The age-old adage of rugby league is that it is always the best team each season that wins the competition, but what if I told you, it wasn't as clear cut as it seems.
You see to win a premiership, a team needs to have these three main things.
- A good squad and depth in each position
- Good defence
- A bit of luck
We have seen over the past few seasons that the team that wins the minor premiership is not always the team that goes on to win it all on grand final day.
Here is what each team needs to have happen during 2026 to be a chance of lifting the Provan-Summons trophy.
Brisbane Broncos: Cohesion
The Broncos capped off a stellar 2025 season winning it all against the Melbourne Storm, however a month into 2026 and the Broncos aren't flying the way we expected them to.
History shows that winning back-to-back is extremely tough to do (Penrith Panthers aside), and the premiership hangover is most certainly real.
The one thing Brisbane need is some squad cohesion, even though they won the premiership in 2025, this year the squad looks a little tired and not connecting the way expected of them.
With some incredible and exciting players (Reece Walsh, Payne Haas and Kotoni Staggs), The Broncos could turn their season around in a matter of weeks. If the cohesion doesn't get better however we could be seeing a Broncos outfit that finishes in the top 8 but going no further come finals time.
