New Year’s resolutions. Everyone’s made one and everyone’s broken one. Heading into 2024, each NRL side will have a goal they’d like to achieve. Some will, some won’t, that’s just how life goes.
For some sides, their New Year’s resolution could be rooted in their off-field performance, while others will purely hunt on-field success to appease fans, players, and sponsors.
Regardless of what they wish to achieve in 2024, each side will have one. We’ve run our eye up and down the full list of teams and speculated what their New Year’s resolution should be.
Every NRL sides 2024 New Year’s resolution
Brisbane Broncos
Hope their losses are properly replaced
2023 was Brisbane’s best season since 2015. For 60 minutes, they were NRL Premiers, until a Nathan Cleary masterclass tipped the game on its head and delivered Penrith’s three-peat. In 2024, Kevin Walters will hope to go one better with three key losses: Kurt Capewell, Herbie Farnworth, and Thomas Flegler.
Capewell and Farnworth are two of Brisbane’s best edge defenders and adequately protect young dynamite five-eighth, Ezra Mam. The young and supremely talented Brendan Piakura is likely to fill the Capewell hole, but he remains relatively untested, while Farnworth’s replacement, likely to be Deine Mariner or Jesse Arthurs, are significant downgrades on the Englishman.
Thomas Flegler’s thrust through the middle will be sorely missed, even if Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas are among the NRL’s best one-two forward punches. Can Brisbane mitigate all these losses and win a premiership in 2024?
Canberra Raiders
Figure out the perfect Wighton replacement
Jack Wighton has moved on to red and greener pastures. His absence leaves a gaping hole in Ricky Stuart’s side, not only for his dynamic on-field contributions but also for his incredible leadership qualities. Just how Ricky replaces Jack could be the deciding factor in Canberra’s 2024 prospects.
Kaeo Weekes arrives from Manly with the Canberra five-eighth jersey as his target this pre-season, but last season he showed his frontline defensive incompetence in his few outings wearing Manly’s number six jersey. Young gun Ethan Strange will also be gunning for the position, but his inexperience may prove his biggest deterrent.
Whichever direction they go down, Canberra are in a serious dilemma. Jack Wighton was the heart and soul of their club, their chief attacking outlet, as well as a monstrous defensive presence able to singlehandedly stifle attacks.
Canterbury Bulldogs
Sort the middle out
It’s an old rugby league adage: the forwards decide who wins, the backs by how much.
Far too often, the Bulldog’s middle forwards were bullied. It’s no surprise that Tevita Pangai Jr. and Luke Thompson, amongst others, have been offloaded ahead of season 2024. Josh Curran, Kurt Mann, and Poasa Faamausili have arrived with the hope of tightening up a leaky middle defence that had more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
On the other side of the ball, they need more metres. No Bulldogs forward averaged more than 100 running metres in 2023, and their highest performer, TPJ, is no longer at the club. Of course, their back five, notably Jacob Kiraz and Blake Wilson, eat metres for fun coming out of their edge.
Nonetheless, they need more from their middle forwards. More defensive steel, more bite, more thrusting runs, and more competency. Do this and they give themselves a fighting chance of improving in 2024.
Cronulla
Win against top-eight sides
Including finals, Cronulla played 11 games against sides that finished 2023 in the top eight. Their record? three wins, eight losses. This is despite only playing each of the top three – Penrith, Brisbane, and Melbourne – once apiece and beating an early-season Newcastle who were a shadow of what they’d eventually become.
That they scraped into sixth is a testament to the skill they half-show against lesser or equal opposition. Ryan Girdler is famously hated on the Northern Beaches for calling Manly flat-track bullies in 2021, and I’m prepared to jeopardise my future entries in the Shire by saying the 2023 Sharks were worse.
In an ideal world, Cronulla are challenging for Premierships. But their clear inability to topple the competition’s top sides is heavily clamping any hope they have of replicating 2016.
The Dolphins
Continue building
What can you say about a side in their second NRL season other than keep building? Wayne Bennett’s at the helm, they have experience in their forwards, Sean O’Sullivan will hopefully remain fit for a full season, and Jack Averillo, Tom Fleger, and Herbie Farnworth are coming in.
For the Dolphins, continuing to put one foot in front of the other and slowly laying the foundations for any future success is of utmost importance in 2024.
Gold Coast Titans
Let Des do Des things
Des Hasler is a rugby league character, to say the least. His time at Canterbury saw him introduce a wrestling lair at Belmore that still sits there to the day. His practices mightn’t be the most traditional, the coaching equivalent of Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles recovery.
There is good reason the Titans have brought him in. He’s a great coach with a great track record and they’ve given him the keys to one of rugby league’s great young sides. Tino and David Fifita are super destructive, so too is AJ Brimson, while Dessie’s old war horse, Kieran Foran, is knocking about.
What the Gold Coast need to do is let Des do Des things. They may not seem the most traditional or practical but there is a method to the madness that might just end in success.
Manly Sea Eagles
Do everything to help Luke Brooks succeed
Of course, ensuring Tom Trbojevic’s sustained fitness is Manly’s number one priority this season but repeating that would be boring. Aside from getting Turbo to play as much footy as possible, Manly needs to create an environment that’s conducive to Luke Brook’s success.
The former Tigers man is arguably the game’s most maligned player, and bringing him to the Beaches could prove a masterstroke. But everyone not associated with the club will be holding their breath for him to fail. And if he does the media storm at Manly will be unlike any we’ve seen before, full of visceral reactions and calls for heads.
For the sake of Luke Brooks, and Manly as a whole, they need to create an environment that will help him succeed, or take accountability if the experiment fails.
Melbourne Storm
Figure out the Papenhuyzen situation
Ryan Papenhuyzen comes off his reported $800k contract at the end of 2025, meaning by 1 November 2024 he’s free to negotiate with other clubs. On his day, the Storm fullback is frighteningly fast and one of the best in his position.
But a string of horrific injuries have robbed Melbourne of Paps. Whether can return to the Clive Churchill levels we’ve become accustomed to is unclear at the moment. With one of rugby league’s finest prospects, Sua Fa’alogo, waiting in the wings, and Nick Meaney continuing to prove himself as a solid professional, Frank Ponissi and Co. could have more Papenhuyzen-sized questions than answers come the end of the year.
NZ Warriors
Keep the good times rolling
There is no doubt 2023 was the best New Zealand Warriors season in a decade. Shaun Johnson has never looked happier on a footy field, Andrew Webster staked his claim as the NRL’s finest young coach, and Go Media Stadium was bouncing.
Kurt Capewell arrives to shore up their edge defence, while a pair of double-barreled dynamos in Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Chanel Harris-Tevita return to Auckland in a massive boost for the Wahs.
Their modus operandi for 2024 is to just keep on keeping on. There is no doubt the competition around them is going to improve and they’ll need to do the same. The NRL is healthier and more enjoyable when the Warriors are doing well, if they can remain in the hunt for finals, and maybe more, in 2024 then it will be a resounding success.
Newcastle Knights
Build on 2023
Newcastle were the back-half of 2023’s surprise package. Adam O’Brien went from nearly unemployed to coach of the year contender, Kalyn Ponga played how everyone knows he can, and Dom Young and Greg Marzhew morphed into prime Lote Tuqiri and Wendell Sailor.
Premiership winner Jack Cogger is their major off-season coup, but whether he can displace Newcastle favourite Tyson Gamble, morphed Darren Lockyer in the backend of 2023, remains to be seen. What is clear is that they’ll need the improvement they experienced on their late run to continue and prove to the rest of the competition that their burst into the finals was based on skill, not momentum.
NQ Cowboys
Get back to 2022 form
The Cowboys went from competition heavyweights to mid-table flounderers in 2023. It just never really kicked for Todd Payten’s side, with consistency in their performances about as likely as snow in Townsville.
This is evident in their two games against the West Tigers – a 66-18 round 12 loss and a 74-0 win six weeks later. Right across the park, they’re blessed with Origin calibre players, Payten just needs to perfect the formula that’ll get them playing like they did in 2022.
If this materialises, the rest of the NRL better watch out.
Parramatta Eels
Sort the defence out
Paramatta had the sixth-best attack in 2023, but the seventh worst defence. With 574 points conceded in 2023, defence was evidently the largest thorn in Brad Arthur’s side, their Achilles heel stifling any potential success.
Offensively, Parramatta has all the makings of a good side. Clint Gutheron, Dylan Brown, and Mitchell Moses are a devastating spine on their day and a forward pack with Junior Paulo, J’Maine Hopgood, and Ryan Matterson, amongst others, is among the competition’s best.
However, they’ll need to knit a tighter defence together if they have any chance of ending their lengthy premiership drought in season 2024.
Penrith Panthers
Keep it up!
I mean, it would be a waste of words to suggest Penrith do anything other than continue what they’re doing; dominating the NRL. Why wouldn’t they?
South Sydney
Get Latrell under control
South Sydney’s success in the NRL rests squarely upon Latrell Mitchell’s shoulders. On his day there are few players more destructive than the Rabbitohs’ fullback but as his career has aged his on days have grown fewer and fewer.
Keeping him on the pitch will be paramount. Far too often since he arrived in Redfern, Latrell has been sidelined by injuries – which he can’t help – and suspensions – which he can help. On top of this, rumours of his lackadaisical training rage like a stoked fire.
Jason Demetriou needs to do something to bring his star man into line, his job might depend on it. Latrell is one of the NRL’s finest players, but he needs to be on the pitch more, and 100% more, to truly put the league on notice and elevate Souths to true Premiership contenders.
St George
Fix everything
Few teams in the NRL need as much wholesale change as the Dragons. The young five-eighth they’ve hedged their future on, Talatau Amone, had his contract de-registered by the NRL, their halfback, Ben Hunt, has one foot and both eyes out the door, while the rest of the side around them is a web of misfits and underachievers.
There is a hope that Shane Flanagan can steer the ship on the right course, as he’s previously done with the Sharks. But the Dragons are a whole new kettle of fish, an NRL basketcase of the highest order with issues from the board room through to the playing field.
They need to rectify these, or at least get on the path to rectifying these, if they’re any hope of returning to the finals.
Sydney Roosters
Find some health
A massive issue for the Roosters in 2023 was their inability to get everyone on the park at once. At any given point they had as many stars on the sidelines as they did on the field, including the likes of Angus Crichton, Joey Manu, and Conor Watson. Victor Radley’s ill-discipline didn’t help matters either.
If Trent Robinson wants to return the Roosters to the NRL dynasty they once were he’ll need to drag the club’s medical team into a meeting and hash out some sort of plan to maximise the amount of minutes he squeezes from his star players.
There shouldn’t be any doubt about the Roosters’ title-winning credentials. A team with Manu, James Tedesco, Luke Keary, and that forward pack can never be counted out. In order to shoot themselves into Premiership contention though they’ll need the health and fitness of just about everyone assured throughout the season.
West Tigers
Hush the off-field noise
I know we said the Dragons are an NRL basketcase of the highest order, but that’s because the problems at the Tigers are seemingly from another planet. The club have gone nuclear, offloading most of the board which has overseen their decade from hell. Many will be hoping these characters sweep some of the off-field noise with them.
No Luke Brooks, no Justin Pascoe, no Lee Hagipantellis. It’s undoubtedly a new era at the Tigers. Benji Marshall has a full year with the reins but is very limited in his NRL coaching experience. There will need to be a massive collective effort to ensure a quieter off-field season in 2024 to allow the NRL’s most anticipated rebuild to silently chug along.
