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.
14. Wests Tigers
Likely first-choice: Terrell May, Fonua Pole, Alex Twal, Kai Pearce-Paul, Samuela Fainu
The Tigers forward pack is undoubtedly spearheaded by Terrell May.
His move to the club from the Roosters late in the last off-season was a major surprise, but by the middle of the year, it was an absolutely shock that he missed State of Origin selection.
His form dipped a little towards the end of the year, but he still enters 2026 in the top echelon of middle third players in the competition.
Fonua Pole is a rising talent, and Alex Twal is extremely solid, while Samuela Fainu had a breakout 2025 campaign.
Kai Pearce-Paul, arriving from Newcastle, could be an X-Factor in his first year for the joint-venture outfit too.
