NRL Power Rankings: Round 8
The to-ing and fro-ing continues at the top of the power rankings, with Melbourne regaining top spot after Canterbury’s capitulation in Brisbane.
The Bulldogs’ 34-point first half flogging was one of the more extraordinary events of 2025, given that they had only conceded 58 in their previous six starts.
And with disobedient Dogs Matt Burton, Sitili Tupouniua and Josh Curran being sent to the naughty corner by the match review committee for the nex 1-5 weeks, they have slipped behind the Storm as the team to beat.
There are a couple of sleeping giants, awakening from their slumber in the Warriors and Broncos, rising up the pecking order, while Manly have again shown that they are a different and much better team when they have Tom Trbojevic on deck, winning their first game after three straight losses, with an emphatic victory over Penrith.
The premiers find themselves in last spot on the ladder and although they can get their finals campaign back on track, their hopes of a fifth straight title have pretty much been derailed
Here’s how the teams stack up after Round 8.
1. Storm (Last week 2): They are never going to be at their best without Harry Grant. But Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes and Ryan Papenhuyzen provided the touches of class to get them home against a revved-up Bunnies side.
Eliesa Katoa is moving into the frame as one of the best second-rowers in the NRL after his rapid improvement at the Storm since switching from the Warriors a couple of years ago.
2. Bulldogs (1): They played like a team that had been reading their own praise and had been copping too many pats on the back.
They tried to bully the Broncos but when Payne Haas, Patrick Carrigan and others stood up to them, they crumbled and fell into ill-disciplined and downright grubby acts, which cost them in terms of sin bins during the games and suspensions afterwards.
3. Raiders (4): It looked like the bubble had burst when they trailed 28-10 at half-time against the Dolphins but after reeling in a 16-point deficit the week before against Gold Coast, the ragtag bunch of Ricky Stuart’s rejects and toilers again rose from the dead.
They are starting to echo 2019 when they came from nowhere to nearly go all the way.
4. Warriors (6): Andrew Webster’s team keeps on keeping on, even without James Fisher-Harris, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.
The addition of Erin Clark at lock has been one of the better low-key signings of the season. And young forward Leka Halasima could turn out to be the Rookie of the Year on the basis of his thundering displays in his first few matches in the top grade.
5. Broncos (7): They still can’t be given genuine top four contender status because they have been so hot and cold this year.
But when Haas and Carrigan get them on the front foot, and Adam Reynolds capitalises on that advantage, they are one of the best teams to watch in the NRL.
Selwyn Cobbo stepped up well at fullback in the absence of Reece Walsh, and centre Kotoni Staggs had his best game of 2025.
6. Cowboys (8): They rise another notch in the rankings, even though they only beat the clueless Titans in the tropics.
North Queensland started the match in a sluggish fashion and deserved to be down by 12 after less than 20 minutes. But when they click into top gear, they are one of the best teams at riding momentum. And eight straight tries is evidence of that.
There are still question marks over their ability to hang with the big dogs, but the Cowboys are on the up, up north.
7. Sharks (3): Halves duo Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall are on big coin but they didn’t do their job down the stretch at Leichhardt when the match was there for the taking.
One or both of them needed to direct the rest of the team to do nothing but march down the middle of the field to get them in the right spot for a field goal and then position themselves either side of the ruck to get a clean shot off.
8. Sea Eagles (11): After three straight losses, they responded in the best way possible by dominating the premiers.
Trbojevic’s return at the back not only created chaos in the defensive line when he got the ball, but you could see the Panthers players become preoccupied with his looming presence, which created space for the likes of Reuben Garrick and Tolu Koula to run rampant on the edges.
9. Tigers (10): That win certainly smells like team spirit and it was nirvana for their fans getting up in extra time.
Perhaps Benji Marshall can coach after all. Lachie Galvin might want to stay now after that stirring win. Wests fans can dare to dream which is better than their usual habit of praying they don’t get the spoon.
Royce Hunt palms off a defender. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
10. Panthers (5): Even though they are last on the ladder, they are in the middle ballpark of the rankings, given they still have the potential to peel off enough wins to, in theory, get close to the top four by season’s end.
But Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Dylan Edwards are not having the usual influence on proceedings because Penrith’s forwards are no longer intimidating their opponents.
And after Manly matched them in the middle, they were clearly superior when shifting the ball out wide against a Penrith defensive line which is still a work in progress after several changes in personnel in the off-season.
11. Roosters (14): Do they really need to sign Daly Cherry-Evans if Sandon Smith is going to develop into a top-line NRL playmaker?
He had his best game in Roosters colours in their Anzac Day demolition of the Dragons and even though Sam Walker is still likely two months away from a return, if the Roosters can hover around the fringe as the top eight up until then, they have the roster strength to surge into the finals in the closing rounds of the season.
12. Dolphins (9): They were half-decent against Canberra. And then terrible for the other 40 minutes.
When the Raiders had built momentum, they needed someone to step up with a big play in attack or defence to steady the ship but it did not materialise and they were engulfed by the green energy.
13. Dragons (12): They put up their worst performance of the year on Anzac Day, which is to be expected now and again from a team that has been punching above its weight week after week.
Perhaps it was just a blip on the radar or a sign that they could be unravelling mid-season.
Latrell Mitchell. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
14. Rabbitohs (13): There have been way too many forced changes for even Wayne Bennett to get this team playing at a high level on a regular basis.
It’s enough to make your teeth fall out. He might as well give Lewis Dodd a shot at halfback this weekend in Magic Round and put Jye Gray back in the No.1 jersey with Latrell Mitchell out suspended. Again.
15. Eels (15): They had the bye and have the advantage of facing a Sharks side in Magic Round that is coming in on the back of a five-day turnaround after an extra-time heartbreaker.
16. Knights (16): A familiar Knights tale in Christchurch with just one try when the result was live followed by a consolation effort in the dying stages when the competition points were long gone.
Desperation stakes are so high that there are calls for Jackson Hastings to be given one last chance in the No.7 jersey rather than rotting away in NSW Cup on a lucrative deal reportedly worth $800,000 a year.
17. Titans (17): Remember when Des Hasler used to rip off dressing room doors when he was fuming over his team’s performances.
These days when the cameras cut to the coach’s box, poor old Dessie just looks bereft of answers and dumbfounded by Gold Coast’s continual lack of a backbone.
After coughing up a 16-point lead last week, it was a 12-point buffer this time around. There is a real lack of identity in this team and little willingness to roll the sleeves up to do the dirty work that’s required.