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.

The Dolphins

Grade: A-
Current record: 7 wins, 5 losses, + 77 F/A, 18 points
Run home: Roosters (h), Tigers (a), Warriors (h), Knights (a), Sharks (h), Cowboys (h), Bye, Dragons (a), Broncos (h), Sea Eagles (a), Eels (h), Roosters (a), Titans (a)

The Dolphins started the season very, very slowly, but have turned a corner massively since Jeremy Marshall-King came back from injury.

If you had asked just six weeks ago, their grade would have been in the lower portion, but they have won their last five on the hop, beating some strong teams and winning their last three on the road.

It's no secret the Dolphins can rack up points like they are going out of style, and they have managed 174 during the last five games at an average of 34.8 per game.

They have made the most of the rules, and being closer to full strength, particularly in the spine, to announce what most suspected pre-season - that they are going to be a threat in September.

There is a case for Jeremy Marshall-King to be their best, but it's a tight race, with the Dolphins, in our view, now tipped for a top four finish.

Best player: Kulikeu Finefeuiaki
Zero Tackle MVP leader: Herbie Farnworth, 12th, 80 votes
Prediction: 4th