2015 NRL Match Previews - Round 1

Deep heat, warm beer, pies that are still cold in the middle, and screaming old ladies… all of this can mean only one thing-footy is finally back! It's seemed a long, long off season but we're about to get this thing happening!

 Brisbane Broncos v South Sydney Rabbitohs 
Suncorp Stadium - Thursday 8:05pm 

What better way to start the season than with this mouth watering clash. Wayne Bennett returns to Suncorp Stadium, after a long vacation away from home, and takes on the reigning premiers. A number of people in the Rugby League community believe Bennett tarnished his name after failing in his time with Newcastle Knights, so he'll have a point to prove, whether he admits it or not.

Corey Parker will line up for the Broncos in his 300th career game. Justin Hodges will also take over the sole captaincy for the club, after joint captaincy went the way of the wind. The Broncos will be without fullback Darius Boyd, after he injured himself over the off season, with Jordan Kahu taking his spot in the side.

For the Rabbitohs, well, things couldn't really be going any better. Defending premiers, some amazing performances in the Auckland Nines, and then a 39 point drubbing of St Helens in the World Club Challenge - what more could they ask for.

Well, perhaps to have not lost Sam and Luke Burgess I guess. Both boys moved on after the 2014 season, however the Rabbitohs have brought in veteran forward Glenn Stewart. While the Burgess boys leave big shoes to fill, Stewart adds an extra dimension to the Rabbitohs attack

Who to watch: For the Broncos, the new halves combination of Milford and Hunt will be exciting. While the Broncos would love to have their complete spine available for Round 1, Boyd's injury ruined those plans. That said, waiting for Boyd's return just gives us something else to look forward to.

For Souths, Glenn Stewart will be looking to impress at his new club.

The favourite: The Rabbitohs are the obvious favourites here, with most betting agencies agreeing. Don't write the Broncos off though - with Wayne Bennett's return to Suncorp, he's unlikely to be happy with a loss.

My tip: Rabbitohs by 8

 Parramatta Eels v Manly Sea Eagles 
Pirtek Stadium - Friday 7:45pm 

Well, this game should be fireworks.

Watmough v Manly. Yep, the whole team.

Lining up at lock against his former club, Watmough had no illusions of moving on with a whimper - instead throwing grenades and bombs at anyone he got in his sights. How the Manly side reacts in anyone's guess, but I'd imagine there won't be a High Tea.

Also for the Eels, Nathan Peats returns to the side at Hooker, pushing last year's mid season recruit Isaac De Gois back to bench - a role that most Eels fans would agree suits him better.

The Eels will also be dealing with the loss of Jarryd Hayne. After carrying the Eels for most of the last few years, it's tough to imagine life without him - but that's the reality. The Eels are lucky that they have a red-hot Chris Sandow in the side at the moment, as they'll have to get some spark from somewhere.

Manly will start 2015 with a few players out, including Steve Matai and Josh Starling. Couple this with the injury clouds over Lyon and Symonds, and you'd be forgiven for thinking the Sea Eagles have a valid excuse for a loss. Guess what. They won't use it.

Recruits Willie Mason and Feleti Mateo will be looking to impress their new coach, but how will Willie Mason handle the speed of the game and the new ruck rules, especially considering he's getting on in age and struggled at times with the pace of the game at the Knights in 2014.

Who to watch: Watmough. Come on, did you really expect me to say anybody else? Choc's come out kicking all the sand he can find at his former club. In the space of a few months, he's taken himself from king of the castle to a dirty taste in Manly fan's mouths. Can't wait to see the result when things unfold on the field.

For the Eels, well, we're torn between Will Hopoate and Sandow. Sandow was in amazing form in the Nines, and his defence has improved out of sight. Hopoate is no slouch either, but he has massive shoes to fill, replacing the departed Jarryd Hayne. We'll see how that turns out.

The favourite: One of the tightest matches of the round - the Sea Eagles are slight favourites in most markets, but there's nothing between them.

My tip: Eels by 2

 Newcastle Knights v New Zealand Warriors 
Hunter Stadium - Saturday 4:30pm 

New coach Rick Stone will take the reins to open the season for the Knights. The Newcastle fans' expectations have hovered anywhere between "slightly more expansive play" and "the Harlem Globetrotters". Somewhere in between is probably an apt recommendation. The Knights will be without Tariq Sims for the first few games due to a carry-over suspension from last year. Stone seems to be favouring a mobile pack, perhaps in anticipation of an impact on bigger forwards from the new ruck rule changes.

Big news during the week has also been the fact that the incumbent Australian winger, Sione Mata-utia named as 18th man for the Knights, with Stone opting for Joey Leilua in the centres. It's a fine predicament to be in though, with a roster full of representative players to choose from in the outside backs. Gidley returns to the fullback role - which most Knights fans think is his best position.

In an interview during the week, Stone reserved the right to change his mind right up until game day - so don't be surprised if the team named is not the one that runs out. James McManus will play his 150th NRL game, if he survives the late changes by his coach.

The match up between Shaun Johnson, who has been tearing teams apart all off season, and the Knights duo of Mullen and Roberts will be interesting, with plenty of natural flair and excitement sure to be on show. Rumours have circulated this week that Warriors fullback Sam Tomkins may be out - if so is that's a big blow for the Warriors.

Who to watch: We'll be watching the entire warriors side's performance around the ruck, specifically due to rule changes requiring all defenders to peel away from the ruck at the same time. The Warriors struggled with this during trials, so it remains to be seen how much work they've done on this at training.

Knights captain Kurt Gidley's performance at the back will also be under scrutiny. Gidley can either spark something special for his side, or drag a game it on its face.

The favourite: The Warriors will start as slight favourites, but the Knights look to be a pretty imposing task in front of a boisterous home crowd.

My tip: Knights by 4

 Gold Coast Titans v Wests Tigers 
Cbus Super Stadium - Saturday 7:00pm 

The off season started fine for the Titans, but collapsed into crisis towards the end. The Titans' players are likely pretty much at the point where they just want to forget about everything and play some footy. That said, their team has had the eyes picked out of it by the drugs allegations, with Greg Bird, Dave Taylor and Beau Falloon unavailable for selection.

The Tigers look strong through the spine and up front, and with Bird and Taylor missing, Nate Myles and Luke Douglas will have to lead by example if the Titans are any chance.

Who to watch: It's hard to go past the pairing of Luke Brooks and James Tedesco, with the Tigers hoping they'll continue their combination from the past. However we're most interested in the performance of the Tiger's outside backs. Working from a spine of Tedesco, Moses, Brooks and Farah, Kevin Naiqama and Pat Richards are sure to find themselves in some open space at least a few times.

For the Titans, we're just hoping they put up a fight. It could go one of two ways, with the offseason troubles either spurring them on, or tiring them right out.

The favourite: Unsurprisingly, the Titans have blown out in price after their offseason troubles, with Punters steering clear.

My tip: Tigers by 14

 North Queensland Cowboys v Sydney Roosters 
1300SMILES Stadium - Saturday 9:00pm 

The Roosters will be without Jake Friend, who is unavailable after undergoing shoulder surgery. The Roosters will be forging into unchartered territory without Anthony Minichiello's support from the back. The Roosters new look backline sees Blake Ferguson into the centres and Shaun Kenny-Dowall moving onto the wing. Tuivasa-Sheck will predictably start at fullback, after he spent last season being groomed for the position by Minichiello.

James Tamou will start from the bench for the Cowboys, with Ben Hannant getting first shot at starting prop. Justin O'Neill will also start for the Cowboys in jersey 2.

Who to watch: For the Roosters, we'll be keeping our eye on Tuivasa-Sheck. He had some experience with the position over the last 12 months, but it's a very different thing playing there full time.

The Cowboys will again be heavily reliant on Jonathan Thurston - he seems to just ooze line breaks and try assists.

The favourite: The Cowboys will start as favourites.

My tip: I'm going against the bookies here, Roosters by 4.

 Penrith Panthers v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 
Pepper Stadium - Sunday 4:00pm 

The Bulldogs, with their forward pack full of pseudo-halfbacks, are a nightmare for defences. And with Brett Morris moving to join his brother at the Bulldogs, their backline gets another strike weapon to work from the platform. The bulldogs are also rocking a pretty impressive bench, with almost 500kg of impact waiting for their turn.

The Panthers, whose pack are certainly no slouches, will be welcoming back a number of players that were unavailable the last time these two sides met. In case you don't remember, the Bulldogs ended the Panthers' fairy tale run in the 2014 finals series, despite valiant attempts by the depleted Panthers.

Who to watch: As we mentioned above, we're most looking forward to James Graham and Aiden Tolman throwing passes at the line and keeping the defence guessing. Having said that, we're also interested in how Brett Morris will perform at fullback at his new club. Ah, we can't decide. You choose.

However, the Bulldogs size may be their downfall. Their bigger men may struggle with the new rule changes around the ruck, and the resultant quicker speed of the game. This coupled with a hot late summer's day, and we could be seeing some of the Panthers more elusive men, such as Segeyaro, Moylan and Peachey, come into their own.

The favourite: The Bulldogs start as slight favourites, but there's nothing in it.

My tip: Bulldogs by 6

 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Canberra Raiders 
Remondis Stadium - Sunday 6:30pm 

If this game were played in round 26 last year, it would have been a cripple fight of epic proportions. The Sharks played most of last season with half of their team sitting on the sidelines, including captain Paul Gallen. However, Gal is back, and he brings with him a few new faces. Michael Ennis will start at hooker for his new club, and Ben Barba will play in jersey 6, adding some spark and attacking skills to a notoriously low-scoring Sharks side.

The Raiders will start with the inexperienced, yet eagerly anticipated spine of Jack Wighton, Blake Austin, Mitchell Cornish and Josh Hodgson. The Raiders also boast the addition of Sisa Waqa to their outside backs.

Who to watch: We're salivating at the thought of Paul Gallen ripping in again. Known for attempting to carry the entire team on his back (sometimes to his team's detriment), Gallen will lead his pack (ably supported by the Fifita Brothers and Matt Prior) in a fierce battle with David Shillington, Dane Tilse and Josh Papalii.

The Raiders' spine will be interesting as well - as mentioned they lack experience, but they definitely make up for it in raw talent, flair, and self-confidence.

The favourite: The Sharks are short price favourites compared to the Raiders.

My tip: I can't go past the Sharks at home. Sharks by 8.

St George Illawarra Dragons v Melbourne Storm 
Jubilee Oval - Monday 7:00pm 

Question marks litter the field before this clash between the Dragons and the Storm. Many believe the Storm's golden run is coming to an end, with aging superstars Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith getting on in their careers, and Gareth Widdop - the one man succession plan for the Storm - is now facing up for the opposition.

The Dragons' question marks mainly lie over their toothless tiger forward pack. Heavily criticised in the past for being too soft, the Dragons will be looking to silence some critics. George Rose adds some size to the pack, while the spine of Josh Dugan, Benji Marshall, Widdop and Mitch Rein should prove a handful for the Storm.

Who to watch: We'll have interested eyes glued to Josh Dugan this week. Slater seemed to be slowing down last season, and whether this was due to injury or not is anyone's guess. Dugan on the other hand, is on the up and up.

We'll also be keeping an eye on Cooper Cronk. The man is meticulous with ball-in-hand - it just remains to be seen if everyone else follows suit.

The favourite: We don't necessarily agree, but the punters have favoured the Dragons. Just.

My tip: Storm to start strong, but the Dragons to run away with it by 4.