12 rounds are in the books for 2022, and with it comes the halfway point in the campaign, as well as the Origin window.
From the Penrith Panthers running away at the top of the table, to two of last year’s top four becoming two of the season’s biggest disappointments, there has been plenty to keep footy fans on their toes.
Add that to the Queensland teams becoming the competition’s biggest surprise packets, a sacked coach and the Warriors' impending return home whilst still in finals contention, and it has been an excellent first 12 weeks.
So, before things get just a little bit crazy this weekend, with new players, byes and then a Wednesday night game that stops the nation - well, not the nation, but the east coast anyway - it’s time to look back at the opening three months.
Here is how your team has performed during the opening 12 rounds on the Zero Tackle mid-season report card.
Keep in mind that these grades factor in pre-season expectations as much as they do form and results over the first 12 rounds.
Wests Tigers
Grade: D-
Record: 3 wins, 9 losses, -118 points differential
The Tigers have had more off-field speculation than on-field success this year, and with the exception of a two-week period when Michael Maguire gave himself a reprieve from the fast-falling axe, 2022 has been a disaster for the joint venture.
They have three wins on the board - and two of them promised to spark a new dawn for the club - going past the Parramatta Eels on Easter Monday, then the South Sydney Rabbitohs just five days later, with both games won by a field goal.
But things have arguably gone backwards since there, despite the form of Jackson Hastings, who is touching the football on average more than 90 times per game.
The last five weeks have seen them lose four of the last five, but more concerningly, three scores of 36, 36 and 44 have been posted against them in the last month by the Sea Eagles, Cowboys and Rabbitohs respectively.
The Tigers are facing plenty of injuries though - let’s get that straight. At one point, their side looked virtually unrecognisable, and that has to be a factor in just how poorly the 15th-placed side are going at this stage of the season.
But still, the promise shown on that two-match winning streak has dipped dramatically, and the questions over Maguire, Luke Brooks, and others, are starting again.
They have some strong-performing forwards, but will need the likes of Daine Laurie and Jake Simpkin to stand up if they are going to rescue their season from the bottom of the pile and a slow, miserable end.
Given they weren’t expected for any great heights though, they do avoid the dreaded ‘F’ grade.
Best player: Jackson Hastings
Best win: Round 6, vs Parramatta Eels, 21-20
Worst loss: Round 2, Newcastle Knights, 26-4
