The NRL has a trend when it comes to the top eight each season.

For the last four seasons, three teams in, and three teams out has been the way of the rugby league world.

Starting with the 2022 season, there have been three new clubs into the eight, and three from the previous season missing out.

2022
In: North Queensland Cowboys, Canberra Raiders, Cronulla Sharks
Out: Gold Coast Titans, Manly Sea Eagles, Newcastle Knights

2023
In: Brisbane Broncos, Newcastle Knights, New Zealand Warriors
Out: South Sydney Rabbitohs, Parramatta Eels, North Queensland Cowboys

2024
In: Canterbury Bulldogs, North Queensland Cowboys, Manly Sea Eagles
Out: Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, New Zealand Warriors

2025
In: Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, New Zealand Warriors
Out: North Queensland Cowboys, Newcastle Knights, Manly Sea Eagles

That then begs the question.

Which teams will move into the eight from outside, and which will fall from inside to outside in 2026.

Here are the picks.

Top eight inclusion 2: South Sydney Rabbitohs

If you want to speak about an enormous toll of injuries in 2025, then you certainly can't go past South Sydney.

Wayne Bennett's side had what is understood to be a record toll of injuries - more than 200 weeks of action were missed by the top squad throughout the course of the season, led by not having Cameron Murray available for the entirety of the campaign.

The star lock forward - widely regarded as the best in the game - will make the world of difference himself, but if they can find a way to have Cody Walker fit, Latrell Mitchell fire in the centres, and Jye Gray become as good as his potential suggests at fullback, there is no reason Souths won't climb the table rapidly.

The bottom line is, on paper, and at full strength, they should challenge for the premiership, not be sitting in the bottom four on the table.

Add to their injury worries that Jamie Humphreys is a season more experienced, Keaon Koloamatangi is now an elite prop in the game despite heading into his last year at South Sydney, and they haven't got anything close to full potential out of Brandon Smith, and the upside for the Rabbitohs in 2026 should be enormous.

2 COMMENTS

  1. As they are forced to say in the financial services adverts: “Past performance is not an indicator of future performance”.

    It’s a rubbish statement because if you believe it, then on what basis would you transfer your savings from one crowd to another ?

    I think something holds similar, here.

    It’s true that in recent years some clubs have risen into the eight, and some have fallen out of the eight; and that the figures show three up and three out. But there is no reason to assume that there is some immutable law of nature, or that the footies gods have conspired to produce this outcome.

    I suspect that this year we will see:
    – seven of 2025’s eight filling the top eight spots in September.
    – Parra going nowhere now that Lomax has gone
    – Souths in and Auckland out.
    – Canberra hang on in the eight by the skin of their teeth !