NRL 2024: Tri-Annual Power Rankings (Part 1)

NRL 2024: Tri-Annual Power Rankings (Part 1)

Oscar Pannifex

Oh, how the turn tables… this time last year I had to justify placing my South Sydney Rabbitohs at the top of this list, but fast-forward 12 months and I think we can all agree their current ranking explains itself.

Friendly opening draws, early bye rounds and some injury luck are still relevant factors in the shaping of the 2024 premiership ladder heading into NRL Round 9.

That being said, we’ve seen enough from each club to make some fairly educated assessments on where they rank within this year’s NRL competition, even if it doesn’t match where they currently sit on the ladder.

We’ll revisit these Power Rankings heading into NRL Round 18 and again in the final round of the regular season.

As always, these are only my opinions and a whole lot can change over the next nine weeks or more…

1. Melbourne Storm

  • Ladder position: 2nd
  • Record: 6 wins, 1 loss, 1 bye

‘Set it up early to win it late’ is a favourite phrase of ours at RLWriters and it’s a fitting way to describe how the Melbourne Storm have kicked off their 2024 campaign.

Some will argue that Xavier Coates’ match-winning heroics in Rounds 2 & 7 were flukes, while others will say they’re the sign of a good team who is consistently putting themselves in positions to win games.

A gritty, no-frills pack, a few reliable outside backs and a spine oozing class and experience; there’s some real Old School Storm vibes coming out of Melbourne this season and for me, they’re the team to beat after eight rounds played.

2. Penrith Panthers

  • Ladder position: 3rd
  • Record: 5 wins, 2 losses, 1 bye

This premiership juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing down. Lucky with injuries over the last three years, Penrith have impressed to navigate the opening rounds of 2024 with Nathan Cleary, James Fisher-Harris, Jarome Luai, Mitch Kenny and Scott Sorensen all missing at different stages.

We marvel at Penrith’s roster depth but their systems demand further credit. It’s evident that each player knows his role and how it relates to those around him, whether that player has one or 100 NRL games under his belt. On both sides of the ball the Panthers are still the best prepared team in the NRL and are well positioned to push for a seemingly impossible four-peat…

3. Brisbane Broncos

  • Ladder position: 5th
  • Record: 5 wins, 3 losses

Most of our questions surrounding this Broncos squad in season 2024 have already been answered.

Kevin Walters has replaced quality with quality in the forwards and backline to banish any concerns around Brisbane’s roster depth while his key players continue to stand up when required.

Not every result has gone their way to begin the year but for Ezra Mam, Pat Carrigan and Selwyn Cobbo to consistently be Brisbane’s best while Payne Haas, Adam Reynolds and Reece Walsh were sidelined is proof to me that the Broncos are genuine contenders again in 2024.

4. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

  • Ladder position: 4th
  • Record: 5 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses

Improved variety and balance in attack is what ranks Manly so high for me after eight games played.

They’ve moved away from ‘Turbo Ball’ to offer some repeatable actions through Luke Brooks on the left edge while Daly Cherry-Evans and Haumole Olakau’atu are terrorising defenders on the right.

They’re yet to produce a complete 80-minute performance but are still winning games even when not at their best – the sign of any good footy team.

5. New Zealand Warriors

  • Ladder position: 12th
  • Record: 3 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses

It seems a stretch to rank the Wahs so highly but hear me out…

They’re decimated by injuries in the pack right now which is compounding an extremely tough opening draw; New Zealand are the only team with a positive points differential currently outside the eight and are also yet to enjoy a bye.

They almost had Cronulla and Melbourne (currently 1st and 2nd on the NRL ladder) to start the year and had excuses against the Titans and Sea Eagles over the last month.

In patches though, the Warriors have played some of the best attacking football we’ve seen in the NRL this season.

Wayde Egan, Shaun Johnson and Tohu Harris form a lethal ballplaying trio behind a pack that (when healthy) can match it with the best in the comp.

I might be ranking them so highly on potential but if the Wahs can get fit and anywhere near their ceiling, they’ll play finals footy in 2024.

6. Cronulla Sharks

  • Ladder position: 1st
  • Record: 6 wins, 1 loss, 1 bye

A more evenly balanced attack built around Nicho Hynes, Braydon Trindall and Blayke Brailey has been a key reason for the Sharks fast-start to the regular season.

They’re still elite at identifying breakdowns in the defensive line and constructing actions to expose it, only this time it’s not always Hynes throwing the try-assist pass.

They’ve had a very friendly draw to begin the year and their form against fellow Top Eight teams is yet to be verified. Still, their improvements in season 2024 – particularly in defence – are encouraging heading into NRL Round 9.

7. Sydney Roosters

  • Ladder position: 7th
  • Record: 4 wins, 4 losses

Was NRL Round 8, 2024 the moment this became Sam Walker’s team?

If so, they’ll be a lot higher on my power rankings in another nine weeks’ time.

We’ve been waiting to find the Roosters attacking ceiling and ANZAC Day was just that; Walker, Luke Keary and Connor Watson interchanging between first, second and third receiver to play flat and fast over the ad-line, tipping forwards into positive matchups, generating quick play-the-balls, flipping down short sides, kicking early – unstoppable.

If they can successfully defend the errors that will naturally come from this expansive approach in attack, we might finally see this Roosters squad realise its potential.

8. The Dolphins

  • Ladder position: 6th
  • Record: 4 wins, 3 losses, 1 bye

In typical Wayne Bennett fashion, The Dolphins are embracing the grind to play a disciplined brand of football and give their best players plenty of chances to positively influence the result.

Jeremy Marshall-King, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Isaiya Katoa have been superb to start the season and can help Redcliffe exceed expectations in 2024 if they can stay on the field together.

Sitting eighth on the NRL ladder this time last season, The Dolphins current position is a more genuine indication of where they rank in this year’s premiership race.

9. North Queensland Cowboys

  • Ladder position: 9th
  • Record: 4 wins, 4 losses

Todd Payten’s men reminded us all of their 2022 NRL premiership credentials in a most recent Round 8 loss to the Penrith Panthers.

The two qualities of that successful campaign – compete and complete – were on show again last week; North Queensland’s line speed was improved which saw them push hard from the inside and release their edge defenders while in attack, the Cowboys worked through their sets and built pressure through possession and field position.

It’s a simple – albeit never easy – task for the Cowboys again this year.

If they can maintain that defensive workrate through the middle and continue to do all the little things right, there’s more than enough points in Tom Dearden and Scott Drinkwater to win them games from there.

10. St George-Illawarra Dragons

  • Ladder position: 11th
  • Record: 4 wins, 4 losses

There’s been some really positive signs mixed in amongst some pretty poor performances to kickoff St George-Illawarra’s 2024 campaign.

They look like a team who is learning a lot each week under new Head Coach Shane Flanagan but simply struggling to put it all together on the field at once – forgivable at this stage of the season and given the context of their development.

Sitting even after eight games played feels about right for the Dragons now, but there’s some serious upside still left in this outfit if they can spend enough time on the field together this year.

11. Newcastle Knights

  • Ladder position: 13th
  • Record: 3 wins, 5 losses

Like North Queensland, Newcastle embraced the grind and did all the little things in NRL Round 8 to beat The Dolphins and it’s a recipe for success, moving forward. The Knights pack is a strength and there’s plenty of experience in the spine and backline, even with Kalyn Ponga now sidelined.

Their attacking ceiling is obviously lower without ‘KP’ but Newcastle should still win more gritty, grindy games than they lose with this current roster and can at the very least help to positively introduce a gun rookie or two (David Armstrong, perhaps?) into first-grade when injuries strike.

12. Wests Tigers

  • Ladder position: 15th
  • Record: 2 wins, 5 losses, 1 bye

Like the Dragons and Bulldogs, we’ve also seen genuine evidence this year that the Wests Tigers are finally tracking in the right direction.

They’ve addressed two key issues from recent seasons – a lack of support for Api Koroisau & some control and cohesion in the halves – to immediately present a better organised offence and a more resilient defence to begin the 2024 NRL regular season.

There have still been some poor individual efforts at times but this is a young and unfamiliar roster who is still learning on the run under a relatively young and unfamiliar Head Coach.

Losses to both of last year’s Grand Finalists and a very good Raiders side have provided Benji Marshall with a tough start to the 2024 season but there are plenty of positives for long-suffering Wests fans to celebrate already.

13. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

  • Ladder position: 8th
  • Record: 3 wins, 4 losses, 1 bye

There are obvious signs of improvements to match the optimism of Bulldogs fans this pre-season but I’m still not convinced about Canterbury-Bankstown in 2024.

A very friendly start to the year (R3 v poor Titans, R5 v Roosters who lost Tedesco, Walker & Young in first half, R7 v awful Knights, plus a bye in R8) along with a skinny forward pack are the biggest concerns, and the next nine weeks may be more telling.

That being said, their defence is much improved and with a few more tweaks perhaps still to come, this Bulldogs attack is certainly trending in the right direction and finding ways to better utilise their best players on – or off – the ball.

14. Canberra Raiders

  • Ladder position: 10th
  • Record: 4 wins, 4 losses

Jamal Fogarty was the one injury Canberra couldn’t afford and it’s shattering for Milk fans.

Fogarty’s control helped to guide the likes of Ethan Strange – who was doing good things on that left edge – into first-grade but without a genuine halfback the Raiders attack looks more like it did in NRL Round 8…

They’ve long been a gritty, effort based team who employs an unorthodox, ‘eyes-up’ approach in attack.

I’m tipping Ricky Stuart to double down on that DNA now Fogarty is sidelined and invest heavily on his forward pack to stay relevant in this year’s premiership race.

15. Gold Coast Titans

  • Ladder position: 16th
  • Record: 1 win, 6 losses, 1 bye

Injuries and combinations were an excuse to begin the year but no one foresaw how slowly the Gold Coast Titans would begin life under Des Hasler.

There have been small and steady signs of improvement over the last month, culminating most recently in an ambush of New Zealand in NRL Round 8.

David Fifita has been the difference on both sides of the ball along with the return of AJ Brimson to the spine.

It was always going to take time for Hasler to turn potential into on-field performances and the Titans remain an interesting watch, even if finals football feels unlikely at time of writing.