NRL Ladder Predictions 2026
- Thread starter Wrighty
- Start date
What do you like about the Roosters for top 4, the DCE/Walker combo?
Ref
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They have peaked.
It’s such an even comp now.
This is probably the toughest year to pick the 8 that I can think of for quite some time.
I think these are the top 8 teams this year. And to be honest there is no clear cut order either.
1 Panthers
2 Storm
3 Broncos
4 Warriors
5 Roosters
6 Raiders
7 Rabbitohs
8 Dolphins
9 Sharks and 10 Bulldogs to go close as well.
11 Cowboys and 12 Sea Eagles will go ok but not enough to push into the 8.
13 Knights, 14 Eels 15 Tigers - very difficult to predict how they might go but I think they will be bottom 8.
The wooden spoon probably goes to the 16 Dragons or 17 Titans
I think these are the top 8 teams this year. And to be honest there is no clear cut order either.
1 Panthers
2 Storm
3 Broncos
4 Warriors
5 Roosters
6 Raiders
7 Rabbitohs
8 Dolphins
9 Sharks and 10 Bulldogs to go close as well.
11 Cowboys and 12 Sea Eagles will go ok but not enough to push into the 8.
13 Knights, 14 Eels 15 Tigers - very difficult to predict how they might go but I think they will be bottom 8.
The wooden spoon probably goes to the 16 Dragons or 17 Titans
Yeah agree
It’s always pretty even across the league except for the one or two at the top ie Panthers and Storm.
They have rejoined the pack and 2026 is anyone’s for the taking.
Up the Wahs.
We are a top 6 team at worst imo. To push for the 4, we need some luck with injuries. So I'm putting us conservatively at 6.
1. Melbourne
2. Brisbane
3. Roosters
4. Panthers
5. Dogs
6. Wahs
7. Phins
8. Sharks
9. Eels
10. Raiders
11. Dragons
12. Knights
13. Manly
14. Tigers
15. Cows
16. Souths
17. Tits
Payten to be the first sacked coach. Tits for the spoon. Phins to make their maiden finals appearance and Eels as the major improvers.
As for us, how we go will depend on how we navigate the first 6 rounds. I'd like to see a statement win against the Chooks in round 1 who many are placing in the top 4 the year. If we can start strongly again, (let's say 4 or 5/6 before mets returns), another top 4 push is possible imo. But most likely we finish in the 5th to 8th range which is fine with me. Tipping Fatialofa to be the Leka of 2026. He may be an unknown quantity right now but by seasons end, everyone will know who he is.
1. Melbourne
2. Brisbane
3. Roosters
4. Panthers
5. Dogs
6. Wahs
7. Phins
8. Sharks
9. Eels
10. Raiders
11. Dragons
12. Knights
13. Manly
14. Tigers
15. Cows
16. Souths
17. Tits
Payten to be the first sacked coach. Tits for the spoon. Phins to make their maiden finals appearance and Eels as the major improvers.
As for us, how we go will depend on how we navigate the first 6 rounds. I'd like to see a statement win against the Chooks in round 1 who many are placing in the top 4 the year. If we can start strongly again, (let's say 4 or 5/6 before mets returns), another top 4 push is possible imo. But most likely we finish in the 5th to 8th range which is fine with me. Tipping Fatialofa to be the Leka of 2026. He may be an unknown quantity right now but by seasons end, everyone will know who he is.
Wahs_Ultras
🌶️
We were on track to make the top 4 based on early season results but obviously the 2 big ACL injuries crushed that.
yeah but also keep in mind Broncs and Panthers were kind of drunk for the first half of the year which gave us and the dogs space to occupy top 4 positions. If you compare every side at their best, I think they are better than us as well as Melbourne. We can definitely beat them if they aren't at 100% though. I think our peer team is probably the Dogs.
I think if injuries are nice to us we'll be a hard fought 6-8. If we miss key personnel during the season I have us 8-10. There are far too many teams with much better strike options than us. With less than ideal fullback, centre and wing options I can't see us breaking/maintaining a top 4 position.
| Team | This year | Because | Last year |
| Panthers | 1 | Bounce back season, weird they signed our reserve graders, but if they keep their top team on the field, will be back at the top of the ladder | 7 |
| Broncos | 2 | Been pretty well behaved after winning. Bris media must be sweeping their behaviour under the rug again. At least one more year before Madge wears out his welcome | 4 |
| Storm | 3 | Is it wrong to have to sympathy for them after this offseason? Yes, that is wrong. Faalogo might even go better than Papz, NAS hardly ever played and nothing they could do about Katoa | 2 |
| Raiders | 4 | They just like us, bunch of try hards, good culture, won't win it all without more from the spine | 1 |
| Warriors | 5 | See raiders comment, we good team, we do not have enough elite difference making players in the spine | 6 |
| Roosters | 6 | DCE will be more washed than an upgrade, rest of the team on the rise though. | 8 |
| Sharks | 7 | Competence without upside personified. | 5 |
| Eels | 8 | Improving, you cant just run back the entire 8 from the year before | 11 |
| Bulldogs | 9 | Its about time in the Gus GM cycle, to get rid of some of the players he recently acquired. Will Galvin be the harbinger of a plague upon their house that was hoped for? | 3 |
| Dolphins | 10 | Did you know they had the best attack in the comp? And now adding big cobbo, putting them this low as karma will come for the coach over the Katoa incident | 9 |
| Dragons | 11 | Sort of ok, some young players might break through | 15 |
| Sea Eagles | 12 | Some good players, but pure mercenary outfit, in decline | 10 |
| Cowboys | 13 | Not improving | 12 |
| Souths | 14 | Unless your buying a David Fifita revival, not much to be excited about, Latrell never plays and Walker is too old | 14 |
| Tigers | 15 | Club may be going back to being a shit show | 13 |
| Knights | 16 | Rebuilding, Ponga will look for an exit | 17 |
| Titans | 17 | Rebuilding, Tino will look for an exit | 16 |
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yes but we also have a far better forward pack than most teams. That alone keeps us in most games and makes us a competitive 6-8 team at worst imo. The flip side is the Phins who probably have a top 4 backline but are yet to make the finals yet. They can beat the shit teams by 50 but they always lose the middle battle against half decent teams. Unless you are scoring 100m tries every set, having a gun spine can't magically fix that problem.
Hope you don't live anywhere near Western Sydney. The White and Blue lynchmobs will be coming for you for saying the dogs won't make the 8.
Hard to tell, but here goes
..
Broncos
Chooks
Bunnies
Storm
Panthers
Warriors
Dolphins
Dogs
Top 8 could be in any order.... then the rest...
Raiders (No Fogerty)
Manly (No DCE)
Cows (All over the place)
Tigers (Same as above)
Knights (New coach and players but not sure)
Eels ( Raped)
St George (Trying to find something)
Sharks (Still living in 2017)
Gold Coast (Been gutted, start again)
..
Broncos
Chooks
Bunnies
Storm
Panthers
Warriors
Dolphins
Dogs
Top 8 could be in any order.... then the rest...
Raiders (No Fogerty)
Manly (No DCE)
Cows (All over the place)
Tigers (Same as above)
Knights (New coach and players but not sure)
Eels ( Raped)
St George (Trying to find something)
Sharks (Still living in 2017)
Gold Coast (Been gutted, start again)
