2025 NRL: Five Bold Predictions

Lachlan Jeffery makes five bold predictions ahead of the 2025 National Rugby League season.

1. Mitchell Moses to win the Dally M

Mitchell Moses arguably came of age in 2024, recording one of the most successful seasons in his career, despite only playing eight first grade games. Despite his lack of time on the field, Moses still managed to poll 14 Dally M points, along with playing a crucial role in New South Wales’s State of Origin victory and Australia’s Pacific Championship title. Replacing Clint Gutherson as captain, the Eels halfback will have a lot more responsibility for new coach Jason Ryles and will no doubt revel in it as he builds combinations with the new members of the club’s backline.

2. Sydney Roosters to miss the finals

For a club that expects nothing short of success, the word “rebuild” is not one that is thrown around all that often at Bondi Junction. However, the departures of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Luke Keary to the English Super League, Joseph Manu and Joseph Sua’ali’i to rugby union, Sitili Tupouniua to Canterbury and Terrell May to Wests Tigers leave a huge hole in experience. Additionally, Sam Walker and Brandon Smith will both miss the first half of the season as they recover from ACL ruptures. While they’ve got a talented crop of players coming through, many of them are still young and only made the transition to NSW Cup in 2024. They do still have plenty of fire power through the likes of James Tedesco, Angus Crichton, Lindsay Collins and others, the mass changes, especially in the spine, mean that the top 8 in 2025 may be a bridge too far.

3. Broncos, Warriors and Eels return to the finals

Typically, it can be expected that there will be two or three changes to the make-up of the top eight each season. In 2025, the Broncos, Warriors and Eels will all be expecting to make the jump.

Under the guidance of Michael Maguire, the Broncos will find the hard edge that was lacking in 2024 and ultimately saw them collapse from grand finalists to 12^th in the span of 12 months. The addition of Ben Hunt will also be a steadying influence in the halves, something that was severely lacking in 2024.

Similarly, the addition of James Fisher-Harris to the Warriors will change their fortunes. A proven leader who is highly respected around the game, Fisher-Harris won’t accept any slacking off from his teammates. The return of Luke Metcalf after missing so much football will also improve the Warriors fortunes, even allowing for the losses of Shaun Johnson, Tohu Harris and Addin Fonua-Blake.

A new coach and a number of new superstars will also make a huge difference for Parramatta. Jason Ryles has served a long apprenticeship alongside Craig Bellamy and Trent Robinson and finally gets his chance to take the reins for himself.  Mitchell Moses has been named the new captain and will be aiming to take the Eels back to where they were in 2022. With new signings Zac Lomax, Josh Addo-Carr and Isaiah Iongi (who is among the favourites for Dally M Rookie of the Year) providing plenty of spark in the backline, things are looking positive for the Eels.

4. Sharks to make the grand final

One of the biggest issues the Sharks have faced since 2016 is beating top 8 teams. Although it started as a form issue, it quickly developed into a mental one. In 2024 they took a big step in overcoming that issue, claiming victories mid-season against top 4 teams Melbourne (in Melbourne) and the Roosters, before registering their first finals win in six years over an in-form Cowboys side and pushing Penrith to the limit in the preliminary final. The club has a strong squad with a good mixture of youth and experience, with leaders like Nicho Hynes and Cameron McInnes setting the example. The addition of Addin Fonua-Blake also provides the forward pack with some extra starch that will prove crucial in the big games at the back end of the season.

5. No coaches sacked mid-season

After two coaches had their contracts terminated midway through 2024, there is a good chance that none will suffer the same fate in 2025. It would be unexpected for a club that reached the finals last year to sack their coach mid-season, while the bottom 9 clubs with new coaches (Dolphins, Brisbane, Parramatta and Souths) will all stick by their coaches. Of the remaining five, Ricky Stuart is safe at Canberra, St George Illawarra and Gold Coast have pinned their hopes on experienced campaigners (Shane Flanagan and Des Hasler) to rebuild their clubs, Wests Tigers have a long-term plan for Benji Marshall, and the Warriors look likely to climb back up the ladder with Andrew Webster.