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Message: [QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 3558505, member: 1899"] So let's review, this was my expectation. 1. Panthers - 17 Wins 2. Warriors - 17 Wins 3. Rabbitohs - 16 Wins 4. Broncos - 16 Wins 5. Cowboys - 16 Wins 6. Storm - 15 Wins 7. Raiders - 15 Wins 8. Sharks - 14 Wins 9. Eels - 13 Wins 10. Manly - 11 Wins 11. Sydney - 11 Wins 12. Knights - 10 Wins 13. Dolphins - 10 Wins 14. Gold Coast - 9 Wins 15. Canterbury - 8 Wins Reality 1. Panthers - 18 Wins 2. Broncos - 18 Wins 3. Storm - 16 Wins 4. Warriors - 16 Wins 5. Knights - 14 Wins 6. Sharks - 14 Wins 7. Roosters - 13 Wins 8. Raiders - 13 Wins 9. Rabbitohs - 12 Wins 10. Eels - 12 Wins 11. Cowboys - 12 Wins 12. Manly - 11 Wins 13. Dolphins - 9 Wins 14. Titans - 9 Wins 15. Bulldogs - 7 Wins There were a few factors in play here. Coming off of State of Origin, South Sydney appeared bound for a strong run home. However before the first hurdle, Latrell pulled out at the last minute and despite leading at half-time they completely fell to pieces against the Broncos in that second half. They nearly lost to the Tigers and had to have a few things go their way against the Dragons before being outclassed. Koloamatangi was really disappointing coming off his Origin debut and neither Lachlan Ilias or Campbell Graham played as well as they did during the opening portions of the season. However it was the form of Latrell Mitchell that was of real concern and he may as well have just pulled the pin before the Origin series. From arguably the form player in the competition, to a complete non-entity, it was really bizarre how it all fell apart for Latrell. Then there was the Cowboys. One of the reasons why I started this thread is because I was looking at the run home like it was a multiple choice quiz where every seemed to be (c). Surely that couldn't have been right and so I turned it in hoping to see where I got it wrong. In this instance I believe the Cowboys were riding the high of Queensland's State of Origin victory and a few timely returns. They were allowed to beat some quality teams without their stars, they took that confidence but as time went on, injuries and loss of form crept in and they fell apart. The turning point for me was half-way through the Eels game where it appeared the Cowboys couldn't wait for the game to be over and were making some really soft efforts. That lethargy crept into the Gold Coast game and while they came out a million miles an hour against the Broncos, they didn't blow them off the park like they expected to and paid the price. Their key players struggled to get into the game and their pack was really exposed defensively. Then on the other side of the coin is Newcastle. The Knights were one of those teams that on their day could match it with anyone but they also had a tendancy to just go completely off the boil. That's been an issue O'Brien's entire tenure and while I was expecting them to be giant killers, I wasn't expecting them to be so consistent. The wins against Melbourne and South Sydney really changed things and they've been the big story of this run home. I wouldn't say the Roosters did better than expected or if teams like the Eels and the Rabbits did worse. I'll say it's a bit of both, with the timely return of players like Sam Walker & Angus Crichton who appeared touch and go giving them the boost they needed and now I'd consider them a genuine chance of making Week 3. Their run, along with the Knights run, has really made for an exciting finals series and it wouldn't shock me at all, if we saw the Knights qualify for a Grand Final. [/QUOTE]

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