Captains pick which rival clubs will go all the way

Melbourne skipper Harry Grant, who said Penrith were again the team he most feared, welcomed the other players’ opinions of the Storm and said Utoikamanu had enjoyed a summer to remember.

“You can see the way he goes about his business, he wants to earn everyone’s trust and respect, and buying into everything we’re doing, which has impressed me,” Grant said.

The Panthers have lost Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris, but somehow keep overcoming the loss of a couple of senior players each season. They did it last year after Stephen Crichton and Spencer Leniu departed, just as they coped with the earlier exits of stars Api Koroisau, Viliame Kikau, Matt Burton and Kurt Capewell.

“Even though they keep losing players, they find a way to keep winning,” said South Sydney skipper Cameron Murray.

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Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses said: “How can you [not say them] when they’ve been to the past five grand finals?”

Michael Maguire’s move to Brisbane in the off-season will have the Broncos primed to bounce back after a disappointing 2024, according to Newcastle’s Kalyn Ponga, St George Illawarra’s Clint Gutherson, and New Zealand Warriors’ utility Dylan Walker, who played under Maguire at Souths.

“They will get a bit of tough love from ‘Madge’ [Maguire],” Walker said.

“When I was a younger guy [in the NRL] and he came in, he showed me that tough love, and was all about getting on with your job and doing the hard work. I think a club like that will benefit a lot from someone like him. They’ll go close.”

Ponga added: “Brisbane face a bit of a redemption year after last year. I know a few of their boys, and they wouldn’t have been happy with how it all worked out. I’ve been in their position, and it does motivate you [to turn it around].”