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.

2. Canberra Raiders

Likely first-choice: Josh Papalii, Joseph Tapine, Corey Horsburgh, Hudson Young, Noah Martin

The Raiders might have lost Jamal Fogarty for the new season to the Manly Sea Eagles, but what they haven't lost is one of the game's best forward packs.

Josh Papalii might be heading to the back-end of his career, but seemed to somehow improve in 2025, while Joseph Tapine is showing no signs of slowing down and is still arguably in the best three props in the game.

Corey Horsburgh continues to develop and will be in the Origin conversation this year.

Speaking of Origin, and Hudson Young will be in the mix too. He arguably enters 2026 as the best second-rower in the game with Eliesa Katoa out of action.

Noah Martin won the shock race for the other second-row spot, but whether it's him or Zac Hosking, it doesn't change a whole lot for a Raiders side who will need to dominate possession and territory to stand a chance in 2026.

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