The 2026 NRL season is approaching, and it could well be one of the most wide-open campaigns in recent history.
While arguments could be made for why plenty of teams are in the mix for the premiership, realistically, there are only a small handful likely to take out the Provan-Summons trophy on that first Sunday in October.
The usual suspects - the teams who have dominated recent seasons - are all likely to be in the mix again, but there is also a smokey or two in the mix.
Here are the teams that can win the premiership in 2026.
2. Brisbane Broncos
The Broncos were the surprise premiers of 2025, ending the Panthers' streak at four, but there is a real thought that they could push for back-to-back titles.
The Red Hill-based outfit was exceptionally strong when it mattered in 2025, but if we are truthful, so much of their performance comes down to Reece Walsh.
His eight-week stint to the end of the finals series is one of the greatest by a player in recent memory.
He simply couldn't put a foot wrong, and got the Broncos out of more than one jam, particularly while they were playing without halves Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam, who both suffered hamstring injuries in the same game, ruling them out of the run through the final weeks of the season.
If Walsh can close the gap between his worst and best, Reynolds and Mam can stay fit, and Payne Haas lives up to his usual output level, the Broncos should be in the mix again.
Souths do NOT have as much of a chance to win compared to the Canberra Raiders and the Bulldogs.
They definitely have more of a chance than Canterbury if they stay fit. What area do the dogs have that’s better than the bunnies?
Might just be the Bunnies fan in me, but I hope the DCE move goes so wrong that by the end of the season, people are discussing whether or not the cocks should relocate.