We've reached the halfway point of the 2025 NRL season, and the competition is still tighter than ever. Just six points separate 5th place from last, meaning the Top 8 could look very different come finals time.
With all 17 clubs still in the hunt for a playoff berth, one thing is clear: no side in this competition is invincible.
What is the chink in your club's armor? We analyse every club's kryptonite as we inch closer to finals footy.
6Parramatta Eels: Their halves
Mitchell Moses is 30 years old, the prime age for an elite halfback in the NRL. While he has been impressive in his games played in 2025, his health has been inconsistent.
Pair this with the departing Dylan Brown, who has not played to even half of the value of his $13 million Newcastle Knights contract, the Parramatta Eels have been let down by their halves so far this year.
The unreliability of their current five-eighth and halfback has led to the newly formed combination of Joash Papali'i and Dean Hawkins, an unlikely yet passionate duo that has brought some Eels fans hope for the future.
While this is an exciting prospect for fans, it won't result in a premiership in 2025, a frustrating reality for a club that should have won at least one premiership to its name in the last decade.
Similar to the Rabbitohs, the Eels' hopes for a finals ring has been all but squandered, and with Moses getting another year older and Brown heading to the Knights, the next two months of footy should be focused on winning a premiership in the next five years, as opposed to the next five months.
