NRL Power Rankings: The Broncos make it a Big 3 at the top, green shoots at the Roosters and what are the Raiders even for?

It’s a half week, with knackered players, but we march on ceaselessly.

This is the bit of the year where the two points are everything, second to not getting your players who play for someone else injured – sigh – and trying to get through the Bye rounds without getting suspended. In other sports, that probably wouldn’t be a huge problem, but this is rugby league: we do things differently here.

We like to skip over the Origin-affected weeks, but when most teams have had a game, we delve back into the deep waters of Power Ranking. Here goes nothing.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

1 – Panthers (-)

Like with Souths, we can look at this one of two ways.

One: it’s another win, which keeps the Panthers where they are, which is fine. Two: it’s a pyrrhic victory over a bad Dragons side that cost them their main playmaker/best player.

Here at Power Rankings Towers, we don’t demote teams on theoretical defeats, so Penrith stay where they are for now, but it would be surprising if they remained there for long without Nathan Cleary, and hamstring injuries are notoriously hard to predict return dates on.

2 – Souths (-)

This week can be seen in duplicate. 

In the first version, they overcame early ringrust to batter down on an inferior opponent, by watching their system bend and then spring back with venom.

On the other, they pushed over the top of a terrible, terrible footy side and lost two key players in the process. 

The Bunnies, like the Broncos, are now in deep waters without a Bye and will take any win that comes at this stage, especially given they were already missing Latrell Mitchell and now will lose Jai Arrow and Cam Murray.

If they wrap-up this long block with a win over the Dragons this coming weekend, one suspects Jason Demetriou will be a very happy man, knowing that his side have runs on the board, three Byes in the back pocket and can rest men going into the Finals.

3 – Broncos  (+2)

Brisbane got slapped down a few times in recent weeks by better football teams, provoking thoughts that they might not be as good as previously advertised.

While their two wins in Origin don’t totally assuage those doubts, they go a long way towards it: against the odds, on the road, the Broncos showed up.

That resilience on Saturday night in Cronulla backed up what was seen in Round 1 in Penrith, their previous best showing of the year, and the depth on display in Napier against the Warriors shows how resistant they can be to injuries.

It’s enough for them to join Penrith and Souths in the Power Rankings’ expanded ‘Big Three’ of legit Premiership threats.

Queensland won last week, and not just in Origin.

4 – Sharks (-1)

The Sharks worst fears were confirmed on Saturday night as their attack disappeared against a good opponent – not for the first time – and without that, they’re just an above average footy team, not an elite one.

The feeling that Cronulla have something of a soft underbelly doesn’t go away and on this evidence, is unlikely to. They’ll be in the 8, but we’re yet to see anything that suggests they won’t straight sets it again.

(Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

5 – Storm (-1)

The Storm backed up badly from Origin, but in a way that few expected. It was, in fairness, an excellent showing from the Cowboys, but the defence on display seemed baffled by men in motion. 

That’s worrying, because Melbourne are playing Cronulla on Sunday, who put more men in motion than anyone else in the NRL.

Given the state of the ladder, it would take some fall for them not to feature at the end of the year, and they’re generally best around then. But it’s not encouraging stuff, either.

6 – Eels (-)

Parra theoretically had a good Origin period: they came up trumps at home to the Cowboys, then sat this weekend out, which allied to their win the week before over the Bunnies, should make for a solid start to the back end of the year.

But then…the alleged off-field incident with Dylan Brown could derail it all. The Power Rankings does not comment until things have happened on a footy field, so watching brief for now, but it doesn’t look good.

7 – Warriors (-)

The Warriors got a heartening win over the Dolphins, but also a disheartening defeat to the Broncos in our time period. Their general vibes train continues apace, though, because Shaun Johnson is back and that warms the heart. They’ll be fine.

8 – Raiders (-)

The weirdest team in the NRL keeps on weirding. They were walking home against the Tigers, even though Canberra had been absolutely rubbish and, politely, fluked some points, before completely collapsing, then digging themselves out of the hole they’d dug. 

Then the coach went on a rant about something unrelated and everyone chatted about that instead. They really, really have to win next week.

GOSFORD, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 04: James Tedesco of the Roosters is tackled by Josh Addo-Carr of the Bulldogs during the round 14 NRL match between Sydney Roosters and Canterbury Bulldogs at Central Coast Stadium on June 04, 2023 in Gosford, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

9 – Dolphins (-)

Redcliffe split the difference in Origin, with a solid home win over the Dragons before putting in one of their worst showings of the year against the Warriors.

Much like the Kiwis, they’ll be fine pretty much whatever happens now, and will doubtless take down a few hopefuls en route to the end of the year. That could well start on Friday at Brookvale Oval.

10 – Manly (-)

No game for the Sea Eagles this week, and a predictable loss without their big guns the week before. Defeat Redcliffe at home – and surely a Sea Eagles picks off a Dolphin, right? – and they’ll be pretty happy with themselves.

11 – Knights (+1)

Just like Manly, Newcastle did what was expected last week then didn’t play this week. The club are almost clones at this point, with one player’s action often determining how good they perform. At the halfway stage, we’ve still in a holding position on whether either are any good.

Semi Valemei scores. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

12 – Roosters (+1)

The Roosters won, which is the important thing, and got performances out of their stars in Luke Keary and James Tedesco.

In truth, defeating potential bottom 8 teams by a point isn’t going to move you far up these rankings, but it’s green shoots for a side that desperately needed some.

They move up provisionally, but iit’ll take a lot more than this to make anyone believe in them again.

13 – Bulldogs (-)

Lost by a record

The Dogs again played with spirit, but again lost. It’s a theme and one that they’ll need to shake pronto if their lingering finals hopes are to be realised.

But: all the building blocks are basically there for a good side and they go into every game as a live proposition and it would only take a short run of form to see this side, now with almost everyone back on deck, seriously challenge.

14 – Cowboys (+3)

Lost by a record margin to the Tigers one game, defeated Melbourne by a record margin in another. Answers on a postcard, please, about the Cowboys, because they’re one of the toughest teams to get a handle on.

15 – Titans (-1)

“That’s the Titans we know and love. Justin Holbrook must wonder why his side so frequently abdicates responsibility on the defensive front”

That was these rankings a month ago now, and we’ll keep copying and pasting it until it changes or Holbrook gets sacked.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

16 – Tigers (-)

They’ll always find a way to lose, these Tigers. Their confidence is wafer thin, but when they find some, they can look good. Unfortunately, that happens so infrequently as not to really matter.

17 – Dragons (-)

Are we ready for completion rate bingo? The Dragons hit 79% this week, which was worth three tries, all of which

The Dragons lost, again, in a close one, again, and while playing a more vaunted opponents, again. 

Playing actual games of rugby league football is but a sideshow bagatelle to the NRL’s new favourite clown car club, where off the field action is far more important and interesting at the moment. They’re not as bad as they were, though, on the park. That counts for something.