Penrith’s crown has slipped just a fraction to a point where Cronulla are now the best-performing team in the NRL right now.

It doesn’t mean much in May particularly for a side like the Sharks that’s trying to shed the reputation of being finals flakes but you only needed to look at how they came together during and after their win over the Storm to realise they are greater than the sum of their parts.

Not even the absence of Nicho Hynes threw them off their game and it will be interesting to see if the Panthers can do likewise now that Nathan Cleary is going to be sidelined for two months.

Hynes will be back in Magic Round or the following week from his calf strain but even without their two first-choice playmakers, the Cronulla machine rumbled on at AAMI Park on Saturday night like it has done for all but one of their first nine matches to come away with a rare win in Melbourne.

The Storm were undoubtedly under-strength as well given Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jahrome Hughes were injured but that doesn’t excuse the lack of oomph they got from their forwards who failed to match Cronulla’s intensity in the middle.

Team by team, here’s how the Power Rankings stack up after Round 10.

1 Sharks (last week 2): Never give a sucker an even break and Braydon Trindall might find it hard to get his No.6 jersey back from Daniel Atkinson if the young playmaker keeps putting in performances like his match-winning effort in Melbourne.

Blayke Brailey showcased his improving attacking skills at halfback and Cameron McInnes virtually sealed his NSW selection by proving he still has the agility to slot in at hooker while peeling off a mountain of defensive work in the middle of the ruck.

2 Panthers (1): No Nathan Cleary for a while means the Panthers are not the invincible juggernaut they have been throughout the entirety of this decade.

The fact that back-up half Brad Schneider is also sidelined means they are vulnerable the next few weeks heading into the State of Origin period. 

Despite all this, Ivan Cleary will remain calm, as always, because they are still second on the ladder after banking a few ugly/gritty wins already, including Friday’s grudge match with the East Penrith Bulldogs.

3 Roosters (4): There’s no way you can accuse the Roosters of being left or right dominant. If they’re not attacking on the right through the magic of Joseph Manu, they head left where Angus Crichton’s blunt force is causing plenty of trauma for edge defenders.

Their one-two punch sent the Warriors tumbling to the canvas inside 12 minutes at Allianz Stadium on Sunday and the Roosters were able to cruise to their third straight impressive win after disposing of the Dragons and Broncos.

4 Broncos (5): Reece Walsh bounced back from a rare stinker the previous round against the Roosters to combine with Ezra Mam to sink Parramatta.

The Broncos struggled to win the field position arm wrestle, particularly in the first half, but their potency out wide and ability to score long-range tries against the run of play is a priceless commodity.

5 Storm (3): While they were without Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jahrome Hughes against the Sharks, there was no excuse for their pack getting (to use a very rugby league term) out-enthused in the middle of AAMI Park. 

Melbourne’s roster rebuild has been impressive in the post-Big Three era but the departure of Jesse Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi at the start of last year has also been significant because they tend to lack a mongrel element up front when opposition sides play the power game through the central third.

6 Dolphins (7): They have been entrenched in the top eight every round this season after bouncing back from their first-up spanking from the Cowboys.

Herbie Farnworth is back, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is on the way and Tom Flegler might not be too far behind. If they can avoid injuries, the chances of the Dolphins making the finals in their second season are now looking more likely than not.

7 Sea Eagles (6): And now it’s Anthony Seibold’s turn to see if he can make Manly great again without Tom Trbojevic.

It was a major contributing factor to the demise of his predecessors Trent Barrett and Des Hasler so no pressure, Seibs.

He has a couple of very handy back-up options in Reuben Garrick and Tolu Koula but history suggests the Sea Eagles will struggle without Turbo and for a team that has a middling 5-1-4 record, they can’t afford a slump without their star fullback if the top four is their goal.

8 Bulldogs (8): They lost no admirers for their willingness to bash and barge into the premiers at Penrith last Friday and apart from a few passes going astray at critical moments, could have come away with a different result. 

There is still too much of a reliance on Matt Burton to create their attacking raids so whether it’s Drew Hutchison, Connor Tracey or Stephen Crichton if they get him more involved, they need another playmaking threat to ensure opposition defenders don’t just load up on the five-eighth.

9 Knights (11): Battling on to three straight wins without Kalyn Ponga has taken the focus away from Newcastle and coach Adam O’Brien, getting them back to a 5-5 record.

And with the Titans and Bulldogs either side of a bye, they can crack the top eight in the coming weeks but it’s hard to see them going on a run like last year when they rose from the depths to surge into the playoffs.

10 Raiders (12): After this week’s bye, they’re about to enter a testing little stretch where they face the improving Bulldogs on neutral turf, host the Roosters then head north to face the Dolphins.

11 Warriors (9): They have a significant injury toll with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s hamstring problem adding to Kurt Capewell, Marate Niukore, Chanel Harris-Tavita and Luke Metcalf being absent.

And if Shaun Johnson’s pectoral injury is serious, the fairtyale 2023 run could soon be a distant memory and in no danger of a sequel this season.

12 Dragons (13): The finals are still a possibility so Shane Flanagan is sticking with veterans in his pack but there should come a time soon where the likes of Toby Couchman, Alec Tuitavake and Viliami Fifita need to get some regular NRL game time this season with an eye on 2025.

Flanagan has done well to turn the team around from last year’s flaky outfit but he needs to keep building for the future by trying the club’s young talent at the top level.

13 Cowboys (10): That’s now five losses on the trot. It’s time for Todd Payten to stop threatening to make personnel changes and actually change up his side because the current line-up lacks cohesion in pretty much all areas.

The defence up the middle is a major cause for concern – there’s more than a few big names at the Cowboys not living up to their reputation.

14 Eels (14): The fact that Mitchell Moses is being rushed back early from a serious foot injury is a sign of the desperation that is currently enveloping Parramatta after losing five of their past six matches.

Hopefully he is fully fit if he returns this week or next but if the Eels get this decision wrong and Moses aggravates the injury, their 2024 finals prospects are over and coach Brad Arthur could be getting a tap on the shoulder.

15 Titans (16): In the words of Jerry Seinfeld when George negotiated for a lower-paid deal for the episode when they sealed their sitcom deal, “you held out for less – this is how they negotiate in the bizarro world”. 

David Fifita is walking away from a deal worth $1m for two more seasons for a four-year contract at the Roosters where he will pocket $850K annually. 

16 Wests Tigers (15): They are an immature team, which is to be expected when three of your spine members are still learning the NRL trade, and it is costing them in crunch situations.

They have conceded a try in the five minutes just before or after half-time on four occasions in their past three starts and it was particularly costly when Newcastle touched down on the last play of the first half last Saturday in Tamworth in another narrow loss.

17 Rabbitohs (17): Latrell Mitchell was engaged against the Dragons but there was little to suggest his return from suspension was going to suddenly result in a Rabbitohs U-turn from their one-way plummet to the bottom of the ladder. 

Across their back five Souths are consistently not getting off to strong starts to their sets and with a weakened forward pack, they’re rarely generating any in-game momentum.