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.
3. Melbourne Storm
The Storm may be the NRL's most intriguing team heading into 2026.
Craig Bellamy's outfit loses Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Jonah Pezet and Ryan Papenhuyzen, among others, heading into the new campaign.
Papenhuyzen is the biggest out, although his injuries have limited his work on-field in recent seasons.
Melbourne still has an elite spine with Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant there, but there are questions over their forward pack depth, particularly with Eliesa Katoa already ruled out for the season.
Bellamy will likely find a way for his team to be competitive, and you'd be a brave person to write them off entirely, but this could be their biggest challenge yet.
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.