The Cumberland Throw

Auckland Nines 2017 – Preview

Welcome to the start of the footy season!

This time last year, TCT welcomed you all to the start of the year with the Auckland Nines and we’ll repeat the greeting with the 2017 tournament.  So put away the tennis racquets and cricket bats – here comes your first taste of NRL for the new year!

Whilst some astute judges of the game have called for this Auckland event to be scrapped I must wholeheartedly disagree with that opinion. Since its inception, the Auckland Nines has been a fresh, new, exciting concept that allows NRL teams to play a more expansive style of football and importantly provides some of the younger players on the fringe of the NRL with the opportunity to impress and stake their claim for a regular position in their respective team’s starting 17 for the upcoming NRL season. And don’t the fans just love it!

Since its inclusion in the rugby league calendar in 2014, the Nines has been seen as the unofficial kick off to the NRL season. As a breeding ground for emerging talent destined to play NRL, it last year famously provided the rugby league world its first glimpse of Parramatta Eels fullback/winger Bevan French. French did not disappoint as he claimed the tournament’s top tryscorer’s mantle then went on to make his NRL debut for the Eels in the latter stages of the 2016 season. To say French lived up to his hype in the Auckland Nines would be an understatement after his debut season yielded 19 tries in just 13 NRL games for the Parramatta Eels.

So as we enter the 2017 Auckland Nines tournament many will be eager to see some of the new faces and boom rookies make their first appearances for their respective clubs.

Who will be the next Bevan French?
Can the Eels go back to back and make it two Nines titles in a row?
How will the likes of Johnathan Thurston and Jarryd Hayne fare in their first taste of Auckland Nines football?
All these questions and more will be answered when we all bear witness to the 2017 Auckland Nines. It should be a ripper!

 

The Pool Groups and Finals

For those still unfamiliar with the Auckland Nines and how it works, here’s some insight: The event is conducted across two days (4th and 5th of February). All sixteen NRL teams will participate but are divided into four groups of four. Each team in their group of four will play each other once with the two best group teams advancing onto quarterfinals. From quarter finals onward its sudden death, with only the winner of each quarter final advancing to the semi finals, and the winners of the semi finals advancing to the final.

The pool groups are as follows:

Piha Pool:

St George Illawarra Dragons
Parramatta Eels (defending champions)
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
New Zealand Warriors (2016 runners up)

Hunua Pool:

North Queensland Cowboys
Sydney Roosters
Canberra Raiders
Souths Sydney Rabbitohs

Rangitoto Pool:

Newcastle Knights
Wests Tigers
Brisbane Broncos
Melbourne Storm

Waiheke Pool:

Cronulla Sharks
Gold Coast Titans
Penrith Panthers
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs

 

Who can win and why?

The following part of this of this preview will be dedicated to who I think can win the 2017 Auckland Nines and why.

After looking at the nominated squads, there are only six teams that I believe can take out the tournament. In no particular order they are:

 

1. Parramatta Eels (Piha pool)


The 2016 Champions truly have the potential to make it two Auckland titles in a row. The Eels have opted to send a very strong team again this year and as a result stand as one of the favourites. With the likes of Bevan French, Semi Radradra, Clinton Gutherson and last years’ player of the tournament Corey Norman in their squad, it’s reason enough for the Eels to be one of the top contenders. However, if that weren’t enough, the Eels excel in playing an extensive style of football and have a lot of speed on the fringes through Radradra, French, Jennings and Tuha. Watch for ex-Warrior, Marata Niukore to make an impression in both attack and defence.

Player to watch: Clinton Gutherson. The inclusion of Clinton Gutherson will grab the attention of most Eels fans. Gutherson is expected to play in the halves  alongside Corey Norman when the season kicks off so it will be interesting to see how his play-making role is developing.

 

2. New Zealand Warriors (Piha pool)


Last year the New Zealand Warriors came ever so close to claiming the title in their home town, only falling to the Eels at the final hurdle. This year the Warriors will be looking to go one better and they certainly have the squad to do so. Not only have they named the likes of Shaun Johnson, Solomone Kata, Ryan Hoffman and Tuimoala Lolohea, they also have returning club legend Ruben Wiki captaining the team. As we all know the Warriors are renowned for the expansive hot potato brand of football. They excel in second phase play making them a very dangerous opponent to come up against in this format. With the home ground advantage and the support of a large parochial crowd, the Warriors will be determined to claim their first title.

Player to watch: Solomone Kata. Warriors centre Solomone Kata has enjoyed success in the past at the Auckland Nines. He is fast, strong and knows how to find the try line – all attributes that are key in Nines footy. Look for Kata to receive a lot of ball this weekend.

 

3. Gold Coast Titans (Waiheke pool)

In past years the Gold Coast Titans have had mixed results in Auckland. However, this year should be a different story with the Titans coming off the back of a strong 2016 NRL season. They’ve named a strong squad for this tournament including the likes of Jarryd Hayne, Ryan James, Kane Elgey and Chris McQueen. Many eyes will be on the Titans when they take to the field as it will mark the first appearance of former Eels star Jarryd Hayne at the tournament, Hayne is a player known for his footwork, speed and strength. The addition of Hayne alone to their line up could give them the boost they need to be there at the business end of the tournament.

Player to watch: Jarryd Hayne. At the risk of repeating myself, Hayne is a player built to succeed at this format. He has all the attributes needed to be a Nines superstar and with a seemingly strong pre season under his belt, look for him to impress and help the Titans to an impressive showing this weekend.

 

4. Brisbane Broncos (Rangitoto pool)

The Brisbane Broncos have named a very strong squad and it’s evident that their aim is to win this tournament. Boosting the Broncos chances will be the inclusion of Darius Boyd, Anthony Milford, Andrew McCullough and high profile new recruit Benji Marshall. This will mark Marshall’s first appearance in a Broncos jersey after departing the St George Illawarra Dragons at the end of last season, Marshall might be a bit past his prime, but when it comes to producing an innovative and exciting brand of football he is up there with the best – in fact, he pretty well wrote the book. On paper, the Broncos have arguably brought the strongest squad, so I expect them to be there when the whips are cracking.

Player to watch: Anthony Milford. When it comes to producing an exciting brand of football Milford is one of the best in today’s modern game. He possesses the ability to make a line break and score a try out of nowhere. He also possesses the potential to create tries for others. Milford will definitely be one to watch.

 

5. Cronulla Sharks (Waiheke pool)

Fresh off winning the NRL premiership for the first time ever last season, I believe the Cronulla Sharks have the potential to claim back to back silverware (NRL Premiership/Auckland Nines). On paper it isn’t a squad full of players who could create points out of nowhere. However, it is a squad that contains some fairly consistent performers with the likes of Wade Graham, Luke Lewis, Chris Heighington and Jack Bird. It was only two years ago that Bird announced his arrival on the rugby league stage at this very event. Contrary to many beliefs about this tournament, I can see the Sharks achieving success through their strong defence.

Player to watch: Wade Graham. Over the past couple of years Wade Graham has become more of a complete player. He takes on the role of a playmaker in a back rowers body. Graham not only has the potential to barnstorm his way to the try line but he can also create tries with the ball in hand. His versatility will come in handy for the Sharks.

 

6. North Queensland Cowboys (Hunua pool)

The 2015 Auckland Nines champions, the North Queensland Cowboys, have named an all-star line up this year. The inclusion of Gavin Cooper, Michael Morgan, Jason Taumalolo and for the first time ever at this tournament Johnathan Thurston, certainly signals their intent. Thurston single handedly puts the Cowboys right up there with the favourites to take out this year’s title. With a squad which is a mixture of youth and experience! along with strength and speed, on paper they certainly look the goods. Many experts have tipped the Cowboys to take out their second Auckland title. With the way they play 2nd phase football that could be very hard to disagree with.

Player to watch: Johnathan Thurston. There aren’t many things Johnathan Thurston hasn’t done in the NRL.  Yet, Johnathan Thurston has never appeared at the Auckland Nines. I don’t really need to run through what he can do on a footy field, the man is basically a magician with the ball in hand – a modern day miracle man. Will this year’s trophy be added to his already well stocked mantle-piece.

 

My tip: I believe the winner can only come from one of the six teams mentioned above. Last season I successfully tipped the New Zealand Warriors to make the final. This year may be a much harder task with those six teams being fairly evenly matched.

When it comes to selecting the two teams that will take the field in this year’s final I tossed up between three teams – the Cowboys, the Eels and the Brisbane Broncos. I’m expecting a Cowboys vs Eels decider. Though it becomes very hard to pick a winner, I’ll stick my neck out and predict the Parramatta Eels to make it back to back Auckland Nines titles off the back of another great tournament from Corey Norman.

Player of the tournament: Corey Norman, Bevan French, Johnathan Thurston, Michael Morgan or Anthony Milford.

Top try scorer: Bevan French, Semi Radradra, Gideon Gela-Mosby, Kalyn Ponga, James Roberts, Jonus Pearson or Solomone Kata.

From the team here at the Cumberland Throw, may you enjoy the first slice of the footy season with this year’s Auckland Nines.

Nathan

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7 thoughts on “Auckland Nines 2017 – Preview

  1. Michael Formosa

    Great article.
    Just one cheeky note: I saw Hayne play in the Rugby 7’s for Fiji and did nothing 😜

  2. Colin Hussey

    Michael, Trying to predict what will happen especially with Hayne could well be a pain. Nathan has summed it up well, & to me he’s tailor made for this sort of game and by the time of the Fiji games he really was playing a straw clutching game.

    Hayne will be out to show all and the reality is, he will be playing in his preferred game of RL even though a truncated style of it. If the eels and titans meet, I expect Hayne to really try to make a big statement to say “ya shoulda signed me” to the club and coach.

    No doubt though BA will be very much aware of it and will have a couple of players ready to cover against him, likely to shadow him when on and off the field.

  3. Anonymous

    The truncated Nines game suits Hayne because he can inject himself into the action for the entirety of each match. I reckon the Eels blend of structure and improvisation will take them far.

  4. Mitchy

    Superb outline Nathan. Thank you
    Look I am not too worried where we finish but making 1/4, or semis would be superb.
    Titans, Cows, Warriors will all be tough IMO. Us too, but just hope the boys enjoy it and we do not receive any bad injuries. We will have to play smart as no doubt Bevan and Normy will be marked well.
    Hayne in all truth should cut this field wide open…he is the premier player there with Johnson. He is also paid v highly and should feature as one of the best players at the tournament. Time will tell.
    I enjoy the tournament and its a good pre-season opener.

    1. sixties

      On a skills basis, few come close to Hayne. He is the most talented player I’ve ever witnessed. Whilst I was no fan of his comments after signing with the Titans, I would never deny that he is superbly skilled.

  5. sixties

    It is a ripper preview from Nathan, Mitchy. He was our Nostrodamus with his tips last year – and came good with a margin or two!
    Personally, I agree with all bar one of his top 6 (I don’t know how well the Sharks will feature) but Nathan’s top 3 is spot on for mine.
    I’m biased but I reckon that Parra will go back to back.

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