NRL 2025 Season Preview: Analysis & Player Notes

The 2025 NRL season is finally here!

It all kicks off in Las Vegas today with 50,000 expected to roll up Allegiant Stadium. The vibe in the city is incredible³ . Regardless of how many locals turn up today, the NRL has taken over Vegas. You can’t go 60 seconds without seeing a footy jersey and no more than five minutes without hearing “up the Wahs.”

The Canberra Raiders, New Zealand Warriors, Cronulla Sutherland Sharks and Penrith Panthers get things started for us in the NRL. Here, I’ve got a few key focuses for the early rounds of the season and some quick player notes for the 27 rounds moving forward.

Table of Contents

• Dragons Attack

• Zac Lomax’s Move

• Harry Grant’s Career-Best Season

• The Non-Ballplaying Forward

• Quick Player Notes

Dragons Attack

“Every year I have a team that seems to occupy my attention more than others. At this rate, it’s looking like the Red V will be that team for the 2025 NRL season.” - 3 Takeaways from Week 2 Trials

Lock in the St. George Illawarra Dragons as that team for this season.

I’m fascinated by the unknown with this group. They’ve taken on a spine of two relatively unproven halfbacks who have failed to live up to expectations elsewhere and paired them with two veterans unwanted by their previous clubs. Expectations are low enough for the Red V to be among the betting favourites to be left holding the wooden spoon at the end of the 2025 NRL season.

I tipped them to threaten the Top 8 this season before Week 1 of the NRL Trials, and I am still happy to be on that relatively uninhabited island.

We’ve seen a couple of trends in their attack already. After Week 2, I highlighted how often they dropped a forward off just outside the post before stacking the long side with all three spine players.

They took on the South Sydney Rabbitohs with a similar approach in the Charity Shield.

There’s Lachlan Ilias again from the right post, playing middle service and dropping a big forward into the defensive line.

Notably, he falls back into shape on the open side on the second layer with Kyle Flanagan flipped from the left side to first reciever on the the right.

There isn’t a huge threat down the shortside. Jye Gray has plugged himself down there to give the Rabbitohs five when four would do, even considering Flanagan as a late sweeper down the shortside.

With Jack de Belin running a tight lead off the ruck, the Dragons are able to move the ball past the posts with only four Rabbitohs defending roughly half of the field.

Damien Cook to Flanagan, Flanagan to Ilias, Ilias to Clint Gutherson - Try.

We’re going to see that a lot this season.

Tyrone Munroe does a good job of helping his centre but doesn’t stick to the tackle. Nonetheless, it’s another good example of the Dragons spine linking up for points out wide.

We saw a few other instances of De Belin playing as a pivot through the middle. He’s underrated as a ball-player and will be a key feature to the Dragons attack while working up the field. Attacking the line looks like a time for the spine through.

Zac Lomax’s Move

As a Zac Lomax guy from way back, it was great to see him consistently live up to his potential in 2025. He’s a State of Origin calibre player whether it be at centre or on the wing.

He has all of the physical tools and the skills to be successful, but what set him apart last season, and he spoke about simply wanting to compete through leading the kick chase before Round 1, was his effort areas. Lomax constantly found himself in positions to make big plays by working hard early.

His set starts out of yardage for the Dragons were among the best in the NRL last season. While he might be taking the second carry against a more set defensive line as a centre, he can still have a significant impact on how the Parramatta Eels work up the field.

We shouldn’t assume that he will revert back to his attacking output of old as a centre, either.

Lomax scored 14 tries last season, often as the beneficiary of some Ben Hunt magic. He has Mitchell Moses inside him this season with the pair likely to form a lethal combination down short sides. Moses flips late and swings down a shortside better than any halfback in the competition. Allow him to put Lomax on the outside of his opposite and watch the footwork and offload do the work.

While Lomax might not clear 14 tries following his move back to the centres, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him improve on his career-high eight try assists in a season (2022).

Playing in the centres won’t make him any less of a kick target for Moses either. In fact, Lomax could see more opportunities under the ball as kicks for centres become more and more common.

He won’t have the SuperCoach numbers that so often determine public discourse, but if he can recapture his form as one of the best defensive centres in the game, he will earn representative honours despite the move.

Harry Grant’s Career-Best Season

If you could pick one hooker to start your NRL club with right now, it’s Harry Grant.

The 27-year-old is entering the prime years of an already impressive career and will do it behind Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Stefano Utoikamanu.

Grant is a master manipulator. Give him a cue, and he will take it. Whether it be for himself or others, Grant makes things happen. It’s scary to think what he will do behind 80 minutes of tackle-breaking and offload ability.

We have plenty of examples of what Grant can do behind destructive forwards already. While Utoikamani didn’t play his best footy with the Wests Tigers in 2024, few would bet against him returning to form with the Melbourne Storm in 2025.

Here you can see Grant spy the fullback isolated at A behind the ruck. While Phoenix Crossland does an excellent job of protecting his fullback and chopping down Asofa-Solomona, the low tackle gives life to an offload, and Grant is there to capitalise.

I’ve already mentioned the potential for Utoikamanu to set a new career high of over 21 offloads in a season. However, it’s his ability to stand in tackles that could be most dangerous.

Utoikamani is a big body who uses a wide stance to stand in tackles. It makes it difficult for the markers to set and often promotes a quick play-the-ball.

If Utoikamanu can stand in the tackle inside the opposition 10 with Grant waiting to pounce, he can create opportunities like this…

The markers aren’t set, the third man is late out, and the spacing on the long side defence are too wide through the middle. With Grant able to engage the first marker and bounce out across the A defender, he sends Cameron Munster through the inside shoulder of the wide defender at B.

It’s not only close to the line where Grant will make the most of a destructive carry. He gave the Parramatta Eels nightmares last season all the way up the field.

A strong carry leaves one Eels player on the ground and two struggling to get to marker in this one.

Grant’s little move to the right holds up the A defender on the long side, and as he digs back in behind the ruck, the shortside A becomes interested, too.

He’s done all that 80 metres from his own try line behind a single strong carry.

Like Cameron Smith was, Grant is one of my favourite players to watch. There are so many little things to his game that go unnoticed by most watching, but have a huge impact. I’m excited to see how he goes behind what is looking like a strong Storm pack in 2025.

The Non-Ballplaying Forward

Rugby league is constantly evolving. When one trend picks up and becomes the norm among most NRL teams, it isn’t long before coaches start to figure things out.

Where the lock position was once more of a third prop role, it’s now become part of the spine. Their ball-playing through the middle is the key to moving defensive lines and putting halves out wide with more space to work their magic.

However, we may have become a little bit too obsessed with it as footy fans. There is a growing demand for locks to be elite ball players if they want to be considered half-decent at the position. There is still a place for a lock that isn’t trying to fire the ball wide every second touch, though.

Lock forwards are so effective in moving the ball through the middle because they are a run-threat first. They compress the line through the middle to create space and gain advantages out wide.

If we look at Jake Trbojevic, for example, his decline as a run threat has made him less effective as a ball player in recent seasons. He didn’t take the focus of the middle defence in 2024 quite like he did in 2020. If the defence can confidently get two in the tackle against a #13, they aren’t compressing the line like a strong ball-carrier would.

This isn’t to say a lock can become a first-grade regular without a passing game. It is a requirement for most teams that the ball doesn’t get stuck in their hands on every carry. Still, I want to pay closer attention to the position beyond the ball-playing this season.

Cameron Murry would have been a key focus given his ability to generate a quick play-the-ball inside the opposition 20 metre line. Can anybody take his place?

Quick Player Notes

Jack Cole: The young half profiles well as a partner for Nathan Cleary in the halves. He will hold one side of the field as a run threat and is particularly dangerous down shortsides. It will allow Cleary to play on the ball as he does at his best.

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