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.
St George Illawarra Dragons
Grade: F
Current record: 17th place, 0 wins, 7 losses, 0 points, - 105
An awful start to 2026 for the Dragons has seen the club's leadership change this week, with Shane Flanagan and director of footy Ben Haran moved on.
They are yet to take a win, and Dean Young inherits an absolute mess.
He has made immediate changes in the halves, with Kade Reed to debut, and the bright spot for the Red V - their young forwards - will need to keep going up the gears.
The positive is they have more running metres than any other side out of the starting pack. If they can capitalise on the ability to roll up the field, then they shouldn't remain the worst attacking team in the competition for long.
That said, they have an enormous amount of work to do if they want to avoid the wooden spoon.
Best player: Hamish Stewart
Zero Tackle MVP leader: Jaydn Su'A (68th)
Prediction: 17th
