A 27-round season means there is no official halfway point of the 2026 NRL season, but 14 rounds completed seems as good a time as any to call it officially the downhill run.
As the State of Origin period rolls on, and the ladder becomes a distorted mess (just look at the teams who are yet to have a bye), the run to the finals still has plenty of wiggle room, but some times have shone against pre-season expectations, and others have flopped.
When we checked in after seven weeks in our quarter season report, two coaches had already been sacked.
That carnage has come to an end, and with every team now having at least one win, the idea of a team going winsless is over.
Plenty has changed through the middle of the ladder over the last seven weeks, but it's still the Penrith Panthers proving they are the NRL's dominant force.
Here is every team's grade, best players and ladder predictions as we hit half of the 2026 NRL season played.
Parramatta Eels
Grade: D
Current record: 16th place, 4 wins, 9 losses, 1 bye, - 152 F/A, 10 points
Run home: Raiders (h), Bye, Rabbitohs (h), Sea Eagles (h), Roosters (a), Bye, Panthers (h), Tigers (a), Rabbitohs (a), Cowboys (h), Dolphins (a), Sharks (h), Dragons (a)
The Eels have had the NRL's toughest injury run so far this season, so maybe some of their performances are forgiveable.
But Jason Ryles' my way or the highway approach seems to have backfired.
Jonah Pezet's signing hasn't quite worked, also not helped by injuries, while their defence is a real concern. Isaiah Iongi has a lot about him, but has been caught out of position a lot in defence.
Given their struggles across the park it's tough to see their position improving all that much over the second half of the campaign.
Best player: Jack Williams
Zero Tackle MVP leader: Isaiah Iongi, 85th place, 29 votes
Prediction: 15th
