Updated Rankings - Post-Round 2
1. Kings
2. Riverview
3. Joeys
4. Newington
5. Scots
6. Shore
Kings look solid all around the only weakness is their fitness levels at the backend of games. Potentially get some fresh legs on with 10 to go. Particularly in the forward pack. Other than fitness their looking very strong and could run away with the comp. Their backline is something to be admired with no real weakness, and not even at full strength yet. Their scrums have been dominating opponents the whole year and real assets come set piece time, will be interesting how they play Riverview this week, considering how well Riverview defended the center pairing of Scots. Kings are still favorites in this game by about 7-10 points and think it could be more come game time.
Riverview has shocked my pre-season rankings (had them 5th in front of shore). They have started hot, thanks to the momentum gained from their crowd. Their crowd is definitely a factor in any games let alone home games. Riverview still has work to do in their mauls, giving up around 1-2 tries each trial + gps game so far. Their pack has stood up when mattered and is currently all in form. Will be interesting to see how they handle Charlie Bull news.
Joeys have started slowly in their 2023 campaign, yet still placed 3rd with no loss. Yes, it is only 2 draws which aren't ideal but knowing the culture and systems they have in place they're not out of the title race just yet. Injuries have plagued them all year and depending on the news with Jorgo and 7 my thoughts could change. Hiwi Sharples is been a foundational piece to what they want to achieve. Looks like Joeys has put trust in their youth (Yr10/11) this year. Will it pay off?
Newington is currently placed last with no wins yet. They let the Riverview game slip away from them at home. There was no real crowd pushing them and the Riverview crowd was almost making it a home game for them. Newington still has the necessary firepower to compete but will rely on some losses from the top teams in order to be back in consideration. Newington stuck in their against kings which was impressive and another reason why I'm not writing them off just yet. Injuries again will play a big factor in my thought process come tipping time. Newington will need someone to show fight and competitive spirit.
Scots have started slowly this year thanks to a draw and loss. Scots coming into the season were considered a top 3 team, yet they have no real glimpses of play to show for it. The center pairing is very good, with the 13 being a standout in every game and almost a lock to play GPS 1. He steps up when his team needs it most and has a special talent. Having 9 injuries doesn't help against Riverview including a whole front row and a lock. But the game is in the past, they lack talent other than the centers and need someone in the forward pack to step up in a big way in order for them to get results. There is a big side but don't play like it, their structure has also lacked discipline. The coach will have to make changes to either team or play style. The scots 10 in 2s was very effective at playing the 'lock' role as if it were an NRL game with a few handy offloads in contact and footwork, could be a very interesting option to play him in the forward pack to perhaps get some go-forward.
To be honest, I haven't watched enough Shore games to talk in-depth about them, but knowing the team lists it doesn't look as if they can contend with the top-of-the-table kings at all. They showed a good fight against Joeys resulting in a draw which was probably the best result possible considering the knockdown incident. Shore will have to work hard behind the scenes in order to contend, which isn't unheard of keeping in mind their great stretch of wins last year.
Great week of footy this one, will give us more information as to who is a real contender.
