CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – JULY 25: Tom Starling of the Raiders celebrates victory in the round 11 NRL match between the Canberra Raiders and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at GIO Stadium on July 25, 2020 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
2021 has been a strange year for rugby league. The competition now resides in QLD and the reality is we’re only an announcement away from playing in front of empty stadiums yet again.
No matter the circumstances though, each and every year the game we love throws up its fair share of surprises.
Some teams come out of nowhere to make finals runs. Players emerge and become superstars. Origin bolters, massive upsets. Sign me up.
The reverse also happens though. Some sides head into the year with expectations and fall well short of matching them.
Unfortunately, today is a negative day as we look at the four sides who, I believe have underachieved.
While you could argue that any side who doesn’t finish in the 8 has underdelivered, some sides aren’t there yet. For instance, it would be hard to say the Warriors have underachieved given they won’t play a single game at home in 2021 and the expectation was a lower table finish.
Below are the four teams, and one special mention, who have underachieved. Let us know below who you believe has most failed to match expectations.
Honourable mention: Broncos
While no one was expecting the Broncos to win the competition in 2021, everyone was expecting a big improvement. Coming off their worst season ever, it simply had to be.
Results have slightly improved but not in a way most would have hoped.
Anything less than a comfortable finals finish is a failure for the biggest club in QLD and arguably the NRL competition as a whole.
Two straight horror seasons means 2022 will see them start under big pressure. With some big-name signings arriving, Id suggest they’ll be on the improvers list next year.
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North Queensland Cowboys
Jason Taumalolo. Valentine Holmes. Jordan McLean. Hamiso Tabua-Fidow.
These are not players we expect to be sitting in 15th position with two rounds to play.
At the conclusion of Round 13, the Cowboys were sitting comfortably inside the eight where some of us, myself included, thought they were destined to finish.
Unfortunately, they have failed to record a single victory since and now will finish 14th at best.
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Many saw the Cowboys pushing for a finals spot, with many suggesting they’d even make it. One thing very few saw coming was that they’d be better only than the Bulldogs.
New coach, new hope. It started brightly but unfortunately looks as though it will end without a win since May.
Throwing $800,000 at a halfback the Sharks were willing to drive up the coast. It has not been a good season for the men up north.
Canberra Raiders
The Raiders are two ridiculous sets of results away from qualifying for the finals. Calling it now, they’re dusted and will finish ninth at best.
That was unimaginable in the pre-season. So much so that Canberra were a dollar-something to play finals footy. It was a foregone conclusion. Many had them locks for the top four.
Jack Wighton was coming in off a Dally M medal, George Williams had a season under his belt. Hudson Young and Emre Guller were future stars up front.
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 27: George Williams of the Raiders in action during the round three NRL match between the Canberra Raiders and the Warriors at GIO Stadium on March 27, 2021, in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
It’s hard to say where it all went wrong for the Green Machine but Wighton has been reduced to a shell of his 2020 self. George Williams has left the club. Josh Hodgson seems to have lost a step.
Ricky Stuart’s press conferences have largely become an event in themselves. How will Stuart shift the blame this week? Who would cop his wrath?
I can’t put this one down to anything. They’ve had injuries but no worse than the Sydney Roosters or Melbourne Storm.
One thing is for sure, the Raiders have absolutely fallen short of every expectation in 2021 and unless they scrape into the finals and make it through the first two rounds, that won’t change.
Who do you believe has had the most disappointing 2021 season? For @zerotackle article tomorrow –
— #Dan2k23 (@suthodan) August 24, 2021
Gold Coast Titans
The Titans entered 2021 with genuine hopes of a big season. They added two megastars, Origin quality second rowers that were expected to lift this side to rarefied company.
AJ Brimson finished the season as the form player of the competition. He would have wracked up Dally M winning votes if he’d played three more games.
Jamal Fogarty had another full pre-season under his belt while Brian Kelly looked ready to step up into the top class of centres.
Moeaki Fotuaika, Tyrone Peachey and Jarrod Wallace are all players with Origin experience. Throw in links to Cameron Smith and 2021 was to be the season for the comp’s newest team.
Unfortunately, they’ve been dragged into a scrap for eighth spot that may end on Thursday night.
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 02: Moeaki Fotuaika of the Titans runs the ball during the round 12 NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the North Queensland Cowboys at Cbus Super Stadium on June 02, 2019 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
If they beat Newcastle then they’re a 50-50 shot of jumping the Sharks into eighth where they’ll be soundly beaten in the first week of the finals.
Not the season we expected for a side that promised so very much.
St George Illawarra Dragons
Unfortunately for fans wearing the Red V, this is a list the Dragons fall into more often than not. 2021 has proven no exception.
This side should make the eight. Comfortably. The roster is far superior to sides that will play finals footy.
Yet the Dragons have spent far more weeks in the media for negativity rather than for good football.
I won’t go into the negatives, I would be here all day long, but it’s continued as good as yesterday. Given they haven’t won since the 2nd of July.
They’ll miss the finals regardless of their own results over the next fortnight.
For a side boasting so much talent, that’s simply unacceptable.
What makes it even worse is that they’re good enough to play finals footy but are their own worst enemy time after time.
MAITLAND, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 22: Tariq Sims of the Dragons during the NRL Trial match between the Newcastle Knights and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Maitland No. 1 Sportsground on February 22, 2020 in Maitland, Australia. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)
Dragons fans should, rightly, be furious at their club’s unwillingness to make hard decisions.
Verdict
Canberra entered the season in many people’s top eight predictions. Many had them in their top four. A few even had them as the most likely to challenge the Storm and Panthers.
They’ve been, by far, the most disappointing club across the 2021 NRL season.
VOTE
Now, it’s your turn. Use the form to vote on who you think has been the most underperforming team of the 2021 NRL season and we will update the results to this article on Friday afternoon.
Source:: ZeroTackle
