In the simplest of terms, the 17 NRL teams of 2024 can be carved into three categories – the two sides that are doing everything possible to show they could be the premiers, another 13 who are unreliable and two duds at the bottom. 

Penrith and Melbourne are the only clubs you can count on to maintain a high standard week on week and it would not be a surprise if those teams are again duking it out on Grand Final night.

Despite missing key players, the Panthers rolled on past the Knights in Newcastle on Sunday after the Storm did likewise on Saturday despite a hot start from a fired-up Warriors side before a sellout Auckland crowd.

Cronulla, the Roosters, Dolphins and Broncos could and should be in the premiership conversation but they have had too many off days in recent weeks to belong in the upper tier.

The rest of the teams in the competition fluctuate wildly and you wouldn’t put more than five bucks on any of them to make the playoffs let alone do any damage if they get there. 

Terrell May is tackled. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)[/caption]

3 Roosters (4): They still haven’t quite gelled this season for anything more than a couple of weeks and with Origin messing their team around, it will be a while before they can truly settle into a groove.

But they are doing enough in the meantime to be in touching distance of the top four and be well set to cement a spot up near the top of the ladder heading into the finals.

4 Sharks (2): True premiership contenders don’t go down 22-0 at home in as many minutes. 

Where was the circuit breaker during the Dolphins’ hot start to force an error with a big hit, turn the momentum with a clever attacking play? Cronulla need to be able to counter-punch better when their opponents have the upper hand.

5 Dolphins (9): They continue to confound their doubters who can’t believe that they’re still in the top four now that we’re 15 rounds into the season. 

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s sizzling length-of-the-field match-winner at Shark Park was one of the finest individual tries for many a year – his seemingly effortless ability to accelerate and maintain top speed while weaving through traffic is a priceless commodity.

6 Bulldogs (8): Put their feet up for the bye week and watched others stumble around them.

7 Broncos (5): That’s three losses in a row now and four from their past six. They appear devoid of attacking spark without Reece Walsh and after a couple of shoddy games with his handling at the back, Tristan Sailor should be given the heave-ho the next time Walsh is out with Selwyn Cobbo taking over at fullback.

8 Raiders (6): In typical fashion, the Green Machine was stuck in neutral and was often in reverse last Friday at home, just when you thought they could cement themselves as a legit finals contender.

It’s hard to be too hard on them with their rookie playmakers running the show but a few of their more-experienced players went missing at crucial stages in the heavy loss to the Cowboys.

9 Warriors (7): With three wins on the trot and a 14-0 lead, life was looking good for the Warriors before another sellout crowd but once they ceded momentum to the Storm, their defence withered and their attack became panicked.

Marcelo Montoya can be a fine finisher but he can also be a liability in defence, which explains why he’s a winger, and he cost his team any hope of victory in the second half with his bone-headed professional foul. 

10 Sea Eagles (10): They stay where they are because their win at home over the Dragons was gritty given they suffered a few injuries but hardly set the world on fire.

And they have still won just two of their past six games yet and with no less than 14 players out this week, they’re not out of the woods just yet.

11 Cowboys (13): Easily the most unreliable side in the NRL in what has been a very inconsistent year for a lot of teams. 

They have now won four of their past five matches but their loss in the previous round was a 42-12 stinker to the Warriors. If they string together their best form, they can beat anyone but there is an overriding fragility to this team.

12 Rabbitohs (14): Say it ain’t so but the Bunnies are now just five points off eighth spot and riding high on a three-game streak capped off by their best performance of the year in thrashing the Broncos. 

Well, the final scoreline was only 22-12 but that flattered Brisbane. If they can negotiate the remaining Origin weeks without capitulating now that Latrell Mitchell and Cameron Murray are involved, the unlikely playoff dream is well and truly alive. 

13 Eels (11): They botched it against Canterbury last week and they also couldn’t land a knockout blow on the Roosters on Saturday night. 

Dylan Brown has gone from being miscast as the chief playmaker when Mitchell Moses was out to now not being involved enough in attack.

14 Dragons (12): A game they could have won on Sunday at Brookvale if not for some poor handling with the try line in sight.

If you line up and pay your tickets for the Luciano Leilua rollercoaster, you are going to get highs and lows down the left edge – when it comes off, you get big wins like the recent one over the Tigers but when it doesn’t, it can cost you, as it did against Manly.

15 Knights (16): They are putting some starch back into their blue collars but they need to juj it up in Newcastle with a new look.

Young English five-eighth Will Pryce is stuck in NSW Cup and with no less than Andrew Johns calling for him to be given a whirl at NRL level, what’s the harm in letting him loose for a game or two because the current Knights spine is in desperate need of some X-factor.

16 Wests (17): When you have lost nine in a row, any win is a good win and it was a “four-pointer” in terms of the race to avoid the wooden spoon when they knocked off the Titans on Saturday. 

17 Titans (15): This team is as uninspiring as their away strip – minimal effort, lacking in wow factor and doesn’t make a statement.