Well lads, firstly, an interesting round of NRL action, what did you make of it and who impressed?

On Fire... Dragons started 2010 brightly (Nathan Fien is pretty excited anyway!)

Johnno – Super stuff really, great to see some good crowds out there, just hope it stays like that and doesn’t just fade away. Quality was pretty good for first round, considering there has been a lot of error ridden round one games in the past. Most impressive was probably Todd Carney, made me eat the words a little. That flick back for the assist was Slater/Inglis/Hayne like. I also liked Jamie Lyon and Jonathan Thurston’s performances in losing sides.

Gordon – Yeah, I’d have to agree, the quality was excellent first up, and it was interesting to see how some teams handled the pressure. I was impressed by a few players, Scott Dureau being one; he was super against the Dogs. Kevin Kingston and Adrian Purtell were on fire for the Panthers who I think are they dark horse for the premiership. The Rabbitohs were very disappointing though.

Alright, so now to 10^th, and after the action, who do you like?

Johnno – Souths. I didn’t like what I saw against the Roosters on the weekend. They’re about as close to being the best pack in the league as I am to shedding the Christmas pudding off the thighs. Sandow was a bright light and whilst Burgess was promising, but as a team they were awful.

Gordon: Tougher now after the weekend, but I’ll go with the Tigers. Yes, they beat the Sea Eagles and came back well, but I’m not 100% convinced. Down 20-4 they were getting romped. I like Gareth Ellis and a few of the forwards, I don’t think Lote will ever get back to his best, and the back line really isn’t that fear-striking.

What about the last team that won’t make finals then?

Wasted Potential... the Rabbit's didn't deliver.

Johnno – Definitely Manly. A good team with plenty of strike force, and really should of beat the Tigers. But I think especially after, what looks like, a serious injury to Brett Stuart, they could struggle. A lot is now riding on the shoulders of Jamie Lyon and Anthony Watmough, and I think they might buckle under the pressure, as we saw on Monday.

Gordon – Going with Souths. They were terrible on the weekend, but to prove it’s not always about first round, we see that a team like the Dragons who have lost so many first round games recently but still challenge for the title. They’ve got a solid pack, Sandow commanding the troops and the likes of Merrit on the wing, so the talent is there, but I don’t know if they’ll fulfil all the hype.

So now we’re into the finals spots, and who scrapes in?

Johnno – I’m sticking with Penrith. They’ve recruited well and obviously have something growing in the water down at CUA. Great talent in the squad and I think they will make finals after a long while out. However, I still think they might not be able to consistently compete with the ‘big boys’.

Gordon – Broncos. They copped a lot of stick pre-season, but for me, they are always an over-achieving side. No matter who they play they always seem to deliver to a certain point. They won’t be as strong as previous seasons, but they’ll have enough to make the cut.

Three more to go now, who’s in at 7^th?

Johnno – I’d have to go with the Bulldogs. I like the system and I think they can bounce back from round one, but not consistently enough. Can’t really see them putting long winning-streaks together and I think that will ultimately be the factor that sees them only finishing at 7^th. The difference this season being, people expect them to win.

Gordon – Bulldogs. They looked very lethargic on the weekend against a depleted Newcastle line up, and they showed some disappointing signs early on. Michael Ennis is no Hazem in the goal kicking service, so they might have to work harder for points. It could be touch and go for them really, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up missing finals.