NRL Round 18 Power Rankings

ROUND 18

Round 17 was a reduced round due to a number of teams having the bye in the week leading up to SOO, but there was some really good NRL action. There were teams who almost saw their season disappear with a loss and others who cemented themselves as serious contenders for the title this season. Round 18 will see the remaining teams in the competition without a bye, have their final one for the year. All teams will now be on a level playing field and teams will be readying for a run home. I will go out on a limb and say that the Top 8 as it stands now will not change (no new teams in by Round 26). What will change is the teams placings. Stay tuned!


Bold = This week  ( ) = Last week

1 (1) Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs = Had the bye and are now readying themselves for a blockbuster clash against the Tigers at the SFS. There is sure to be a massive crowd on offer and the Dogs will be looking to take care of a Tigers team that has lost 2 in a row.

2 (2) Melbourne Storm = Had the bye and now the question will be asked as to how well their stars recover after the final Origin match. Also, they will be sweating on the return of fullback Billy Slater. Should be the Raiders but them have a tough few games after that.

3 (4) Cronulla Sharks = The Sharks were fantastic against the Broncos. They were tipped as outsiders because of their poor record up at Suncorp Stadium, but I said it in the preview for that game, and have said it all season, this is a different Sharks team. They were great in defence and hit the young Broncos very hard in tackles.


4 (3) Brisbane Broncos = Were outmuscled by the Sharks and really did miss their SOO players. Have the bye in Round 18 and have a few injuries to get past. Also have a tough run home. They will need this week off to rest as they looked tired at times.

5 (5) West Tigers = Had a bye and really did need it after losing their last two matches. Will have to regroup this weekend as they have a very tough game against the Bulldogs at the SFS. The Tigers sit 8th on the table, two points away from the Cowboys in 7th who also have a bye this weekend. Have a poor differential with only +8.


6 (9) South Sydney Rabbitohs = The Rabbitohs won a game which in seasons gone by, they would have lost. They put in a good performance after the Panther fought back to have the score 14-12 to the Rabbits at HT. Most impressive for the Rabbitohs apart from Dave Taylor was the 24-nil second half. Have another game they should win against he Knights.


7 (6) North Queensland Cowboys = Were definitely weakened by their players away on SOO duty. Had a tough game against the Warriors but did show some promise. They will enjoy the week off before a tough run home.

8 (7) Manly Warringah Sea Eagles = After their last bye, they now shift their focus towards Round 18 where they play the Parramatta Eels. They lost to the Eels earlier this year and will definitely be looking to put them away in this game to make up for the embarrassment of that loss.


9 (11) NZ Warriors = Dominant display against a weakened Cowboys outfit. But you can only play what is infront of you. There were a few players who suffered minor injuries so hopefully they recover to face the Titans. Have a very, very strong bench.


10 (8) Gold Coast Titans = The bye came at a good time with a lot of injuries to key players. They now have to face the Warriors who are desperate to keep their finals hopes alive. Will be interesting to see how many of their SOO players back up because they will all be needed.

11 (12) Newcastle Knights = Their game against the Eels was tough for Rugby League fans to watch. But they did make it two wins in a row for their fans. They are doing everything possible to not finish in the bottom 4 and finish the season with some promise. 


12 (10) St George Illawarra Dragons = The dreaded Canberra curse continues! They just couldn't finish off the Raiders when they needed to most. They have no direction in attack and were lucky to score when they did. Coach Price must start making some tough calls on some out-of-form players.

13 (14) Canberra Raiders = It was a big effort by a young Raiders team that were missing 9 regular first graders, but they kept their 12 year unbeaten winning streak against the Dragons alive. With each win that occurs, the rumours about Ricky Stuarts arrival seem to get quieter and quieter.

14 (15) Sydney Roosters = A week out of the spotlight has helped the Roosters avoid any speculation about the apparent rift between some players and coach Brian Smith. All is not well in Rooster town but they do have a very strong and young roster that can cause an upset or two in the run home for some teams. After their bye, they will take on a tough Sharks team.

15 (13) Parramatta Eels = Were very poor against the Knights and that was mainly their defence. They failed to aim up and missed crucial tackles. Steve Kearny could now be the first coach to go. The players should just focus on not winning the spoon as Nathan Hindmarsh and Luke Burt do not deserve that honor in their final season.

16 (16) Penrith Panthers = Showed some fight to get to 12 points at the half, but then failed to score a point in the second half. Coach Michael Cleary's job is safe, but he has to now regroup this week as they have the bye and try to avoid the spoon. They are build for 2013, and beyond, why not start now?