NRL Power Rankings: Round Seven
1. Cronulla Sharks (last week 1)
This mob of tough guys weren’t going anywhere. This was a second reminder in as many weeks that if you want their title you are gonna have to bang down the door and take it from them. To play fellow pre-season title hopefuls Melbourne and the Panthers in consecutive weeks and not concede a try says it all. Surely Matt Prior must now be in the mix when it comes to handing out Origin jerseys.
2. Melbourne Storm (last week 2)
Their first half against Manly featured some brilliant attacking play on the right hand side. Their second half against Manly featured some lazy play on both the left and right hand sides. If they didn’t have more than a decade worth of good graces behind them, a tumble down the ranking was on the cards. Consider yourself warned.
3. Canberra Raiders (last week 6)
Maybe they won’t actually need an 80-minute performance to win big matches? Sixty good minutes seems to be enough for them right now. The Warriors put up a brave fight, but they just didn’t have the size or skill to beat these guys. As an aside, who doesn’t want to see that forward pack take on an all-you-can-eat buffet?
4. St George Illawarra Dragons (last week 3)
If they’d repeated their first half effort in the second against the depleted Cowboys, they’d be number two on this list. Instead we saw a return to the 2016 Dragons in the second half as they almost lost a massive lead. They can’t repeat that against the Roosters on Anzac Day.
5. Sydney Roosters (last week 5)
They were never going to lose to the Knights, but a team with eyes on challenging for the title need to do just that. The clash with the Dragons on Anzac Day will see two big packs aiming to impose their will on the other. Jared Waerea-Heagreaves, Boyd Cordner and co. will be champing at the bit.
6. Brisbane Broncos (last week 4)
The Titans were a charge-down away from beating Wayne Bennett’s men on their own turf. Are they still struggling to put it all together, or is this all they’ve got? Luckily for them they’ve got the struggling Rabbitohs this weekend. If they lose that, then watch out.
7. Canterbury Bulldogs (last week 8)
At the end of the day all that matters is winning, and that’s what the Dogs are doing. All of a sudden the have a 4-2 record and look like finalists once again. That wasn’t the case three weeks ago. Surely Matt Frawley needs to be handed the No.7 jersey and told it’s his to lose. He’s easily the best option they’ve got in that position.
8. Manly Sea Eagles (last week 7)
Was their strong second half against Melbourne due to Storm apathy or their own strong play? It was probably a little bit of both, but that doesn’t take anything away from their abject first half display. The defence was as bad as we’ve seen this season. If that’s repeated against the Raiders in Canberra on Friday night, a heavy defeat looms.
9. New Zealand Warriors (last week 9)
They’ve got five or six really good players, but what after that? Like Souths, there is a noticeable drop off from the best to the rest. That set-up doesn’t usually get you into the finals. With matches against the Storm and Roosters in the next two weeks, they risk losing touch with the top eight.
10. Parramatta Eels (last week 14)
Seventh-worst is probably a more apt description than 10th best. They did beat the Tigers to end a four-game losing streak, but it is unlikely that mixed-bag performance would have been good enough to beat any of the nine teams ranked above them. They face the Panthers this week – I guess someone has to win.
