Sixteen elite teams will battle it out for supremacy in the 2013 NRL season, which all started with the NRL All Star match which was played in the pre-season, back in February. The regular season will start in March 2013 and teams will be trying to make it into the Super Eights to move ahead to the knockout portion at the end of the season. From there, it will be a straight knockout to determine who will be the premier side for year. Before any of that happens, there is a long and gruelling league season ahead to just get into the top eight. The Canterbury Bulldogs finished top of the regular 2012 NRL season last term, but they lost out in the Grand Final to the team who finished directly behind them in the regular season, the Melbourne Storm. Early season predictions is that they will both be two of the strongest challengers again.
The Melbourne Storm are the more experienced side, having won the title four time before, twice in the last four seasons alone. For the Minors Premiers regular season standing (the title handed to the team who tops the regular season table), Melbourne have taken top spot in four of the last seven seasons. So they have a long history and they are one of the most powerful sides in the NRL.The rise of the Canterbury Bulldogs though could be the ones to throw a spanner in their works. The Bulldogs topped the table after round 20 the Minor Premiers last season and did not relinquish that spot. Up until that point, the Melbourne Storm had been leading the way from rounds three through nineteen. So the experience is perhaps all with Melbourne who will not only look to defend their NRL title, but also try to claim top spot in the regular season as well.
Where outside of the big two will the main challenges come from in the 2013 NRL rugby league season? The South Sydney Rabbitohs are likely to be heavily in the mix. They finished third in the regular season standings last term, unable to match anywhere near the degree of defence that Canterbury and Melbourne produced. But they have their strengths going forward and should be able to play their way into contention. The Rabbitohs need to step up into unknown territory though as they have yet to win the Minor Premiers or the NRL title itself. They gave themselves a very good footing to build on from last season, so it will be interesting to see if they can go further. The Rabbitohs lost in the preliminary finals against the Canterbury Bulldogs last season.
The rest of the field looks really evenly matched up, and bookmakers ahead of the new 2013 NRL season, didn’t seem to know how to separate them. The Manly Sea Eagles went to the Preliminary Finals of last season’s play-offs, falling just short of the Grand Final. North Queensland Cowboys had a good season last term finishing fifth in the regular season and making the semi finals of the play offs. The Cronulla Sharks, the Newcastle Knights and the Sydney Roosters were all showing early promise in the pre-season betting markets. But who will be able to stop the combined power of the Melbourne Storm and the Canterbury Bulldogs? Will it be a straight duel to the finish between those two?
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The Melbourne Storm are the more experienced side, having won the title four time before, twice in the last four seasons alone. For the Minors Premiers regular season standing (the title handed to the team who tops the regular season table), Melbourne have taken top spot in four of the last seven seasons. So they have a long history and they are one of the most powerful sides in the NRL.The rise of the Canterbury Bulldogs though could be the ones to throw a spanner in their works. The Bulldogs topped the table after round 20 the Minor Premiers last season and did not relinquish that spot. Up until that point, the Melbourne Storm had been leading the way from rounds three through nineteen. So the experience is perhaps all with Melbourne who will not only look to defend their NRL title, but also try to claim top spot in the regular season as well.
Where outside of the big two will the main challenges come from in the 2013 NRL rugby league season? The South Sydney Rabbitohs are likely to be heavily in the mix. They finished third in the regular season standings last term, unable to match anywhere near the degree of defence that Canterbury and Melbourne produced. But they have their strengths going forward and should be able to play their way into contention. The Rabbitohs need to step up into unknown territory though as they have yet to win the Minor Premiers or the NRL title itself. They gave themselves a very good footing to build on from last season, so it will be interesting to see if they can go further. The Rabbitohs lost in the preliminary finals against the Canterbury Bulldogs last season.
The rest of the field looks really evenly matched up, and bookmakers ahead of the new 2013 NRL season, didn’t seem to know how to separate them. The Manly Sea Eagles went to the Preliminary Finals of last season’s play-offs, falling just short of the Grand Final. North Queensland Cowboys had a good season last term finishing fifth in the regular season and making the semi finals of the play offs. The Cronulla Sharks, the Newcastle Knights and the Sydney Roosters were all showing early promise in the pre-season betting markets. But who will be able to stop the combined power of the Melbourne Storm and the Canterbury Bulldogs? Will it be a straight duel to the finish between those two?
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