My Mountain of Rankings

#1 - King of the Hill - Melbourne Storm

It's pretty boring to have the previous seasons champs sitting atop the rankings heading into a new year (because really, who goes back to back these days?) but, put simply, they are an incredible organisation from top to toe. Their class led them to a win over Leeds in the World Club Challenge, so they deserve to be here.

Expectations for Round 1: They need to do a handy job of putting the Dragons to the sword. The Dragons look (from the outside) to be a club in shambles.

#2 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

After losing Des last year I (like many others) thought Manly were going to struggle in 2012 but they proved me wrong... kind of. They have a stellar line-up and right now I see this outfit as one which will prove to be hard to beat.

Expectations for Round 1: The game against the Broncos should be tough for the first 40. But the Sea Eagles need to come out of the sheds firing in the second half and keep the foot on the gas pedal.

#3 South Sydney Rabbitohs

Rabbits fans everywhere will be screaming that their side isn't rated at the top of everyone's list heading into this season. But while they are still partying after a Charity Shield win and buying their Adam Reynolds NSW jerseys the rest of us are taking a serious look at their chances. Turns out they've got a decent squad and a good coach. They just need Reynolds to stay on song and Inglis to do what he does best; otherwise it could be a long year.

Expectations for Round 1: They need to get out to an early lead against the Chooks and hold it. This is a big game for both teams and Souths need to make sure it's never in doubt.

#4 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

I like the Sharks a lot this year, they've recruited some underrated players and Jeff Robson isn't a complete waste of space in the halves. They just need Toddy to keep his head on straight. This team lives and dies by the form of Mr Carney.

Expectations for Round 1: I want to see some magic from the backline. They need to capitalise on the chances their forwards make them. Line breaks galore please!

#5 North Queensland Cowboys

Can this team just find someone to partner JT in the halves already? Ray-ray Thompson is a cool dude but he leaves so much to be desired. I want someone to come in and make me think that come Origin time everything is going to be okay. Cowboys fans need the assurance that they won't get beaten by 40 when JT and Scotty are out. For now, I don't see that anywhere. But I like them in round one. Good team.

Expectations for Round 1: It'll be a tough game. I'm looking for the Cowboys goal-line defence to stand up and show themselves. They need to stop the Doggies from inside the 20 on a regular basis.

#6 Gold Coast Titans

Frankly, the only reason the Titans are up this high is because of they were smart enough to bring Matty Rogers into the coaching staff and the fact I have complete faith that Aidan Sezer can be the main man for the new(ish) kids on the block. Another encouraging sign is that the front office knew that it was time to ditch Scotty Prince. They can do something; they just need to show some grunt and consistency.

Expectations for Round 1: The Sharks are a tough ask. The Titans just need to keep it close and have a go. Keep the handling errors to a minimum and let the Sharks lose the game with ill-discipline.

#7 Sydney Roosters

Roosters fans have a lot to be excited about this season. They decided to make a splash in the recruitment side of the game and even decided to bring back Trent Robbo so that the players can actually do something when they step onto the field. Unfortunately for the Roosters games aren't won on paper. The team will have to unify and have great support play if they want to go anywhere. They also need to keep themselves from making stupid mistakes both on and off the field. Potentially though, the sky is the limit for the Tricolours.

Expectations for Round 1: Don't let the occasion get the best of you. This is a big game but the Chooks need to play smart footy. Finish their sets, capitalise on their chances and the result will take care of itself. There are a lot of big names in this side. Let's hope everyone doesn't think they're a hero.

#8 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Can you guess why they're so low? Losing your x-factor is kind of a big deal. I'd like to see them go well and take this on the chin but Steve Turner is no Ben Barba. The Cowboys are a tough team so it could be a long night for the Doggies. Thankfully they still have a phenomenal forward pack and a top notch coach. Josh Reynolds needs to continue to not be a screw up and things may actually work out.

Expectations for Round 1: Executing second phase play and keeping the ball down the Cowboys end of the field will be a priority for the Dogs. They need to keep the Cowboys in check and back their defence.

#9 Canberra Raiders

Still no Terry Campese but somehow the Raiders keep on keeping on. If Reece Robinson can keep up his form from the All Stars game they'll be set for Round 1 too! I like the Raiders, they always make something happen no matter how bad things get. They've also got a butt-ton of quality juniors waiting for their chance too... which helps I guess.

Expectations for Round 1: A bit of McCrone magic should see the Raiders to a handy win. They just need strong support play and repeat sets.

#10 Brisbane Broncos

The Broncos are a tough side. They have a well groomed side across the park which I like. Although, I'm not convinced that Griffin will get the best out of this team. Corey Norman showed some class in the number 6 last year and I wanted so badly to see him back there. Then a wild Scott Prince appeared and just killed the youth movement which seemed to have the Broncos on the up. I hope they figure something out.

Expectations for Round 1: Keep Manly under control. Don't let the game get away from them. Scott Prince needs to show that he deserves that starting jumper.

#11 Parramatta Eels

Fortunately for the Eels they take on the Warriors in Round 1 (Spoiler - see #16 on this list). There is no better way for Coach Sticky to kickoff his campaign as Eels coach then by embarrassing the Warriors in front of what will hopefully be a full house at Parra Park. The Eels as a whole leave a lot to be desired but with a bit of discipline they can make magic happen.

Expectations for Round 1: If they want to move up this list (and of course they do) they'll need to capitalise on all their chances and leave nothing on the field. I want to see them run up a score on the luckless Warriors.

#12 Newcastle Knights

When Wayne freaking Bennett can't get your side to the finals you know you're up shit creek. Darius Boyd forgot how to play football and Willie Mason actually looked like a good footy player when compared to the rest of the Knights forward pack. If the Knights think Travis Waddell is the answer at dummy half they are deadest kidding themselves. If the Knights make the top 8 this year then Wayne Bennett truly is the master coach. I hope I'm wrong about the Knights but I just can't get excited.

Expectations for Round 1: They're against the Tigers so they've got half a chance. They should turn up well prepared, all they need to do is execute. That can't be too hard... can it?

#13 Wests Tigers

There's a lot going on with this club. I don't know if they can get it together straight away, which is why I've got them all the way down here. It'll take time for the Tigers to get comfortable and that's okay. I like Jacob Miller a lot and I can't wait to see what the Tigers have to offer. Once they find their feet they will be great to watch. I just don't know when that will be.

Expectations for Round 1: Strong defence, consistent play and good attacking structure. I want to see a football team on the field, not a circus.

#14 Penrith Panthers

I don't know what happened to this club. But something was in the water down in Penrith and it made Gus make some questionable decisions. I like Ivan Cleary though and I think he will get this club going in the right direction. They can do things but I don't think they're going to do anything this season. They need some youth to come through and take the world by storm, and they kind of need it now.

Expectations for Round 1: They will play decent football but I see them having trouble putting points on the board. If they can play good defence and score some tries off kicks they might actually win though.

#15 St. George Illawarra Dragons

I look at the Dragons and I just see... nothing. This side doesn't get me going. Unless they plan on winning games 2-0 I have no idea how they plan to chalk up wins. Gerard Beale, why did you come here? The only thing they have going for them is that Matt Elliot isn't their coach. The entire success of the team rests on the shoulders of Morris and (one of my favourite players) Jason Nightingale. Soward needs to stop dancing and start playing some footy or he'll find himself back in reserve grade.

Expectations for Round 1: I fully expect the Dragons to get blown off the park. If they can keep it close and play decent footy (it will be a miracle) I will happily move them up the mountain.

#16 - Why do you even turn up? - New Zealand Warriors

Unfortunately for the Warriors they have Matt Elliot as their new coach. This is a shame because the Warriors have such an exciting side. With Elliot on the scene the Warriors will be leaking points and they'll have to top 30 points each week if they want to finish in the top half of the comp.

Expectations for Round 1: I have none. If they can keep Parra under the 20 point mark that would be a start. I just hope they don't embarrass themselves.

#1 - King of the Hill - Melbourne Storm

I've never seen a side blow so many chances and still win so convincingly. Cooper Cronk has some sort of super human abilities which make everything he touches turn to gold. Remember when Matty Orford left the Storm and everyone thought they would struggle to find someone to lead them around the park? Cooper Cronk is here to stay and before his career is done he just might have a golden boot or two next to his name. As I see it, the Storm are truly the benchmark of this competition.

Expectations for Round 2: The Cows also put in a pretty sweet performance in round one. I expect the Storm to pull out the win in whatever fashion they can. The important thing is that they need to match it with the good teams, and the Cows are a very good team.

#2 South Sydney Rabbitohs

Every Souths fan was probably thinking of Sam Burgess while in bed with their loved ones on Thursday night. What a monster! After starting off slow the Rabbits ran away with it and the result was never in doubt. They took advantage of all the Chooks stupid errors like any good side should do. The only worry I have is that left edge defence, the Roosters didn't take it on as much as they should have, and  a better right side just might exploit it.

Expectations for Round 2: The Sharks are riding an emotional high, but I don't see them knocking off the Bunnies. I expect Souths to hand it to the Sharks much like they did to the Roosters in Round 1. Play clean footy and take their chances when they are given to them.

#3 North Queensland Cowboys

In what was probably my favourite game of the round, the Cowboys stuck in there and really showed some grit to win this game of cat and mouse. JT once again showed why he will be the highest paid player in the game with an outstanding performance. If the Cowboys forwards can continue to lay the platform like they did last weekend, they will knock off many of the big sides this season.

Expectations for Round 2: The Storm will be a tough ask for the Cowboys. With class all across the park the outside backs will need to defend for their life and attempt to suffocate the Storm backs before they have a chance to do anything. I have no idea who will win but this will be a bloody good game.

#4 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

I was impressed with Manlys efforts this week. They done what I asked them to do and they just simply outlasted a resilient Broncos outfit. Though the result could have been very different had Jack Reed scored that try just before the half. I'm interested to see how they perform against the Knights this weekend. How they handle what seems to be a red-hot Knights side will give us an indication of what to expect from them for the rest of the season.

Expectations for Round 2: I'm expecting a "tale of two halves" story for the boys from Brookvale. In one half they'll score around 20 points and the other, not so many. I'll be up to the Knights to win this one with some blistering attack.

#5 Newcastle Knights

I've never been so happy to be proven wrong. The Knights looked like a unit who had come ready to play and Gids and Boyd looked like superstars. Though, they were taking on the Tigers, who were stinky poo poo. As I said above, the Eagles will be a good test for them this week, and I want to see how they fare against a good team before I completely buy into the cool-aid being served up in Newcastle. Mullens injury doesn't worry me too much; they've got plenty of depth and experience in the halves to handle one injury.

Expectations for Round 2: I expect to see a tough game. The Knights will need a strong second half as I expect they will be behind at the break. Just dig in and have a go lads!

#6 Penrith Panthers

The Panthers surprised me a great deal last weekend. Had you told me last week that they would put up 32 points against the Raiders I probably would have choked on my chilled bottle of Extra Dry and sent you packing to the lunatic asylum to share a bed with the people who said that the Warriors had a chance to win. Their dominance of the ruck was top notch and I expect that's where they will beat a lot of teams this season. Keep it up boys.

Expectations for Round 2: I expect the Panthers to pick it up where they left off last week and give it to the Tigers much like the Knights did. Tear their lazy forwards (aka Anasta) apart up the middle and watch the scoreboard go!

#7 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Despite the loss, the Dogs should feel pretty good about themselves for the rest of the season given the offseason drama which surrounded them. Thankfully they realised that Turner should not be a fullback and that young bloke Low actually impressed me. Their forwards played admirably and they proved that they will be a force even without Barba in the lineup.

Expectations for Round 2: Just quietly, I think the Dogs might show up the Eels this coming weekend. I expect it to be a low scoring affair and I'm not sure I trust the Eels to put the points on the board when it counts. It's one thing to score when you're up by 20, it's another to score when you're down by 8.

#8 Parramatta Eels

I'm not sure what to take from their Round 1 beat down of the Warriors. On one hand, they put up 40 points which surpassed even my high expectations. On the other, it was against the Warriors who make Monday afternoon Oztag teams look like they're first grade material. Sticky has done an awesome job with this team though. They look like they might actually be the real deal. Though, we will learn more when they face a tough Doggies side this weekend. I'm looking forward to this game quite a bit.

Expectations for Round 2: Keeping the Warriors to only 10 points was probably the most impressive thing from last weekend. So I want the Eels to keep the Dogs at bay and try to not let them score too many points. They've got the firepower in attack; they just need to stop the other team.

#9 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

This was a very emotional game for the Sharkies. Kudos to their fans, you guys turned out in unbelievable numbers. The support was phenomenal. I don't think the Sharks win that game without you behind them. Emotional highs don't last forever though, so you need to find another way to win, and you're not going to win by scoring 12 points every week.

Expectations for Round 2: I don't like the matchup this week for the Sharks. The Bunnies don't give a rat's ass how emotional you are, they'll beat the daylights out of you unless you can find a way to stop them. This could be an ugly game for the Sharks, unless they can get out to an early lead.

#10 Brisbane Broncos

The Broncos were on Jack Reed try away from being in an awesome position to take out Manly last week. So close but still so far, and now I'm worried because I think that might be the theme of the Broncos season this year. They should redeem themselves by putting the sword to the Dragons this Friday night, but after that things get a little shaky.

Expectations for Round 2: I expect a little class from the Broncos this weekend. They are a better side then the Dragons and I really hope they can show that to everyone. Wollongong is not as scary for opposing teams when the Dragons have a losing record so I think I'm pretty safe in saying that the Broncos will win if they play like they did last week.

#11 Sydney Roosters

Bloody hell this team frustrates me to no end. You could get the top 17 least penalised players in the game, put Roosters jerseys on them and guaranteed they will somehow come up with 8-12 stupid ass penalties to put them on the back foot. This team isn't going anywhere until they can sort themselves out. Oh, and another thing. Stop letting in points right before half time you morons. It's amazing how many Chooks games would have different outcomes if halves were only 39 minutes long.

Expectations for Round 2: If these guys don't beat the living daylights out of the Warriors then I'm taking them off the power rankings altogether. I'll create a new article and call is

#12 Gold Coast Titans

The Titans drew the short straw in Round 1, facing a Sharks side which was overdosed on emotion. The Titans didn't have the direction in attack that I had hoped they would have, but their defence was tough and they matched the Sharks for most of the game which impressed me. Once they find their feet in attack this side may trouble a few of the better ones, and they might steal a few wins over the Rap/Origin season if they can keep injury free.

Expectations for Round 2: Defence is the order of the day for the Titans against a Raiders side which has the weapons but couldn't execute last week. They'll have to pay attention to the film and play much like the Panthers did last week, but at home they should be able to take care of the Raiders. If this game was happening in Canberra that would be a different story.

#13 Canberra Raiders

Dammit Raiders! I trusted you with a high spot in my Rankings and all I got in return was a pea-hearted effort and a wasted Multi. I guess this might just be one of those years where the Raiders only want to win in freezing temperatures or when they're taking on the Dragons. I still rate this mob but they'll have to show me some love before I back them again. They will also have to send Sandor Earl a memo telling him to look in the mirror. Woeful stuff.

Expectations for Round 2: Another week away from home and the Raiders seem to be unable to handle it. They absolutely need to work on their defence if they want to have any hope of taking out the Titans this weekend.

#14 St. George Illawarra Dragons

Congratulations Dragons, you moved up a spot in my rankings. Ah who am I kidding this team is a joke. I've seen Under 9's teams with more direction in attack then this mob (Jason Nightingale excluded). Then need a bit of umph in their line-up or I might just fall asleep during their set of six. Okay they weren't as bad as I expected but they still don't have what it takes to match it with any of the sides above them on the table, yet. They'll improve as the season goes on, but for now Dragons fans may want to close their eyes.

Expectations for Round 2: I don't expect much from the Dragons at this stage of the season, but if they could keep the game close against the Broncos that would be encouraging.

#15 Wests Tigers

I actually had the Dragons pencilled into this spot on Monday morning. I thought surely there was no way the Tigers would be any worse. Never have I been so wrong. The Tigers were a circus on Monday night, and not the good entertaining kind. This was the kind with fat drunk clowns, who lock themselves in dirty lion's cages and get eaten alive limb by limb. I hate to say it but unless they can sort themselves out it is going to be a very long season for the Tigpies.

Expectations for Round 2: If this game was being played anywhere else I'd be saying Panthers by 50, but C-town generally does good things for the Tigers spirits so I'll give them a little benefit of the doubt. Panthers by 49. Tigers need to throw out last week's game tape and start fresh. That, and show a bit of mongrel in defence.

#16 - Why do you even turn up? - New Zealand Warriors

What a fall for the almighty Warriors. It seems like only yesterday they had a chance at Premiership glory and now they spend their days getting spanked by Jarryd Hayne and his band of merry men. Is it too early to call for Coach Elliots head? I hate to say I told you so, but really, was this ever going to end any other way? Get your shit together Warriors. You've kind of got to appease an entire countries worth of angry supporters. No pressure.

Expectations for Round 2: The Warriors have had the wood on the Roosters over in NZ, but that was back when they had teams that could actually play football. The 17

#1 - King of the Hill - Melbourne Storm

The Storm made a quality Cowboys side look amateurish last weekend. It’s scary just how good they are. However, they have been getting a little lazy with their ball control. Luckily, the Storm have what no other team has in Cameron Smith, he will ensure the Storm are always winning the ruck and he won’t let the game get away from them. I’m not sure how serious Slaters injury is but it could be problematic.

Expectations for Round 3: If the Storm can limit the Doggies second phase play and take advantage of what I expect to be limited opportunities at the try-line they should come away with the win.

#2 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

Damn these blokes were good last week. They didn’t give a single care about the Knights performance from the week before, they just played football and it was exhilarating to watch. Some of the set plays they run are like watching a hot knife through butter. Their forwards will have a big test this week against the unit which is the Titans forward pack. How well drilled they are could be the difference in this match.

Expectations for Round 3: The Eagles will have to be on song to get past this strong Titans defence. It could come down to the wire if both defences are playing their best.

#3 South Sydney Rabbitohs

That last forty from the Bunnies was not good at all, and it pretty much lost them the number two spot on these rankings which I know means a lot to Mick Crocker and the boys. I expect they’ll bounce back pretty handily this week. Adam Reynolds is blowing my mind right now; the Bunnies have a real good shot at a dynasty with this bloke in the seven. The Bunnies welcome back Sammy Burgess this week and he will want to make up for lost time. Unlucky Panthers.

Expectations for Round 3: These blokes won’t be mucking around one bit, could be a long night for the Panthers if they show up and play like we know they can.

#4 North Queensland Cowboys

Coming up against what will likely be an angry Wayne Bennett is not a good thing. Scratch that, it is akin to trying to get your girlfriend to go to that Ribs Joint you love when she is dying to go to some lame expensive ass restaurant that is going to drain your wallet. Put simply, it’s not going to end well for you. Thankfully for the Cowboys they have an experienced God named JT in the halves and he will not go down so easily. This will be a quality game and I am intrigued to see how the Knights turn up after their beat down last weekend.

Expectations for Round 3: It really could go any way. Though I expect the Cowboys will try to get out to an early lead. The Knights are not nearly as good when they have to play catch up footy.

#5 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

The Bulldogs left edge attack has been awesome to start the year. Reynolds is starting to lead this team around the paddock and its making oppositions take notice. Josh Jackson has blown me away with his work rate and effectiveness. I still worry that they’re not piercing opposing defences even as close to as well as they did last season. They’ve clearly lost a step on that side of the ball and I don’t know if they can find it without Barba.

Expectations for Round 3: If they can force some errors out of Melbourne and not give up too many points they may just be able to gain the upper hand in this Grand Final rematch. The Storm have been a little off with their ball handling this season.

#6 Parramatta Eels

I don’t know how Chris Sandow rediscovered this awesome form but Eels fans love it and they have a lot to be excited about. They have been waiting a long time for the moment where they can win a game without having to rely on the Hayne Train or Plane or Drain or whatever it’s called nowadays. Either way I think the Eels have the experience up front to give it to the young Tigers forwards

Expectations for Round 3: If the Eels can earn repeat sets early on they should be able to tire out the Tigers forwards and hit them where it hurts. If the game goes to the edges it might get a little out of hand.

#7 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

I know the game against the Bunnies was a snooze-fest for the second half, but when you match it with the Bunnies you deserve some respect. As a reward for these impressive performances the Sharks have been blessed with a home game against the blissfully terrible Warriors. My only worry for the Sharks is that they haven’t scored many points yet. Can they keep teams to 10 points every game? Maybe not...

Expectations for Round 3: Score more than 30 points and starve the Warriors for points. Not sure how I can be any more blunt. If they lose then it is a long fall down the mountain for these men.

#8 Brisbane Broncos

They were in the game against Manly, beat the Dragons handily, how can I not show this side some love? I’ve tattooed a big “Dark Horse” label on this side and I think it’s going to be there for the long haul. If Hodges is out and they replace him with Gillett thinks might get a bit ugly, especially against the Roosters three quarters. Broncos fans everywhere are probably screaming for Hoffman to get the centre jersey, but we shall see how it goes. If they play Hodges and he gets a serious injury... they might just be screwed.

Expectations for Round 3: If Hodges plays, I expect a win, if he doesn’t I expect them to not get beat down. That’s pretty much it.

#9 Gold Coast Titans

This is such a likeable team but I can never take them seriously. They matched it with the Sharks, they blew the Raiders off the park, yet I still am not buying it. Manly is a big test for them. If they can match it with the best, they will be justly rewarded. Greg Bird is in amazing form right now, if he can get the rest of the side on his level there may not be a side that can stop them. That’s kind of a massive if though.

Expectations for Round 3: I expect them to go tit for tat with the boys from Brookvale. It’s a tough ask but I believe they can do it. Manly know how to get the ball to their outside backs so the Titans need to be prepared for that.

#10 Newcastle Knights

Novacastrians have 32 reasons to be laughed at this weekend. Seriously, when was the last time a Wayne Bennett coached team has been held to zero? Surely it would have to have been forever ago. Either way Bennett will get them back on track I expect. He’s got a pretty handy squad to play with if he can get them a handy number 9. They have zero threats up the middle and it makes them pretty easy to be found out.

Expectations for Round 3: They have the potential to give the Cowboys a run for the their money, but Gids must be at his scintillating best and the forwards need to be hammering like they’ve never hammered before.

#11 Penrith Panthers

What a difference one round of football can make. Or maybe the Raiders are so bad the Panthers looked god-like in comparison. Either way this wasn’t a completely horrible performance, but it was a step backwards for them because they really should have played better. Watching Segeyaro play his part the last two weeks has been awesome though, he provides actual direction to the Panthers attack (take note Dragons).

Expectations for Round 3: The Bunnies are a tough gig for any team, though they showed last week that they are human and miss tackles just like us mere mortals. If Penrith can get the second phase play cranking they just might be able to spring an upset.

#12 Wests Tigers

I wanted to have the Tigers a little bit higher but when I’m making rankings something’s got to give and as it stands these guys have one blowout to a side which got its asshole turned into an inside out fajita by Manly. Props to the Tigpies for getting their act together though, they looked somewhat decent but the 26 round road of the Premiership is a long one with many bumps. I hope the Tigers don’t think they’re over the speed bumps just yet.

Expectations for Round 3: The Eels have improved quite a bit under Sticky. The Tigers need to focus and keep Chris Sandow in check. He has been in impressive form of late and he could produce some bits of magic if given the chance.

#13 Sydney Roosters

Despite the win I’m still not convinced the Roosters are worthy of being on this list. Stupid mistakes and falling asleep when you’re up 16-0 really isn’t the kind of game you want to be playing. I kind of wanted the Roosters to lose just so they’d get fired up and start playing well but they won which means they’ll put in another half-arsed effort this weekend. The one good thing (kind of) is that Jennings is getting some quality ball. Watching him run is a beautiful sight.

Expectations for Round 3: I expect the Broncos to do a number on this mob; regardless of the result the chooks need to sort their shit out (don’t I say this every week?). Cut the stupid mistakes and brain explosions out of your game!

#14 Canberra Raiders

I knew the Raiders were struggling but that performance against the Titans last week was simply embarrassing. They just played woeful footy. You could put the blame on the off-field distractions but the Sharks are having a go and they might not have half their team in a few weeks time. The Canberra halves need to step up or these blokes are going to be below the Dragons on the ladder, maybe the Warriors too. Surely that’s enough motivation to get stuck in and win a game in front of your home crowd?

Expectations for Round 3: They really need to put a beat down on the Dragons and give their fans something to be excited about. Spread the ball around and have a bit of fun. Sam Williams needs to wake up and do something in attack else he will find himself in park footy soon enough.

#15 St. George Illawarra Dragons

The Saints have nothing going for them in attack. They’d have trouble finding the try-line even if it was painted fluoro orange and the other team didn’t turn up. It’s tough naming Fien as the sole cause of this lack of direction, but his form really isn’t helping anyone. Dragons’ fans everywhere are calling for Priceys head and surely he must be starting to doubt himself. Any way you look at it these blokes can’t attack to save their lives and until that improves they won’t be winning games.

Expectations for Round 3: If you thought things couldn’t get worst for the Dragons, they have. They face the Raiders in Canberra which is enough to make any Dragons fan shake in his/her boots. The only consolation is that the Raiders got whipped by the Titans last week and might actually be a bad team.

#16 - Why do you even turn up? - New Zealand Warriors

For all the crap I gave these blokes they actually stuck in last week to prevent what would have been an embarrassing loss to the Roosters. Instead it was just a regular loss – but there is a massive difference between the two! The result could have been a little different had they played well for more than 20 minutes but oh well at least it’s a start. That kid Godinet was bloody impressive.

Expectations for Round 3: Pretty much all I hope for the Warriors each week is that they don’t embarrass themselves.

#1 - King of the Hill - Melbourne Storm

Continuing to be the benchmark of the competition must be tough for the Storm, but someone's got to do the job. Refereeing blunders and controversy aside, these guys went through a lot to get that win last weekend, and they'll be all the better for it. Cooper Cronk just continues to blow me away week after week; I don't even know how the Storm will play without him when Rep season comes around.

Expectations for Round 4: Sadly for the Storm it looks like Justin Hodges might actually be playing for the Broncos this week, which means they will actually be scoring points. I still expect the Storm to beat the Broncos pretty handily though, unless the Broncos have been hiding some awesome plays away just for this game.

#2 South Sydney Rabbitohs

This is a team that knows how to score a butt-load of points. Although I'll admit I was watching the game secretly hoping for Panthers to pull off the unthinkable. To their credit though, they held on in tough conditions and managed to put the game to bed like all good teams should. Their defence in many parts of that game left a lot to be desired, however if they can score 44 points every game they don't really need to worry about it.

Expectations for Round 4: The Bulldogs have shown in recent weeks that they're a tough team to take down. If these Bunnies think they can fall asleep on the Dogs and not get put to the sword they may be in for a rude awakening.

#3 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

The Dogs matched it with the best last weekend in what was a fantastic game marred by one tiny foot-to-the-face shaped incident. Though they put in a brave performance part of it was the Storm taking their foot off the pedal and falling asleep (which is very un-storm-like). With Barba hopefully coming back things can only get better for the Bulldogs. They are a very well drilled side.

Expectations for Round 4: The game against Souths is going to be a cracker and I hope it lives up to my almighty expectations. I expect the game will be won in the forwards and I think as it stands, Souths have the upper hand in that respect.

#4 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

The Sharks were clinical in last week's performance; wearing the Warriors down and playing patient football. Having nearly 60% of possession for the game helped a whole lot too. Though when you're taking on the Warriors there isn't a whole lot you need to do to get on the board. I guess the Sharks will just be glad to have Coach Shane Flanagan back at the helm following two weeks of emotional football.

Expectations for Round 4: Taking on the Warriors and the Dragons back to back is a great way to boost your four and against heading into what could be an excruciating Representative season for the Sharks. They really need to find that extra gear with the ball and show their fans what they have to look forward to down the road.

#5 Gold Coast Titans

These guys deserve some love. Even though it wasn't at fortress Brookvale, they still stuck it to the Eagles and came out the other end of it with a win. They've got experienced forwards laying the platform for their exciting halves and it's just so enjoyable to watch. They remind me of how Manly were not too many years ago, quality forwards, young halves. It's a formula that seems to deliver impeccable results and the Titans are hoping it does!

Expectations for Round 4: Penrith are a bit of a wildcard so I'm not sure how this game will turn out. But if the Titans keep doing what they do then the sky is the limit.

#6 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

Had this game been at Brooky then maybe it would have gone the other way, Manly did everything they needed to do, they even scored more tries then their opponents but it just wasn't their day. They will learn from their mistakes though and they will be back to their winning ways soon enough I expect. Watching Jamie Lyon play last weekend was a bit uncomfortable to say the least. He's a tough cookie though and he will be back bigger and better this weekend.

Expectations for Round 4: I'm expecting these boys will turn up to play and turn things up a notch on Thursday night. This is all providing that Daly Cherry-Evans can get over his heart-breaking goal-line dropout attempt which sailed over the sideline in an embarrassing fashion.

#7 North Queensland Cowboys

What the heck happened to these boys? They just didn't turn up at all and the Knights had a field day! They were completely off the pace for pretty much the entire game and I have no idea why. They looked like a bunch of blokes who had never played footy together, they channelled their inner Roosters and dropped the ball at every opportunity. They're going to need to forget about that performance and start fresh this week.

Expectations for Round 4: A perfect way to get back on track is against the Warriors! All they need to do is get the simple things right and get good field position and they should win by 30-odd.

#8 Newcastle Knights

With Gids out I thought these blokes didn't have a chance in the world, but the Knights proved everyone wrong and came out and just took the place by storm. Everything turned to gold for replacement half Tyrone Roberts and the Knights looked like team from Round 1. There was also a welcome return to Danny Buderus on Monday night. The Knights needed a decent hooker and having Danny back will do wonders for them around the middle of the field.

Expectations for Round 4: Taking on Canberra at home shouldn't be too much trouble for an uplifted Knights squad. All they really need to do is pick up where they left off and Canberra should make enough mistakes for the Knights to take advantage of.

#9 Wests Tigers

Geez these guys were on fire last week. It's almost as if they were channelling their inner 2005. Since their embarrassing performance in round one these guys have done nothing but play quality football. Their completion percentage from last week was nearly perfect and if they can keep playing this mistake free footy they might just make things interesting at the business end of the competition.

Expectations for Round 4: Manly are going to be a bit cranky after last week's loss, so they're not going to play friendly footy. The Tigers will have to wear Manly down with repeat sets or outstanding second phase play.

#10 Sydney Roosters

They Roosters played well, though they probably should have won by a little bit more. Their defence was awesome, but the Broncos never really threatened their line to the extent that the Rabbitohs did in Round 1. They have improved on last season quite a bit, but they're still finding themselves in attack and it will take time for all those things to click into place. In other news, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is playing the house down! He is doing everything he can to make sure he get's that ‘C' next to his name for next season.

Expectations for Round 4: The Eels aren't the most threatening team in the competition, though they have the potential to do anything and everything. Who knows what next week could bring, all I know is that the Roosters need to send all of their forwards at Chris Sandow.

#11 Canberra Raiders

Damn these Raiders play well at home. They looked like a completely new and improved team on the weekend which was a welcome change from the horrible performance they put on the two weeks prior. I'm not sure if I've said it before but Reece Robinson is making Josh Dugan's jersey his own. He has been simply amazing at the back for the Raiders. They proved against the Dragons that when they keep the ball and get repeat sets they are a decent Footy team.

Expectations for Round 4: Playing away from home will be tough for the Raiders; I wouldn't back them solely on that reason alone. They just need to get their heads right and have a dig, even if the game is on the road.

#12 Brisbane Broncos

As entertaining as it was to watch James Maloney beat the Broncos, it really felt more like I was watching the Broncos not show anything in attack for 80 minutes. Without Hodges these guys were as boring as the Dragons. I'm not even joking, they had 54% of possession and they couldn't score a single point! In more positive news they held the Roosters to eight points, though that's really stretching for positives.

Expectations for Round 4: Unfortunately it doesn't get any easier for the Broncos as they get a visit from their friends from the South. The Broncos are by no means a bad team, but they're going to have to find some attack fast if they want to have any chance of beating a top tier side like the Storm.

#13 Parramatta Eels

Watching Chris Sandow get put on his backside twice in the opening stages of the Tigers game was hilarious to most, but Eels fans would have been drinking the pain away as it seems that the quickest way to lay points on against the Eels is by going straight through the number 7. The team did show flashes of brilliance throughout the game but they'll need to play more consistently if they want to get anywhere in this competition.

Expectations for Round 4: The Roosters defence came out to play last week and kept a broken Broncos offense to nil. The Eels may need to take a leaf out of the Bunnies book if they want to get anywhere this weekend. Also, giving Sandow some help on defence may help a tinsy bit.

#14 Penrith Panthers

I can never get it right with this mob. One moment I think they're finally going to shake up the competition, play some quality football and cause some upsets. The next moment they're leaking 34 points in the first half! It's hard to play catch up footy when you're down that much, but credit to the boys for nearly pulling it off. These guys need to play confidant footy and they need to back themselves and take a few more chances. Penrith needs a bit of excitement to come their way I think.

Expectations for Round 4: Facing an in form Titans team is the perfect way for the Panthers to get themselves going on a winning run up the ladder. They're playing at home so they don't need to worry about any Queensland voodoo magic affecting them, all they need to do is play mistake free footy and take their chances when they come.

#15 St. George Illawarra Dragons

The Canberra hoodoo continues. But it's not just that which has me baffled. Two weeks ago the Raiders played probably the worst game in the history of their Club, and then they came out and looked like seasoned professionals against the Dragons. The Dragons made them look like that; the Dragons make bad teams play better. What has happened to this team? Right now the only team I can see the Dragons not getting thrashed by is the Warriors, and that's saying something.

Expectations for Round 4: Having to take on Cronulla in Cronulla? That is harsh. Who drew the Dragons draw up and made them play back to back games in Canberra and Cronulla? Damn these Dragons can't catch a break. Here's a four leaf clover Steve Price, you're going to need it.

#16 - Why do you even turn up? - New Zealand Warriors

It's getting to the point where I'm just feeling sorry for the Warriors. They haven't scored a single point in any of their first halves this season. How can they expect to win games when they're always playing from behind? They need to find something else in attack or they're going to be set on a very bad path. Coach Elliot needs to stop making excuses and start finding answers to the Warriors multitude of problems or he won't have a job for much longer. It is one of the sad truths of Rugby League.

Expectations for Round 4: If they could score a point during the first half that would be a start. It would also be nice if they didn't completely embarrass themselves in front of their home crowd. Ah who am I kidding, the Cowboys are going to be fuming after last week's effort and they're going to run up a score on this mob.

#1 - King of the Hill - Melbourne Storm

Many good Rugby League sides would have lost to the Broncos last weekend, but not the Storm, no sir. I could really just copy/paste what I wrote last week but there is no literary talent in that. So I will just use my expansive vocabulary to say it in different and more complex wording. The Storm played admirably this past weekend and continued to show that they are consummate professionals on the park.

Expectations for Round 5: The Tigers will require a titanic effort if they are to surpass the Storms marvellous squad during their Monday night encounter. Literary genius aside, Tigers = quite bad. Storm = super duper good.

#2 South Sydney Rabbitohs

The Bunnies did what was expected of them last week, show up, play some half decent footy and head home with the two points. Pretty standard showing from Souths; they did pretty much what was expected of them. I'm interested to see how they will perform when a team really turns up to play them though, so far they haven't been really tested by an opposition in both attack and defence.

Expectations for Round 5: Walk into New Zealand (maybe fly if they can't walk on water), walk out with two points. If they lose this game it will be hilarious!

#3 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

The Bulldogs played pretty rubbish and still managed to keep it close against the mob from Redfern, so that in itself is a pretty impressive effort. As expected, Ben Barba took a while to find his feet but in time he'll get right back into the swing of things and the Bulldogs will be back from the dead (and mind you, dead for the Bulldogs still leaves them as one of the top five sides in the comp).

Expectations for Round 5: Another tough game for the Doggies this week against Manly. Although they have a lot of improvement in them the Dogs still might be able to pull out the win, mainly because the Sea Eagles have the potential to show up completely flat and get rolled. I honestly have no idea what to expect from this game, should be entertaining though!

#4 Gold Coast Titans

These blokes are playing tough, I love watching them play. A little bit of tough defence and some good old fashion go forward in attack is working well for them and they're taking out quality opposition. Not really sure about Greg Birds hairstyle but who cares really? I'm not a fashion guru so I don't know what's all hip and all that but I suppose it works, he's playing lights out after all.

Expectations for Round 5: The Titans seem to have an everlasting chip on their shoulder whenever they take on the Broncos, but I think they've got it in them to give them Broncos a good old fashion spanking.

#5 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

This was a messy win to say the least, but I never had any doubt Manly were going to run out winners against the Tigers. Despite seeing one of the most ridiculous tries I have ever seen; this game probably needs to be forgotten by both teams as they look towards the rest of the season. Manly did what they do best however and poured on a few late tries to nudge their points differential up a little bit.

Expectations for Round 5: I'd be hesitant to back Manly in the wet again which is why I'm sort of favouring the Doggies this week. If the Dogs can string a few passes together I think Manly could be exposed pretty easily, however if Manly are on song I can see them putting this game to bed early.

#6 Newcastle Knights

So these guys still look like a footy team, which is awesome. Tyrone Roberts is awesome. Where does this leave Kurt Gidley? Well, that is a very good question. Either way the Knights are playing well at home, so last week was always going to end well for them.

Expectations for Round 5: The Dragons should be easy enough to take care of, the main hurdle for the Knights will be the fact that they have to play away from home. The one game they played away so far this year was just completely disastrous. They should be okay though, so long as Roberts is there.

#7 Sydney Roosters

I hate having the Roosters up so high because I get the feeling that they're just going to disappoint me this week. Beating the Eels by 50 is kind of an impressive effort though so I have to reward them for playing so well. James Maloney lit up the stage and played like he did to get the Warriors to the Grand Final which was amazing to see. It's not hard to see that this team is fired up and I for one hope they can keep it going!

Expectations for Round 5: I think the Chooks might get done this week. I want them to keep it up but I have a feeling they'll be complacent and the Raiders will gear up because they're playing at home. They could easily be looking ahead to the Bulldogs game in Round 6, but I guess we'll find out.

#8 Brisbane Broncos

I swear I used to hate the Broncos so I don't know why I'm so fond of them this season. I guess it would have to be that they're always having a go (unlike some other soft teams). These blokes put in a solid effort against the Storm last weekend and very nearly beat them, which is one hell of an effort. It was an awesome turnaround from their game against the Chooks and I can see them upsetting a few teams as the year progresses.

Expectations for Round 5: The Titans have had the hot hand of late, it will require every ounce of talent in the Broncos lineup to tear them away from this winning run they have been on. Also they'll have to pray to all the Rugby League gods that Hodges can come back and stay injury free.

#9 Penrith Panthers

The Panthers tried their hearts out but just weren't able to come away with the points last weekend. It was a tough and entertaining game, the Panthers would have beat a bunch of other sides but the Titans just showed up to play some footy. Tom Humble had a ripper of a game and I think he might just have a place in the Penrith number 6 jersey (sorry Coote). Cleary has these guys on the right track though and I think they'll be back on track come next week.

Expectations for Round 5: I don't know what the heck has happened to the Cowboys, losing to the Warriors just came out of nowhere so the Panthers are very much in with a chance to take two points out of this game.

#10 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

I don't know what happened to these guys, sure Toddy went down but Robson is no slouch, he did his bit and you guys were very much in the game. The Sharks just need to throw out last week's tape and get on with it. I kind of like Chad Townsend so I think they can do well with him in the halves. I hope the Sharkies get back into the winning circle because I'd hate to think of the Carney sob stories that will be in the paper should they collapse into a heap of poo.

Expectations for Round 5: Don't worry guys! The Sharks take on Parra this weekend and they should be able to get their team back on track. Provided Parra still can't remember how to play football. I guess all the Sharks have to do is run Fifita at Sandow all night, fool proof plan right?

#11 North Queensland Cowboys

C'mon Cowboys, you're better than this! Sitting three spots off the bottom of the ladder and they're still $14.00 to win the comp. That is bloody amazing. Shows what a ridiculously squad they have, these guys really just need to pull their finger out because they have lost the plot. They shouldn't be making any silly errors. JT needs to get his guys back in the zone, they are too good to be sitting down the bottom of the ladder with the likes of Canberra and the Warriors.

Expectations for Round 5: The Panthers have been playing tough football and if the Cowboys think they can just come out and go through the motions and get a win then they've got another thing coming to them. They'll have to pull out all of the tricks from their bag in order to take out these big boys from Penrith.

#12 Wests Tigers

What the heck is going on with these guys? Is Anasta seriously going to play halfback this week? Oh how I feel for all you Tigers fans out there. Last week I was praising them and had them moving up the board, now they've done their best Eels impression and completely imploded and covered Western Sydney in a pile of Tiger droppings. Play consistent footy lads, cmon!

Expectations for Round 5: I suppose this all depends on which Tigers team decides to turn up? They'll either get blown off the park or they'll very nearly beat the Storm. If this team turns up to play I think they'll beat the Storm. That is a big if though.

#13 Canberra Raiders

I don't think anyone expected much from the Raiders while they were away from home. Knights pretty much took care of them without too much hassle and the Raiders just sort of let them. Their halves are playing like they're afraid to make a mistake, which isn't working because they're making a whole lot of them!

Expectations for Round 5: I half expect these guys to take down the Roosters this weekend. The Roosters could easily be complacent after their big win last week, and the Raiders are playing in the only place they can win, Canberra. Seems like the makings of a fantastic upset! The Raiders will have to play well though, because it seems like the Roosters mean business.

#14 St. George Illawarra Dragons

So these guys were not completely horrible for once... that's a start. They also scored some points for once, also pretty cool of them. Make no mistake about it though; this team has a long way to go. When I say long way, I'm not talking Sydney to Wollongong in peak hour traffic, I'm talking like they should have started work half an hour ago and they just woke up. Get a move on Dragons! The rest of the comp isn't going to wait for you to get to their level! Props on the win though boys.

Expectations for Round 5: Knights are like a slightly better version of the Tigers, so the Dragons may actually go back to back, especially since it isn't in Newcastle. I expect the Knights will bump them off their little baby pedestal though.

#15 New Zealand Warriors

Remember that time the Warriors didn't shave for ages and they played awesome football? Well if I was Matt Elliot I'd be telling all my players to not shave. Beards for everyone! Although I'm kind of glad I'm not Matt Elliot because the Warriors are still woeful. I only suggested the beard thing because they need all the help they can get. But, to their credit they did score some points in the first half last week. This is a start.

Expectations for Round 5: I hope they beat Souths, it would be so funny and I would be so happy. But realistically there is zero chance of that happening, they should be aiming to score a try in the first half again, it worked for them last week.

#16 - Why do you even turn up? - Parramatta Eels

I think laughter was everyone's immediate response when fulltime hit on Monday night, how the hell do you get ripped to shreds by the Roosters? That pack of nuffies (that's definitely a word) hadn't scored more than 16 points in their previous games. You let them crack that in each half! These guys are a long way from even thinking about winning a game. It's time for Ricky to throw away the clip board and start fresh with these guys. First on the agenda should be how to tackle.

Expectations for Round 5: The Sharks will be fuming that they let the Dragons get the better of them last week; they'll be able to handle the loss of Todd Carney for now, I expect they'll give it to the Eels much like the Chooks did.

#1 - King of the Hill - Melbourne Storm

Damn these Storm blokes know how to whip out a bit of footy magic when it needs to be there. I always kind of felt they'd come back but damn they did it in style. Their defence was on song and they simply outlasted the Tigers in a game that a lot of other sides would have lost. That's what happens when you're as well drilled and disciplined as the Storm though.

Expectations for Round 6: Well this is the match every footy fan has been waiting for. One of these teams will be on top of the ladder come Sunday morning, provided there isn't a draw (which would be hilarious). I think the entire world is looking forward to seeing how Souths shape up against the Storm, it'll be an awesome game.

#2 South Sydney Rabbitohs

So I'll admit i thought these Burgess blokes were frauds at the start of the season. I never really liked the hype they were getting, but George Burgess is an absolute wrecking ball. Despite never really clicking in attack they found a way to win with their defence, nabbing two awesome tries off turnovers which really turned the game around for them.

Expectations for Round 6: There is a lot of pressure on Souths this weekend. They've been getting a lot of hype but they really need to bring their A game against the Storm (likewise for the Storm though). This game could really go any way but I feel (and hope) that the Storm are too well drilled for the Rabbitohs to beat just yet.

#3 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

Manly are still a bunch of cool dudes. Managed to take care of the Doggies and do their thing which is always nice. Brett Stewart had a coming out party of sorts (Is it just me or was it his best game of the season by a LONG way?) which will no doubt begin the onslaught of State of Origin talks. The big thing Manly has going for themselves is their ridiculous defence, having conceded only five tries in their first five games. That is freaking amazing.

Expectations for Round 6: I have no idea what's going on in Cronulla right now so I guess Manly are just going to give it to them while a packed Brookvale Oval watches on.

#4 Brisbane Broncos

Every time I move these guys down a few spots they always play lights out and find their way back up the board. It's truly amazing. They did deserve it this week though when they took it to the Titans (and we all know I have a man-crush on the Titans). Their second half was just breathtaking and it made me appreciate the Broncos just a little bit more.

Expectations for Round 6: Despite their dominance over the Titans in recent history the Cowboys are a completely different story. The Cowboys will be on a high after shutting out the Panthers last weekend and they'll be looking to keep that form going against the Broncos. However the Broncos are on a little roll of their own after hauling in four tries in forty minutes to overpower the Titans last weekend. Who can keep the roll going?

#5 Sydney Roosters

We've seen what the Roosters can do when they're good and it's freakishly scary. We've also seen what they can do when they're bad, which is something to the tune of leaking 24 points to the Raiders rubbish attack. If these guys can get consistent and find that brutal defence which disappeared in the last 40mins against Canberra they may be able to give the Storm and Bunnies a run for their money.

Expectations for Round 6: I fully expect these guys to bounce back and give the Doggies a bit of a spanking. There has been a lot of attention to the Dogs firing up for Sonny's first game against his old club, but how many of those players were there when he left? Do they even care?

#6 Gold Coast Titans

So I guess the Titans still have that whole inferiority complex thing going on in their head. Having Sezer out would have been tough but I still thought they might find a way to win. The Titans need to take care of themselves because if they get struck by injuries they may not have the depth to cover it. As I've said before though, I like what they've got going on. If they can stay injury free and be consistent they'll go far.

Expectations for Round 6: The Titans have a nice long break before their game against Parramatta and they desperately need a win to keep up with that top half of the competition table, namely Manly and the Roosters. Because once you start swimming with those teams near the bottom of the top eight it's hard to get back up for air. I'm expecting the Titans to take out their anger on the Eels though, and win by a fair margin.

#7 North Queensland Cowboys

So the Cowboys are back, for now. Pretty much just stripped Penrith of their manhood last week it was very embarrassing to watch. Though they definitely took the gas off the pedal at one point and the game sort of just plodded along from there. When they take on better teams they won't have that kind of luxury where they can just ‘sit back and relax' waiting for fulltime to arrive.

Expectations for Round 6: The Cowboys aren't affected by the ‘Broncos inferiority complex” like the Titans are so they'll be approaching this game like they would any other. It's a big game though, between two sides that are on a roll and looking to keep it going. I have a feeling this game will be won in the halves though, and we all know who has the advantage there.

#8 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Alright, I'm finally off the Doggies love train. They just don't get me going anymore so I've cast them aside and I'm not looking back, you know unless they give me reason to. They've had a pretty tough schedule and a lot of injuries so you can't entirely blame them, but you know what? I still will.

Expectations for Round 6: I don't know if it's just the papers pumping it up but for some reason I'm getting the vibe that the Bulldogs are trying to egg the Chooks on for their Friday night game. I'm not entirely sure that's something I'd want to be doing if I were the Doggies. The Roosters may just lay the smack into you which is never a good thing.

#9 Newcastle Knights

I don't know how this mob managed to lose to the Dragons. How bad is your defence that you let them score three tries against you? Either way you look at it the Knights have been pretty damn average when they've been playing away from the Castle, so they somehow need to get that sorted out. Lucky for them they'll be hosting Penrith this week, the very same side who got castrated by the Cowboys last weekend.

Expectations for Round 6: Wayne Bennett needs to get these blokes playing consistent footy, away from home they are a mess of the highest order. This week though the Panthers will be looking for revenge so the Knights will need to step up their game and be ready for an angry Panthers outfit. I do expect the Knights to have a bit of run though; they'll be at home so the Panthers probably won't be too much trouble. The Knights really need to win this game to keep up with the sides in the top six. A slip up could mean they're swimming with the fishes.

#10 Penrith Panthers

Penrith were bullied last week, they got wedgied to the extreme and then got their pants pulled down, and it was a painful experience for all those watching (bar Cowboys fans). They need to sort out their halves and set them in stone because playing with a new bloke in their every week has got to be killing their outside backs.

Expectations for Round 6: Heading to Newy is never an easy task. The Knights play very well there so Penrith need to bring their A game and their halves need to execute to perfection and play with a little bit of creativity. The Panthers really need to win though to get themselves off the bottom of the table.

#11 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

This team is heading down a dark and dangerous road. After an amazingly promising start to the season they have just fallen off the pace completely and they're looking like a pile of potatoes out there on the field (I feel like that's a bit generous too). The Sharks missed Toddy's creativity in attack and they just had no spark in attack.

Expectations for Round 6: I don't know if it's all the ASADA controversy or the Sharks are just plain bad, but these guys don't even look like winning any of their games with the way they've been playing. They've got to go to Brooky this weekend as well which is probably the hardest place to win at in the world (unless you're Manly). So yeah, good luck Sharkies, you'll need it.

#12 Canberra Raiders

Props to these blokes for taking down the Roosters, just shows that sides really can't underestimate the Raiders when they're playing on their home turf. Now if only they could show that gusto when they're playing away from home... Still unsure how what to make of the Raiders, I don't think they'll be scoring 24 points in a half of football anytime soon though.

Expectations for Round 6: At home taking on the Warriors is pretty much the only scenario I could think of where the Raiders might be able to grab a win this week, so aren't they lucky. Warriors have been going alright lately though so don't write them off completely.

#13 St. George Illawarra Dragons

These guys are on their way up. I can feel it in my toes. Back to back wins might not sound too glamorous but these guys have really stuck in and gave it to the Knights and the Sharks and they are looking like a better team. I still don't know if I trust them to score more than 20 points in a game but with their defence playing lights out they may not need to.

Expectations for Round 6: When the Saints play the Tigers it's always a big match with a tight finish. Though I have the feeling that if the Dragons can get on top early they'll be able to hold on for the win due to their awesome defence and the Tigers lack of Benji. Though if the Tigers manage to run in a try or two...

#14 New Zealand Warriors

Two bloody points, I was nearly jumping for joy when these guys came so close to running the Bunnies off their little pedestal. These guys are sticking in games and not only does that impress the heck out of me it actually makes me think they'll start winning games regularly if they keep turning up and putting their best foot forward week in and week out. Of course the other teams must also be horribly off their game but I prefer not to think about that part.

Expectations for Round 6: The Raiders are pretty bad, but the game is in Canberra when they only suck 50% of the time. So that puts a neat little spin on things. I expect the Warriors will put up a fight on the weekend.

#15 Parramatta Eels

Quite the bounce back this weekend from the pride of Parramatta in a game of footy which could have gone either way. After the woeful performance against the Roosters the Eels defence looked about fifty million times better and it showed on the scoreboard. It's amazing how much easier games are to win when you don't let the opposition score 20-odd points in each half of footy.

Expectations for Round 6: The trip up to the Gold Coast isn't going to be an easy one for Ricky Stuart's boys. The Titans (aside from their last forty minutes) have been playing pretty awesome footy, and they'll be relying on the Eels to play them back into the form. It's up to the Eels to play well enough to stop them.

#16 - Why do you even turn up? - Wests Tigers

These guys started off pretty damn hot against the Storm, but I guess they just couldn't keep up and they ran out of puff. The absolute last thing they needed in the world was for Benji to be out injured and look what has happened. Their halves combo this week is going to look very different to the one that started the season and that is the last thing you want as a coach. The injury pile is starting to mount up and it looks like it will be a long season for the Tigers.

Expectations for Round 6: For the Tigers to have any hope of winning whatsoever they'll need to get on the board early and get out to an 8 or 12 point lead in the first twenty minutes. If they let the Dragons get ahead early the Dragons will just defend for years and years and the Tigers attack won't get anywhere.

#1 - King of the Hill - Melbourne Storm

Well only one team could be defeated at the end of last Round and to no one's surprise it was the Storm (Hooray...?). Watching the game I never really thought they were going to lose it at any point so it was a rather enjoyable game. If the Storm can maintain their form and constancy then they might be looking at a golden season.

Expectations for Round 7: The Storm have a lot of players backing up from Rep Footy so they might be a little worse for wear. But fortunately for them they take on the Warriors who I don't think will have the class to match them.

#2 South Sydney Rabbitohs

These guys were admirable in their contest against the Storm. They showed they've improved a lot since their meeting in week one of the finals last season. Reynolds had a little taste of Representative football over the weekend (if you could call it that) and he will only be better for the experience. The trouble for the Rabbitohs is that they live and die on the fitness and performance of Reynolds and Inglis, and Inglis looks like he may have picked up a boo boo.

Expectations for Round 7: In what will hopefully be the game of the Round, the Bunnies have to get back in the right mindset and take on a powerful Manly outfit. The Sea Eagles are one of those teams where if they're in the zone they are bloody hard to stop so Souths need to come out of the gates with a bang.

#3 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

These blokes might be a little older than the rest of the comp but they're showing they can match it with anyone. At their best any team will have a tough time matching them, but unfortunately for the Eagles they've had some disastrous and costly lapses in concentration which makes them look deadest ordinary. That's pretty much the only weakness in their game so if they can get that sorted they will be pretty sweet.

Expectations for Round 7: Souths are a quality team, so Manly can't afford to clock off at all in this contest. They need to keep their foot on the pedal else it could be a long night for the boys from Brookvale. I still think they can get it done, but they need to be wary of Souths' ability to lay on the points in a very small amount of time.

#4 Brisbane Broncos

The Broncos cemented themselves as contenders with a clean sweep of both their Queensland Rivals. Taking on the Cowboys was no easy feat and they managed to come out of it all with a win and a massive grin on their faces. They're still ridiculously underrated by most sides they come up against but I have a feeling these guys are just getting started. These guys are holding onto a little bit of momentum right now and the only time I see it stopping is when State of Origin come around.

Expectations for Round 7: It's always around this time every season where the Broncos start falling off the pace and dropping a few 'gimme' games which should be wins. This is one of those games, if the Broncos lose this one then I think that it might be a very long rep season for the Brisbane boys.

#5 Sydney Roosters

Roosters have some quality performances under their belt but I'm not sending them into the top four till they can beat some quality opposition (I know they beat Broncos but it wasn't exactly a good performance). If they can knock of the Dragons and their ANZAC Day hoodoo then I might start showing them some love, though more likely than not I will find something to complain about. Also I don't know why they continue to put Luke O'Donnell in their 17, he has not been playing good footy.

Expectations for Round 7: I'm expecting the Roosters to get it done this week, though I don't think it will be a blowout like some of their previous efforts. It will be a tough game of footy but I don't think the Dragons have enough going for them on the offensive side of the ball to keep up with an on song Roosters outfit.

#6 Gold Coast Titans

A pretty enormous win for these guys on the weekend, however a lot of teams would have crumbled and Titans decided to have a dig. They can hand this win to their discipline though as they managed to keep it clean in the second half which put the onus on the Eels to make the mistakes, and boy oh boy did they. The Titans need to fix themselves up quite a bit, but they're on the right track for now.

Expectations for Round 7: I'm eager to see this matchup because I'm still not sure about the Titans or the Knights' fortunes for this season. Both have put in excellent performances at times and both are kind of hard to get a read on. One thing the Knights have against them is that they have not been great away from home.

#7 North Queensland Cowboys

For all the injuries and crap these guys have to go through they're making life tough for other teams. The game against the Broncos went down to the wire and not many other NRL teams could to the same if they had been the ones with their roster decimated with injuries. Seriously though these guys had Clint Greensheilds playing fullback for them, a lot of you younger lads probably wouldn't even know who he is

Expectations for Round 7: Taking on the Raiders away up North shouldn't be too much of a trouble for the Cowboys as the Raiders are rubbish when they're not in the Nation's Capital. On top of this, the Raiders halves are coming off a weekend of Rep Footy that they're not used to playing in, so they may feel a bit more tired than usual during the game.

#8 Newcastle Knights

This was bad bad bad game no matter which way you look at it. Sure the Knights managed to take home the points but no team should be happy with a performance like that. Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick just thinking about it. The one half-decent thing the Knights can take out of this game is that they managed to defend pretty well when the Panthers sniffed their way back into the most hideous contest in Rugby League history.

Expectations for Round 7: It's a long way back after a performance like the Knights put on against the Panthers. Hopefully with the week off Bennett tore his players a new one and they'll come out firing against the Titans. The more likely scenario however is we get the a performance only slightly better than the one these guys served up against Penrith.

#9 St. George Illawarra Dragons

How the heck are these guys in the top 8? I was begging the Tigers to steal the win in the dying minutes but alas it wasn't meant to be. The big story from the game for me was the fact that the Dragons managed to score three tries. Seriously though, their defence seems to be the bees knees, but it hasn't really been tested against some decent opposition.

Expectations for Round 7: Usually I'm pretty set in stone when it comes to teams and their 'bogey' games but this time I think it's pretty clear that the Roosters have the edge. Mainly because I think the Roosters will score at least 20 points and I don't think the Dragons will be able to match that, no matter how hard they try.

#10 Penrith Panthers

The Panthers just need to forget that embarrassment of a game even existed. When a match is of that poor quality it's time to throw out the film study and get back to basics. Surely Phil Gould has some old Boots 'N All cone drills the Panthers can have a go at, which should be simple enough. I'm expecting more than a few of the Panthers fans are just looking forward to next season.

Expectations for Round 7: Penrith have a lot of problems, and that's a bit of an understatement. I look at their squad and nothing moves me, nothing makes me want to run to Penrith to watch them play. Yet somehow they are able to put in quality performances which make me wonder where it's all coming from. They've also put some shockers in as well though. I think this week will be a good test to see where they're at, because they should come away with the win.

#11 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

I don't really know how a team can be trounced one week and still have shreds of dignity left but I feel as though the Bulldogs have found a way. They weren't horrible against the Roosters, they tried their guts out but nothing was coming off for them. Barba still looks like his mind isn't completely on footy which worries me a little bit, Dessy needs to sort these blokes out as soon as he can, else they might just find themselves out of finals contention.

Expectations for Round 7: The Bulldogs are taking on a club which is in a very similar position to them. Both clubs are desperate for a win but I can't see the Doggies pulling it out just yet. They've got a better team but they're just not finding the line yet. They need to find a bit of sparkle in attack because they're just not groovy at the moment.

#12 Canberra Raiders

So are these guys supposed to be a good team or what? As exciting as it was to see Campese back in action (before his inevitable re-injury) the Raiders didn't win in convincing fashion, it was just a sort of 'performance' which grabbed them the two points. The injury to the Pillow (David Shillington) was a bit of a worry too. I don't really know what to expect from the Raiders yet, still kind of figuring them out.

Expectations for Round 7: Raiders fans will be praying that JT and Bowen are somehow taken out of this match because if they're both in there then the Raiders are going to get a score put on them. Seriously Raiders, every game can't be played in Canberra, when are you going to get that through your head?

#13 Wests Tigers

You know, had these guys played decent football for more than three minutes last weekend they may have actually won the game. You can't just turn up; score two tries and then fall back asleep expecting the other team to forget the game is still being played. I don't know about these guys, sometimes I wonder if their brain is even switched on half of the time.

Expectations for Round 7: The Tigers love playing out of Campbelltown so they've definitely got that going for them this weekend, I've got a feeling they might sneak in a little upset this weekend and topple the Broncos. It all depends on if young gun Curtis Sironen can get his men going in attack.

#14 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Each week I say it and each week I get no closer to finding out a reason, where the heck did the Sharks go and who are these woeful impersonators? I'll give partial credit to the Sharks for not completely rolling over and giving themselves over to the might of the Sea Eagles, but you can't gift the opposing team 16 points and expect everything to be all hunky-dory. Sort yourselves out Sharkies.

Expectations for Round 7: This is a must win match for both teams, they're both struggling and needing to find that extra gear to get themselves back into form and one of them is going to find it this week. I have a feeling that the Sharks are going to get on top in this match, just because Carney is back and he'll be able to add something to the Sharks team that will give them a creative edge. The same edge that Barba is still yet to give the Bulldogs.

#15 New Zealand Warriors

I have to give the Warriors some credit, they at least put themselves in a position where they can 'almost' get the win they realisation that they're the Warriors sinks in and they just want to cry and sleep forever watching romantic comedies about the old days where they made the Grand Final. How about that Konrad Hurell kid though? Damn he is something completely from another planet, it's awesome!

Expectations for Round 7: Sometime the Warriors have the competitive edge on the Storm just because they're not expected to play well, but I don't think this is one of those times. Sometimes good teams beat bad teams because they're bad teams and reading into their history is just going too far into it.

#16 - Why do you even turn up? - Parramatta Eels

This pathetic team couldn't even knock over a crippled Titans team. How do you work that one out? It seems Parra are long for the spoon again, they'll only chalk up wins when they've been absolutely blown off the park the week before. Thankfully Eels fans have a bunch of exciting signings to look forward to for next season. Huzzah.

Expectations for Round 7: Chalk up another loss here, Parra are a mess. Maybe it's a bit harsh but it's the way I see it. What's it going to take for these guys to actually put in a quality 80 minute performance? I just don't believe that these guys are a good football team, and I'm still waiting for them to prove me wrong.

#1 - King of the Hill - Melbourne Storm

These guys are at that point where they're just messing with their opposition. Poor Warriors, thinking they actually had a chance to beat the Storm. I kind of wanted to see the Warriors steal the win; just so that whoever faced the Storm in the weeks to come would face their true wrath, not just a team who is going through the motions week to week.

Expectations for Round 8: It's not hard to imagine why the Storm are just ‘going through the motions' when they play host to quality sides like the Canberra Raiders. It's annoying to see that they might be getting complacent but until a team puts them in their place it's how they will stay.

#2 South Sydney Rabbitohs

This was just a phenomenal game to experience as a fan of Rugby League, so I'm glad it was the only Friday night game on Free to Air TV. These teams just gave it to each other old school style and it was just so gritty. Whatever their coach said to them at the break was awesome because they came out and ran like they had a fire cracker stuck where it hurts. Their defence was amazing and they just really impressed me.

Expectations for Round 8: I expect Souths will be energised from their massive game against Manly and they'll be prepared to give Brisbane a good friendly smacking. Brisbane however are not the pushovers many expect them to be, they've shown in the past that they have quality defence when it matters and I'm sure it'll come in handy here.

#3 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

These bloody concentration lapses will be the death of this mob. They must have left their brains in the change room at half time because they had no idea what to do at the start of that second half. It was tough for Manly though, had they been taking on any other team in the competition (except the Storm) they probably would have won. They will be back and on the right track soon enough, they are still one hell of a footy team.

Expectations for Round 8: Manly are going to be angry from last week's game against the Bunnies. If there is one this you don't want, it's to have an angry team going up against you when that angry team plays very very very good football. The Dragons will very likely get blown away.

#4 Sydney Roosters

Alright I'll admit it, I'm drinking the Roosters Kool-Aid after last week's performance. I still don't think they are up there with the top three teams just yet, but they're bloody close and we'll be finding out just how up there they are in a few weeks when they take on the Storm and Manly. James Maloney has really come into his own at the Roosters; he's even over-shadowing his halves partner Mitchell Pearce on some occasions.

Expectations for Round 8: Penrith have been a bit of a bogey team for the Roosters for quite a while now. They always seem to be able to switch on and teach the Roosters a lesson or two, so everyone needs to be prepared for that possibility. The Roosters however have been playing very good football, so what pulls through? Scissors or Paper?

#5 Brisbane Broncos

Those two points shouldn't have been that difficult for the Broncos to get, but somehow they managed to keep the Tigers in the game and even gave them a little sniff towards the end there. It wasn't a very convincing game for me and I somewhat feel like the Broncos are starting to play down to the level of their opponents which is not what you want to see. They need to keep themselves focussed during their games and try to keep the foot on the pedal.

Expectations for Round 8: I expect the Broncos to give the Bunnies a real workout. No matter how well Souths play I believe that Brisbane has the defensive expertise to be able to contain them in what should be a low scoring affair. Of course I could be completely wrong and Souths will send them back to the middle ages.

#6 North Queensland Cowboys

They were taking on the Raiders away from home, if they didn't put them to the sword I would have ranted endlessly about what a horrible club they are, let's be thankful I don't have to do that. The Cowboys seem like they're starting to get a hang of things here and they could get themselves of a bit of a roll if they manage to stay focussed and injury free.

Expectations for Round 8: I haven't made up my mind about the Cowboys yet so at the moment I'm still under the impression that they could lose to the Eels this weekend if they don't have the correct mindset for the game. They need to keep their foot on the pedal when they're leading at half time or they'll get run down.

#7 Newcastle Knights

The Knights played pretty well on the weekend and managed to notch up their first win of the season away from home, but the win was made quite a bit easier when the Titans lose three of their players to injury. The Knights can't rely on that sort of stuff to help them out each and every week; they need to be able to make the plays that are required of them on a regular basis. But I give them the benefit of the doubt this week.

Expectations for Round 8: There is a little bit of expectation on the Knights this weekend to bash the life out of the Sharks. The Sharks are reeling and are in some disgraceful form, if the Knights can't beat them at home than many questions will have to be asked of Newcastle.

#8 Gold Coast Titans

Much like the Tigers, the Titans have the unfortunate privilege of looking at their injury report and having to see a host of quality players missing. It's easy to make the excuse that it's hard to win a game with only 14 men but it's wasn't really close to an even contest. It's going to be hard to play consistent football when you're playing with a different bunch of blokes every weekend.

Expectations for Round 8: The Titans have to be very careful this weekend or they'll lose what should have been a gimme two points. Injuries can be tough but you have to work through them, the Titans need to work together and be disciplined this weekend. They need to make sure that they don't lose this game.

#9 Penrith Panthers

I'm not sure if that was as convincing a win as it should have been. Not on a scoreboard level, on an “how do I feel about the Panthers” level. It's not the Panthers fault really, it's just the Eels are really bad and I'd only get worried If a team didn't beat the living daylights out of them. But that's how bad Parra are, they have no daylights left inside them to be beaten. Back to the Panthers, they're okay, this week's game should tell us a lot about both sides.

Expectations for Round 8: These Panthers will be feeling good about themselves heading into what could be a blockbuster match against the Sydney Roosters, however these Chooks have been on a pretty solid run themselves. Honestly it could go either way, I actually have no idea. Roosters have been letting in a few tries from kicks this season, Penrith seem to be good at that.

#10 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

It wasn't an Earth shattering win which caused countrymen to cheer from the streets or anything like that, but it was enough to prove that the Doggies aren't completely useless and it took some weight off the shoulders of some of the Doggies hopeful. The win was encouraging, but they've still got a massive list of things they need to work on ahead of their upcoming games. Not every team will be as rubbish as the Sharks.

Expectations for Round 8: This looks like it could be a pretty ugly game to watch, especially if it's wet weather footy. Doggies diehards will still be there however. I think everyone's intrigued to see how Miller and Sironen combine in the halves for the Tigers, and how they match up against Reynolds and Hodkinson. It could go either way but i'm somewhat expecting a Doggies win.

#11 St. George Illawarra Dragons

The Dragons didn't really turn up for their annual ANZAC Day match against the Chooks once again their inability to score points just killed any chance they had of winning the game, as they were only able to muster two tries (both from kicks). They just couldn't keep up with everything the Roosters had going on. If they grab Josh Dugan that might provide them with something sexy in attack but they've got a long way to go.

Expectations for Round 8: The Dragons spirits looked down after last week, and they're about to get even lower as the Sea Eagles come to town and dig up a storm. These Sea Eagles are nothing to mess around with and I expect they will just completely dominate the Dragons, I can't see anything else happening.

#12 Wests Tigers

These guys just can't catch a break on the injury front, with Tigers halves (and a few other positions too) dropping like flies. It's not a good way to go through a season. Despite this they were still very much in the game until the final few minutes. They've got a good crop of tight-knit players, and I really like this youngster Curtis Sironen. If they can somehow hold off this injury plague they might just be able to knock over a few teams.

Expectations for Round 8: Another new halves combination for the Tigers and hopefully this one lasts them till Benji comes back. The young pair of halves could be the sole reason the Tigers win/lose on Friday night. If Sironen is on song and the forwards lay a solid foundation for him to build off I can see the Tigers actually being in with a chance.

#13 Canberra Raiders

The Raiders showed a few flashes of excitement and flair but in the end they just don't have the hunger to win games when they're away from home which is a major buzzkill for all the Raiders fans out there who want to see their team succeed. On the plus side, they've got Campo back, so hopefully he'll be able to stay injury free and regain some form from the days where he was a Canberra stud.

Expectations for Round 8: I don't think I've said this yet this season, but there is no way in hell that Canberra is even thinking about winning this game. First of all, they've got to beat Melbourne, which is hard enough already. Secondly they've got to do it away from home. They never win away from home. They are going to be at extremely long odds to take out this one.

#14 New Zealand Warriors

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It's hard leaving the Warriors down the bottom here when they're playing so much better than a lot of the teams above them. The key difference is that the Warriors just don't know how to win. You can play as well as you want but if you can't win then it's all for naught. They just need to take that extra step and they will moving up the mountain.

Expectations for Round 8: This is where the Warriors get their second win of the season. The Titans are stacked with injury, and they have to take a flight to New Zealand to play footy. When mixed together that means bad news for any team. The Warriors won't be handed the win though, they'll have to work for it big time.

#15 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Things are just going from bad to worse for the Sharkies hopeful. On and off the field nothing is looking close to promising. Carney tried his guts out but he had no one helping him out for the entire game. I don't know if there is a way back for these guys, they just look like all the hope in their camp is lost. It's not a pretty sight at all. The Sharks are the epitome of the term “missed opportunity” right now.

Expectations for Round 8: Taking on the Knights at home is no easy task. Taking on the Knights at home when you're playing completely rubbish football is even harder, so they'll have to be creative in attack and disciplined with the ball in hand.. Though I expect it will be a long night for the Shire boys.

#16 - Why do you even turn up? - Parramatta Eels

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I don't know how many different ways I can say that this team is atrocious. But I've got to do it for 18 more rounds of footy so you better get used to it. Ricky Stuart didn't know what he was getting himself into, these guys made Penrith look like world beaters, how is that even possible? Parra fans are in the midst of a very very very long year and it's only going to get longer (that's what she said).

Expectations for Round 8: Parramatta got embarrassed last week, so I have a feeling that they might get shocked into putting on a good performance at home this weekend against the Cowboys. It's not in the realm of impossible; it's just super duper unlikely. But stranger things have happened.

#1 - King of the Hill - Melbourne Storm

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that it was possible for Melbourne to be beaten by the Raiders on their home turf. But once again the world comes to appreciate the concept of "on any given day". The Storm got caught out by a team that had come to play and Storm fans have to hope that this performance wakes them up and get's them fired up for the months to come.

Expectations for Round 9: The Storm have the perfect opportunity to put themselves back in the winner's circle with a dominant win over the Panthers this weekend. The Panthers are a good side, but I don't think there is any chance they can match it with an angry Storm side which is hell bent on being the best side in the competition.

#2 South Sydney Rabbitohs

I'm sure I say this every week but Greg Inglis is just a champion. He turns a game on its head like few have before him and he is the firewood that keeps the South Sydney flame burning so damn bright. There isn't too much to say about the Rabbitohs, they're going to be alright while Greg Inglis is around. I'm not discrediting the rest of the Bunnies outfit; Inglis is just so good they he stands out as a demi-god in a side which is playing quality footy.

Expectations for Round 9: The Cowboys have been somewhat underwhelming so far this season, so because of this I feel like the Bunnies won't have too much trouble dealing with them unless the Cowboys miraculously play lights out and Souths fall of the pace. I don't see that happening so I expect the Bunnies have got this one pretty much in the bag.

#3 Sydney Roosters

Despite not putting their best foot forward against the Panthers the Chooks still managed to cook up a pretty convincing win against Penrith and add to their crazy for and against totals. The past two weeks the Roosters have managed to pull out wins in two bogey games and that must be a pretty whopping big morale booster for the blokes who have been there for over one year. They do face their biggest test of the season this weekend though.

Expectations for Round 9: This game against the Sea Eagles is huge for the boys from Bondi. Brookvale has been somewhat of a cursed stadium for the Red White and Blue in years past. But the Roosters have been breaking hoodoo's left right and centre so what is another one added onto the pile? If the Roosters play their usual game it's hard to see them losing, but Manly are a quality side so it could go either way.

#4 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

After putting forward and awesome effort and coming up with nothing against Souths, it was disappointing to watch them put up a pretty lackluster performance against the Dragons and still manage to pull out a win. Defensively, they were strong for the most part, but they gave the Dragons way too much ball. The Dragons should never have been allowed to get into a position to win that game, yet they nearly pulled it out.

Expectations for Round 9: Manly don't go into too many games as an underdog, so they might be enjoying themselves this week. Manly are a really good side, so it's hard to discount them against the Roosters, but they've shown they are prone to lapses in concentration and ill discipline at times which is why Roosters are probably favourites to take the game. As far as expectations go, it should be a cracker of a game.

#5 Brisbane Broncos

The Broncos try really hard, but sometimes they just can't quite get where they need to be. Their consistency is admirable, and had they been coming up against a different side last weekend they may have actually won. But alas it wasn't to be. They're a good team; they just need to find a way to get into that extra gear and beat better sides to the punch, because at the moment, they are unable to reach the punch.

Expectations for Round 9: The Broncos will likely continue with their string of strong performances as they take on a pathetic Parramatta outfit this weekend. With Justin Hodges back things don't bode well for the Eels at all, this could be a very ugly game for them. The Eels forward pack offers nothing for the backs to take advantage of so I expect the Broncos might shut out the Eels.

#6 North Queensland Cowboys

Something isn't right North of the border. The Cowboys should be up there with Manly, Storm and the Rabbitohs as a formidable team, but they aren't. Barely managing to scrape home against the Eels is a dreadful thing to have on your resume. There are fixes that need to be made for this team to have any hope of competing with the big bully defences of the top four teams.

Expectations for Round 9: The Cowboys certainly have the calibre of players to match it with Souths, but they need to put in the performance to match their star power. They will need to pull something awesome out of their bag of tricks if they are to take down this competitive Bunnies squad. It's hard to see which Cowboys team will turn up, but it's not impossible to see them giving Souths a run for their money.

#7 Newcastle Knights

These guys nearly produced an awesome effort to get home against the Sharks over the weekend, but it wasn't meant to be as the Knights suffered their first home loss of the season. As usual, the Knights showed glimpses of what they were capable of, but ultimately they are in the same category as the Cowboys, they're just missing that something extra to put them up there with the better teams in the competition.

Expectations for Round 9: Travelling to Canberra is never easy for anyone, but the men from Canberra are full of confidence after snapping the Storm's unbeaten run last weekend. This could be a surprisingly exciting game if the Knights turn up with the right attitude and the Raiders pick up from where they left off last week. I expect this to be a cracking game!

#8 Gold Coast Titans

It was always going to be hard for the Titans to go over to New Zealand and take on an underrated Warriors outfit, but they tried their guts out in the second half and nearly pulled a win out of thin air. Much like the Tigers, these guys are still suffering from the injury bug which has plagued their season, but if they can channel the enthusiasm they displayed in the second half against the Warriors they should be able to pull out more wins and keep themselves in finals contention.

Expectations for Round 9: I have no idea who is going to win this game. The Titans should come away with the win, but if you take away the last fifteen minutes of last week they've struggle to score points and the Dragons boast a semi-formidable defence. The return of their two stud wingers should help the Titans cause though so I expect them to pull out the win.

#9 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Are Canterbury back? Their complete demolition of an injury plagued Wests side was certainly the cause of much discussion on the Bulldogs chances. The return of some ferociousness to their forward pack has excitement building among the clubs faithful. With two wins on the trot, it seems like the Bulldogs are rediscovering their old form, or trying to at least.

Expectations for Round 9: I'm absolutely excited for this match this week, it should be a corker! The Warriors are slowly discovering themselves after a slow start to the season and the Bulldogs are much of the same mould. I sort of expect the Bulldogs to grab the win here but it's never that easy to get a win when you come across the Tasman, as the Titans showed. This game is up for grabs, whoever turns up to play will grab it.

#10 Canberra Raiders

Who saw that performance coming? The Raiders turned up to play in a fashion few teams could handle. It was too much for the Storm, who as many had noticed played like they were just going through the motions. If Canberra can play with that intensity for the rest of the season, they'll go close to a top four finish. However, they need to keep tabs on their ball control; if they keep turning the ball over like they have been they'll find it very hard to keep winning games.

Expectations for Round 9: As confident as Canberra must feel after last week's awesome effort they are still not the greatest team in the league. They struggle to hang onto the ball and they struggle to make line breaks so they'll have to fix that up if they want to continue their winning form against the Knights.

#11 New Zealand Warriors

Thankfully the Warriors didn't find a way to lose this game, they managed to outlast the Titans which will hopefully be the kickstart of a nice little winning run for the men from New Zealand. There is a lot to be excited for if you're a Warriors fan. They've got some pretty energetic youngsters coming into the side so they prove tough to beat for the remainder of the season. Though its very hard to see a scenario where they make the top 8.

Expectations for Round 9: The Warriors will have to play their guts out if they want the win this week. The Bulldogs are finding themselves again and have the Warriors in their sights this week coming off two wins on the trot. The only saviour for the Warriors is that this game is at home so they'll have the crowd firmly on their side.

#12 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

This was an awesome game to watch, if you take out the scrappy ten minutes of blown field goal opportunities that is. The loss of big Paul Gallen for the next few weeks is definitely a massive blow for the Sharkies though. However Luke Lewis managed to knuckle down and produce an amazing game and he may have kept the Sharks in the game with some of the amazing efforts he put in. They've still got a way to go to get back into the top 8, but it's nice to see them in the winner's circle again.

Expectations for Round 9: Cronulla have a very realistic chance to get back to back wins as they face a Tigers side who doesn't even know which way is up at the moment. This could be the defining moment of their season as they sit one win outside the top eight and the finals is very much within their reach. I expect the Sharks to come out of the sheds exuding hunger and passion. The Sharks need this win.

#13 Penrith Panthers

It was a tough day at the office for everyone in Panthers colours this weekend. The Roosters suffocated their entire attack and they were not able to do anything except hand the ball over and let the Chooks run all over them. The Panthers defence let them down quite a bit as the Roosters didn't really do anything too exciting or overly complicated with the ball in hand. They just took advantage of their opportunities and the Panthers couldn't compete.

Expectations for Round 9: Facing the Roosters and the Storm in back to back weeks has got to be a nightmare for the Penrith squad. They do have a few exciting young players coming through but I don't think it will do them any good against this Storm team. Luke Walsh will have to kick bloody well for the Panthers if they are to have any hope of upsetting the Storm.

#14 St. George Illawarra Dragons

It happened to be the same old story for the Red V's as they struggled to put on points with the weight of possession clearly in their favour. The boys did everything right except put on points and in the end Manly came out the victors when the game was there for the taking. The culture of 'Dragons footy' doesn't really work when you let the opponents get a commanding lead early on in the match. Maybe having Josh Dugan come in is the spark which will lead to the Dragons figuring out how to score points.

Expectations for Round 9: If the Titans pick up from where they left off last week the Dragons could be in a lot of trouble early, and we all know how they fare when having to play from behind on the scoreboard. They have produced solid performances over the past month but it's hard to see where they'll score points from if Josh Dugan doesn't play and Brett Morris is out. They Dragons will have to produce something special to get the win here.

#15 Wests Tigers

That's five losses in a row for the Tigers who were completely outmatched by a strong Bulldogs side. It's tough for the Tigers as they've got injuries all over the park but they still can't get the little things done. Poor ball control and ill discipline are costing them dearly. They've got so much to work on it's hard to see them getting a win any time soon. Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah really need to get this team on their backs and show them how it's done.

Expectations for Round 9: It's hard for the Tigers (and their fans) to get excited about anything, but this is definitely a game they can win if they turn up with the right mindset. If they can string a few passes together and work well as a team with some second phase play they may be able to pip the Sharks and pull out a win.

#16 - Why do you even turn up? - Parramatta Eels

It's always nice to know that at the end of the week you can look back fondly at the football games passed and know that your team isn't as bad as Parramatta. Much like the Warriors they just have no idea how to win a game of footy. Something as simple as placing the ball over the white line is a grossly foreign concept for the Blue and Gold's. I feel like they've just given up completely on this football season. 2014 is the year of the Eel everyone!

Expectations for Round 9: I don't really expect anything from Parramatta anymore, If they could score a try against the quality Broncos forward pack that would be nice. But realistically they have a difficult match up ahead of them, the Broncos won't go down easy.

#1 - King of the Hill - South Sydney Rabbitohs

Souths are getting stronger and stronger every single week, it's awesome to watch. Seeing the adjustments their coach makes throughout a game to catch their opponents off guard is amazing and it's won them a lot of games already this season. I can see them holding onto the first place on the Ladder for a while as well. They won't be affected by Origin by most clubs, so they will decimate sides during the rep season.

Expectations for Round 10: The Rabbitohs must be salivating with the prospect of blowing the Tigers off the park this weekend, I'm not going to call it a slaughter-house because whenever I do that it seems to backfire, but the Tigers will have to completely reinvent the wheel if they want to take on a scorching Souths side.

#2 Sydney Roosters

What is 26 feet wide and fends of Dragons, Sea Eagles, Panthers and Bulldogs? The Roosters brick wall, mean, lean and war machine like defence. That's what. While their attack blew some opportunities and dropped a whole lot of football, the Roosters defence came to play and completely stopped Manly in their tracks. The loss of enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is massive and will leave a massive hole in the Roosters line-up. He has been one of their best this season.

Expectations for Round 10: The Roosters must be exhausted from the hectic game against Manly on Monday night. It doesn't get any easier for them however as they have to travel up North to face a Cowboys side which has a forward pack as big as the moon. With their two starting props out I expect the Roosters may find it difficult to match it with the Cowboys monsters.

#3 Melbourne Storm

This is not the same Melbourne Storm that won the comp last season. Where the heck have you gone? While at first glance this may seem like the losing streak they went on last season, this one cannot be attributed to State of Origin and if I was a Storm fan I'd be worried. Of course they've still only lost 2 games so far so they can find their way back easily enough; they just need to start winning again, fast.

Expectations for Round 10: This is one huge game in the context of each team's season. For Melbourne, they've lost two games in a row to pretty average sides who have turned up ready to play, if they lose a third game it will be detrimental to their morale and their Minor Premiership aspirations. For Manly, they've lost both their games to the Roosters and Souths, if they lose to the Storm as well they will be stuck in the category of teams below them like the Knights, Cowboys and Titans.

#4 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

It's not looking good for the Sea Eagles, while they are a good team (and have proved as much). They've lost to two of their biggest title threats in recent weeks, and it doesn't get any easier this weekend. If Manly loose this weekend, I don't know how they're going to recover, Origin will hit them very hard and they may be looking at a slide down the ladder if they're not careful.

Expectations for Round 10: This is a massive game for Manly, I expect they may get on top of the Storm just because of pure determination and grit, but it won't be easy. They will need to execute to perfection and keep their defence on the ball. It's hard to say what will happen because both sides can be such a force on their day.

#5 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

The Doggies are slowly crawling their way back into the competition, which at this early stage of the season isn't too hard to do. They came out of the blocks slowly against the Warriors, but some good patches of defence and some last minute attacking efforts netted them the win which ultimately helps them in the old 'grand scheme' of things. They've still got a bit to work on, but then again, who doesn't?

Expectations for Round 10: The Doggies are hitting their stride and face a Knights team who is reeling from an embarrassing display against the Raiders. While the Knights have the professionalism of Wayne Bennett on their side the Bulldogs have (in my mind) a more superior squad and a more polished squad. I can't see them being beaten unless Newcastle blow them away early.

#6 Canberra Raiders

These guys have put themselves on the map after two awesome performances back to back. They completely massacred the Knights in the second half and they have beaten three of the teams in the top five positions on the NRL Ladder. The Raiders play with the energy of a top eight side, and they have shown they can beat the top sides in the comp when they're on their game. I hope they can keep this form going because they're awesome to watch.

Expectations for Round 10: The Sharks are slowly building confidence with every win they post, but the Raiders are already confidant and ready to party with whichever team they get matched up against. Travelling to Sydney isn't the most enjoyable ride for the Green Machine, but they've got the talent to win if they can keep their composure.

#7 North Queensland Cowboys

The Cowboys simply couldn't match it with the Rabbitohs last weekend. They managed to do it for 40 minutes but they couldn't keep up and as a result they slumped to another loss which keeps them outside the top eight on the competition ladder. They are a good side but once the other side get's on a roll it looks like they can't match it with them so they give up. They need to have more of a backbone if they're going to last the season.

Expectations for Round 10: The Roosters are in some scintillating form right now, but the Cowboys have a perfect opportunity to sneak out a win using their bruising forward pack. If the Cowboys can take a leaf out of Souths booklet from Round 1 then they have the blueprint for beating the Roosters. This is all providing JT can orchestrate a few fancy tries.

#8 Newcastle Knights

Wayne Bennett has given the Knights their own little wakeup call (and don't they need it!) by dropping Tahu and Houston this weekend. Getting belted by the Raiders at home was simply an embarrassment and the Knights need to sort themselves out. Unfortunately for the Knights they have more problems to worry about on the park then they'd like to admit. This weekend's game could make or break their season.

Expectations for Round 10: I expect the Knights to look like a completely new team this weekend, I want to see discipline, great work ethic and a gritty determination. Something just doesn't seem right when I watch this team play, I want to like them but they just don't get me excited like other teams do. Let's hope the Knights can get things started again against the Doggies.

#9 Brisbane Broncos

The Eels. You lost to the bloody hopeless Eels! How on Earth do you manage to do that? I guess I had simply misunderstood the Broncos, what I thought was constancy and reliability was simply mediocrity. These guys are pretty much just a slightly better version of the Dragons, they can score points (sometimes) and keep the other side from scoring (most of the time), but when it comes to getting it done or coming up big they just do a whole lot of nothing.

Expectations for Round 10: With Justin Hodges sitting out for another week of footy, it's not hard to see this weekend's game against the Titans being one massive cripple-fight. I expect the Broncos to put up their usual fight, though ultimately the match will come down to how long the Titans want to play footy for.

#10 Gold Coast Titans

The Titans are a good a perfectly capable football team, when they feel like it. They just go missing sometimes, as exciting as it is to watch you can't just play awesome football in the last 20 minutes of a game and expect to pull out the victory (unless you're taking on the Dragons). I like the Titans, but they need to put in 80 minute performances if they want to be taken seriously in this competition.

Expectations for Round 10: The Titans have been hit and miss not only throughout the season, but during games as well. The game against the Broncos is always a big one so they'll need to be on their game if they want to have any hope of knocking them over.

#11 Penrith Panthers

Put your hand up if you were blown away by Penrith's first half efforts against the Storm last weekend. Just as I though, everyone in the entire world put their hand up. The Panthers played their guts out during the first forty minutes against the Storm and managed to barely hold onto the lead to steam a victory away from the Storm. As great as the win was, Penrith fans must be wondering where that kind of performance is every week.

Expectations for Round 10: I am actually really keen on checking out the Panthers game this week. The Panthers and Warriors are two sides who have struggled to post victories this season but they seem to be improving week to week. I expect the Panthers can carry on their efforts from last week's game and come away with the two points.

#12 New Zealand Warriors

Once again the Warriors inability to close a game out cost them dearly and they suffered a loss to the Bulldogs who seem to be flying very high at the moment. One positive for the Warriors is that the jersey that they were wearing for that game looked absolutely awesome. The second positive is that they started very hot out of the gate and did some flashy things with the ball in hand. The only thing stopping them right now is their inability to close out a victory. Also, the jersey they wore last weekend was amazing.

Expectations for Round 10: The Warriors aren't going anywhere until they can figure out how to win a game, so this week's game against the Panthers is likely going to be a loss unless they can somehow remember what it's like to actually win a game without falling off the pace. I expect they'll come close to winning, but they just don't have it in them.

#13 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

It warms my tummy to see the Sharks winning again, even if it is against a woeful Tigers team. Any morale boost is a positive for a team that has been through as much as these guys have been this season. It doesn't get any easier for them though, they face some quality teams over the Origin period and they could lose a lot of talent from their squad.

Expectations for Round 10: Not having to travel to the nation's capital to take on the Raiders is always a bonus, but make no mistake about it this Raiders team should not be taken lightly. While the Sharks have improved over the last few weeks, the Raiders have been electrifying, I'm not sure they can be stopped, even by the Sharks.

#14 Parramatta Eels

Whatever Ricky had his boys doing this week worked wonders, they actually looked like an NRL team during stages of that match against the Broncos and somehow they managed to pull out a win. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around how they actually managed to do it, but all that matters is that they pulled out the win which is more then I can say about the Broncos and seven of the other teams that played last week.

Expectations for Round 10: While Dragons/Eels games are notoriously low scoring; this one may take the cake as I think it could very well end up 1-0 after 80 minutes. In all seriousness though I think the Dragons might have this one. Their defence is fairly reliable and Parra's defence might actually make the Dragons attack look good. Provided Parra revert back to their rubbish playing style from two weeks ago.

#15 St. George Illawarra Dragons

There isn't too much to say about the Dragons that I haven't already said. They just can't score points. Having Josh Dugan named in their squad is the only reason to watch these blokes anymore (aside from my main man Nightingale obviously). They should have held on for the win over the weekend, a good side would have. They have no excuses for what they are putting on show on the field. I hope Josh Dugan can make a difference for them.

Expectations for Round 10: I am just hoping and praying that, for the Dragons sake, Dugan can bring something to their sleep-inducing attack. Jamie Soward's goal kicking is going the way of the Wests Tigers season. I hope they can sort themselves out.

#16 - Why do you even turn up? - Wests Tigers

I hate to say it, but this is a really bad team. They can't defend, they can't score points. They're just waiting for something to happen, but because no one is doing anything nothing happens. They'd do just as well if they placed thirteen cheese graters onto the field and asked them to play football. I think it's pretty clear that big changes will be made in this organisation before the season is over.

Expectations for Round 10: There isn't a bigger challenge right now then taking on Souths. They're a team of blokes with a chip on their shoulder and they're not about to let anyone take them down. I do expect the Tigers to get utterly obliterated, but I'm hoping they can find a way to keep it close and at least give the Bunnies a scare.