Oh how the NRL mighty have fallen.
For the first time since 1992, the powerhouse trio of the Sydney Roosters, South Sydney and Manly are set to all miss the finals in the same season.
While for the past six years at least one of the teams reached the last four of the finals, they all now sit stranded in the bottom quarter of the ladder.
And though injuries have hurt each team, their falls from the top have been more self-induced drops.
The Roosters season began falling apart the moment Mitchell Pearce’s drunken Australia Day video was released.
His eight-game suspension coincided with seven losses and the Tri-colours have now used five halves combinations this season.
And while their lowly 16.78 points scored per game has been a direct result, they’re also well on track to concede more than 525 points in defence this season.
In each of the other five seasons that has happened in the club’s history, a coach has been ousted.
The Rabbitohs too had their pre-season issues.
The alleged bust-up between co-owner Russell Crowe and Luke Keary did little to inspire the promising five-eighth, and the decision to put all their eggs in the Sam Burgess basket hasn’t paid dividends.
The Englishman has made six errors more than any other South Sydney player, while he is also averaging 20 metres less per match than when he left in 2014.
Meanwhile at Manly, where an inexperienced coach has faced the aftermath of a player clean-out followed by key injuries, their winning culture is a fading memory.
With 11 new players, the Sea Eagles need to win seven of their last 10 to even equal 2015’s win-loss record that had club legend Geoff Toovey sacked.
Fortress Brookvale has cracked too. Their one-from-six start to the season at the ground is the worst in the club’s history, while they’re also on track for their worst attacking year since 1992.
And with things unlikely to change at either of the clubs, it’s likely the once-dominant trio will all miss the same finals series for only the 12th time in the game’s 110-season history.
