The engine room is the heart and soul of every rugby league team, and no team has ever won a competition with a poor forward pack.

It's really quite as simple as that.

SEE ALSO: Every NRL club's spine ranked for 2026

The spine might get all the credit, and the outside backs provide all the flash, but they might as well all stay in the dressing room.

RELATED: Every NRL club's outside backs ranked for 2026

For the purposes of this exercise, and given hookers were included in the spine, we will be looking at the prop, lock and second-row positions to determine which NRL side has the best forward pack.

Here are the rankings for the 2026 campaign.

3. Cronulla Sharks

Likely first-choice: Addin Fonua-Blake, Thomas Hazelton, Cameron McInnes, Briton Nikora, Teig Wilton

The Sharks head into 2026 with an enormous point to prove, particularly in the forward pack, after their second straight preliminary final exit.

The black, white and blue were, by many, viewed as one prop away from a breakthrough prior to the Addin Fonua-Blake signing, but here they remain, still short of the premiership they desire.

Fonua-Blake will again spearhead the pack, and it seems Thomas Hazelton has landed the other starting spot.

Whether Cameron McInnes or Jesse Colquhoun starts, the Sharks lose nothing at lock, while Briton Nikora and Teig Wilton has the potential to be the game's best second-row combination.

We couldn't put them any higher on this list, but it is one of the game's elite forward packs.

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