GOLD COAST TITANS

A lot of punters tipped the Titans to make the top eight this year and they met that mark, but now it’s time to raise those expectations.

The club has plenty of belief in coach Justin Holbrook and last year extended his contract until the end of 2024.

Holbrook made the call to not offer Ash Taylor a new deal beyond this year and also recently released Jamal Fogarty — they were the two players that locked down the halves spots for most of this season.

The club is now going to invest in Toby Sexton at halfback, despite Holbrook strangely picking Fogarty and Tyrone Peachey in the halves for the final games of 2021.

Sexton, 20, showed a lot of promise in the four games he played this year and he’ll join AJ Brimson in a brand new halves pairing.

Brimson has been one of the Titans’ best over the last couple of seasons at fullback, but the emergence of Jayden Campbell has forced Holbrook to find a way to have both attacking weapons in his 17.

Campbell wore the No.1 jersey while Brimson was out due to injury or State of Origin duties and absolutely did the Campbell surname proud. He wasn’t afraid to put his body on the line, despite being maybe 80 kgs at best, and threatened every time he has the ball.

Between Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita and Moeaki Fotuaika there’s an intimidating pack forming. But Holbrook needs to figure out how to squeeze every last cent’s worth out of Fifita.

The Titans can’t be scraping into the top eight next year, they need to be aiming for a top six finish at the very least. But it’s unlikely they’ll win the premiership with a rookie halfback, a five-eighth transitioning into a new position and an emerging fullback and hooker making up the spine.

They’re in a peculiar position because if they don’t strike next year, they would be without Fa’asuamaleaui for 2023 and beyond. The Maroons star has an option in his favour for 2023 and the NRL’s expansion team, the Dolphins, will likely come knocking.

Premiership window: 2023-2027

MANLY SEA EAGLES

Manly seem to be in a decent position. They have a good enough roster to challenge for the trophy again next season and they also have enough young talent to remain competitive for a few years after too.

2011 premiership-winning halves Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran reunited this season and that winning combination along with Tom Trbojevic’s stunning season took the Sea Eagles from an 0-4 start to a preliminary final.

But Foran comes off-contract at the end of 2022 and Cherry-Evans’ ‘lifetime deal’ expires at the end of 2023. They are 31 and 32 respectively and only have so many kms left in the legs.

The good news though is that Trbojevic has reached the prime of his career and is locked in until the end of 2026. But we saw in the finals that even he can’t carry the Sea Eagles to a premiership so he needs the right troops around him.

Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau’atu, Reuben Garrick and Jason Saab still have plenty of years left in them and only really started to tap into their potential this season.

Manly definitely are in with a chance for the premiership next season and if coach Des Hasler has a post-Cherry-Evans plan, whether that be unearthing a young gun or hitting the market with that $1.2 million salary, then there’s no reason why the club’s window can’t stay open for a good four years.

Premiership window: 2022-2026

MELBOURNE STORM

Can we say the window never closes?

A lot of punters thought Melbourne would go backwards after Cameron Smith retired. We had seen the club still dominate ever after Cooper Cronk left and Billy Slater retired but surely with the final member of the ‘big three’ bowing out things weren’t going to be so rosy.

Well, how wrong those predictions were.

The Storm went on a 19-game winning streak this year to equal the Roosters’ 1975 record. But as any ultra-competitive NRL player will tell you, those wins mean nothing if you don’t win the one that really matters.

Melbourne fell two wins short of back-to-back premierships when Penrith produced an upset in the preliminary final. A lot of people raised the very fair point that they missed Smith’s leadership in the frantic moments so you could argue they have finally gone backwards, slightly.

But there’s a reason why the Storm will remain a premiership force for the next five years and that reason is coach Craig Bellamy. He has built a formidable system at the Storm where many players join the club as a good player but leave it a great player.

The Storm powerbrokers know just how crucial Bellamy is to the club’s success and so locked him until the end of 2026 on a unique contract where at the end of each season he can decide whether he wants to coach again or take a step back and move into more of a coaching director role. Basically they’d rather pay the big bucks to have him involved in any way with the club than to have to go up against him.

Essentially, Melbourne’s premiership window is wide open so long as Bellamy is on board.

Premiership window: 2022-2026

NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS

Take one look at Newcastle’s roster and you scratch your head wondering why they barely made a dent on the finals this year.

They’ve got one of the most exciting players in the competition in Kalyn Ponga, a veteran halfback in Mitchell Pearce, Tyson Frizell and David Klemmer, who have both played several games for New South Wales and Australia, the always improving Saifiti brothers, a reliable dummy half in Jayden Brailey and a 20-year-old with a tonne of potential, Bradman Best.

So what’s not working?

The Knights were hit with a number of injuries this season but even when they were at almost full strength they were underwhelming.

Whether it be coach Adam O’Brien or an attitude problem, there’s something missing.

They have the bodies there to challenge for the premiership but yet it’s hard to envision them lifting the trophy in 12 months time.

Ponga is on the Dolphins’ radar for 2023 and 32-year-old Pearce comes off contract at the end of next year so it could be a case of strike now or go back to the drawing board.

Premiership window: 2022-2025

NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS

The Cowboys have barely fired a shot since miraculously charging to the 2017 grand final from eighth on the ladder.

They’ve become a rocks and diamonds team, on any given week they can win or lose by 30 points.

Second-year coach Todd Payten must instil some consistency before the North Queensland outfit are even in the top eight conversation, let alone premiership.

The signing of halfback Chad Townsend on big money has hardly inspired the Cowboys faithful to dare to dream.

Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes need to put this team on their shoulders and drag them back into contention.

Premiership window: 2025-2030

PARRAMATTA EELS

The window is closing quickly for this start-studded Eels outfit.

We can add another year on that darn premiership drought after Parramatta failed to lift the trophy in 2021.

The Eels faithful are hoping that after 36 years of waiting, 2022 will be their year.

Parramatta were criticised last year for lacking the mental strength to go deep into the finals. They were knocked out in the semi-finals this season — the same as 2020 — but they showed an unexpected level of grit and fight. They lost by two points to the Panthers and after a wayward pass from a makeshift hooker cost them one last chance to win the game you have to wonder if things could have ended differently if Reed Mahoney wasn’t out injured.

They’ve got the squad and they’ve got a coach that the squad wants to play for.

Clint Gutherson is an elite fullback, Mitchell Moses had possibly his best season to date this year, Mahoney was knocking on a door for an Origin debut before he got injured and Dylan Brown has so much to offer.

Throw in Maika Sivo, who is due back in the opening rounds of next season from an ACL injury, NSW prop Junior Paulo and this year’s buy of the season, Isaiah Papali’i and there really is no reason why Parramatta can’t go all the way in 2022.

They really need to get the job done next year though because after that they are at great risk of losing their key players.

Gutherson, Mahoney, Papali’i and Paulo all come off contract at the end of 2022, as do a number of other players who all in line for a pay rise. It’s a story that’s been circulating for the last month, the Eels won’t be able to keep the band together.

So if they don’t win next season that premiership window could close.

Premiership window: 2022-2023

PENRITH PANTHERS

The future is bright for this year’s premiers. They’re a young squad with a lot of homegrown talent waiting in the wings for an opportunity in Ivan Cleary’s 17.

The best thing though is that Penrith’s halfback, the best No.7 in the game, Nathan Cleary is signed until the end of 2024 — and so his halves partner Jarome Luai. These two played together in the junior grades and will do so for another three seasons at least. They know each other inside out and that relationship has transpired perfectly on the field.

James Fisher-Harris, one of the Dally M props of the year, is locked in until 2026, while Stepehen Crichton and Brian To’o will be at the foot of the mountains for at least another two seasons.

The club has turned its attention to locking in fullback Dylan Edwards beyond next year and Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher said last month that Viliame Kikau won’t be going anywhere either.

It’s pretty clear, Penrith are building a genuine dynasty and with so much promise in the lower grades the club could be in for a huge five years.

The team will of course sorely miss Matt Burton and Kurt Capewell who join the Bulldogs and Broncos respectively but Penrith will still have a side that can seal back-to-back premierships.

Premiership window: 2022-2028

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS

It won’t be next year and it’s unlikely to be the year after.

The Dragons have a group of youngsters in their squad that won the 2019 SG Ball premiership and once they find their feet in the NRL, the club will be on its way to a premiership.

The potential of Tyrell Sloan, Jayden Sullivan, Talautau Amone and the Feagai twins should give Red V fans plenty to smile about. It seems Griffin is ready to unleash some of them having moved on Matt Dufty and Corey Norman, but it’s expected all of them will feature in the 17 at some point next season.

It would be unfair to expect them to lead the Dragons to a premiership when they’re still settling into playing first grade week-in, week-out but with some smart buys over the next couple of seasons and nurturing the talent that comes out of the Illawarra, the Dragons should be challenging for the title in a few years time.

Of course every team goes into each season with the aim of winning the premiership, but it’s hard to see how a club that’s lost Cameron McInnes and made some odd signings, like George Burgess fresh off hip surgery, can go anywhere near lifting the Provan-Summons trophy in 12 months time.

Premiership window: 2024-2028

SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS

You could argue that the Bunnies’ window closed now that Adam Reynolds and Wayne Bennett have left the building. But as long as they have Cody Walker, Damien Cook and Latrell Mitchell, South Sydney will stay firmly in the race.

A lot of people put a line through the Rabbitohs when Mitchell was ruled out for the remainder of the season, but the playing group rallied together and proved they shouldn’t be underestimated.

Throw Mitchell back into the mix and the Rabbitohs’ attack seems a whole lot scarier.

The club enters a new era under coach Jason Demetriou but there won’t be any time wasted getting to know you sessions because he’s been working under Bennett as an assistant coach.

Reynolds will be a huge loss, as will Dane Gagai and Benji Marshall, but if the Rabbitohs’ big guns can continue to deliver in 2022 they absolutely should be looking at a top four finish at the very least for the next two seasons.

Beyond that is when things could get a little tricky. The club put a clause in Bennett’s contract that would basically stop him from poaching any Bunnies players to the Dolphins in 2023. But come 2024 it’s fair game. Cook and Mitchell will available and Walker should be to if he only signs a one-year extension.

If Bennett can get his hands on that trio it could game over for the Rabbitohs.

Premiership window: 2022-2024

SYDNEY ROOSTERS

Not even an injury crisis could stop the Roosters from playing finals so you could say Trent Robinson is just as important to the Tricolours as Bellamy is to the Storm.

He’s signed until the end of 2022 but you’d imagine the club will be looking to extend the three-time premiership-winning coach shortly.

As for the squad Robinson is building, it’s pretty littered with talent.

James Tedesco may have had his crown for the game’s best fullback stolen this year but the Roosters skipper wasn’t far behind Tom Trbojevic.

Luke Keary will return to the mix next season from an ACL injury and Sam Walker looks set to be a chook for many years to come.

Angus Crichton stepped up this year to fill the shoes of retired star second-rower Boyd Cordner and Joey Manu took his another game to another level.

You’ve also got inspirational prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and fan favourite Victor Radley, while the Roosters’ long-term enforcer Lindsay Collins will be back on the field next season too.

Keary and Tedesco hold the keys to another Roosters premiership and they’re both signed until the end of 2024 so there’s a good chance the club will add another trophy to the cabinet before then.

But it may not be next year. With the Morris twins retiring, the Chooks are a little slim in the outside backs and while Sam Verrills is a good player he’s no Jake Friend.

Premiership window: 2022-2024

Watch ‘Wild Wests: Tales from Tiger Town’ an exclusive Fox League behind-the-scenes production on demand on Kayo > Click here to watch

WARRIORS

The Warriors are that club that, no matter who you support, you just want to see them succeed after the last couple of seasons they’ve endured away from home.

Shaun Johnson’s homecoming instantly increases their chances of a premiership and Reece Walsh proved in the back end of this season that he can fill the shoes of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Addin Fonua-Blake and Matt Lodge provide some good punch up front and Josh Curran’s potential is really exciting.

But the Warriors are probably a gun centre and an elite hooker away from being a genuine premiership threat.

They have been linked to Joey Manu, with negotiations set to kick-off from November 1 for 2023. If they can land a player like Manu — whether they play him in the centres or halves — they’ll be in a good position to start attracting more stars, rather than players hoping to save their NRL careers.

If Brandon Smith shows any signs of being unsettled at the Storm, the Warriors need to pounce.

Land Manu and Smith, while also re-signing Johnson and the Warriors will be considered a heavyweight.

Premiership window: 2023-2025

WESTS TIGERS

To put it bluntly, the Tigers won’t win the premiership until they realise that Luke Brooks isn’t the answer.

This is no knock on Brooks. He has the talent, but the 26-year-old just isn’t fulfilling what the Tigers need. After eight full seasons in the halves, it’s time for the club and Brooks to part ways so can work on his craft in a new system because what the Tigers have been doing simply hasn’t worked.

The Tigers were seriously poor this year. They had great moments, like that thrilling round six game against the Rabbitohs, but for every good performance there were two bad performances.

The team earned the reputation of being consistently inconsistent and until they can shake that tag, a premiership will be well beyond their reach.

Fed up with being average, the Tigers have started to take action. Coach Michael Maguire is on his last chance and Tim Sheens — the last man to take the club to a premiership — is back in the fold.

Players like Diane Laurie, Adam Doueihi and Luciano Leilua provide the long-suffering fans a glimmer of hope, while 2022 recruits Jackson Hastings and Oliver Gildart both have points to prove.

A premiership is still at least four years away, but if the club can hang onto the gun players in their lower grades and make smart roster decisions, the Tigers can be back in the winner’s circle.

Premiership window: 2025-2030