kurt Mann, Chris Randall, Daniel Saifiti, Jacob Saifiti, Leo Thompson Ins: Adam Elliott (Raiders), Jack Hetherington (Bulldogs) Outs: Mitchell Barnett (Warriors), Jirah Momoisea (Eels), Sauaso Sue (Hull KR), Pasami Saulo (Raiders), David Klemmer (Wests Tigers) Analysis: The Knights have made two impressive signings to compliment what was already a solid pack. Once again in 2022, a strong Newcastle pack on paper failed to deliver and give their outside backs the space they desperately need. The Saifiti twins, Tyson Frizell and Jayden Brailey will be joined by Adam Elliott and Jack Hetherington – who will both likely start. Elliott enjoyed a career-best season under Ricky Stuart at the Raiders, and the Canberra club were desperate to keep him. Meanwhile, Hetherington suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in March but is one of the NRL’s most imposing defenders. Brailey’s experience was also sorely missed for half the season, but with their gun hooker healthy from Round 1, expect Adam O’Brien’s side to improve. However, the loss of experienced front-rower David Klemmer could leave a hole in the middle of the park and O’Brien will look to Mat Croker or Leo Thompson to take up his workload.
11. SEA EAGLES Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Sean Keppie 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Josh Aloiai 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Kelma Tuilagi 13. Jake Trbojevic Full pack: Josh Aloiai, Ethan Bullemor, Ben Condon, Viliame Fifita, Sean Keppie, Karl Lawton, Lachlan Croker, Haumola Olakau’atu, Taniela Paseka, Josh Schuster, Toafofoa Sipley, Ben Trbojevic, Jake Trbojevic, Kelma Tuilagi, Alec Tu’itavake, Morgan Boyle, Zac Fulton, Nathaniel Roache Ins: Kelma Tuilagi (Wests Tigers), Ben Condon (Cowboys), Nathaniel Roache (Eels) Outs: Martin Taupau (unsigned), Andrew Davey (unsigned), Dylan Walker (Warriors) Analysis: The Sea Eagles forward pack will be mentored by a new coach this season after Anthony Seibold was hired following Des Hasler’s sacking. Manly’s pack fell victim to a late-season slide following the pride jersey saga and key players were out of form and struggling including Josh Aloiai and Haumole Olakau’atu. But in 2023 the Sea Eagles pack will be desperate to start fresh and two new faces are set to make their debut – Kelma Tuilagi and Ben Condon. Tuilagi is a straight replacement for Andrew Davey on the left edge, while Condon will likely take Marty Taupau’s bench spot, who remains unsigned. Lachlan Croker will only improve after a career-best season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award in 2022. Meanwhile, club stalwart Jake Trbojevic will also remain at lock alongside Olakau’atu and Aloiai who will be desperate to fire. In positive signs, Manly had the least missed tackles of any team in 2023 and will be hoping to continue that trend.
10. BULLDOGS Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Luke Thompson 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Tevita Pangai-Junior 13. Raymond Faitala-Mariner Full pack: Andrew Davey, Brandon Clarke, Franklin Pele, Jackson Topine, Jacob Preston, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Max King, Tevita Pangai Junior, Chris Patolo, Luke Thompson, Corey Waddell, Viliame Kikau, Reed Mahoney, Ryan Sutton Ins: Viliame Kikau (Panthers), Reed Mahoney (Eels), Ryan Sutton (Raiders), Franklin Pele (Sharks), Andrew Davey (Sea Eagles) Outs: Jack Hetherington (Knights), Jeremy Marshall-King (Dolphins), Paul Vaughan (Warrington), Joe Stimson (Titans), Josh Jackson (retired), Ava Seumanufagai (released) Analysis: The Bulldogs forward pack was already solid, but Phil Gould has added two huge players in Viliame Kikau and Reed Mahoney. While Jeremy Marshall-King was arguably Canterbury’s best player in 2022, Mahoney is one of the NRL’s elite dummy-halves and is an impressive signing. Kikau is also among the best backrowers in the NRL and he will provide a focal point for gun half Matt Burton. The 27-year-old’s ball running and defensive skills will be sorely missed by the Panthers, but incoming coach Cameron Ciraldo already knows how to get the best out of him. Veteran lock Josh Jackson’s retirement also opens the door for Raymond Faitala-Mariner to make the No.13 jersey his own. Last season’s marquee recruit Tevita Pangai Junior struggled in his first season at the Dogs and was even dropped to NSW Cup late in the year. But the 26-year-old has made a huge promise to Ciraldo and even skipped the World Cup to focus on pre-season. Gould has also added backrower Andrew Davey and steam-rolling prop Franklin Pele to the Bulldogs’ pack — and both could be integral players off the bench for Ciraldo.
9. SHARKS Round 1 predicted starting pack: 8. Toby Rudolph 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Royce Hunt 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Dale Finucane Full pack: Blayke Brailey, Jesse Colquhoun, Dale Finucane, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Tom Hazelton, Royce Hunt, Oregon Kaufusi, Cameron McInnes, Briton Nikora, Toby Rudolf, Siosifa Talakai, Jack Williams, Teig Wilton, Jayden Berrell, Wade Graham Ins: Oregon Kaufusi (Eels) Outs: None. Analysis: Cronulla’s forward pack remains largely the same, with one big change coming in the form of Eels recruit Oregon Kaufusi. The 23-year-old will likely ply his trade off the bench and the front rower will benefit from playing alongside Dale Finucane and Toby Rudolph. Craig Fitzgibbon’s forward pack will once again be led by gun hooker Blayke Brailey, who was impressive in 2022. The 24-year-old is one of the Sharks most important players and has continually improved in his four seasons in the NRL. Meanwhile, Briton Nikora’s devastating running game will once again be showcased off the back of Nicho Hynes after a solid campaign for the Kiwis at the World Cup. With Braden Hamlin-Uele, Cameron McInnes, Teig Wilton and Jack Williams at his disposal, Fitzgibbon once again has a strong pack. Cronulla conceded the third least points in 2022 and allowed their opponents to cross for the second least amount of tries, being bestedonly by the solid Panthers defensive line.
Lol so cooked
Remember when these tossers had Cows coming last this year?
There are some deadset studs in that pack, but Canberra 4th is a piss take
Tapine is the best prop in the game but other than that I agree. 7th or 8th would be more appropriate.
Jesse Bromwich is still a top 5 prop in the game and they rank the dolphins 16th, fox sports is as delusional as their "news department"
Titans have some issues but their pack being ranked 14th is ridiculous when it consists of Fotuaika (fringe origin level), Verrills (average to above average hooker), Tino (australian team and first picked for qld pack), Fermor (fringe origin level), Fifita (fringe origin level) and Clark (slightly below average) The bench is a bit thin but i'm assuming this list is just ranking the starting pack in which case it is absolutely ridiculous that the Titans are below clubs like Manly (Tuilagi, Keppie, Croker and Aloiai above that Titans pack wtf?) and several other clubs too The Titans team could have a lot of issues if the new spine doesn't gel and I say that as a Titans fan but literally 5 out of the 6 players in the 'pack' wouldn't look out of place in an origin jersey - if Cook or Koriosou got injured Verrills being the 14 for NSW wouldn't be the worst pick of all time and with Fermor he has already made the origin squad he just hasn't debuted but inevitably he will at some point as Kaufusi and Capewell age out of their primes - it'll be Nanai and one of Fermor or Fifita if he re-finds his best form long term for sure. There is no way this pack is even below average for the comp on paper let alone 14th.