Welcome to the start of the footy season

 

It’s that time of the year again, the cricket bats and tennis racquets have been put away until next summer and the footies are out – yes the footy season is upon us again. Over the past few years the Auckland Nines has been seen as the kick off to the NRL season. Whilst not being the official season launch, we do get to see some of our favourite players, exciting young stars and new club acquisitions in action – all playing a very entertaining brand of football. Whilst most teams have not named full strength squads, almost every squad named for this tournament consists of a few big name players and great young talent who may very well go on to have a breakout season in 2016. Cast your mind back to last season’s NRL Auckland Nines when the Cronulla Sharks named a rookie whom many knew very little of – Jack Bird. Bird, whose very impressive Nines tournament featured his dominant role in each of the Sharks matches, was able to springboard himself into the frame for selection in the Sharks NRL team. As it eventuated, it wasn’t long before Bird was selected for the Sharks week in week out, going on to be named the 2015 Dally M rookie of the year. You could argue that the Auckland Nines, a tournament where the younger talent is put on show, is the perfect platform for emerging stars to stake their claim for selection in their respective NRL team’s final seventeen for the season proper.

 

In this upcoming Auckland Nines tournament preview, we will look at the teams who could possibly win this tournament. Whilst not every team looks like a realistic chance of winning on paper, keep in mind a winner could come from anywhere as the Nines are very unpredictable. This preview will look at potential tournament winners based on the squads named, focussing on each team’s potential ability to thrive in a nine-a-side environment.

 

The Pool Groups and finals

 

The Auckland Nines are played across two days (6^th and 7^th of February). All sixteen NRL clubs will participate in four pools of four teams. A round robin format in each pool will determine placings, with the two highest placed teams advancing to the quarterfinals. From quarterfinals onward, it’s sudden death, with only the winner of each quarterfinal advancing on to the semi finals. The winners of the semi finals then progress to the final where the winner of the Auckland Nines will be decided.

The pool groups are as follows:

 

Hunua pool:

 

• Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
• Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
• New Zealand Warriors
• Brisbane Broncos

 

Waiheke pool:

 

• Sydney Roosters
• Parramatta Eels
• South Sydney Rabbitohs
• Melbourne Storm

 

Rangitoto pool: 

 

• Newcastle Knights
• Penrith Panthers
• North Queensland Cowboys
• Wests Tigers

 

Piha pool:

 

• Cronulla Sharks
• Canberra Raiders
• Gold Coast Titans
• St George Illawarra Dragons

 

 

Who can win and why?

 

I believe six out of sixteen teams have the potential to win the Auckland Nines, with each of those six teams representing a winner from all four pool groups. My six potential winners of the 2016 Auckland Nines (in a random order) are:

 

1. Cronulla Sharks: (Piha pool)

 

 

 

The first team highlighted with the potential to take out the 2016 Auckland Nines is the Cronulla Sharks. The Sharks have an impressive past in this particular format, finishing runners up last year to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Why can the Sharks win this tournament? You only have to look at their squad and the potential that it has. The Sharks have named a squad that speaks volumes about their intention to win the Auckland Nines. This squad includes the talents of Ben Barba, Jack Bird, Chad Townsend, Luke Lewis, Chris Heighington and Gerard Beale. The aforementioned players boast speed, the ability to play more than one position, and the skill to offload the ball at will – all important components of being a force in this type of competition. Off the back of last season’s performance at this fixture, this squad will leave the Sharks fans very confident of taking it one step further and winning the whole competition.

 

2. New Zealand Warriors: (Hunua pool)

 

 

 

With a team that the Nines is almost tailor-made for, the New Zealand Warriors are experts at playing an exciting brand of football. They have impressive size, speed, skill, footwork and offloading ability throughout their squad and if that wasn’t enough, the Warriors will enjoy the home ground advantage. The Warriors line up is headlined by NRL superstars Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa Sheck and also boasts an array of talent across the squad; Ryan Hoffman, Solomone Kata, Konrad Hurrell, Ben Matulino, Jeff Robson and Tuimoala Lolohea. With all that strike power and potential, it’s little wonder that they are a popular tip to take out the 2016 Auckland Nines. However, a question mark must be placed over the fitness of their captain and superstar halfback Shaun Johnson. Usually, you could bet your bottom dollar that Shaun Johnson would be one of the best performers in the Nines each time this tournament rolls around, but Johnson is coming off a severe lower leg injury sustained last season. Have the Warriors rushed Johnson back too early? I guess you can say only time will tell.

 

3. Penrith Panthers: (Rangitoto pool)

 

 

 

The Penrith Panthers have named a squad signalling their designs of being a tournament heavyweight. The Panthers have performed well in past Nines tournaments but are yet to really stake a claim for the major prize. When you run through some of the names in this Panthers squad, it’s not hard too see why the Panthers could be a dark horse in this tournament. Their team has the ability to excel at this format with big name players such as James Segayaro, Josh Mansour, Dallin Watene Zelezniak and Elijah Taylor as well as young exciting talent such as; Zach Docker Clay, Waqa Blake, Te Maire Martin and Bryce Cartwright. These players represent a balance of youth and experience, and that balance may prove vital as the Panthers attempt to go to the business end of this competition.

 

4. Parramatta Eels: (Waiheke pool)

 

 

 

The fourth team highlighted with a chance of winning the 2016 Auckland Nines is the Parramatta Eels. Without ever claiming the title, the Eels have performed well since the inception of the tournament. On paper, the Eels team looks like having the potential to be a force once again, and includes a few new faces such as Cameron King, Mitch Cornish and Matthew Woods (the latter being one of two Eels players yet to make their NRL debut). Bevan French, the other player yet to play NRL, is a highly rated rookie in his own right. The new faces named in this Eels squad are joined by players who combine flair and attacking explosiveness – Semi Radradra, John Folau, Corey Norman, Junior Paulo and Tepai Moeroa to name just a few. Despite leaving several big names at home, the Eels still boast a very impressive looking Nines squad. Time will tell if the Eels can be just as impressive on the paddock, because as we all know, just looking good on paper will not win matches.

 

5. North Queensland Cowboys: (Rangitoto pool)

 

 

 

The 2016 NRL premiers and former winners of the Auckland Nines, the North Queensland Cowboys mirror the Warriors as a team tailor made for this tournament. As the reigning premiers, the Cowboys are bound to enjoy favourite status. Although their squad excludes superstar halfback Johnathan Thurston it still boasts talent such as Lachlan Coote, Jake Granville, Jason Taumalolo and Michael Morgan as well as club legend Matt Bowen (a veteran who should excel in a nine-a-side game).The Cowboys possess an ability to score points and score them quickly. Whilst not being the best defensive side going around, the Cowboys have always backed themselves to score points and, in a game where second phase football reigns supreme, the Cowboys present a very serious threat to the 2016 Nines title.

 

6. South Sydney Rabbitohs: (Waiheke pool)

 

 

Last, but certainly not least, my final selection for the tournament is the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Although missing key players from 2015 such as Luke and Walker, the defending Nines champions still present a genuine threat. The Rabbitohs have named a squad that boasts a mixture of speed and explosive strength through the likes of John Sutton, Alex Johnston, Tom Burgess and Kyle Turner. Younger stars such as Hymel Hunt, Cody Walker, John Olive and Paul Carter themselves have an opportunity to make this a breakout tournament and potentially stake their claim in a new look Rabbitohs team for the opening round of the season proper. On paper, the Rabbitohs have the potential to defend their 2015 title, but they will face fierce competition from the other five teams named above.

 

My tip: I have only focussed on six teams as I believe the winner of the 2016 Auckland Nines will come from one of these. This type of format can be difficult to predict, but I’m going to jump in with my selection.

Although I rate the Eels and will be cheering them on, I believe the Auckland Nines final will feature the New Zealand Warriors and the North Queensland Cowboys with the Cowboys emerging victorious in a high scoring close encounter.

Nathan

(Nathan and the whole team at The Cumberland Throw hope you enjoy the Auckland Nines)

 

 

Credit for images as follows:

• http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/65659186/South-Sydney-Rabbitohs-beat-Cronulla-Sharks-to-claim-Auckland-Nines-title (Rabbioths image)
• http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/sportal_com_au/6/fe/cowboys_uetxamux2l1j101oibxbhjdnp.jpg?t=963310780w=500 (Cowboys image)
• http://www.nrl.com/eels-send-defending-champs-crashing-out/tabid/10874/newsid/83621/default.aspx (Eels image)
• http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/dH8_5NupQDO/2014+NRL+Auckland+Nines/4h67ErsdjMW/Josh+Mansour (Panthers image)
• http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Shaun+Johnson/2015+Auckland+Nines/T2Sh4gvZMP4 (Warriors image)
• http://www.triplem.com.au/sydney/sport/nrl/news/2015/2/video-audio-rabbitohs-sharks-teams-of-auckland-nines-2015/ (Sharks image)
• http://www.nrl.com/nrl-members-lounge-returns-at-auckland-nines/tabid/10874/newsid/91513/default.aspx (Auckland nines logo)