He’s world champion, Snapper Rocks is his home break, and he is probably the most consistent competitor in surfing at the moment. Mick Fanning is a force to be reckoned with, and will take some serious beating at his local wave.
But whilst he is consistent, he is not unbeatable, last years world title success came off the back of just one contest win in France. The real story of his title was just pure consistency, so whilst he is a sure thing to make at least the quarter finals here, he is not for the win.
Having said that defending world champions surfing at their home break, tend to have a serious amount of drive. That home crowd audience cheering from the beach is worth an extra bit of power through every turn.