The most disappointing conference in 2015 looks to improve its fortunes.

If there is one conference in the NRL that never fails to deliver on rivalries, it’s the NRL West. Unfortunately, that does not always equate to excellence.

The NRL West conference was one of the most closely-contested in the league in 2015, but it was also the poorest performing. For the opening half of the season no team was able to consistently manage a positive points differential, and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs were the only representative in the top eight come season’s end.

The Bulldogs reclaimed the NRL West conference title in 2015 and, while they may have lost key players such as Trent Hodkinson and Frank Pritchard, will not relinquish the title of conference champions lightly.

Hot on their heels will be the Parramatta Eels, who were one of the strongest recruiters in the off season. If they can produce the winning belief that has long been lacking in their team they will be in for their best chance of winning the NRL West in a long time.

The Penrith Panthers have experienced two consecutive years of injury setbacks, which hamstrung their 2015 conference title defence. With a new coach and marquee signing Trent Merrin, the Panthers will bounce back to be a force again in the NRL West.

The biggest question mark in the conference will be the performance of the Wests Tigers. They won’t finish as far down the table as many predict, but how much of a force – if at all – will they be?

Predicted conference champion: Panthers

Predicted surprise performers: Eels