What every NRL team wants in their Christmas stocking

Every club has a premiership on their Christmas wish list – but instead of hoping for a case of Dom Perignon, a bottle of Passion Pop would rate as a successful holiday gift for most teams.

From halfbacks and health, to contracts and curses, here are some of the treats NRL teams would like to find under their Christmas trees next Wednesday morning.

Wests Tigers – A functioning board

It’s been a tumultuous few years for the Wests Tigers.

Three wooden spoons, two sacked coaches, the entire board dissolved and now whispers that the current board want the Western Suburbs Magpies to replace the Wests Tigers in the NRL. Yikes.

The team is starting to take some shape, thanks to the talent of Jarome Luai, Api Koroisau, Lachlan Galvin, Jahream Bula and Sunia Turuva, but it’s time to get the club sorted at an administrative level.

Sea Eagles – A healthy Tom Trbojevic

No late-night sprint races with punters for Tom Trbojevic this off-season – the Sea Eagles need their star fullback to conserve his hamstrings.

It’s been six years since the Sea Eagles got an entire healthy season out of Trbojevic, who has had numerous hamstring and shoulder injuries throughout his career at Manly. Despite the club having excellent back-up No.1 options in Lehi Hopoate and Tolutau Koula, the Sea Eagles’ 2024 finals run showed that Trbojevic is integral to their success.

Eels – Dylan Brown to take up his contract options

The Jason Ryles revolution has begun at Parramatta.

Now they’ve shed the likes of Clint Gutherson and Reagan Campbell-Gillard, they need to start building a team around their halves partners – Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown. Brown is technically signed with the club until 2031 … if he wants. The 24-year-old has an absurd amount of player options in his contract, and he has until round 10 of the 2025 season to decide if he wants to take them up.

Rabbitohs – Wayne to get best out of Latrell

Wayne Bennett is back, and ready to make Latrell Mitchell great again.

The supercoach knows how to get the best out of Mitchell, who has struggled with injuries and suspensions in recent years, but already been a standout at training before Christmas. If Mitchell fires, Souths will be right back in the premiership hunt. How fit did he look stripped down to a pair of swimmers in a promo with teammate Jai Arrow last week?

Panthers – Fill the shoes of Jarome Luai

Jarome Luai is a tough act to follow, but that’s precisely what rising star Blaize Talagi needs to do.

The Parramatta junior inked a three-year-deal with the four-time premiers during the 2024 season, and he has the opportunity to slip into the gap left by Luai’s departure to the Tigers.

But if Talagi can’t live up to expectations, Brad Schneider, Jack Cole or Daine Laurie will be waiting in the wings to take his place at five-eighth.

Dragons – A half that’s not related to Shane Flanagan

With Ben Hunt back at the Broncos, the jury is out on St George Illawarra’s halves pairing this upcoming season, with some suggesting they will be the weakest in the NRL.

Lachie Ilias, who suffered a shocking leg injury last season, would love the chance to prove he is a genuine No. 7 after falling out of favour at Souths, and hopes to hit it off with Kyle Flanagan.

It’s not all bad news for the Dragons though, with Sharks utility Daniel Atkinson penning a three-year deal with the club from 2026, and Damien Cook, Valentine Holmes and workhorse Clint Gutherson joining the Red V in 2025 to help restore the club to the glory of the 1950s and 60s.

Quiz results:
7 out of 7: All your Christmas wishes come true.
5-6: You get all the presents you wanted, but you have to sit next to the boring uncle who smells like a wet dog at Christmas lunch.
3-4: You get a new pair of kicks – but they are Skechers.
0-2: You’ve been bad all year. Your stocking is empty, and you tear your hamstring off the bone going for a quick single in the post-Christmas lunch backyard cricket game and spend seven hours of Boxing Day in the emergency ward of your local hospital.

Broncos – Players to stay out of trouble

The Broncos are full of eye-catching players, but a string of on- and off-field incidents during the past couple of seasons played its part in Brisbane’s demise in 2024.

Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam are two of the club’s most talented, but the pair were under the microscope from the NRL integrity unit for a late-night incident in Bali in September, not to mention Mam appeared in court this week and pleaded guilty to drug driving and driving without a licence.

New coach Michael Maguire – with his “no shirts off at training” rule – should be able to pull the players into line this season.

Dolphins – Survive the Wayne Bennett curse

The Dolphins have had an impressive start to their NRL journey, but beware the Wayne Bennett curse.

Historically, teams tend to crash and burn when super coach Bennett ups and leaves, the most recent example being South Sydney, when Jason Demetriou was sacked mid-season and the team narrowly avoided the wooden spoon.

But it’s not just the Rabbitohs who have fallen victim to the curse; it’s also happened to the Knights, Dragons and Broncos in the past. Can new head coach Kristian Woolf avoid the same fate?

Titans – Actually have a good start to 2025

The Titans lost their first six games in 2024.

Their terrible start to the season was compounded by the loss of their captain and enforcer Tino Fa’asuamaleaui to an ACL injury in round three, but coach Des Hasler really needs to crack the whip from round one so the team aren’t starting on the back foot.

With David Fifita finally inking an extension with the club, and the likes of Jayden Campbell, AJ Brimson and Alofiana Khan-Pereira on the Gold Coast too, Hasler needs to squeeze every bit of talent out of the team to make them a top-eight side.

Bulldogs – Toby Sexton gamble to pay off

Toby Sexton was an experiment for the Bulldogs, but it ended up paying off in 2024. Sexton was impressive in the halves alongside Matt Burton this year, but he’s only got a contract until the end of 2025.

It looks like Canterbury are backing Sexton to be their halfback again next year, after pulling out of the race for Ben Hunt, but it’s yet to be seen whether he’s part of the club’s long-term plan. The Bulldogs have up-and-coming junior Mitchell Woods, but it would be a big ask to start him at No.7 next season.

Roosters – Next gen graduate

Coach Trent Robinson has a huge job getting the kids to step up following the exits of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Luke Keary, Joey Manu, Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii and Terrell May. Brandon Smith and Sam Walker will also be missing for the first half of the year because of knee injuries.

They had a crack at Ben Hunt and missed, meaning Chad Townsend, 34 next month, will be entrusted with getting the team around the park with youngster Sandon Smith, who’s had his own off-season troubles.

How many commentators will be practising the pronunciation of Mark Nawaqanitawase over the Christmas break?

Sharks – AFB delivers on pay cheque

Arguably the game’s best prop could be the missing link to help Cronulla finally go all the way. Addin Fonua-Blake was brilliant for Tonga and the New Zealand Warriors this year, and now spearheads an already excellent Cronulla pack including Tom Hazelton, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Toby Rudolf, Oregon Kaufusi and Tuku Hau Tapuha. He has the engine, footwork, aggression – and a new cult following in the Shire.

The Sharks front office will also be asking Santa for construction workers to get a wriggle on with building work at the leagues club.

Storm – Paps does not miss a game

Ryan Papenhuyzen is one of the most exciting players in the game – now the Storm just need to keep him on the park the entire year. Papenhuyzen is one of the most popular players in the game and, if he stays fit, take it as fact (Santa’s word, not ours) the Storm will be playing in a second successive grand final.

It will also be interesting to see if Stefano Utoikamanu follows in the footsteps of fellow former Wests Tigers forward Shawn Blore and thrives in the Victorian capital.

Warriors – Fish keeps biting

It was always going to take someone special to replace Addin Fonua-Blake, and the Warriors got just that with James Fisher-Harris. Fisher-Harris knows only one speed, has already won four premierships, but is still only 28, and would love nothing more than to lead the Warriors to their first title.

Whoever replaces Shaun Johnson in the No. 7 jersey will be relying heavily on the “Fish” to keep the Warriors rolling forward so he makes the halfback’s job a little easier.

There were unconfirmed reports Dallin Watene-Zelezniak’s glowing curly hair has started a new trend in the North Pole.

Knights – A settled halves combination

The Knights managed to scrape into the finals again in 2024, but they did it with 11 different halves pairings throughout the season.

Resourceful? Yes. Sustainable? No.

Coach Adam O’Brien needs to decide who is going to steer the team around next season and stick to it. Options include Jackson Hastings, Jack Cogger, Tyson Gamble and Will Pryce, but the truth is they don’t have a clear long-term solution or pairing.

Raiders – The Ethans show

The Raiders had hoped Ethan Sanders would be cut loose by Parramatta 12 months ago. Now the Eels junior is finally in town and ready to push for a starting halves spot. Another Ethan, Ethan Strange, who was excellent in the No. 6 last season, is likely to shift into the centres to accommodate his namesake.

Coach Ricky Stuart has assembled one of the quickest and youngest backlines in the game,capable of piling on the points.

Josh Papalii has already asked Santa that all future drinks are consumed in cans and not glasses.

Cowboys – Bateman finds some form

North Queensland would love a return to form for John Bateman and the world’s biggest supply of SPF 60+ sunscreen for the Englishman.

Bateman has found a new home following a split from the Wests Tigers. He struggled to find form last season, but a change of clubs may be just what he needs – as long as the whitest legs in rugby league don’t suffer sunburn in the harsh North Queensland sun.

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