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.
15. St George Illawarra Dragons
Likely first-choice: Emre Guler, Toby Couchman, Hamish Stewart, Luciano Leilua, Jaydn Su'A
If you want to talk about potential, look no further than the Dragons and what remains behind the starting group. Toby Couchman and Hamish Stewart are already in there, but the likes of Ryan Couchman, Jacob Halangahu, Dylan Egan (injured until mid-season) and Loko Pasifiki Tonga are all waiting in the wings for minutes.
What exists right now though is a side ready to compete, but not quite ready to take the next step.
Luciano Leilua, at his best, and Jaydn Su'A, are one of the better second-row combinations, but there just isn't enough consistency or force through the middle third to rate the Dragons any higher.
This could shuffle throughout the year.
Emre Guler will be under pressure for his place, Josh Kerr had a great 2025 at the Dolphins, and as mentioned, the youngsters are pushing hard for minutes.
