We have something new for the 2025 NRL season. With last season's final table acting as a starting order, each week we will move teams up, down or nowhere at all, depending on their performances on the weekend.
This week the majority of the teams at the top of the board jumped on ladders, with just the Storm and Roosters stepping on snakes. There were certainly some hard luck stories at the bottom of the board with the Dragons, Titans and Knights all going very close to upset victories, but ultimately enduring further pain.
The results won't match the 2025 NRL competition ladder, but will give an alternative indication of how well each team is travelling.
Last year's finishing order: 1. Storm, 2. Panthers, 3. Roosters, 4. Sharks, 5. Cowboys, 6. Bulldogs, 7. Sea Eagles, 8. Knights, 9. Raiders, 10. Dolphins, 11. Dragons, 12. Broncos, 13. Warriors, 14. Titans, 15. Eels, 16. Rabbitohs, 17. Tigers
1.
Raiders - steady
Canberra hosted the Eels on Saturday afternoon and looked likely to run up a big score after crossing for the first two tries within the opening six minutes, with Jed Stuart over in the third minute and Zac Hosking three minutes later. But the visitors were in for a fight, scoring the next three tries to hit the lead before halftime. Coach Ricky Stuart must have had a polite whisper in the Green Machine's ear, they scored five tries to nil after the break to run up an impressive 40-16 score line. Jed Stuart and Owen Pattie picked up doubles, with Ethan Strange and Simi Sasagi also troubling the scoreboard.
2.
Panthers - ladder up 2
Penrith hosted the Rabbitohs without Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo, but were still expected to win comfortably. They scored the only three tries of the first half to go to the break leading 18-0. In the second half they would have been disappointed to concede a couple of tries to the Bunnies, but also scored two of their own to extend the halftime margin. Young centre Casey McLean again showed flashes of brilliance along the way to scoring a double, with Dylan Edwards also nabbing two tries as he stepped up to lead the Panthers by example in both attack and defence.
3.
Broncos - steady - bye
4.
Bulldogs - ladder up 1
The Bulldogs hosted the Dragons with Lachlan Galvin at halfback for the very first time. Whilst the Bulldogs' attack overall didn't look any more threatening, Galvin had some nice touches and looked quite comfortable at first receiver, when the ball wasn't being thrown to Jaeman Salmon instead. The Bulldogs opened the scoring through a some slight of hand backline passing which held up the Dragons defence just long enough for Jacob Kiraz to tip-toe along the sideline. Their next try came though some destructive running from skipper Stephen Crichton, who cut through on halfway before finding Galvin backing up down the middle of the field like a good halfback should. Mahoney crossed before halftime to give the Bulldogs a 16-8 lead at the break. Into the second half the Dragons started to finish over the top with two tries levelling the scores, before Galvin's moment of magic, looping a cut-out pass over Tyrell Sloan for the winning try to Jethro Rinakama.
5.
Warriors - ladder up 1
New Zealand visited Newcastle for one of the season's most unbelievable games. The Knights scored three tries to one in the first half, but only led 12-6 due to poor kicking out wide from Dane Gagai. The Warriors struck back thanks to a try to Demitric Vaimauga in the 49th minute. The Tanah Boyd conversion levelled the scores, the Knights skipped ahead through a penalty goal before the Warriors tied it up again with a penalty goal of their own. Jack Cogger looked to have kicked a winning field goal, but in the dying minutes, Tanah Boyd missed field goals, a penalty goal and finally had another 43-metre attempt charged down. In the ensuing scramble, with the clock running out, the ball found Leka Halasima who ran 40 metres, stepped the fullback and slid over for the match winner.
6.
Storm - snake down 4
Melbourne pulled on their heritage jerseys to welcome old foes Manly to AAMI Park. When Xavier Coates dived over after 14 minutes they looked like they were in for another dominant day at the office. But the Sea Eagles were fired up for a big effort and crossed for three first-half tries to go to the break up 16-6. Into the second half the Storm continued to look disjointed and off their game in attack, while the visitors were relentless in defence. With 16 minutes to go Jahrome Hughes pilfered the ball five metres out from his own line and sent Grant Anderson on a long and winding run until he threw a 30-metre pass which bounced into the arms of Coates who crossed again. Coates wasn't done, scoring a hat trick to lock the scores at 16-16. With the game on the line the Sea Eagles attempted a field goal and were awarded a dubious penalty for dangerous contact on the kicker by Harry Grant. The Sea Eagles kicked the goal and hung on for the 18-16 victory.
7.
Sea Eagles - ladder up 1
The hot and cold Sea Eagles flew to Melbourne, with only their most dedicated fans expecting them to trouble the Storm. Yet, after conceding the first try of the match, they were able to score the next three to go to the break leading 16-0. The backs were causing the Storm plenty of headaches, but it would have been their defence that most pleased coach Anthony Seibold. Into the second half the inevitable Storm fightback came and they managed to draw level at 16-16, before the Sea Eagles received a penalty in front after Harry Grant hit the legs of Luke Brooks as he attempted a field goal. The Sea Eagles held on to celebrate the upset and two vital competition points.
8.
Dolphins - ladder up 1
The 'Phins cut through for an early try against the Cowboys with Oryn Keeley barely touched on his way to the line. The Dolphins conceded a try not long after before both teams settled into an error-marred struggle. The Dolphins kicked a penalty to go to a 8-6 lead, before Jake Averillo broke the game open after scooping up a loose ball near his own line. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was next to cross with 15 minutes still remaining in the first half. The Hammer bombed the next opportunity with the line wide open, before making up for it with another try before halftime. After the break the Dolphins put the result beyond doubt, before allowing three Cowboys tries to make the score more respectable than it deserved to be.
9.
Sharks - ladder up 1
Cronulla took on the Roosters at home and crossed for the first try through William Kennedy after five minutes. They let the Roosters strike back before Teig Wilton replied. Then Blake Brailey took off near halfway to send Nicho Hynes away for the Sharks' third try and a 20-12 halftime lead. The Roosters narrowed the margin with the first try of the second half before the Sharks scored two more to wrap up the well-deserved and crucial victory.
10.
Tigers - ladder up 1
Wests Tigers faced a vital clash with last-placed Titans, at Leichhardt Oval, on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Lose this game and not only would the Tigers finals hope be battered, but Benji Marshall's tenure would face even harsher scrutiny. They started poorly allowing a Titans try after just three minutes. Taylan May, on club debut, was dangerous with every touch of the ball and he scored the Tigers' first try in the 12th minute. The Titans scored two more tries to go to halftime leading 14-12. Two penalty goals put the home side back in front before the Titans regained the lead with a try in the 65th minute. With both teams making enough errors to lose two games, the Tigers levelled the scores at 18-18 through a Jeral Skelton try. Up stepped Adam Doueihi to kick a beautifully awful field goal in the dying seconds of the game.
11.
Roosters - snake down 4
The Roosters travelled to Shark Park and fell behind 6-0 after just five minutes. Daniel Tupou replied in the 12th minute by bringing down a Sam Walker bomb to score in the corner before the Sharks scored two more tries. Trailing 20-6, as halftime approached, a brilliant exchange down the blind side led to a James Tedesco try. Down 20-12 at the break, the Roosters struck first through an Angus Crichton try, but they were unable to contain the Sharks after that. The home side ran in two more tries to wrap up the victory.
12.
Dragons - steady
The Dragons visited Homebush to take on the Bulldogs and would have been disappointed with the first try to Jacob Kiraz which came from a simple catch and pass backline movement, where the Bulldogs really should have run out of room. They struck back through a beautiful backline movement on halfway with Clint Gutherson cutting through before sending Tyrell Sloane away. The Dragons slipped up in defence again allowing two more tries to the Bulldogs to trail 16-8 at the break. Into the second half they began to out-muscle the Bulldogs and scored two tries to take an 18-16 lead. After a controversial captain's challenge call, the Bulldogs worked their way down field to score the match winner in the corner in the dying minutes.
13.
Eels - steady
Parramatta headed down the Hume Highway to face the ladder-topping Raiders, with not many people expecting them to compete, let alone win. There were ominous signs as they let in two early tries, but they were determined not to fold. Before the first half was finished, they had crossed for three tries through Charlie Guymer, Zac Lomax and Sean Russell to take a 16-12 lead into the break. But the Raiders came out in the second half and took control, crossing five times despite the Eels' best efforts.
14.
Cowboys - steady
The Cowboys visited Brisbane to tackle the Dolphins as both teams searched desperately for competition points. After conceding a soft early try, the Cowboys struck back through Murray Taulagi. Unfortunately the flashy Dolphins backs stepped it up from there and began to tear the the Cowboys defence and season apart. Taulagi crossed for the Cowboys next try in the 55th minute, by which time the Dolphins had scored five more to put the game out of reach. Two more tries to Scott Drinkwater and Tom Dearden did little to soften the reality of another heavy defeat.
15.
Knights - steady
Newcastle hosted the Warriors after a gastro bug had swept through the squad during the week. Despite the inconvenience and missing key players the Knights were all over the Warriors in the first half, scoring three tries and bombing at least four others. They should have been at least 20 points clear, but with awful finishing combined with poor goal kicking they could only manage a 12-6 advantage at the break. Into the second half, the frustration continued, with the Warriors levelling the scores, in what was a sloppy second 40 minutes. The Knights went ahead 14-12 through a penalty, the Warriors levelled with a penalty. Jack Cogger put the Knights up 15-14 with a field goal, Tanah Boyd missed a two-point field goal attempt, but on challenging received a penalty for Jackson Hastings not being square at marker. Incredibly Boyd missed the penalty from in front, but the Warriors had one last chance at a two-point field goal. It was charged down, but with the clock running out, Leka Halasima scooped up the ball and scored a match-winning try.
16.
Rabbitohs - steady
Souths journeyed to Parramatta to face the Panthers fresh from the news that Latrell Mitchell would be missing for the rest of the season. They were disappointing in the first half, allowing the Panthers to score three unanswered tries to trail 18-0. Coach Wayne Bennett gave them a blast during the break and they started the second half with some fire and determination. After a concerted period of attack Liam Le Blanc crashed over to bring the score to 18-6. But the fight was soon over with the Panthers crossing for two more tries, before Alex Johnston added to his record-chasing career total.
17.
Titans - steady
The Titans face the Tigers at a packed Leichhardt Oval on a perfect Sunday afternoon. Having dominated the Tigers in recent years, the visitors were hopeful of taking a step towards shaking the wooden spoon position and opened the scoring through a try to Jaylan De Groot after just three minutes. In a see-sawing game full of errors, the Titans fought their way to a 14-12 halftime lead, with a try to Phillip Sami and another to De Groot. The second half was a scramble, with the Tigers hitting the lead thanks to two penalty goals before AJ Brimson scored in the 65th minute to put the Titans up 20-16. The Tigers then enjoyed a period of sustained attack which resulted in a try to Jeral Skelton, levelling the scores. With the clock running down, the Titans' horror season continued with the Tigers kicking the winning field goal.