The 2026 NRL season is just around the corner, and final preparations are well underway around the competition.
The first teams are not all that far away, but for most clubs, the all-important spine is all but locked away.
The fullback, five-eighth, halfback and hooker are the players who ultimately drive the team forward, set up the points and dictate the way footy is going to be played throughout the course of the season.
There are important positions all over the park, but no team have won a competition without a strong spine.
Here are the rankings ahead of the 2026 campaign.
13. Canterbury Bulldogs
Likely first choice spine: Connor Tracey, Matt Burton, Lachlan Galvin, Bailey Hayward
Other options: Jacob Kiraz, Stephen Crichton, Mitchell Woods, Sean O'Sullivan, Patrick Woods, Gordon Chan Kum Tong, Jake Turpin
The Bulldogs do have plenty of depth in the spine, but that's where the surety ends heading into 2026.
Connor Tracey is a good, solid fullback, although certainly doesn't have the flash, style and substance of many others in the competition.
Matt Burton has been a strong five-eighth for a long time, but there are plenty who suggest his best position is elsewhere, and with a halves partner who is also a five-eighth in 2026, the pressure is on.
Lachlan Galvin will need a career-defining season if the Bulldogs are to hang in the top eight again, and so too will Bailey Hayward who steps up to replace Reed Mahoney, despite struggling with missed tackle counts when he did so in 2025.
