NRL ladder top four look set for finals

Friday, 17 July 2009

NRL ladder top four look set for finals

by Crikey's resident football nerd

Crikey’s NRL Hot Form Chart

Fingers, fists and invective have been variously flying, connecting and being pointed since the Origin series ended in a fashion more 1980s than skinny ties and Max Headroom. The upshot for the Form Chart will be more certainty as the competition’s cream return to regular first-grade action.

But despite the haywire nature of recent weeks, there is still a tale to be told by Crikey’s Form table. Our top four also hold the same positions (in slightly different order) on the NRL ladder and should go on to lock them in for the finals. For Melbourne, especially — heavily affected as it is by rep footy — this is an impressive achievement. The Storm will only get better from here and could still threaten a fourth consecutive minor premiership. Others likely to rise are Manly and Brisbane; and both need the improvement if they are to feature in finals. Their runs should start with victories over Cronulla and Souths this weekend.

Match of the round honours undoubtedly rest with tonight’s clash between the Bulldogs and Titans. League fans cannot watch it live but at least the black cloud of Channel Nine’s contempt for its viewers has a silver lining: ThisAfternoon has been axed. The Gold Coast will have to take that bright fact home with it as consolation after the rampaging Dogs get the points.

Form*	Team	Last week	NRL ladder position	Sequence
1	Dragons	2	1	L-W-W-W-W
2	Melbourne	3	4	W-W-W-L-W
3	Titans	4	3	W-W-W-L-W
4	Bulldogs	7	2	W-W-W-L-W
5	Manly	1	9	W-W-W-W-L
6	Cowboys	6	5	W-L-W-L-W
7	Cronulla	8	15	W-W-W-L-L
8	Newcastle	12	6	L-L-W-L-W
9	Tigers	10	11	L-W-L-L-W
10	Canberra	5	12	L-L-W-W-L
11	Penrith	9	8	W-L-L-W-L
12	Parramatta	11	14	W-L-W-L-L
13	Brisbane	14	7	L-L-L-L-W
14	Rabbitohs	16	10	L-L-L-L-W
15	Roosters	15	16	L-L-L-W-L
16	Warriors	13	13	L-W-L-L-L

*Form over the past five games

Crikey’s Hot Form Tips for round 19 are:

Brisbane
Bulldogs
Penrith
Manly
Warriors
Cowboys
Melbourne

Last week: 4 (Season total: 82)

Crikey’s AFL Hot Form Chart

Like slighted Greens, Crikey’s Hot Form Chart is unforgiving. Lose a couple and you are back in the pack, especially if others are churning through wins like diplomats through Chinese red tape. Geelong — yes, that’s right Geelong — finds itself in that very position this week. The Cats may have been under-strength against Brisbane last week but the Form Chart makes no concessions for omissions and sees the mob from down the peninsula as only the eighth best going around on current form.

Their opposition, Melbourne, sits ninth on the Chart after back-to-back wins. So should we expect a ding-dong battle between the universe’s oldest clubs on Saturday? Of course not. Geelong will do it easily but the manner of the win will be closely watched after last week’s lull.

The round’s biggest game will be played in the perpetual twilight at Docklands on Sunday evening when Crikey’s top two get together. Adelaide would like the win more than the Saints, and could certainly use it as it battles for a top-four berth. St Kilda will still be struggling to find its edge after an epic clash against the Cats and a round-trip west, so this may be the week it finally drops the points.

And the Hawks found a pulse last Sunday with a final-quarter comeback against North, but will need defibrillators to keep it going after Collingwood fix them up on Saturday night.

Form*	Team	Last week	AFL ladder position	Sequence
1	St Kilda	1	1	W-W-W-W-W
2	Adelaide	2	5	W-W-W-W-W
3	Collingwood	3	4	W-W-W-W-W
4	Bulldogs	4	3	W-W-W-W-L
5	Carlton	6	7	W-L-L-W-W
6	Brisbane	7	6	L-W-W-L-W
7	Essendon	8	8	L-W-W-L-W
8	Geelong	5	2	W-W-W-L-L
9	Melbourne	12	15	L-L-L-W-W
10	Hawthorn	14	10	W-L-L-L-W
11	Port Adelaide	9	9	W-L-L-W-L
12	Sydney	11	11	L-L-L-W-L
13	West Coast	13	12	L-L-W-L-L
14	Richmond	10	14	L-W-L-L-L
15	North Melbourne	15	13	L-L-L-L-L
16	Fremantle	16	16	L-L-L-L-L