The season is heading into its middle third and there is a clear separation between seven teams who all look playoff bound and the other 10 fighting over the one remaining spot.
Competition leaders Cronulla have done all they possibly can in the first two months of the season to show they belong in the conversation with Penrith, Brisbane and Melbourne at the big table of premiership contenders.
Manly, the Roosters and Warriors are hoping to get a seat alongside the big boys but also look relative surefire bets to be in the playoffs despite hot and cold patches thus far.
As for the rest, there are glaring flaws in any case you mount to say they are anything more than making up the numbers if they make the playoffs although it’s premature to put a red line through any team just yet – although the Titans and Rabbitohs are close to being in the dreaded “playing for pride” situation before the premiership even reaches the halfway mark.
Dragons fans are currently on the Bart Simpson chalkboard, writing “I must not put too much faith in this team” over and over after their Anzac Day embarrassment at the hands of the Roosters while Dolphins supporters could perhaps do likewise although they had much more of an excuse for their poor performance in losing to Newcastle on Sunday in that they still have several of their first-choice players out.
Team by team, here’s how the Power Rankings stack up after Round 7.
1 Panthers (last week 1): An under-appreciated part of what makes Nathan Cleary such a great player is his defence – he puts his body on the line even though he’s giving up plenty of kilograms when a forward runs his way.
And for those wondering if losing Sunia Turuva to the Tigers will be a huge blow to Penrith’s firepower out wide only had to see Paul Alamoti’s performance to realise the premiers’ depth remains the envy of the league.
(Photo by Izhar Khan/Getty Images)
2 Broncos (3): They get a bump up this week because they are now back to full strength and as much as it’s usually the obvious prediction to say a Grand Final rematch is on the cards, Brisbane look the team most likely to threaten Penrith’s supremacy in 2024.
Reece Walsh is causing defensive lines nightmares – his pace off the mark is the difference between opponents thinking they have him covered and then being forced into a grab rather than a proper tackle. And he has the speed to break out of any half-hearted attempt.
3 Storm (2): In round numbers, they were good for 60 of the 80 minutes against Souths and that’s all you need these days to put 50 on the rabble that is the Rabbitohs.
But they were flat early in the second half in allowing three straight tries, the kind of lapse that will be much more costly if they do it against fellow contenders.
4 Sharks (4): Their strength is their stability. The majority of the players in Craig Fitzgibbon’s side have been playing together for at least three seasons and they all fit their role to a tee.
Nicho Hynes is in the kind of form that could propel him to a second Dally M Medal and it should get him back in the NSW Origin side.
Nicho Hynes. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
5 Sea Eagles (5): They were lucky in some ways against Parramatta but they were also much more professional than their opponents with their discipline.
When they got on a roll in the second half it was pretty to watch and although they weren’t at their best, it’s not their fault if opposition players want to give the referee an open-and-shut case to send them to the sin bin.
6 Roosters (7): There’s been two teams playing under Trent Robinson this year – the listless bunch who can’t get organised when Sam Walker is out and the potent strike force that took the field last Thursday which demolished the Dragons.
Make no mistake about it – Walker is their most important player even though he does not have the star power of Joey Manu, James Tedesco or Joseph Suaalii. If he stays on the park, they will be top-four contenders.
7 Warriors (6): The loss the previous week in Wollongong was supposed to be the reality check for Andrew Webster’s team but that doesn’t appear to have been the case after going down at home to the previously winless Titans.
It used to be that players were accused of “reading their own press” when they started to show signs of complacency – is the modern equivalent “scrolling through their own social feed”?
8 Dolphins (8): They had a gift-wrapped opportunity to reinforce their playoff credentials in the form of a Kalyn Ponga-less Knights team being delivered to Suncorp Stadium but the Dolphins did not want to do the hard yards.
To be fair, they are without a few key players themselves but until Herbie Farnworth and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow return, this team will not be giving the top teams too much discomfort.
9 Cowboys (10): Their narrow loss to Penrith proved two things – they are not in the class of the top-four teams and they’re probably the “best of the rest” when it comes to the bottom half of the NRL that can’t get their act together.
It will be interesting to see if Todd Payten makes any significant changes – apart from Heilum Luki and Coen Hess being sidelined, he’s had his main players on the field pretty much every game this year but they can’t seem to mesh their attacking firepower and forward strength into a cohesive unit.
10 Dragons (9): Many apologies for daring to mention that St George Illawarra could be a chance at the finals this year in last week’s Power Rankings. It won’t happen again.
The red and white bubble well and truly burst on Anzac Day – at the start of the season they looked like they’d be a gritty side that would compete hard every week and have a lot of honourable losses. Then they started taking down a few big scalps it appeared they could vault up the ladder but they lack the consistency to be a legit shot at the playoffs.
11 Bulldogs (12): They are occupying the bottom rung of the top eight on the actual NRL ladder and if they can keep their big guns on the park, they look the most likely to rise from the teams that are sputtering at the wrong end of the standings.
Canterbury have won three of their past five and have not put in a bad performance since the opening fortnight.
David Armstrong scores. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
12 Knights (14): They are still a long way from their best but at least they showed they have a capable back-up in David Armstrong to fill Ponga’s fullback boots while his foot heals.
Newcastle fans are a hardy bunch and they deserve to see the kind of effort that the team displayed on Sunday rather than the lack of commitment which has been all too evident in the previous seven rounds.
13 Raiders (11): The Green Machine are running out of puff as the injuries mount.
Long term it’s not going to be a bad thing for their rising stars like Ethan Strange, Xavier Savage, Chevy Stewart and Kaeo Weekes getting plenty of reps at the NRL level but short term pain will persist over the next couple of months.
14 Eels (13): Arguing about the referee not using the sin bin for a dangerous throw is kind of pointless when you had two players given a 10-minute breather for dopey acts.
Parra’s playoff push is far from over but even when Mitchell Moses comes back next month from his broken foot, it’s hard to see this team get anywhere near the pointy end of the ladder.
15 Wests Tigers (15): They were outclassed pure and simple against Brisbane.
As is often the case with this club, they don’t play at one of their designated home grounds for the next six weeks – they’re taking one game to Tamworth and will be one of the host teams at Magic Round. It could be a tough stretch for Benji Marshall’s 15th-placed team in their bid to avoid a third straight wooden spoon.
16 Titans (17): Nobody saw that coming, particularly the Warriors.
AJ Brimson is the best fullback in the club and should be given the role permanently even when Jayden Campbell comes back from his latest injury.
Des Hasler can take a leaf out of John Lang’s playbook from 2001 when he put Jayden’s old man Preston in the halves despite his defensive frailties and it not only rejuvenated his career but propelled him to the Dally M Medal.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
17 Rabbitohs (16): There is nothing good you can say about Souths at the moment.
The encouraging performance from a few weeks ago against Cronulla appears to have been a “dead cat bounce” effort to save Jason Demetriou’s skin but it’s hard for a team with this many deficiencies to do that on a regular basis.
After conceding 54 in Melbourne, it could get even uglier this Thursday against Penrith.
zonecadet
Roar Rookie
For what it's worth I do my own Power Rankings (top 8 only) by the following criteria (Win .pct, Ave pts for, Ave pts against, Ave Tries for, Ave Tries against and Strength of Schedule played thus far). Results: 1 Cronulla, 2 Melbourne, 3 Sydney, 4 Brisbane, 5 Panthers, 6 Dolphins, 7 Manly, 8 Canterbury. Cronulla are No.1 in every category except Strength of Schedule where they are only ranked 6th. Perhaps that explains their position a little. We'll see in 2 weeks time.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
One hundred percent right. I don’t seem to be able to convince some people that expansion without growing grass roots HAS to dilute the talent and the standard of the games. It’s not hard to name 30 or more current players who just aren’t up to it.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Yeah, I wonder if coming of the bench is a positive for him. I've always thought NAS is much ,much better off the bench as well.
andyfnq
Roar Rookie
Fair enough. I reckon based on the opposition they've played and beaten, they are the best but they do have some players who are banged up - hopefully nothing too serious. They'll look better if they can get full games out of NAS in the near future. Cows looked better though, I thought they were going to have 40 put on them at half time. Taumololo looked the least banged up I have seen him in a year or two
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Mr FNQ. I've backed them at $10.50 to win the whole thing so salty I ain't. But at full strength the Broncs and Penrith have them covered . Now often finals are not played with teams at full strength or maybe they are playing with a number of players who are ' banged up'. Storm are the 3rd best team in the comp. That's not too shabby.
andyfnq
Roar Rookie
Don't be salty just because they are better than the Cows - not every team can be the best :laughing:
langparker
Roar Rookie
This ranking ladder is subjective, just used to demonstrate who’s in form at a point in time. The premiership ladder determines who plays off in the final series at the end of the season so it is the only one that counts. The Storm have only clicked in a few games so far, still think they’re a bit light on in the pack if every club has their full roster available when it counts.
langparker
Roar Rookie
Interesting take on the Warriors but not sure they’ve ever been in a position to be complacent. If you count the Christchurch win over the Raiders as a home game, they’ve won two, lost 2 and drawn one at home. The two wins (Knights & Raiders) were against teams generally not considered to be top 8 material and they were beaten by the previously winless Titans. Take out their 30 point away win over a grossly underachieving South Sydney and they appear to be seriously overrated. The 2023 Dally M coach of the year should be concerned as they’re not great travellers and their away games now include the cowboys/bulldogs/raiders/dolphins/sea eagles of which quite a few will be contenders for those 3-8 ladder spots. Also meeting Penrith at Suncorp in magic round instead of an Auckland home fixture. If he loses Johnson for any stretch of games, they are in serious trouble. Webster will be hoping he runs up against teams impacted by state of origin selections during that interstate series, otherwise the Warriors are in danger of missing the top eight.
steveng
Roar Rookie
The Sharks didn't play a full Raiders side yesterday just like they didn't play a full Souths side like last year when we beat them, as Souths 2024 are a rabble, so yes, they did well yesterday but I'm still doubtful when they start to play the top sides just like in previous years. Until the Sharks can prove that they can beat the Panthers, Broncos and the Storm I'm not changing my opinion about the Sharks even if they are leading the comp in points differences, as I still think that they don't have what it takes to beat especially the Panthers and Broncos.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Yep ! He does have some occasional flaws in his normally strong defensive game. See those 10 minutes of misses on Mam & Walsh in last year's GF ! But he recovered. He missed a few vital ones on Saturday alright, but he also saved a few with plenty of traffic thrown at him. He generally kept Dearden in check.
The Mexican
Roar Rookie
What a difference a week makes!! Last week the Dragons were the "Dark Horses & were bound for finals footy, today they're a rubble. I feel sorry for Dragons fans, all this false hope the media is giving them when it's only round 7 of a very long season! Rugby League is like a marathon, not a sprint, winning a couple of games on the trot at this time of the year doesn't guarantee you a spot in the finals, if you don't believe me ask south's fans, after 11 rounds last year they were leading the competition but ended up missing the finals altogether! the Dragons don't have anywhere near the quality roster South Sydney had last year, so please stop giving long suffering Dragons fans false hope, I don't think they can make the 8, they feel like the tigers a few seasons back were they could only make 9. sorry Dragons fans.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Yeah, from 6 or so to 15 maybe the home team can beat a visitor. It’s usually a bottleneck 7 to 12-13. To me it’s a fat bottleneck atm
SSTID
Roar Rookie
Maybe we need to get the resident statistician MMW on the job to do a running comparison by round over the last few years of average win margins to see if a trend is happening. 20.875 this week is not good for a strong competition. :stoked: PVL won't be happy if it becomes entrenched and some of the TV favourites turn out to be turn offs as far as viewership goes. Personally I think the game has expanded too far and good talent is becoming thinner, which is showing in the blow ups. Too many teams heavily depend on a few good players, with the bulk of the team being very average and they suffer badly when their star/s are out of action.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Yeah, wasn't sure I understood that either TB. I'd certainly have reversed the positions and I think your boys have more going for them right now than The Dragons, who clearly have plenty to think about from Anzac Day
The Barry
Roar Guru
The last couple of seasons we’ve had blowout scores towards the end of the year as teams have lost touch with the eight Overall it seems the comp has compressed a bit this year - the gap between top and bottom not as big as it has been in past seasons. But it’s a concern the big scores have started already Margins this week 3, 42, 34, 14, 24, 6, 4, 40
mushi
Roar Guru
A lot changed in a week apparently.
SSTID
Roar Rookie
I've seen the Sharks play twice this year, admittedly against poor teams (Souths and Canberra). But that said they are possibly a better side than I have given them credit for. The one thing that struck me watching both games and Johns mentioned it in the call - the backs for the Sharks really do a lot of hard work and as he said - it helps balance the side in that the forwards don't have to do so much hard work coming out. Very Penrithesque. But I think there is still a big, if not real, gap between the top 3 power ranked teams and the next 4 who can all be competitive and win on their day. After than, the rest are way behind and it could get embarrassing with blow out scores for the rest of the season.
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Season might unravel when they need to engage solicitors and give evidence Topine V Dogs.
Tony
Roar Guru
Teams that concede 50 or more points should have no ranking whatsoever
Bill
Roar Rookie
People are aware these rankings aren't real and have no impact on anything and are purely here for our media consumption? More interesting than these rankings is that there seems to be a huge gap in quality on the real ladder. Every team from 5 or 6 down seems like a bottom 8 team. The comp is looking very imbalanced at this point of the season and hard to see anyone outside that top 6, aside from Roosters maybe, being there at the end.