Early Predictions for 2026 team

[Morgan]

If he plays well, which I expect he will, what is the club going to do with all the backrowers? Leilua may as well start packing his bags and wouldn't surprise me if they tell Su'A he can go to Redcliffe a year early if he likes.

team next year

1. Gutho
2. Lawson
3. Holmes
4. Suli
5. CT
6. LKT / Atkinson
7. Atkinson / LKT
8. Couchman
9. Cook
10. LPT
11. Tsougranis
12. Egan
13. Stewart
    
    
14. Couchman
15. JDB
16. Halangahu
17. Liddle / KF
    
    
18. Liu

Might be a bit young. Might need JDB to start. There is hardly a round where at least one forward isn't injured so Liu will see plenty of first grade.

 

[Dave03]

Going to do this for fun, assuming everyone is fit & who I want.

1. Saint Gutho
2. CT
3. Holmes
4. Suli
5. Lawson
6. LKT
7. Atko
8. Couchman
9. Kyle (does the early defensive work & covers halves)
10. JDB
11. Egan
12. Couchman
13. Stewart

14. Liddle- covers hooker but plays 50mins.
15. Loko - impact prop
16. Sele - covers lock
17. Nick T - edge & ctr cover.

Hope we recruit another starting winger, halfback & prop. Not guler/klemmer types either.

 

[Ryan]

Going to do this for fun, assuming everyone is fit & who I want.

1. Saint Gutho
2. CT
3. Holmes
4. Suli
5. Lawson
6. LKT
7. Atko
8. Couchman
9. Kyle (does the early defensive work & covers halves)
10. JDB
11. Egan
12. Couchman
13. Stewart

14. Liddle- covers hooker but plays 50mins.
15. Loko - impact prop
16. Sele - covers lock
17. Nick T - edge & ctr cover.

Hope we recruit another starting winger, halfback & prop. Not guler/klemmer types either.

Kyle @9 and Cook not in the team? Couchman is average as a backrower but very good in the middle in my opinion.

 

[Dave03]

Kyle @9 and Cook not in the team? Couchman is average as a backrower but very good in the middle in my opinion.

yea, kyle offers more versatility & i want liddle playing more mins at hooker. Ryan couchman as an edge.

 

[Ryan]

yea, kyle offers more versatility & i want liddle playing more mins at hooker. Ryan couchman as an edge.

Kyle offers more versatility than Cook? I can't agree with that at all.

 

[Dragon David]

I might be jumping the gun because it hasn't been fired yet, but if the talk is that our big mission is to be top 4 in 2027 then our mission for 2026 is to start well and end well to get the squad on track and motivated to do better in 2027. Failure to be on a winning roll in the last 5-6 games of 2026 and to lose most games will take us back to being in a hard place. Focus has to be on being much more successful in 2026 than what was experienced in 2025.

 

[Morgan]

I might be jumping the gun because it hasn't been fired yet, but if the talk is that our big mission is to be top 4 in 2027 then our mission for 2026 is to start well and end well to get the squad on track and motivated to do better in 2027. Failure to be on a winning roll in the last 5-6 games of 2026 and to lose most games will take us back to being in a hard place. Focus has to be on being much more successful in 2026 than what was experienced in 2025.

This seems accurate. Maybe that would be enough with hopefully Reed in the halves, Williams on the wing and the young forwards better still for a top quality team in 2027.

 

[Dragon David]

This seems accurate. Maybe that would be enough with hopefully Reed in the halves, Williams on the wing and the young forwards better still for a top quality team in 2027.

While we have not really set the world on fire with our recruiting (so far), the nucleus of the team as a whole seems geared for a good year in 2026 even allowing for some period of a Flanagan/Atkinson halves combination. Our forwards are goers and they will be putting in the best that they can, especially those that missed many months in 2025 and with the return of Holmes and Suli and some useful outside backs signed, we might prove hard to beat in many games.

If we can win both the starting games against the Bulldogs and Storm, look out.

 

[Ryan]

While we have not really set the world on fire with our recruiting (so far), the nucleus of the team as a whole seems geared for a good year in 2026 even allowing for some period of a Flanagan/Atkinson halves combination. Our forwards are goers and they will be putting in the best that they can, especially those that missed many months in 2025 and with the return of Holmes and Suli and some useful outside backs signed, we might prove hard to beat in many games.

If we can win both the starting games against the Bulldogs and Storm, look out.

Any halves combination featuring Kyle Flanagan is going to lose many more games than it wins. Other than that, good post. I think it's right.

 

[George Sancti]

As it is looking more doubtful that DA will be able attract the type of forward we need for 2026, I'm hope Coach Flanno has the kicking coach working overtime with all the possible halves. If we were to have a superior long kicking game, it may compensate for the lack of go forward.

 

[Mailroomsgi]

The line speed is the #1 thing for me, watch all the top sides and how they strangle worse teams into submission by slowly winning field position

Canterbury have shown a ‘lesser known’ forward pack can still win plenty of games by penning teams in their own half