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.
Melbourne Storm
Grand final
The Storm come into the year having lost two straight grand finals. It's hard not to be a little disappointed by that if you're a Storm fan, player or coach, but at the same time, there are probably 14 clubs who would swap spots with them in an instant.
Where they will place this year is maybe as up for grabs as it has been in a long time following a number of key off-season departures.
But the bottom line is, on paper, they still have a team who should be at the pointy end of affairs.
Making a grand final might feel somewhat harsh to be set as their pass mark for the season ahead, but any team with Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant in it while being coached by Craig Bellamy should be starting there with their expectations.
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.