We are officially a quarter of the way through the 2026 NRL season, and the run to the State of Origin window is underway.
There have been surprises a plenty - both positive and negative.
Two coaches being sacked by this stage of the season has been the biggest shock, but with only one winless team left and three wins separating 2nd and 16th place on the table, the season feels as wide open as any in recent times.
The Penrith Panthers might be back to their dominant ways, but with a shake up of the rugby league landscape, and all of last year's top four sitting outside the top eight, there are plenty of opportunities for the season to continue shaking out in the coming months.
Here is every team's grade for the opening quarter of the season.
Melbourne Storm
Grade: F
Current record: 15th place, 2 wins, 5 losses, 4 points, - 2
The Melbourne Storm has been the big disappointment to start out 2026, dropping all the way into the bottom four. It's the worst start to any season under Craig Bellamy, and they are looking down the barrel of a scarcely believable sixth straight loss this weekend.
The Storm coach is under pressure, but hasn't hit the panic button, retaining the same 19 for this weekend's clash.
Melbourne, you feel, has too much talent to finish at this end of the ladder and will turn things around at some point.
For that reason, I'm still backing them to make the top eight, but their abysmal start to the campaign is going to need to give way to some much stronger form sooner rather than later and a major uptick in defensive effort.
Best player: Sua Fa'alogo
Zero Tackle MVP leader: Sua Fa'alogo (13th)
Prediction: 8th
