This was published 9 years ago
NRL Power Rankings: Round 11
Paul Zalunardo
1 Sydney Roosters (last week 1)
The Bulldogs had one of their better days, but it was a match the tri-colours always seemed to have in hand. When they have those periods in which their attack fires they can rack up the points at quite a rate. Add that to the hardest group of ball-running forwards in the comp and things are looking good.
2 Melbourne Storm (last week 2)
The last couple of weeks haven't been their best but they are still at the top of the ladder. The reason they're below the Roosters is because they don't have the depth in the forwards that the Chooks do. But right now you'd have them meeting Mitchell Pearce and friends in the grand final.
3 Brisbane Broncos (last week 4)
They won't have many easier nights than the one they had against Wests Tigers. A meting with the Warriors without their Origin brigade this weekend will be an interesting test.
4 Cronulla Sharks (last week 3)
Teams that are tough, and experienced, are well versed when it comes to winning games during the middle third of the season. Depending on which Bulldogs teams turns up this Saturday, they could be in for a tough night.
5 Manly Sea Eagles (last week 6)
The Titans team they faced last weekend had enjoyed a tremendous previous three weeks. Manly ended that purple-patch with a strong performance. The four teams above them look well adrift, but right now they're probably the best of the rest. 
6 Penrith Panthers (last week 7)
Neither will appear in a coaching manual, but two straight wins was just what they needed after a horrid first two months. The drama with them is teams better than Warriors and Knights won't surrender leads that easily. Surely Penrith's best days are ahead of them.
7 St George Illawarra Dragons (last week 9)
Come the end of the season, that road win over the New Zealand Warriors without Gareth Widdop and Josh Dugan might look even better than it did on the night. The bottom half of the top eight seems to be just where they belong. That's nothing to sneeze at.
8 Canberra Raiders (last week 14)
Seriously, who are the real Raiders? After some poor showings in recent weeks, they scored a good away win over Parramatta in what was a high-quality match. It's anyone's guess what is coming next? Can they cash-in on getting to play the Roosters without their Origin players?
9 North Queensland Cowboys (last week 8)
Right now they're not one of the best eight teams in the NRL. When Johnathan Thurston returns that will change. 
10 Gold Coast Titans (last week 5)
They were unable to repeat the performances turned in in previous weeks against the Sea Eagles. Whether they going to win enough games to get back into the top eight may be determined by how they fare during the Origin period. View more galleries
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