Photo: Pauly Foster 

WITH the origin series upon us and the Dally M judging now going behind closed doors, it usually signals the half way point of the season proper. I thought I’d have a look at every team thus far this season and give them all a rating out of 10. I’ll also nominate who I think has been their best player this season.

Penrith – 9/10. Nathan Cleary.
The Panthers look like a team who has a date with destiny this season. And with up to 10 of their regular first grade stars able to talk to other clubs this November 1, their premiership window ( for a 5th or 6th time) may be this coming 18 months!

Warriors – 9/10. Jackson Ford.
What a season the lads from across the ditch are putting together this campaign! Even with the terrible news that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck looks to have played his last game in a Warriors jersey after rupturing his ACL,  the one thing the 2026 version of the Warriors has is depth, and plenty of it.

Roosters – 8/10. James Tedesco. 
While they are running 3rd on the NRL ladder you still get the feeling the Roosters may have another gear to go to up their sleeve. When they do, look out!

Manly – 8.5/10. Haumole Olakau’atu.
Having won 7 of their last 8 games under interim coach Kieran Foran (for goodness’ sake sign this man to a long-term deal) and without Tom Trbojevic, Manly are one of the real form teams in this comp. They are also playing an attractive brand of footy with these new rules of our game suiting them to a tee.

Knights – 8.5/10. Jacob Saifiti.
The Newcastle Knights have been a breath of fresh air this season with new coach Justin Holbrook having an immediate impact on the club. Currently sitting snuggly in 5th spot on the ladder, the Knights are up to their eyeballs in the finals mix this season.

Cowboys – 8/10. Scott Drinkwater.
For an apparent ‘dead-man walking’ at the start of this season Cowboys mentor Todd Payten has certainly changed that narrative as his galvanisation of this footy team is profound.

Rabbitohs – 7.5/10. Cam Murray.
On their day, Souths you feel can beat any team in the competition, it’s this consistency that coach Bennett must somehow find if they’re to go deep into September action.

Dolphins – 8/10. Herbie Farnworth.
This team is a definite dark horse this year! Last week without 4 of their origin stars and injuries to Farnworth and Nikorima, they travelled to the nation’s capital and superbly came away with the 2 points!

Sharks – 7.5/10. Blayke Brailey.
It so hard to get a proper gauge on this footy team. One week they look like park footballers, the next they look like a top 4 team. Hard to tip them consistently.

Tigers – 7.5/10 Api Koroisau.
The Tigers started this season like a train, but with 3 losses from their past 3 games, their troops can’t get back quick enough.

Broncos – 6.5/10. Katoni Staggs.
The Brisbane Broncos are finding out the hard way that defending the premiership is bloody hard. It is what makes Penrith’s 4 in a row so mind-blowing! They are missing big names too.

Raiders – 6.5/10. Hudson Young.
The Raiders are languishing in 12th spot and need to win at least 75% of their remaining games to play finals footy this season. They are missing the tactical game of Jamal Fogarty.

Bulldogs – 5.5/10. Matt Burton.
If not for their win last round against Melbourne, their mark would have been lower than what I gave them. This time last season they were flying high at the top end of the table. They need a miracle to play finals.

Eels – 6.5/10. Mitch Moses.
Although severely injury depleted, the Eels still put up a fight each week they play. 2027 will see a totally different result for the embattled Eels.

Storm – 4/10. Harry Grant.
Sitting on 8 competition points and in 15th position on the ladder the Storm would have to win at least 9 of their final 12 games to compete in this year’s finals. I don’t see it happening.

Titans – 4/10. Jayden Campbell.
There have been some green shoots from the Titans this season but they have been few and far between. The perennial cellar-dwellers need to recruit some fire-power.

Dragons – 2/10. Couchman Twins.
Eleven games in a row and their last 4 games last year means the Dragons have now lost 15 consecutive matches! As the Little River Band once sang “Hang on, help is on its way.”

MG (random Westie) OAM