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The Roosters got it all wrong last year – they finished 6th on the ladder but they had mis-timed their run, with their best football having been played in the first half of the season. This was not entirely their own fault with a couple of key injuries forcing younger players to be thrown into the fray at the business end of the season.

Having learned from this, Brad Fittler has been structuring their training sessions to help them maintain their skill level in pressure situations when fatigue becomes a factor. This along with the return to full fitness of Willie Mason and (hopefully) Anthony Minichello gives Roosters fans real hope that the team can crack a top four berth this year.

The Strength Is In The Pack

One look at the Sydney Roosters forwards sums up where much of the strength of this team lies. Willie Mason, Craig Fitzgibbon, Mark O’Meley, Nate Myles, Lopini Paea and Setamaita Sa – all representative footballers with plenty of experience.

Having these players around allows for the blooding of younger players on a mores selective basis where they are not being relied upon to be the number one guy.

As long as the pack stays fit, they will provide one of the best platforms of any team in the competition. It then becomes a matter of whether or not the backs have the ability to take advantage of the opportunities.

Lack Of Attacking Options In The Backs?

While the return of Anthony Minichello will definitely be an asset to the team, it won’t mask the fact that they are possibly one creative player short of a top class backline. For the Roosters to really have a chance this season, someone is going to have to emerge as the guy to partner Anasta in the halves – although Fittler has hinted that he may be playing him more at lock-forward this year, even though he was of the stand out performers in last years competition at five-eighth.

This will give young Ben Jones the opportunity to display the talents which many people from the Roosters have been so impressed with.

Player Movements

The big loss for the Roosters over the off-season was Anthony Tupou, who has headed down south to join The Sharks. There were other losses such as Amos Roberts and David Shillington, and there doesn’t seem to have been the same number of players arriving as replacements.

This could be a problem for The Roosters come Origin.

One arrival at the club that has created some interest is a Fijian guy by the name of Sisa Waqa, a rugby union convert. Apparently he was a bit of a try scoring machine in the other code, with one of his strengths being his ability in the air – something that will work nicely with the way the Roosters structure their plays close to the tryline.

Who Holds The Key?

I think Willie Mason is the guy that will be the factor that determines how big a contender the Roosters are this year. He is such an inspirational figure when he goes on a rampage that his team mates can’t help but be lifted to better performances.

Current Odds To Win The Premiership – $16

Crooksy

By claiming victory for an Australian team for the first time in six years in last weekends World Club Challenge, the Manly Sea Eagles have fired out an early warning to rival clubs that they haven’t let any complacency creep into the camp over the off-season.

Back-To-Back, Can It Still Be Done?

No team has won back to back premierships in the last decade and it has become a much more difficult achievement than in previous eras. The days of the rugby league dynasty would appear to be over – just don’t tell the boys from across the bridge.

Compared to the high player turnover seen at some other clubs, Manly has managed to retain the core of the team that was so dominant during the second half of season ’08. The most obvious loss has been Steve Menzies, with three of his team mates following him to colder climates.

Replacements have arrived in the form of a couple of signings with great potential in Chris Bailey and Tony Williams. While neither of these is an established match winner, they have the potential to do great things this year in a team that will create plenty of opportunities to impress.

Manly fans will be quietly rejoicing at the announcement of Tim Sheens as the next Australian coach. Des Hasler was on the short list but is now able to focus his attention on doing what no other coach has done since Wayne Bennett in 1998-99. He has quickly developed a reputation as one of the more astute coaches in the game

Along with Brisbane and the Storm, Manly will be hit hard by the mid-season representative fixtures. They have managed to avoid this in the past couple of years, with their players flying under the radar. They are well and truly out in the open now with  four of the squad making their debut at international level last year. You would expect somewhere between five and seven of the Manly squad to feature during the State Of origin series this year depending on form and injuries.

Plenty Of Strengths, Very Few Weaknesses

110-12…that was the for and against for the Sea Eagles in last year’s post-season. It takes a complete team to rack up those sort of numbers. Attacking options aplenty are combined with a tireless defence. Rivals looking for weaknesses will need to do their home work because they aren’t readily apparent.

The bookies have installed Manly as pre-season favourites, with the Melbourne Storm close behind. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Melbourne drop down in the betting early on in the season, but it is very hard to see Manly getting off to a slow start and they are definitely the team to beat this season.

Current Odds To Win The Premierships – $4.25

Crooksy

The NRL season kicks off in a little less than a month, and the bookies have pretty much gone with last years top eight to finish in around the same positions this year with the two noticeable exceptions being the Raiders and the Cowboys. After finishing the ’08 regular season in sixth position, the bookies have given the Raiders little chance of a top eight finish this year and are rated as being just good enough to avoid the wooden spoon

The Cowboys on the other hand have been installed as top six material, even after their 2008 season finished with them barely avoiding the wooden spoon as a result of a superior points difference. Much of this has to do with the return of Matt Bowen to the team, and that extra strike power at fullback will be enhanced by the addition of Willie Tonga to the centres. Thurston will have more options than he did last year, and this should see the team finish higher up the ladder.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll take a look at the teams with the greatest chance this year and see how this year may be better or worse for them than ’08. Injuries and player movements are always a factor as new players settle in at teams, and new combinations are tested.

One things is for sure, just as at the start of last year everyone believes the teams to beat are the 2008 grand finalists the Storm and the Sea Eagles, with bookies even offering odds on these two against the field. Outside of the top two, betting is very even from three through seven, and 2009 is shaping up as quite an interesting season.

I’m a Bulldogs fan, so things can’t get any worse for us this year – I don’t think. The addition of Kimmorley should have a steadying influence on a team torn apart by personnel problems in 2008. A new coach and playmaker should settle things down for a good rebuilding season.

As always the rep season in the middle of the year will have an impact and teams that can come through this stretch in good position really set themselves up for a good run at the post season.

The State Of Origin this year will be a real battle for NSW as they try to avoid the ignominy of being the first team ever to lose four straight series. The problem for them is that there has never been a QLD team with such talent so they will be facing an enormous challenge.

If you have any tips for the upcoming season feel free to add them below.