NRL Ladder 2024 Predictions

<p>The 2024 NRL season is less than a month away, so it’s time to break out the crystal ball and try to predict who will finish where.</p> <p>As always, this is set to be an ultra-competitive season, with a multitude of teams making moves in the offseason to ensure they will be ready for war come March 3rd.</p> <p>There are countless storylines set to be played out this year, with plenty of questions that need answering.</p> <p>Will the Bulldogs latest recruitment drive finally pay dividends? Were teams like the Warriors and the Knights one hit wonders last season or will they back it up in 2024? And can someone finally knock Penrith off their perch?</p> <p>Armed with an NRL ladder predictor, we’re going to attempt to answer all these questions and more as we cast our eye ahead to the 2024 season.</p> <p>So, who will finish first? Who will make the eight? And just how badly will the Tigers finish last?</p> <p>For the latest predictions, premiership odds and analysis of all 17 teams’ chances for the upcoming season, check out our NRL Ladder 2024 Predictions below.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>17. Wests Tigers</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Normally in sport a hat-trick is a good thing. Three wickets, three goals, three tries, etc.</p> <p>Three wooden spoons? Not as appealing. Unfortunately for the Wests Tigers that is the hat-trick they are currently on and one we are predicting them to complete.</p> <p>The night is darkest before the dawn and it’s clear to see the Tigers are looking to the future with the appointment of Benji Marshall and the decision to part ways with Luke Brooks.</p> <p>Unfortunately, it’s going to get worse (well stay the same) before it gets better. The Tigers are our tip for the spoon in 2024.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>16. St George Illawarra Dragons</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Dogged by off-field indiscretions, disgruntled stars, and unfortunate injuries, it looks like the Dragons are going to push the Tigers all the way for the wooden spoon in 2024.</p> <p>The NRL’s latest father-son combo of Shane and Kyle Flannagan will be under pressure before a ball is even kicked, this is not going to end well.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>15. Canberra Raiders</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>How will the Canberra Raiders fare without the services of former Dally M winner Jack Wighton for the first time in 12 years?</p> <p>Poorly, we imagine. He has been the heartbeat of their side for over a decade and his departure to South Sydney has left a gaping hole in their roster.</p> <p>They’ve recruited some players with plenty of potential, namely Kaeo Weekes, but the club’s immediate future looks more than a little grim.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>14. Canterbury Bulldogs</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>If you can’t beat them, buy them. That appears to be Canterbury’s mantra once again heading into the new season.</p> <p>The Belmore-based club have hit the shops hard yet again in an effort to bridge the gap between them and the top eight.</p> <p>They’ve bought in a number of players headlined by triple-premiership winner Stephen Crichton.</p> <p>Much like last season’s recruitment drive, this one also seems to lack any rhyme or reason. The Dogs don’t appear to have an overarching recruitment strategy, they’ve just taken a scattergun approach hoping something sticks. We’re tipping them to stick to the bottom half of the table.</p>

<h2>13. Manly Sea Eagles</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>After missing out on the finals last year, the Sea Eagles have decided the best way back to Rugby League’s promised land is to sign a five-eighth who has failed to make the finals in all of the 10 years he has spent in the NRL. Sound logic.</p> <p>Yes, Luke Brooks is in the building, can he make it 11 seasons without playing finals footy? We’re backing him and the Sea Eagles to keep that record rolling.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>12. The Dolphins</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The new kids on the block, the Dolphins are gearing up for their second season in the NRL.</p> <p>They were dogged by a slew of injuries and suspensions in their maiden campaign, yet still performed admirably.</p> <p>They should win more games in 2024, but their squad is still a little too thin for our liking, so we can’t see them playing finals footy. But with Uncle Wayne at the helm, they are more than capable of causing an upset or two.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>11. Parramatta Eels</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Dummy half remains the biggest problem area for the Eels after Josh Hodgson’s medical retirement last season.</p> <p>Rookie Brendan Hands appears to be the one who will get first crack at the no.9 jersey, but he has a huge job in front of him.</p> <p>If he can’t provide gun halves Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown with the service their talents deserve the Eels could miss out on the eight for the second year running.</p> <p>Their outside backs aren’t exactly all that either and time and injuries are starting to catch up with their skipper and fullback Clint Gutherson.</p> <p>This is also head coach Brad Arthur’s 11th year in charge of the club and perhaps a change at the helm is what is needed to propel the club back to the glory days of yesteryear.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>10. Newcastle Knights</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>It may seem strange having a team who finished the regular season fifth with nine consecutive wins in 10th.</p> <p>However, the Knights were riding a tsunami of momentum at the back end of last season.</p> <p>Kalyn Ponga seemingly remembered he is a world class talent and went on a tear so deadly that he finished the year with the Dally M medal around his neck.</p> <p>Will he and the Knights be able to replicate that form? We doubt it. Consistency is key in this league and before their hot streak, the Knights were in all sorts.</p> <p>They simply can’t rely on Ponga to strap on his post-Origin cape every year and carry them to the finals.</p> <p>They’ve also lost Dom Young who was responsible for scoring 25 of their tries last season. Add all of this up it’s not too hard to picture Newcastle sliding out of the eight in 2024.</p>

<h2>9. Cronulla Sharks</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Our main concerns with the Sharks this season stem from Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall’s ability to play together.</p> <p>Matt Moylan’s pass and run style allowed Hynes to handle everything in the kicking department, making them a balanced halves pairing. But like Frodo and Sam he has left the Shire.</p> <p>Trindall will take his place and is more of a game manager. If he doesn’t gel with Nicho as they both fight for command of Cronulla’s fifth tackle option, does coach Criag Fitzgibbon have a plan B? Not that we can see.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>8. Gold Coast Titans</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>You think we’re going to be tricked again into thinking this is finally the year the Gold Coast get their act together and make the finals? Well, you’re absolutely right.</p> <p>They’ve bought in premiership winning coach Des Hasler and boast a formidable forward pack as well as some of the competition’s most exciting up and coming outside backs.</p> <p>They’ve got all the ingredients to make the eight and bring finals footy back to the Glitter Strip.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>7. New Zealand Warriors</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The feelgood story of last season, the New Zealand Warriors, will try and run it back in 2024.</p> <p>Heavily tipped for the spoon in 2023, “the Wahs” exceeded all expectations and proved everyone wrong as they stormed to a top four finish.</p> <p>They’ve added former Dally M winner and Warrior Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to their ranks, in a stunning coup for the club.</p> <p>Can they replicate this success or even go one better? We don’t think so. Much like the Knights, the crux of New Zealand’s success last term hinged on momentum and the form of a single player, in this case Shaun Johnson.</p> <p>Can the now 33-year-old Johnson deliver to that level again? It’s unlikely, but the addition of Sheck and the new-found belief the side as a whole will possess after last season should see them stay in the eight.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>6. North Queensland Cowboys</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Dogged by inconsistencies last year, the Cowboys are looking to return to the top eight in 2024.</p> <p>They showed patches of what they were capable of last season, most notably a six-game winning streak that included a 74-0 thumping of the Tigers.</p> <p>As long as injury and suspension don’t periodically rob them of their stars this season as they did last, the boys from up North should be all set to saddle up and ride up the ladder into the eight.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>5. Sydney Roosters</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Somebody fetch the salary sombrero, the Roosters have somehow found enough cash between the couch cushions to add both Dom Young and Spencer Leniu to their set up for 2024.</p> <p>On paper, the Chooks are absolutely stacked. If they aren’t challenging for the top four, we will be genuinely shocked.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>4. Melbourne Storm</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As long as Melbourne have supercoach Craig Bellamy at the helm and that spine, they are always going to be there or thereabouts.</p> <p>The emergence of the Penrith powerhouse over the last few seasons has seen the Storm's stocks drop somewhat, but write them off at your own peril.</p> <p>The fitness and form of the returning Ryan Papenhuyzen will be what decides if they are top four hopefuls or premiership contenders.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>3. South Sydney Rabbitohs</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>A side with this much talent should never have missed out on the finals last season. Yet somehow, South Sydney did.</p> <p>The Bunnies became the first side to miss out on finals footy after leading the competition after 11 rounds.</p> <p>They’ve now added former Dally M medalist Jack Wighton to their ranks in what is fast becoming an embarrassment of riches.</p> <p>What continues to hinder the Rabbitohs is not their roster, it’s their stars’ inability to stay on the field, namely Latrell Mitchell.</p> <p>If Mitchell can dodge injury and suspension and link up week in, week out with fellow superstars, Wighton, Walker, Murray and Cook, the Rabbitohs can not only make the top four, they can win the whole thing.</p>

<h2>2. Penrith Panthers</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>No, that’s not a typo, that’s the Penrith Panthers not in top spot. We’re predicting 2024 to be the season they finally get knocked off their perch.</p> <p>They have yet again lost a key player from their setup, this time in the form of strike centre Stephen Crichton.</p> <p>Make no mistake Penrith are still an absolute Powerhouse and in Nathan Cleary they possess the NRL’s best player.</p> <p>Eventually certain standards become impossible to maintain, particularly with the inevitable squeeze of the salary cap. But we’re sure Penrith have heard it all before.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>1. Brisbane Broncos</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>They say you have to lose one to win one and boy did Brisbane lose one last year. The baby Broncos stormed to the Grand Final last season on the back of their young stars only to run straight into a Nathan Cleary masterclass.</p> <p>Brisbane had the game won thanks to a stunning Ezra Mam hat-trick, but someone forgot to tell the Penrith no.7, who proceeded to single handedly turn the game on its head.</p> <p>They may not have known it at the time, but that loss could be one of the best things that ever happened to them.</p> <p>Remember what happened to Penrith after they lost to Melbourne in the 2020 decider? They went on to win the following three grand finals and counting.</p> <p>This could be Brisbane’s version of that. They certainly have the talent. The only downside here is the age of halfback Adam Reynolds who can’t have more than two seasons left in the legs.</p> <p>Therefore, it’s most likely now or never for this incarnation of the Broncs, but with the likes of Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam, Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan on board, both the future and the present look extremely bright for Brisbane.</p>

<h2>NRL Minor Premiership 2024 Odds</h2>

<p>Fancy a flutter on the upcoming 2024 NRL season? Check out our <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/punter-iq/guide/hot-to-bet-on-nrl">How to Bet on the NRL</a> Punter IQ guide.</p>