Five rounds into the 2026 NRL season and the ladder is already beginning to take shape.
The Penrith Panthers have returned to the top of the pedestal, while the Wests Tigers and Newcastle Knights have shocked everyone by sitting in the top four.
Surprisingly, last year's minor premiers and premiers, the Canberra Raiders and Brisbane Broncos respectively, both find themselves outside of the top eight.
Then languishing at the bottom are the winless St George Illawarra Dragons.
But what would happen if every club could hit the reset button on one position, just for this season?
No salary cap, no contract negotiation, no release clauses, just a free pass to draft in any rugby league player to their team.
Not necessarily the best in the game, but the right player for the right team.
So, here's who every NRL team would be stealing right now, if they could.
Penrith Panthers: Harry Grant
There's not much to say, the Penrith Panthers are leaps and bounds ahead of every other team in the competition this year.
They look untouchable.
Realistically, they don't need anything else, they'd be bringing in a player to just widen the gap to the rest of the competition.
So which player would do that?
While Mitch Kenny is a gem, someone who perfectly works in the Panthers' system, bringing in Harry Grant would take this team to a level so unfair that Andrew Abdo may as well end the season early.























When I saw the Broncos and our one I was crying. If this ever happened, Hughes is too old, and we CAN’T lose our skip.
Edit: Also the Knights one, if Presto doesn’t get re-signed I’ll cry for a week.
Critta tot he Bronx to play left centre ? I thought all the trouble with Xerri was that he wanted to play right centre, but that is where Critta has been playing. Or have I got that wrong ?