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The Panthers' 11th-placed finish in 2009 suggests another season of disappointment at the foot of the Blue Mountains, but the club will take heart in the knowledge they were just 80 minutes away from their first finals appearance since 2004. It will also be a stinging reminder of what might have been for Matthew Elliott's men after they collected just one win from their last six matches - they were 5th heading into Round 22. Michael Jennings continued his meteoric rise to superstardom and debuted for NSW, while some of the club's veterans rediscovered their best form. Although injuries played a major part in Penrith's late-season collapse, questions should certainly be asked about the manner of their capitulation.
Best performance
Jennings was at the forefront of a 48-6 obliteration of the Roosters and a thrilling 38-34 win over Parramatta, but a gritty 12-10 eclipse of defending champs Manly in Round 3 gave the young Panthers the belief they could match it with the NRL's big guns.
Worst performance
With eighth place up for grabs in the final round against Newcastle, Penrith were woeful in going down 35-0. Their attack, which had been sizzling earlier in the year, was amateurish. The defensive cracks had begun to show when they haemorrhaged 40 unanswered points in the second half against Brisbane, while conceding 83 points in the final two rounds to the Eels and Knights suggests they did not belong in the finals.
Standouts
Jennings was consistently brilliant and must be nearing Kangaroo selection - one of the game's brightest talents. Trent Waterhouse produced his best NRL season, and earned a NSW recall along with the ultra-consistent Luke Lewis.
Disappointments
Livewire hooker Masada Iosefa failed to make an impact after bursting onto the scene in 2008, and joined the long list of NRL players to find themselves in alcohol-related trouble off the field in 2009.
Surprise Packet
Winger Michael Gordon has emerged as the NRL's sharpest shooter, finishing the year with the incredible goalkicking figures of 94%.
Rookies
After blooding several exciting rookies in 2008, Matt Elliott didn''t require the services of too many first-year players, but winger Junior Tia-Kilifi looked an exciting prospect with four tries in eight games.
Recruits
Newcastle cast-off Luke Walsh created an extra dimension after joining the Panthers' mid-season. Walsh slotted seamlessly into the No. 7 role and spearheaded the club's charge up the ladder. Another former Knight Brad Tighe played strongly and cemented a centre spot, while Gavin Cooper was a valuable buy from the Titans, offering cover in the back-row and centres.
Injury impact
Ultimately derailed Penrith's finals aspirations. Petero Civoniceva missed the second half of the season with a toe injury, and while the young Panthers' pack soldiered on gamely without their skipper and forward anchor, they were steamrolled by more experienced sides late in the year. Luke Lewis also missed ten games with injury, and boom youngster Lachlan Coote's second first grade season was over after just 12 appearances.
2010 prospects
The Panthers will retain the core of their squad in 2010, with No. 9 Paul Aiton the only notable departure. With an injury-free run, and particularly having cast-iron veterans Civoniceva and Lewis on deck for the entire season, the Panthers have the firepower in players like Jennings and Frank Pritchard to storm into the finals. Elliott's job is safe at the moment after seemingly having his head in the noose 12 months ago, but another failure in 2010 may spell the end of his tenure.
The Warriors have roundly been dubbed the biggest disappointment of 2009, and with good reason. Tipped by many good judges as top-four specials and genuine title contenders, New Zealand started the year with two great wins but from that point on could not secure back-to-back victories, and finished above only the woeful Sharks and Roosters. After last season's rousing charge to the preliminary final, it is difficult to pinpoint what went wrong in 2009, but the Warriors' chronic inconsistency brought back memories of the bad old days of the late-1990s and 2004-05. Injuries put a big dent in the club's plans, and Ivan Cleary had difficulty settling on a steady line-up throughout the year, particularly in the halves. Stacey Jones' comeback was largely a success, and much of the criticism aimed at the Kiwi legend mid-season was unwarranted. Similar performances from the club in 2010 will surely see Cleary's head on the block, while management's decision to let World Cup halfback Nathan Fien go halfway through the year was a head-scratcher. His form in helping the Dragons secure the minor premiership is a clear indicator the Warriors got it wrong.
Best Performance
The thrilling Stacey Jones-led win over Manly in Round 2 had fans talking about grand finals. Steve Price and Manu Vatuvei were at their best, and Jones dragged the Warriors back from a big deficit with some individual brilliance for a 26-24 triumph.
Worst Perfomance
Although they escaped with a draw, the Warriors' effort in letting a 32-6 lead against Penrith slip to finish 32-all after golden point summed up their season.
Standouts
Jones and Lance Hohaia provided most of New Zealand's attacking spark throughout the year, while big Manu poached 13 tries from 19 games despite a famine of quality ball. Rookie winger Kevin Locke barely put a foot wrong after coming into first grade. Sam Rapira and Russell Packer provided the muscle up front, and part-time skipper Michael Luck finished as the NRL's top tackler.
Disappointments
Former Bronco Denan Kemp arrived amid high expectations after crossing for 19 tries in 2008, but ten games yielded just one try before he was banished to NSW Cup duty. Fullback Wade McKinnon, one of the game's most dangerous ball-runners in 2007, seemed a shadow of his former self and could only muster six line breaks all year.
Rookies
Locke has been on the NRL's finds of the year. Lightning quick and elusive, determined and confident, Locke seemed likely to produce something special every time he touched the ball in 2009. Finished as the Warriors top pointscorer despite playing just 12 games. Creative No. 9 Aaron Heremia displaced 2008 hero Ian Henderson by the end of the year, and Lewis Brown proved himself as a tough and versatile customer. Explosive forward Ukuma Ta'ai looks to be a fine prospect if he can eliminate the errors from his game.
Recruits
Kemp's arrival was a disaster, but fellow Bronco recruit Joel Moon was a good buy at centre and five-eighth. Moon unveiled a towering boot in 2009, and collected four tries in match against the Panthers. Former Queensland rep Jacob Lillyman had a solid season.
Injury impact
Injuries weren't kind to the Warriors, robbing them of strike centre Brent Tate after just three games. Representative stars Price, Vatuvei and Jerome Ropati were also sidelined for extended periods.
2010 Prospects
The Warriors' main concern is replacing Stacey Jones and settling on a stable halves combination. There are big question marks on whether recent signing and serial misbehaver Brett Seymour is the man to steer New Zealand around the park. Has proved himself as a quality first-grader in a support role for players such as Brett Kimmorley and Trent Barrett, but can he take the lead role? They will be stronger for welcoming Brent Tate back, and they have sufficient forward strength to provide opportunities for their bevvy of backline stars. As always with the Warriors, consistency will be the key.
NRL's Best of the Decade - Top 10 Hookers
1. Danny Buderus
2. Cameron Smith
3. Michael Ennis
4. Robbie Farah
5. Luke Pridis
6. Michael Monaghan
7. Craig Wing
8. Shaun Berrigan
9. Mark Riddell
10= Nathan Friend
10= Aaron Payne
10= Corey Hughes
GOLD COAST TITANS
John Cartwright’s men have found themselves in a similar position in 2007 and 2008, only to falter on the stretch and miss the finals both years. Riding high in equal-first, the Titans have a golden opportunity to bury the memories of those fadeouts and qualify for their maiden post-regular season campaign. As they did in their first two years, injuries are beginning to be a major disruption for the Gold Coast, and a large share of the load will fall on the club’s brilliant crop of rookies to help Prince, Campbell, Friend and Laffranchi get them home
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PARRAMATTA EELS
It’s hard to imagine a more tumultuous start for incoming coach Daniel Anderson – a shaky start on the field leading to lynchpin half Brett Finch effectively being forced out of the club. More bad form and injuries exacerbated the situation, while boardroom shake-ups were an unwelcome distraction. The Eels' mini-resurgence over the past month can be summed up in two words – Jarryd Hayne. The NSW Origin star has exploded, and with the help of the Ray Price of this millennium, Nathan Hindmarsh, the Eels find themselves only three competition points away from the top-8
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With just ten rounds remaining and the representative schedule all but out the way, the whips are really about to start cracking as the top-8 begins to take shape. Just three teams - Dragons, Storm, Sea Eagles - that made the finals in 2008 are sitting in the top half of the competition after Round 16, while '08 top-4 sides Cronulla and Sydney find themselves in the bottom-3. Pre-season favourites Brisbane and New Zealand are currently outside the eight, but just three wins seperates first and ninth, and a mad scramble for positions is about to unfold. Statistically, every team in the NRL is still a finals contender, with critics so far only prepared to book the Roosters in for their post-season holiday in September.
The following is a club-by-club breakdown on why each team is where they are now, and where they will end up
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Parramatta put aside a tumultuous opening two months of the season to record their most impressive win of the season so far, 28-18 over the Cowboys. The Eels lead 22-0 at one stage, while it took 53 minutes for the visitors to register their first points. The Cowboys dominated the final quarter as Jonathon Thurston found his playmaking touch, but it was too late to prevent a morale-boosting 28-18 victory for Parra. Jarryd Hayne was electric at fullback, and was denied one of the great individual tries by the video referee due to a marginal deliberate knock-on call.
The 2008 premiers' title defence was put on life support as Manly crumbled to their sixth loss in eight games, and Melbourne gained some grand final revenge with a scrappy 22-8 win. Test stars Billy Slater and Greg Inglis produced a timely return to form for the Storm, but Manly were sadly lacking and desperately need to manufacture a fullback
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