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.

  1. A good squad and depth in each position
  2. Good defence
  3. 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.

North Queensland Cowboys: Creativity around the ruck and offloading

The Cowboys have long been thought of as the club that could achieve it all, but just seem to fall short.

The early years at the club were extremely lean before finding some success in the late 2010s.

The issue with the Cowboys is not the roster or the coaching staff, as they have had some of the best in recent times, it's the lack of spark and creativity.

A lot of their plays go through the fullback or working something out to young Jaxon Purdue who can only do so much.

The Cowboys need an injection of creativity around the ruck, and to improve their offloading game. With the right x-factor player and offloading ability, the Cows could be a real force to the competition.

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