NRL Futures Tracker, 2023 Most Improved
The pre-season is officially over, and the countdown to Round 1 of the NRL season is on.
With a trade period and two-week Pre-Season Challenge to draw our information from, it’s time to start looking at the teams who could improve the most in 2023.
Wests Tigers (-10)
$3.50
There’s really nowhere but up for the Wests Tigers. They struggled in almost every facet of the game last season and finished with four wins and in last place on the ladder.
Tim Sheens won’t have an easy time of it, however, as he looks to improve a team who ranked last for both points for and against with a 327-point discrepancy.
After welcoming nine new names during the trade period, Tigers fans would have loved everything they saw on Sunday as Wests dismantled the Raiders 36-4 in the final Pre-Season Challenge game. Junior Tupou was the star with two tries, but the balance between offence and defence was the most impressive aspect of their game.
With several rival teams showing far less, $3.50 for most improved is considered real value.
Canterbury Bulldogs (-16)
$3.50
The Bulldogs might not have been as convincing as the Wests during pre-season, but they still managed to pick apart the Raiders in Week 1 with a 34-18 victory.
The 34 points was more of a focus than the 18 against after the Bulldogs ranked third-last for scoring when finishing 12th last season.
There has been massive turnover at the club over the off-season, with nine players coming into the side: Reed Mahoney, Hayze Perham (Parramatta), Viliame Kikau (Penrith), Ryan Sutton (Canberra), Andrew Davey (Manly), Franklin Pele (Cronulla), Jacob Preston (Sydney/North Sydney), Josh Reynolds (Hull FC) and Karl Oloapu (Brisbane).
Josh Addo-Carr and Max King will lead the Bulldogs’ resurgence as they find plenty of support in the market.
Gold Coast Titans (-14)
$9
Did the Titans do enough over the pre-season to justify their $9 quote? We think so.
After finishing the year in 13th spot with six wins, the Titans added some real quality in the form of Kieran Foran (Manly), Sam Verrills (Sydney), Chris Randall (Newcastle), Joe Stimson and Aaron Schoupp (Canterbury).
Just as impressively, they finished fourth in the Pre-Season Challenge after tying with the Broncos before demolishing the Dolphins 16-40 in Redcliffe. Alofiana Khan-Pereira starred with three tries in the opening 11 minutes en route to four, while Jojo Fifita added two of his own.
The Titans were on the way up in the second half of last season and won three of their previous five games. There’s every chance they will continue to rise in 2023.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (-20)
$10
Finally, the $10 on offer for the Sea Eagles might be the best value on offer.
There’s no doubt they capitulated in 2022 with five consecutive losses to end the season in 11th and miss finals, but the Sea Eagles have come out with a point to prove in their limited match time during the pre-season.
They were too strong for the Rabbitohs in Week 1 with a two-point victory before stamping their authority with a 16-28 win over the Roosters on the weekend. Reuben Garrick had a day out with tries and four goals.
Anthony Seibold has returned to the coaching ranks as head honcho at the Sea Eagles after a stint with the England national team. While his last NRL role at Brisbane ended badly for all, Seibold has returned reinvigorated and ready to lead the Sea Eagles back into finals contention.
