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.
RELATED: Every NRL club's outside backs ranked for 2026
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.
SEE ALSO: Every NRL forward pack ranked for 2026
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.
11. Canberra Raiders
Likely first choice spine: Kaeo Weekes, Ethan Strange, Ethan Sanders, Tom Starling
Other options: Sebastian Kris, Chevy Stewart, Coby Black, Owen Pattie, Jayden Brailey
The Raiders had one of the NRL's most efficient spines and, as a result, attacks, in 2025, but the departure of Jamal Fogarty has all the potential to upset the apple cart there.
I would not put the Roosters above the Storm or the Panthers because DCE hasn’t played 6 for years. Maybe the Roosters think two half-backs will work (like it does at Cronulla) but until we have seen how they actually function working together as a pair, I wouldn’t be saying that they are the best in the game.