51 Thoughts 2016 Sporting Year Predictions

51 Thoughts 2016 Sporting Year Predictions

As 2016 beings we thought that it would be a good idea to predict how we see some of the key sporting events and likely results in the 2016 sporting calendar.

Rugby League
Team to win the NRL: Cronulla Sharks.
The Sharks will finally break their hoodoo and win there first competition since they joined the competition in 1969. The Sharks have strengthened their halves by signing former Rooster James Maloney and former Warrior Chad Townsend, which is something they have lacked for the last few years. The Sharks have a good balanced side this year with experienced players including captain Paul Gallen, Michael Ennis and Wade Graham. They also have the youth of Jack Bird and Valentine Holmes and have good squad depth to cover them if there are any injures.

Wooden Spooners in the NRL: Tigers
Diehard Tiger fans are asking the club one simple question, whats going on? And the answer is they are a club in turmoil. They have a board that tells their fans they’re in major financial trouble and that it will take years to clear the mess. CEO Justin Pascoe struggles to convince people with whatever he says. The Tigers let key players go, and hope that there younger players can cover them. It looks like Jason Taylor has a side who doesn’t want to play for him. The players throughout the 2015 looked like a side with potential one minute and the next minute they make basic schoolboy errors. Then, lets add the mess with Robbie Farah plus the signing of Manly veteran Matt Ballin into the mix and you most likely have a player revolt happening by the end of year. Expect Robbie Farah or Jason Taylor gone before the year is out, or both if the club expects to get good results and retain their sponsors.

Super 15
Team to win the Competition: Otago Highlanders
The Highlanders where the surprise package of 2015 and they won their first Super 15 Rugby crown. Players like Ben and Aaron Smith played consistently brilliant Rugby every week and it also launched the careers of Lima Sopanga and Waisake Naholo into the All Blacks last year (with Waisake making the world cup side after breaking his leg while playing for the All Blacks against Argentina). Expect these key players to lead the Highlanders to back to back crowns.

Wooden Spooners / Biggest failures: Canterbury Crusaders
This will surprise people but in all fairness, they have lost guys like Dan Carter, Colin Slade, Tom Taylor, Richie McCaw and coach Todd Blackadder has said that this year is his final year. They have lost that edge that made the Crusaders difficult to beat wherever they played. Expect them to struggle and be on the bottom of the table.

V8 Supercars
Driver to win the 2016 competition: Pro Drive Australia’s Chaz Mostert
Before his crash at Bathurst Chaz was in contention with Mark Winterbottom to win his first V8Supercar crown. He had ten pole positions in 2015 and was classed as a stronger qualifier than his teammate. This year he will come back wanting to restart from where he left off, by being competitive and winning races.

Driver to struggle in 2016: Red Bull Racing Team’s Shane Van Gisbergen.
Shane Van Gisbergen has shifted from Tenko Motorsports to Red Bull in 2016 in a move which he feels will gain him his first championship crowd. Granted he raced a Red Bull supplied car is 2015 but he struggles with the pressure that the media puts on him.

Tennis
Person to win the most majors:
Novak Djokovic will win two, the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Serena Williams will win 3, Australian Open, Wimbledon, Us Open. Don’t be surprised to see a surprise winner at the French Open

Cricket
Black Caps will make the semi-finals of the 20/20 World Cup in India. After the New Zealand summer series is finished, the Black Caps will be setting up for the future without Brendon McCullum, who has decided to retire. The pressure will be on Kane Williamson to show if he can still score centuries whilst guiding the Black Caps to more wins.

Golf
Lydia Ko will continue the good performances that she delivered in 2015 and will stay world number one. However, if she does slip, she will stay inside the top 3 all year.

Boxing
Joseph Parker will have a good productive year where he will win all his fights. Hopefully he fights stronger opposition this year like Deontay Wilder and David Hayne to see what he would be like if he was to get a championship fight. Even though his team feel that he may be able to go for a title fight at the end of the year, it would be a smarter move to not rush into it because if he loses it will dent his confidence and affect his ability to get another title shot quickly.