As the NRL season draws near, it's not the NRL season that has me excited. 2015 will be the first year in which we have the NRL Nines as well as the All Star game, oh and all the trials which are pretty cool themselves as the NRL hits the road to give fans some loving.

Last year the NRL Nines was a success with the action on the field and the atmosphere in the stands combining for the perfect package, but it was a bit odd without the All Stars fixture that had become part and parcel of the pre-season. I love the All Star game, for no other reason than its concept revolves around the indigenous people of Australia, raising awareness, inspiring, motivating, educating and simply putting smiles on the faces of a whole lot of people. With so many of the NRL's superstars coming from indigenous backgrounds, the calibre of players is always high and the enthusiasm shown by the players gets the season off to a cracking start.

Now we have two kind of festivals to enjoy before the NRL season proper kicks off, I mean the more the merrier for me. Obviously player welfare has to be balanced with giving the fans a few rewards, but we're already seeing that with key players who are in the veteran class able to choose which events they take part in. The key for me is that each event has a purpose with the All Star game doing great things for the indigenous and the Nines offer a showcase for rugby league. It's like we're getting rugby league with a bit of fluff, but it's still rugby league before the mayhem of the NRL season starts. 

With Kevin Nagas throwing himself in to the mix to appear at the NRL Nines for the Canberra Raiders, I find myself wondering how beneficial it is to have a whole lot of retired players coming back for the Nines. One side of me sees it as some old bugger coming in and taking the spot of a fresh, talented youngster who could use the Nines to amaze the world. The other side is a bit nicer and to be honest it's the perfect event to bring the odd old hand back in to the fold, educated the youngsters on the history and just have a bit of fun. The key here is clearly evident in Nagas - he's dead serious. He's involved with the Raiders as a coach and has had to pass a few fitness tests, so he's not taking the piss. As long as the Nines don't become strictly about older lads stealing the show, which it won't because there's freakish talent coming through the grades, then it's all good.

Ya know what's a bit odd? Just how much we're seeing from the Cronulla Sharks in the media, you would think that the ASADA cloud was still lurking with how much attention they're getting. However, it's quite the opposite as the Sharks look like they are on a mission to get some positive media attention and change the culture of the club ... or at least how the club is perceived. First of all it might help if their captain stopped trying to do that boxing thing so much?

Personally, I reckon Ben Barba is being used as the pin up boy for the Sharks as he signals a bit of a fresh start. The question is will Barba make a difference on the field? I think so. The Sharks looked alright last season with Todd Carney at 6 because he and Jeff Robson were the perfect combination. Carney could add the spice to Robson's solid half play which laid the foundation. It's not a matter of if Barba can find his form from the Bulldogs, but if he can just add some enthusiasm and a bit of razzle dazzle then that will help the Sharks greatly. We have to remember that the Sharks boast a pretty strong forward pack, but they need guys who can wrong-foot defenders and create chances to really trouble NRL defences. The best case for the Sharks would be that Barba goes alright at 6 and Valentine Holmes plays plenty of fullback with the two lads forming a nice combination. Michael Gordon might have something to say about that, but at least the presence of Holmes will keep Gordon on his toes or else he'll loose that fullback jersey.

If things click in Cronulla, they could make the top 8 but things would have to go near perfectly for that to happen.