Ominous warning on sleeping giant that could be ‘Panthers 2.0’: NRL Power Rankings
The Panthers and Warriors have further cemented themselves as the teams to beat while the Bulldogs continue to slide down the rankings. Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE , available on Kayo Sports |WHAT'S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU?
Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au. The Panthers were pushed all the way by Fozball and the resurgent Sea Eagles, but managed to get out of jail with a hard fought 18-16 win. They backed that up with a 30-18 victory over the Raiders and a 28-6 win over the Dragons in Magic Round to go into their first bye and the Origin period with 10 wins from 11 starts.
With the best attack and the best defence in the NRL in 2026 and now with a last dance feel to their next two seasons before Ivan Cleary leaves, the Warriors loom as their only threat for the minor premiership at this stage and a fifth title in six years beckons. Were it not for the consistency of the Panthers, the Warriors are arguably the form team of the competition to date and are beating sides in multiple ways.
There hard-fought 20-18 win over the Dolphins was backed up by a 36-14 demolition of the Eels and a 42-12 thrashing of the premiers the Broncos in Magic Round either side of their bye. Not even the loss of Luke Metcalf to the Dragons and Tanah Boyd to a season-ending injury has halted Andrew Webster’s side’s momentum and they are a huge chance at a maiden title in 2026.
In Fozball we trust as Manly fans worship their former five-eighth and interim coach Kieran Foran after he led them from the bottom of the ladder to the top four in the space of two months. Foran suffered his first loss in an 18-16 nailbiter to the Panthers, but he backed that up with a 32-4 demolition of the Broncos and a 46-18 thrashing of the Tigers to surge into the top four.
Every single players has taken their game to greater heights under Foran and not only does he look set to be their long-term head coach, but he could even win a title in his first season. That’s how good they are travelling on the Northern Beaches. The Roosters backed up their ANZAC Day thrashing of the Dragons with a 38-24 win over the Broncos and a 28-12 victory over the Titans to surge into the top four.
However, the pre-season title favourites fell back to earth with a 12-18 loss to the Cowboys last start, despite North Queensland being reduced to 12 men for 20 minutes due to two sin bins. A tough run of fixtures against the Storm, Raiders, Dolphins, Sharks and Broncos over the Origin period will be a huge test for Trent Robinson’s side.
The Knights have been one of the surprise packets of the season and have gone from the wooden spoon to on the verge of the top four under Justin Holbrook. Since the cavalry returned led by Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown, the Knights have beaten the Rabbitohs 42-38, thrashed the Dragons 44-10 and dominated the Titans 36-12.
And with a soft draw over the Origin period, including two byes in the next month and clashes with the Eels, Storm, Dragons and Tigers, the Knights could be in the top four in no time.6. NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS Todd Payten was considered one of the most under pressure coaches in the game heading into the season and then lost his first two games to the Knights and Tigers, but they have only lost two of their last nine to sit one win outside the top four.
The Cowboys beat the Bulldogs 29-12 in Round 9, before blowing a huge lead in a 33-30 Golden Point loss to the Eels that was compounded by an injury to skipper Tom Dearden. However, Jake Clifford is in career best form and showed he can fill the void in a 18-12 victory over the Roosters that was arguably the best in Payten’s whole time at the helm.
Matty Johns said the Dolphins are starting to realise their top four potential and can win a title in the next couple of years and on their current form it is hard to argue. The Dolphins thrashed the Storm 28-10 in Round 9, before blowing away the Bulldogs 44-12 and making light work of the Rabbitohs 32-10 in Magic Round.
The Dolphins have the attack to be the best in the NRL, but to average under 11 points a game for three straight games shows they are finally turning a corner in defence and it makes them genuine title threats. The Rabbitohs were cruising in the top four, but have suffered a worrying form slump in recent weeks, which has placed doubts over their title credentials.
Wayne Bennett’s side forgot how to defend and let a victory slip in their 42-38 loss to the Knights in Round 9, before getting back on track with a 36-12 win over the Sharks. However, they were badly exposed 32-10 by the Dolphins in a performance Bennett labelled embarrassing and with injuries to Latrell Mitchell and Campbell Graham heading into Origin, things could be about to get worse.
The Raiders had the bye in Magic Round after beating the Titans 28-12 before losing to the Panthers 30-18 to continue their inconsistent start to the season. However, there were always going to be growing pains while the Raiders got used to life with Ethan Sanders as their halfback and given their strength of their squad, they are well placed to make a charge for the finals at the back end of the year.
However, clashes with the Dolphins, Cowboys, Roosters, Eels and Storm after the bye could make or break their bid for the top eight. Craig Bellamy’s side look to have turned a corner after back-to-back wins over the Eels and Tigers, although given the quality of opposition it still may be early to say the Storm of old are well and truly back.
But Cooper Cronk said earlier in the week the Storm look like the Panthers 2.0, suggesting they could be about to go on a similar run to the one which saw Penrith fall just short of the grand final last year. The Origin period will certainly test them, but those two wins over the Eels and Tigers were a good start. OK, maybe this is just who they are this season.
The Sharks backed up a 36-12 loss to the Rabbitohs with a 38-16 win over the Bulldogs and have made a habit of failing to string together wins this year. It will be tricky for them to buck that trend next week after the bye, with the high-flying Sea Eagles next up. The injuries finally seem to be catching up with them, and the current form slump couldn’t have come at a worse time with Origin around the corner.
The Broncos have now dropped three games in a row, conceding over 30 points in every single one of those matches. The only real silver lining is that they should have Reece Walsh available for the entire State of Origin series unless Billy Slater has a change of heart and calls him up.
It’s hard to be too critical of the Tigers given they are severely undermanned, with Jarome Luai being the only member of their spine available in recent weeks. Of course, the losses also have coincided with Luai revealing he is joining the PNG Chiefs at the end of next year. It is a convenient narrative to point to, but one that Benji Marshall understands only his team can control by turning this worrying form slump around.
Once again, it is hard to get a proper read on the Eels as injuries cruel any chance Jason Ryles has of getting the most out of this playing squad. The win over the Cowboys a fortnight ago proved they still have the right attitude, but they are just lacking class and experience in key positions and Mitch Moses can’t do it all.
It’s been four-straight losses since their 52-10 win over the Eels, but outside of last week’s loss to the Knights the Titans have been there or thereabouts in every single one of those games. They took it to the Warriors, while the 28-12 scorelines against the Raiders and Roosters didn’t necessarily reflect how close either game was.
The Bulldogs have dropped five games in a row since that statement performance, with their latest loss to Cronulla potentially being the worst of the lot.17. DRAGONS Unlike Manly, it has been much of the same for the Dragons.
Last week’s loss to the Panthers was an improvement and that scoreline didn’t necessarily reflect just how hard Dean Young’s team tried, but it doesn’t get much easier from here with the Warriors, Broncos, Sharks and Knights on the cards in the next month.
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