And yes, along the way I will also score against THE RANDOM LADDER and see who wins!
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| Pictured: my arch nemesis. |
Here are the results...
1. Sydney Roosters (Predicted: 1st)
What I Said:
"I think they are clear favourites for the minor premiership."
What They Did:
Minor premiership on points differential after a last round blitz.
Verdict:
BOOM~!
1/1
Random Ladder (RL): Randomly predicted 13th, what an idiot!
Rob 1 - 0 RL
2. Melbourne Storm (6)
What I Said:
"It seems foolish to predict them this low..."
What They Did:
Made me look foolish.
Verdict:
The Cronk retirement hasn't slowed them, perhaps the Slater retirement will?
(Probably won't)
1/2
RL: 10th. Rob leads 2-0
3. South Sydney Rabbitohs (14)
What I Said:
"Souths just looks very, very average. And very, very boring."
What They Did:
Looked very, very good. And very, very entertaining.
Verdict:
If Anthony Seibold isn't Coach of the Year, he should be the first non-playing Rookie of the Year.
1/3
RL: 9th. Rob leads 2-1
4. Cronulla Sharks (10)
What I Said:
"Moylan for Maloney is good long-term business, but for this season, it's a downgrade... I predict a downturn."
What They Did:
Part of a four-way tie for the minor premiership.
Verdict:
I don't think that's a downturn, although the Moylan part was right.
1/4
RL: 5th. Tied 2-2
5. Penrith Panthers (5)
What I Said:
"In favour... James Maloney makes every team better. Against... something awry with their coaching and/or management structures."
What They Did:
Maloney made them better, and they sacked their coach when in the top four.
Verdict:
Everything about this was so correct that it should be worth double.
2/5
RL: 16th. Rob leads 3-2
6. Brisbane Broncos (4)
What I Said:
"...hard to see them not being up there... should be less affected by State of Origin than usual."
What They Did:
They struggled early, but a winning streak during Origin saw them enter the top eight and they never looked back.
Verdict:
Only one win off 4th. I'd give a point here if they hadn't looked like the worst team in the eight for most of the season.
2/6
RL: 7th. Tied 3-3
7. St. George-ILLAWARRA Dragons (7)
What I Said:
"...only need one more than last season to fulfil this prediction - the acquisition of Graham (and Hunt) should add at least that."
What They Did:
Dominated the first 2/3rds of the comp, then faded badly.
Verdict:
Faded badly to the exact position I predicted that is!
3/7
RL: 15th. Rob leads 4-3
8. New Zealand Warriors (9)
What I Said:
"The Warriors seem the most common team the experts have in the wooden spoon position. Well, not this expert!"
What They Did:
Were in the top eight all season, along with the Panthers and Dragons.
Verdict:
In a typical season, I'd count this. But this year the gap between 8th and 9th is three times larger than 8th to 1st.
3/8
RL: 6th. Rob leads 5-3
9. Wests Tigers (12)
What I Said:
"I like their coach... But they still have a weak squad..."
What They Did:
Were in the top eight for the first half of the season, and looked most likely to get back in the second half of the season.
Verdict:
I really like their coach.
3/9
RL: 14th. Rob leads 6-3
10. Canberra Raiders (16)
What I Said:
"I think it's all over for the Green Machine."
What They Did:
Were competitive, but the Canberra Faders lost a bunch of close games once again.
Verdict:
Did better than I expected.
3/10
RL: 1st.
(Did much worse than the Random Ladder expected)
Rob leads 7-3
11. Newcastle Knights (11)
What I Said:
"Even with the unexpected acquisition of Pearce topping off a decent rebuilding campaign, I think falling just short of the finals is most likely."
What They Did:
Six wins is more than just short, but if Pearce doesn't tear his pec and miss the middle of the season...
Verdict:
I got the position right anyway, the words aren't important.
4/11
RL: 12th. Rob leads 8-3
12. Canterbury Bulldogs (15)
What I Said:
"...Bulldogs fans will be hoping former Parramatta Eels hero Dean Pay can revive the clubs fortunes."
What They Did:
Looked like the worst team most of the season, despite never quite being last on the ladder. Then a bunch of rookies led them to a respectable finish.
Verdict:
Not sure they can rise this far above expectations again.
4/12
RL: 3rd. Rob leads 9-3 and can't be beaten from here, proving forever that he is more expert than a randomly generated ladder.
13. North Queensland Cowboys (3)
What I Said:
"...they are my early favourites to win on Grand Final day."
What They Did:
Were in last place with two weeks to go, then the JT farewell tour kicked into gear.
Verdict:
So wrong, but nobody saw this coming.
4/13
RL: 8th. Rob leads 9-4
14. Gold Coast Titans (8)
What I Said:
"It may seem crazy to have them this high, but... <long explanation on how the Titans might turn it around>.
What They Did:
I should've left out the "but".
Verdict:
Don't believe the real NRL champions hype.
4/14
RL: 4th. Rob leads 10-4
15. Manly Sea Eagles (13)
What I Said:
"And when the music stopped, the Sea Eagles were left without a half to replace Green. And it's not their only gap."
What They Did:
Well, Green helped the Warriors make the finals. And the Sea Eagles played like a team with a lot of gaps.
Verdict:
One win off 13th, I'm giving it.
5/15
RL: 2nd. Rob leads 11-4
16. Parramatta Eels (2)
What I Said:
"I predicted Parramatta to finish 4th last year! And I'm all-in this year too!"
What They Did:
Last or equal last all season.
Verdict:
2017 Eels was one of my best every predictions, 2018 Eels was one of my worst.
FINAL SCORE: 5/16
RL: 11th. Rob wins 11-5!
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