When you appoint a banker as your CEO, you're not looking to become a charity. The NRL last week announced a $49.9 million surplus for 2014, an astonishing result for a sport that used to exist on cigarette advertising and pokies. Look for David Smith to continue to explore the opportunities to "buy back the farm", in similar deals to the touch football takeover, and to shamelessly prop up clubs that need it. A war chest is being amassed for the battle of the codes and taking the brand to offshore markets is clearly on the agenda. The next TV deal will be worth $2 billion and player recruitment overseas will increase, leaving Super League looking a bit like a feeder competition.

Spreading wings

It's been eight years since a new team was added to the NRL – and you couldn't really call the Titans "expansion" because the game had already tried and failed on the tourist strip. The appointment of Shane Richardson seems certain to put the issue – belatedly – back on the agenda with a second Brisbane team and Perth appearing favourites, ahead of Wellington, Central Queensland and Port Moresby. We're also spreading our wings in regard to venues for our current program, with Napier (controversially) the latest city to be given a match. Sydney fans used to having the lion's share of games without actually going to them have had enough chances. It's the National Rugby League in name only – that's about to change.

Footballing car crash

The inner workings of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles have been nothing less than fascinating since they last won a premiership, in 2011. But those involved in the club, headed by coach Geoff Toovey, have done a Herculean task to hold things together on the field. How grateful the club are to Toovey is open to interpretation, given some recent reports. Finally, though, the impact of bitter boardroom divisions looks like it is finally crossing the sideline and affecting players and results. Glenn Stewart and Anthony Watmough are gone, Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans look certain to follow. Manly are everyone's pantomime villains but there is a sense of voyeurism about the anticipation of this footballing car crash.

Heavy-handed

The introduction of a corporate culture in the NRL will lead to increased friction. Many coaches believe they can't even mention referees at media conferences anymore and the NRL sees itself completely entitled to fine a player who is critical of the sport, as Greg Bird found out when he hit out at the gentrification of Origin. You no longer need to defame a referee to be sanctioned – you only have to say something unkind. The stern line will just push dissent underground – you'll see more unnamed sources having a whinge about match officials and head office in the paper. The criticism will become anonymous – it won't disappear until the causes for it do likewise.

South Sydney fires

South Sydney are giving every indication they will actually get better this year. Greg Inglis is a worthy captain, Glenn Stewart a stellar replacement for Sam Burgess, John Sutton a looming danger in the back row and Luke Keary seems ready to explode. Their performance in the World Club Challenge also indicates they may actually be fun to watch this year, after years of encouraging involuntary winces from onlookers by grinding rivals into the dust.  Souths were the most entertaining team at the World Club Series. The word "juggernaut" has long since lost its meaning through overuse – but you could put a picture of Michael Maguire's 2015 side next to it in the dictionary.

Sharks moving in ever-decreasing circles

No, I'm not talking about Cronulla. The old KPIs might be looking good for most things surrounding rugby league in Australasia in 2015 but it lost Sonny Bill Williams, Sam Burgess and Jarryd Hayne in one summer. That's a worry. Australia's domestic football codes only manage to operate below the international labour market for athletes because of their weird rules. Once athletes find a way to transfer their skills to international codes, the AFL and NRL will be forced to sit at the adults' table. The invention to which this necessity will give birth should equal dramatically rationalised competitions – in league's case, with an international flavour - that generate the necessary funds to retain stars. A period of enormous change is ahead.