Panthers pass their exams, but there are a few class clowns with epic failures

School’s out! The 2024 NRL season is coming to an end and it’s time to sit down and go through the report cards. Who should be happy with how things turned out?

Who needs to study harder during the off-season? Who gets a stern lecture after failing massively? Let’s see.

Penrith Panthers: A+

Teams wanting premierships time their runs to perfection and Penrith’s fourth on the trot was probably the best-judged of them all.

They worked through the regular season to finish in the top four before switching to finals mode and that gear shift no other can match. There are so many superlatives to use, but they still feel wasted in light of the incredible four consecutive premierships.

Ivan Cleary has built the perfect rugby league machine and while some parts may need attention or changes here and there, it just keeps humming along.

It’s a shame that Cleary hasn’t won NRL coach of the year in any of these four premiership seasons, but it’s an indication of how well set up he and his club are that opponents get awards for doing well in comparison – while the Panthers just go win premiership.

Melbourne storm: A

The Storm started the year with just enough to win before stepping up their game to reach the finals at full throttle. New players like Shaun Blore and Eliesa Katoa joined the Bellamy system and absolutely blossomed, Cam Munster was good when he returned from injury and Jahrome Hughes was a worthy Dally M medalist. It was a crisis for the haters who want to drive down the ladder every year in Melbourne.

The problem with a club like Melbourne, however, is that you are judged by premiership results, not the number of JJ Giltinan Shields in the cabinet. Penrith defeated them handsomely in the only match that mattered and which will burn like no other at Olympic Park.

Cronulla sharks: C

The same old script played out for Craig Fitzgibbon’s men in 2024. They at least got a finals win after five straight defeats, and they handed Penrith one of their toughest games (for 50 minutes of their preliminary final).

But that semi-final win over the Cowboys masked the problems the Sharks have when the intensity increases, and even though they had great wins over Melbourne and the Roosters during the season, they didn’t let it stick when it mattered. You can’t say that they have clearly bridged the gap between them and the cream of the crop.

Sydney Roosters: C-

Every year the Roosters come together with one of the best sides, every year they go through a period where they churn out mediocre teams and every year we are turned a blind eye to how good they are.

So this may seem like a harsh assessment for a team three weeks into the finals, but the Chooks are expected to challenge for the title and their consistently under-performance against the best of the best showed us that Trent Robinson’s team is clearly is two steps below what it takes to win.

Male Bald Eagles: B-

The Sea Eagles lifted themselves from 12th place with 11 wins to seventh with 13 wins and scored the fifth most points with 674. Luke Brooks was a useful pick-up for the five-eighth role, Tom Trbojevic played 20 games on different fitness levels.

There was a chance at the top four for much of the year, but they lost to Wests Tigers after a 16-0 lead, to Canberra after a 20-0 lead, they also lost to Parramatta and drew with the Warriors after conceding a try in the 79th. minute. These results change, things could have been very different.

An inconsistent year, but an improvement nonetheless.

North Queensland Cowboys: C

A frustrating season for the Cowboys, even though they ended up in the finals again. They combined some confusing losses to teams well below them in the table with exciting wins against the best of the best.

North Queensland was the only team to beat the top four in the regular season, but shockers against Brisbane (twice) and New Zealand were among some of their costly losses.

More is expected from this club. Can they get it done by 2025?

Canterbury Bulldogs: A-

The style of their finals exit will sting, but this was a great year. Canterbury entered 2024 with little media hype, and hopes focused only on the devoted.

Cameron Ciraldo’s men were the NRL’s best defense in the regular season before running out of legs as the toll of consistent high performances wore them down over the past month.

A win in the finals would have been a nice icing on the cake, but this has been a fantastic year of growth for the Doggies and sets the stage for what is expected from here.

Newcastle Knights: C

Same old, same old for the Knights and their coach Adam O’Brien. You can almost script it: a huge injury toll early in the season, an attacking strategy built around Kalyn Ponga doing something great, and a bottom-eight finish.

If they can keep the physios less busy, they have the stuff to move up a rank or two, but with high player turnover expected this season, there’s plenty of intrigue in store.

Canberra Raiders: B-

They ran with a young squad and then suffered injuries to their key veterans, but the Raiders still had a real chance to play finals until a regrettable for and against them entered again.

Five wins against the top eight teams were offset by debacles against Cronulla (twice), the Cowboys (twice) and a particularly awful 48-24 loss to Wests Tigers. Canberra’s hierarchy would be happy with the progress in 2024, but their attack (third worst in the comp) is a major concern.

The Dolphins: B+

The Dolphins share some similarities with how the Gold Coast started life in the NRL: two solid seasons that should have included a finals appearance. The new club has taken a position between 6th and 12th without too much difficulty. The challenge is to see what direction they will take next.

They will obviously be disappointed if they miss out on the final, but Wayne Bennett leaves a solid club for Kristian Woolf to take over in 2025.

St George Illawarra Dragons: C

Expectations were almost at an all-time low for the joint venture, but the Dragons fought things out quite well when Shane Flanagan returned after a coaching disgrace.

They gained a lot of points but were still unlikely finals contenders and it will be interesting to see how Flanagan’s roster moves and Zac Lomax’s departure affect the Dragons next year.

Brisbane Broncos: F

Kevin Walters is no longer there after a year-long debacle. Injuries to key players (including basically the entire forward line) played a role, but there is no excuse for the grand finalists’ fall to whatever this was.

Michael Maguire is the new coach, coming in while the front office looks at what went wrong and that’s a good thing because it needs to happen quickly. Maguire is known for being a tough bastard but has an undeniable list of coaching achievements – Red Hill will be a very fascinating place this pre-season.

New Zealand fighters: F

Another team that entered the season with high expectations. There is no real excuse for what happened to the Warriors. They started 3-2 and then lost the plot, never threatening the top eight and then losing four of their last five.

The injuries were a bit, but it just didn’t click for them after looking so good for something good in 2024. Can they climb back? The team is here, but has Andrew Webster’s team been discovered?

Gold Coast Titans: D

Perennial underachievers perform worse – what did we expect?

Des Hasler’s first season in charge started 0-6, showed some small flashes of a real game plan, but fell away again, losing the last five.

On the plus side, they won 2-0 against the Broncos and somehow beat New Zealand 66-6, the outlier of the season.

Parramatta eel: F

This should have been a finals team, but the Eels massively underperformed and sacked coach Brad Arthur after Magic Round after weeks of distracting media coverage.

They kept losing under interim coach Trent Barrett – not terrible blows, mind you, just regular losses. It was like they were going through the motions.

New coach Jason Ryles may be coming in with a clean slate, but fairly or unfairly he’s experiencing a lot of expectations and pressure if there isn’t immediate, clear improvement.

South Sydney Rabbitohs: F

This should have been a finals team, but internal drama and a horrific 1-9 start ruined their season before it ever had a chance.

Big-name recruit Jack Wighton was useful, while superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell was Latrell Mitchell – suspended, injured, match-winning, injured, suspended.

Sacking coach Jason Demetriou made no difference and the Bunnies are in such a bad position that there are doubts whether Wayne Bennett can work his usual magic when he arrives next year.

Wests Tigers: D

I’ve been saying it all year: I don’t mind the Tigers. They came off the field with the usual hysteria, they couldn’t get through a match without a player being fouled or sent off, and when they lost they often went down screaming.

But I remain convinced that Benji Marshall’s club has clearer green signs of improvement and hope than some of the clubs that finished above them.

Just look at the performances of young players like Lachlan Galvin and Jahream Bula and the newcomers coming next year led by Jarome Luai – the Tigers’ third consecutive wooden spoon season will be their last for a while.