With the Origin period disrupting week-to-week NRL action, we decided to leave the rankings until a full round was played.
The below moves are based on recent results over the past three weeks and beyond. The top four are obvious, but there will surely be some discussion about the middle spots. Let us know what you think.
1. Cowboys (Last week: 1)
By all rights the Cowboys amazing run should have been broken on Monday night, but this side does not know how to lose right now. Three quick tries to Gavin Cooper turned the game on its head as the Cowboys steam rolled home over a shell shocked Eels. I don’t buy into the talk of the Cowboys going the rest of the season undefeated, although I didn’t see them winning ten straight either, so who knows? Thurston is the best player in the game right now, bar none.
2. Broncos (4)
The Broncos make it an all QLD one-two in both the rankings and the NRL table. The Broncos are the ultimate team unit right now. They have their stand out players, i.e. Thaiday, Hunt, Parker, but more importantly they’re all playing well. Daniel Vidot is head and shoulders over Maranta right now, which plugs the only possible weakness in that Broncos line up. Their depth is incredible. Bennett has weaved his magic in quick time is Brisbane.
3. Storm (3)
The Storm were clinical, a few errors aside, in their dismantling of the Panthers on Saturday night. The only highlight, in what was a dour game, was the Storm’s ability to break their opponents down. Blake Green is one of the buys of the season, and continues to outshine Cooper Cronk. There is talk of Cronk and Slater being unavailable for the foreseeable future, however there is so much talent in the ranks, they’ll be more than fine.
4. Dragons (2)
Another team performing as such. Although they suffered a loss to the Bulldogs on Monday Night, their hammering of local rivals the Sharks sees them retain their top four spot. It seems everyone is waiting for the cracks to appear, and maybe the first did on Monday, but I don’t see this Dragons side falling away. They’ve built their season on hard work, and some flair and magic from the likes of Marshall and Dugan.
5. Rabbitohs (7)
The Bunnies have now won three straight victories without their champion halfback Adam Reynolds. Earlier it looked as though Souths would fall away until Reynolds was back, but they’ve found a way to win without him. Dylan Walker’s form will have Rabbits fans licking their lips, as he has shown he is back to full fitness. They absolutely destroyed the Warriors in Perth on Saturday afternoon, and sent a loud message that they’re ready to fight to retain their title.
6. Warriors (9)
The Warriors were able to put together three straight wins, all by four points, before running into the red hot Rabbitohs. We saw enough in that sequence of close wins to move up three spots. They’re really missing Sam Tomkins, but it looks as though he may finally be back to full fitness. The Warriors forward pack is a scary sight, with Ben Matulino the star, and Simon Mannering the co-star. They’re a brilliant side, but they still, and I tire of typing this, are yet to find consistency to worry the top sides week to week.
7. Roosters (6)
I was tempted to move the Roosters down more based on their horror loss to the Sharks, their second this season, but their form prior to the Sharks loss was good. Fans of the tri-colours must surely be worried at the team’s inability to put away the scrappier sides, as well as the amount of errors the side made on Sunday afternoon. The next few weeks will be tough with players lost to Origin duty, or coming off said duty, but the champion sides are able to overcome these hurdles. Is this Roosters side a champion side? The next month or so will show us a lot.
8. Raiders (8)
The Raiders are a brilliant side to watch when they are in full flight. They were irresistible against the Knights, but were hugely disappointing against the Origin affected Broncos and Bulldogs in the previous fortnight. Blake Austin had another ripper game, and has many scratching their heads at what he has to do to be considered for Origin. Dave Shillington has proven over the past two weeks that he is far from a spent force. Josh Papalii seems to be hell bent on showing the QLD brains trust what they missed out on by not selecting him.
9. Bulldogs (14)
The Bulldogs were back to near their best on Monday afternoon in a brilliant win over the table topping Dragons. The Des Hasler masterstroke to play Josh Reynolds off the bench proved to be match winning, as his energy off the bench took all the momentum away from the Red V. Moses Mbye surely has to play a full 80 minutes in the halves. It looks as though Hodkinson and Reynolds will battle it out for the second spot. Hodkinson may go from Origin to a bench spot, to being forced out the club in the next few weeks.
10. Sharks (13)
The Sharks were rocks and diamonds in the past month. They were gritty in their win over the Titans, played like they had never met each other in their pasting at the hands of the Dragons, and then muscled up for a season defining win over the Roosters. Paul Gallen’s inclusion was inspired, as it seemed to life those around him. Wade Graham is a future Sharks legend and continues to improve in every aspect of his game. Jack Bird is a freak. The Sharks can build a side for the next five years around this kid.
11. Panthers (5)
The Panthers were in reverse this past month and a bit. They were wiped off the park by the Storm, although they certainly contributed to their own downfall with a horror completion rate. Simply put, due to a mass injury crisis, they look like also rans this season. Bryce Carter and Tyrone Peachey have been outstanding in an out of sorts Penrith side, and are superstars of the future. It’s hard for any side missing the majority, or in some cases all of their starting spine, so there are plenty of mitigating factors to their free fall down the rankings and table.
12. Titans (10)
The Titans managed just the one win in the past five games, including a bye, but they showed enough to suggest their not done yet. They lost a game they should have won against the Sharks, but were pretty impressive against the Tigers. James Roberts is the most dangerous centre in the game at the moment, and absolutely tore Bryson Goodwin to shreds a few weeks back. The Titans will be hoping young Elgey is able to shake off the injury that forced him from the field on Friday, as he looks like a real player for the future.
13. Knights (11)
The Knights solitary win in the past five weeks was an unimpressive win over the Tigers. It seems like forever ago that the Knights were 4-0 and leading the competition. Kurt Gidley played some of the best footy in many months on the weekend, but it was far from enough to contain the rampant Raiders. They’re missing their main man in Jarrod Mullen, but have more than enough talent there to be playing better than they are. The next few weeks is make or break for the Knights.
14. Sea Eagles (15)
Manly were beaten, bruised, and bashed silly against the red hot Broncos on Friday Night, but not before sending a real scare through the Brisbane brains trust. If they had converted their opportunity and gone to within a converted try, who knows, but this game isn’t about what ifs and who knows. Suffering their biggest loss since their record loss to the Sharks many, many years ago, they all signed Geoff Toovey’s waking papers. Judging by the reaction on social media within the Eagles fans, there’s a fair few players who should be walking with him.
15. Eels (16)
Make no mistakes, the Eels have moved up based on winning one more game than the 16th ranked side in the past five weeks, not through any great performance. That being said, for the first 50 minutes on Monday Night, the Eels looks a side that could very well shock the world and make the eight, but their last 30 minutes were proof as to why they are extremely long odds to be there come finals time. They just couldn’t wrestle back to the momentum once it was lost. It is shocking that, with the game on the line in the final moments, their huge money recruit was warming the bench.
16. Tigers (11)
Truth time, the Tigers have been very, very poor over the past month and a bit. Fans are furious that their talented youngsters have seemingly been put on a leash due to a very basic and structured game plan. If the likes of Moses, Brooks and Tedesco aren’t let off the leash soon, their season is over. Aaron Woods has been a one man metre making machine as of late and is crying out for some help up front. They were far from horrible against the Titans, but their last win came in round eight, something they need to put right on Friday Night.
