A lot can change in rugby league, quickly!

That will be the hope of the bottom few teams in the competition right now.

We've seen quick rises, and quick falls, across the space of a few weeks, or an off-season.

An influx of recruits, a new coach, stars returning from injuries. Sometimes it's even a youngster who catches fire at the right time.

Today we're going to look at the bottom five teams in the NRL and rank the brightness of their futures.

The below rankings take into account success next season and beyond. For instance one club may do better next season yet long-term they don't success as much as another. It's all weighted.

Ultimately this is just for fun and we'd love to hear your thoughts.

Here are the bottom five NRL teams as of Round 21 taken from the current NRL ladder, but for the pursposes of this, ranked in the order of least likely to most likely of a fast recovery.

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2. St George Illawarra Dragons

As I type this, the Dragons are the worst team in the competition by four wins and significant points differential.

It is a massive wrap on the recruitment team that they're anywhere but fifth on this list, and by some margin.

The Dragons are hoping to pull off one of the all time great turnarounds in the space of one off-season.

Scott Drinkwater, Luke Metcalf, Keaon Koloamatangi, Kodi Nikorima, Connor Watson and Phillip Sami will all wear the famous Red V next season.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 10: Scott Drinkwater of the Cowboys is tackled during the round six NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on April 10, 2026 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 10: Scott Drinkwater of the Cowboys is tackled during the round six NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on April 10, 2026 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

All are tremendous upgrades on their current counterparts.

With the greatest of respects to the players leaving the club, I think the correct decisions have been made.

Throw in the game's most exciting crop of forwards and you have to believe the Dragons future is bright.

Toby Couchman will play Origin, his brother Ryan looks a real chance to join him while Hamish Stewart and Dylan Egan are bright prospects.

Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga might be the best of them all. He is a giant in every way and has quickly become a favourite of mine, even from the outside.

Don't expect them to change the world within 12 months but the future is bright.

They've appointed Dean Young as coach, they've recruited extremely aggressively and they'd locked their forwards in long-term.

2026 has been diabolical but it will soon, surely, be just a memory.