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Message: [QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 2773529, member: 1899"] The NRL finals, where legends are made and childhood dreams become reality. 2016 shapes to be the closest NRL finals yet with eight teams all staking claims at a premiership. You've got the Brisbane Broncos, last year's runners up. They entered the year as favourites but after a disappointing Origin period fell off. In recent weeks, they're discovered their best form but face a challenge most deem impossible, winning the Grand Final outside of the Top 4. Fortunately, Wayne Bennett has experience in this department, completing that fete in 1993, albeit under a different format. The Broncos certainly have the talent, but do they have that extra gear to conquer four tough games in a row? Then there's the Titans. Most will tell you they already achieved the impossible, staving off the wooden spoon and finding themselves within reach of an unlikely premiership. Going in, most fans would have you believe the Titans are just happy to be in the finals. However, the Gold Coast have the knack of staying in games and proving the unlikely upset in the dying stages. Friday's game promises to be a cracker and could very well be the Titans finest moment in their short history. Time will tell. Kicking us off on Saturday, we have Canberra v Cronulla, two teams that many expected to be here, but not in a Top 4 capacity. Both teams played some amazing football this season, some of the more enterprising we've had the pleasure of watching and Saturday promises to be an amazing game. When Ricky arrived at Canberra, nobody wanted to play for them. Kevin Proctor? Balked. Michael Ennis? No thank you. James Tedesco? Sorry, but he's sticking with his basket case of a club. The Raiders looked like they were on the brink, but through some crafty signings, Ricky has created one of the most enterprising sides of the decade. The Raiders play with a cavalier attitude and never die wondering. They've been through every heart-ache, every controversy imaginable and they've built on it. On Saturday, they have the opportunity to prove their current streak was more than just a fluke and that they're ready to play some serious September football. Let's see how far those lessons take them. Then you've got the Cronulla Sharks. A team that is made up of a little bit of everything. Some pieces old, some pieces new, the only thing they have in common is that they can strike at any moment and regather momentum when you least expect it. They have a ton of experience, a lot of players looking to go out with a bang and you just know they aren't going to go down without a fight. Up, Up Cronulla, cometh the hour... Ah Melbourne, the champion team that can never be written off. It seems like every year, the experts write them off as too old, too predictable and yet they always find themselves entrenched in the finals football. Led by Cameron Smith, Melbourne boast some of the best players in the sport at the moment as well as a few young players on the rise. Last year, they were in the box seat to qualify for their 7th grand final until destiny intervened. This year, they enter the finals stronger and more determined. Standing in their way is one of only two teams that knows how to beat Melbourne in Melbourne during the finals and that's the North Queensland Cowboys. The defending champions have been every bit as good as their 2015 counterpart and after a shaky post-Origin period have found their best form in recent weeks. If ever there was a side that could win back to back premierships, it'd be a side with the immortal Johnathan Thurston leading the way. There's plenty to like about the Cowboys and plenty of signs to believe that their story, their war as it were, is far from over. Then on Sunday, we've got the dark horses. Boasting some of the most talented players in the competition, Penrith have discovered their best form in recent weeks and look to cause a stir in September. Names such as Matt Moylan, Josh Mansour, Bryce Cartwright, Nathan Cleary, Lelani Latu, Trent Merrin, James Fisher-Harris and Chris Grevsmuhl are bound to play big roles in the future and have the potential to go all the way. Get ready to roll the dice, if Penrith switch on, it's curtains for their opponents. Then there's Canterbury. Like Melbourne, it's business as usual, they just have a habit of finding themselves in the thick of finals football. A lot of people have written the Bulldogs off, have them flying under the radar if you will, and if you asked Des he'd have it no other way. Especially with Mr. Excitement Sam Kasiano returning. Kasiano is a go-getter, he grabs the ball and makes things happen. He's without a doubt one of the key players of the finals series and his involvement will be one of the big talking points come Sunday. All eight teams represent the hopes and dreams of an entire fanbase. With every pass, every tackle, every hit-up they have thousands if not millions riding them hoping that when the final siren is sounded it's their team on the podium. The question is, who will lift the premiership? Nathan Friend? James Graham? Matt Moylan? Johnathan Thurston? Paul Gallen? Jarrod Croker? Cameron Smith? Or Corey Parker? Who will have the last laugh in 2016? We're about to find out, so feel free and join us as we experience another breathtaking NRL Finals Series. [/QUOTE]

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