Biggest Broncos blunder; worrying Wayne trend for Dolphins: Verdict from greats on NRL’s bottom 9

It is season over for the bottom nine sides of the competition with several teams who were tipped to do big things in 2024 falling well short.

So where did it all go wrong?

From Brisbane’s stunning capitulation to South Sydney’s season from hell, Matty Johns and Cooper Cronk breakdown the problems for every team that missed out on this year’s finals.

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CANBERRA RAIDERS

The Raiders went agonisingly close to securing a finals berth after finishing ninth and on equal points with the Knights with a superior for and against getting Newcastle over the line.

Several pundits even tipped Ricky Stuart’s men to claim the wooden spoon, however the side showed enough at different stages of the season to suggest with some tinkering they could move up the ladder in 2025.

“I don’t think for the Canberra Raiders ‘what went wrong?’ is the term considering they had a good season,” Johns said on The Matty Johns Podcast.

“I think the injury to Jamal Fogarty in the middle of the year was a tough one.

“Going forward next year I’ve got them between six and 10 probably around the same – a couple of extra wins will push them into the eight.”

Cronk said the key to the Raiders improving rested on their ability to seek out new ways to win.

“It’s more like how can they win more games because they’ve been on the cusp for a while. I think they need to find a different way to win games,” he said.

“They’ve not got that gritty nature to win so I think their attack needs to evolve but Fogarty was a big miss but (prop) Joseph Tapine was their best player by a country mile.

“They need to find extra ways to win because they lost a couple of those extra games by two or four so they need more fire power.”

DOLPHINS

The Dolphins went agonisingly close to securing a finals berth in just their second season in the NRL.

Had they got over the Knights in the final round they would have finished eighth in what would have been a stunning achievement for the club after entering the competition last year.

“You look at the Dolphins and go ‘what went wrong?’ because the middle part of the season they were on fire they looked like they were on course for the top four but the wheels came off the last third of the season,” Johns said.

Cronk said a lack of experience in the halves proved the difference for the Dolphins.

“There were a couple of times when (Dolphins halfback) Isaiya Katoa if he had decided to do something else they were probably a better chance of winning (some of their) games,” he said.

“But his upside is pretty good. (Kodi) Nikorima had a career best year. Hammer (Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow) was good as always and he’s the point of difference. But I think if their spine becomes a little bit more experienced and can manage games better.

“The biggest one is they led Penrith at Penrith by a bit with 20 minutes to go and Isaiya Katoa takes a shot at a field goal and does something there’s a win that they need to probably get them into the eight.”

And with coach Wayne Bennett heading to the Rabbitohs, Johns said he didn’t envy incoming Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf’s assignment of taking over from the supercoach.

“A big question here for Kristian Woolf. There’s only ever been Tim Sheens who has taken the baton from Wayne (Bennett) and has made it a success. That was the Canberra side who turned into the green machine,” Johns said.

“He was co-coach with Don Furner, Wayne goes to the Broncos, Sheens takes over the side and away they go. Every other coach (who has replaced Bennett) has gone off a cliff.

“When Jason Demetriou took over (from Bennett) I said ‘Wayne’s left a turd under the bench somewhere. You can smell it, you just can’t find it’.”

ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS

The Dragons will be disappointed to narrowly miss the top eight but will be buoyed by their much improved performances in 2024 under new coach Shane Flanagan.

And while Flangan recently admitted his side was not yet where he wanted them to be, Johns said Dragons fans had a lot to be happy about.

“Great season for Flanagan, big improvement. The fact they went into the last game and were a chance to make the eight and they’ll be disappointed they didn’t,” he said.

“But that’s a big improvement. It’s just (about) getting used to winning again.”

Cronk said falling back into faulty systems of play cost the Dragons a place in the finals.

“It’s almost like they had bad habits for a long period of time and the bad habits turned up at the wrong time,” he said.

“They choked. They had eighth spot in their grasp and all they had to do was win one of those games and they conceded a lot of points and their intensity went out.

“That’s the one thing that they showed is that when their forward pack was dominant and made it physical they played their best football and when they didn’t that’s when they struggled.”

BRISBANE BRONCOS

Where do we start with Brisbane?

Finishing 12th is plain unacceptable for the Queensland powerhouse, especially following last year’s grand final appearance that was snatched by the Panthers in the dying minutes.

Johns said the club’s inability to handle the pressure following their golden run of 2023 was likely to blame for their stunning fall from grace.

“Last year’s success and the expectation that came with that success poisoned the well,” he said.

“As far as next season’s concerned they’ve got to have a lot of self-assessment if they’re going to go anywhere.”

Cronk said the side clearly lost focus in failing to build on the traits that made them so successful last season.

“You sit there and sift through all the reasons why,” he said.

“You could go attack, defence, discipline, errors, whatever it is, but the thing that underpins that whole thing is the Broncos last year as individuals and as a team had real laser focus to improve and get better and I don’t think they had that this year and it’s ultimately why they missed out on the finals.

“I don’t think they worked hard enough individually to improve their game and ultimately collectively and it was super disappointing.

“I think the example is Penrith got beaten by the Melbourne Storm in that grand final (2020) and they came back in that off season and worked harder and look what they’ve done.

“They’ve improved each year. If they (Brisbane) don’t work hard enough to improve they’ll be under pressure.”

Johns added that he believes the Broncos made a mistake in how they approached the aftermath of the grand final.

“A lot of teams will get to a grand final and get beaten and there’s two ways of thinking. You either go away filthy and say ‘we failed’ or you can go off training and say ‘we didn’t win it but we had a fantastic season’ – I think with the Broncos it was the latter,” Johns said.

WARRIORS

The expectations were high for the Warriors heading into 2024 as the club sought their maiden premiership after making it to last year’s preliminary final.

But the Warriors of 2023 were nowhere to be seen as they put together a forgettable season filled with ill discipline and wasted opportunities.

“This was my greatest disappointment simply because I would have loved to have seen them win the competition,” Johns said.

“A lot of expectation and a lot of things didn’t happen. I thought Luke Metcalf being absent for a long stretch really upset the balance of their attack and was a contributing factor.”

Cronk blamed the Warriors’ stunning slide on complacency.

“I think the Warriors got comfortable. They played some really predictable and slow-moving football and lacked intensity,” he said.

“But then that last game against the Sharks showed that they can do it. No where’s that been 15 weeks prior?”

“I think with James Fisher-Harris (joining the club in 2025) is more a signing about spirit and being an example of what winning looks like as opposed to adding value to the way they play.

“I think what he’s done to that forward pack at Penrith ie Moses Leota he will do to that next front rower.”

GOLD COAST TITANS

The Titans were always going to be up against it to make the finals after losing their opening six matches of the season but showed enough to suggest they will be top eight contenders in 2025.

And despite a late charge that saw them teetering on the edge of the eight late in the season, injuries to key players greatly derailed their 2024 campaign.

“I thought with (coach) Des (Hasler) going there all the players are a year older I thought ‘this team is going to play finals’,” Johns said.

“I don’t know if it just took a while to adjust to Des’ methods I’m not sure exactly what it was. The loss of Tino (Fa’asuamaleaui) was a big one and the puzzle which was the spine there was a lot going on.”

Cronk applauded some of the Gold Coast’s performances but said the side needed to get both sides of the game in order.

“The thing with the Titans for me, they need to get good balance on both sides of the ball. Their defence needs to complement their attack and their attack needs to complement their defence,” he said.

“They defend really well and win games or they defend bad and their attack is so good it’s firepower in scoring points.

“They just need to find that perfect balance between the two.”

PARRAMATTA EELS

The Eels were tipped for big things in 2024 but fell well short to be one win away from collecting this year’s wooden spoon.

Their poor start saw coach Brad Arthur was sacked in May and the players never really responded after his departure.

“Brad did a great job but they probably held onto Brad a season too long in my opinion – they needed to change the formula,” Johns said.

“I think the players got too comfortable under Brad.

“The loss of Mitchell Moses of course in the middle of the year and Gutho (Clint Gutherson) – that was a factor and they never looked like a finals side.

“With (incoming Parramatta coach) Jason Ryles if I’ve got a new coach coming in I’d be like ‘I can’t wait for a new start’ but it was almost like a resentment that Brad was gone and Trent (Barrett) wasn’t going to be the coach.”

Cronk said complacency had also contributed to the Eels’ downfall after their 2022 grand final loss to the Panthers.

“We’re talking about a team that played in a grand final a couple of years ago. Something for me tells you that they lack the desire to want to climb that mountain again,” he said.

“Because they did it to get there but all of a sudden they dropped off. Two years ago they were playing in a grand final and on the weekend they were playing in the Spoon Bowl.”

SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS

To say South Sydney endured a season from hell would be an understatement of the highest order.

A sacked coach, players underperforming, and off-field controversy saw the foundation club suffer arguably their most testing season since being readmitted to the competition.

Incoming coach and seven-time premiership-winner Wayne Bennett knows what it takes to win but it is going to take every grain of his “magic dust” to turn things around quickly at Redfern.

“Souths was a disastrous season. What went wrong? The chicks have come home to roost. There’s been carelessness around their football and lack of focus. There’s been distractions,” Johns said.

“(Former coach) Jason Demetriou clearly wasn’t the man. Bennett goes there next year but it’s going to take more than a bit of magic dust from Wayne isn’t it?”

Cronk said the Rabbitohs’ issues went deep. Very deep.

“They lacked intensity, consistency, all those things that make you a good team,” he said.

“This was a club that was on its knees in the first half of the season. They were bad. Really bad. And if it was anyone other than Wayne Benett you’re probably be thinking ‘where’s the light at the end of the tunnel?’

“But Wayne’s got this ability to make Cody (Walker) and Latrell (Mitchell) work harder than what they normally will and if they can do that, they’re a good team.”

WESTS TIGERS

Some improvement under new coach Benji Marshall wasn’t enough to pick the Tigers off the pavement as they collected their third successive wooden spoon.

But with some star youngsters emerging, the Tigers faithful will be hoping the tide can turn in 2025.

“They just don’t quite have the experience or the confidence in key positions to win consistently,” Johns said.

“That last performance (60-26 loss to the Eels) was a shocker. I hoped they were embarrassed by it because that month leading into that last game there was a great feeling about the Tigers.

“The fans were turning up, the fans were excited. You have (Jarome) Luai coming and so on. I couldn’t believe what they served up in that last game.”

Cronk said the Tigers’ inexperience meant the club’s climb up the ladder could take a while.

“Craig Bellamy used to always say at this time of the year your good and bad habits show up,” he said.

“The Tigers for me, playing against the Parramatta Eels who conceded five tries in the last 10 minutes the week before, all the Tigers needed to do was be disciplined and make their tackles and hold onto the ball and they would have run through the Parramatta Eels at some stage.

“(Lachlan) Galvin is the shining light but if you’re investing a lot of time in young kids in key positions you’re going to have a lot of learning as opposed to good times.”