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.
Newcastle Knights
Grade: B+
Current record: 8 wins, 5 losses, 1 bye, + 32 F/A, 18 points
Run home: Bye, Dragons (h), Tigers (h), Dolphins (h), Rabbitohs (a), Sharks (a), Roosters (h), Broncos (a), Raiders (a), Titans (h), Sea Eagles (h), Warriors (a), Bye
The Knights have been one of the surprise packets over the first half of the season, although their form has tailed off from their ridiculously unexpected and hot start.
The club are still sitting in the top eight though and very clearly in a better place now under the coaching of Justin Holbrook than they were under Adam O'Brien throughout 2025.
The Knights have looked solid in attack more often than they haven't, and their defence has shown signs of improvement.
It's a tricky enough run to the finish line though, but with a bye in the final round to complement their points total, close enough might well be good enough.
Games against the Roosters, Sea Eagles and Warriors after the Origin period are likely to be their measuring stick.
Best player: Kalyn Ponga
Zero Tackle MVP leader: Kalyn Ponga, 10th, 89 votes
Prediction: 10th
