Every year, NRL teams enter the competition with varying levels of expectations.
Some are aiming for the premiership, some are trying to sneak back into finals footy, others are trying to stop a slide, and some just want to steer clear of the bottom after a handful of disastrous campaigns.
The 2025 campaign saw new premiers crowned, finally dethroning the Penrith Panthers, while some clubs were ahead of expectations, led by the Canterbury Bulldogs and Canberra Raiders, and others fell well short of where they should have been, led by the North Queensland Cowboys and South Sydney Rabbitohs.
With off-season moves done, Zero Tackle have unpacked the realistic expectations for every NRL team heading into 2026, picking the pass mark for each and every team.
Multiple teams share the same pass marks throughout, but that ultimately means some teams are going to be left unhappy.
Cronulla Sharks
Grand final
It's difficult to label the last two seasons for the Sharks a disappointment, but it's also difficult to suggest they have hit the mark they should have.
Back-to-back preliminary finals is something most clubs can only dream of, and yet, for the Sharks, going out at that stage with their squad - which on paper should be premiership-worthy - will sting the club.
The Sharks need to find a way to take the next step this year.
It has been acknowledged by Cameron McInnes already, but players will leave at the end of 2026 as the salary cap bites the Shire-based club.
On paper, they should be in the mix for the biggest game of the year, and another preliminary final exit, or something short of that, would have to go down as a fail in 2026.
I think “Push for the Top Four” is ambitious for the Dolphins.
If I were one of their management or their fans, I would think that just making the top eight and playing finals would be a success, this season.