Making predictions on who will be the ones to watch at The Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast, is both the easiest and the hardest thing to pin down. On one hand it’s history tells us that it’s going to be a regular footer that takes the trophy.
But is this going to be the year that the new generation of surfers come out of the shadow of the likes of Taj Burrow, Kelly Slater, Joel Parkinson and Mick Fanning? They have threatened to at individual events, but if you’re going to have a run at a title you need to lay down a marker here.
Then there are the wildcards, no one quite knows how they will affect things. They tend to duck out in round two, or go on hell runs and decimate the tour regulars with a pressure free contest strategy. It’s not easy to predict, but here’s our top ten guys to watch out for.