We have something new for the 2025 NRL season. With last season's final table acting as a starting order, each week we will move teams up, down or nowhere at all, depending on their performances on the weekend.
For example, this weekend the Tigers jumped on another ladder thanks to their gutsy victory over the Dolphins, while the Roosters landed on a snake in Auckland. The Storm retained top spot with a win over the Panthers, while the Bulldogs were so unimpressive against the Eels they went down a place, despite winning.
The results won't match the 2025 NRL competition ladder, but will give an alternative indication of how well each team is traveling.
Last year's finishing order: 1. Storm, 2. Panthers, 3. Roosters, 4. Sharks, 5. Cowboys, 6. Bulldogs, 7. Sea Eagles, 8. Knight, 9. Raiders, 10. Dolphins, 11. Dragons, 12. Broncos, 13. Warriors, 14. Titans, 15. Eels, 16. Rabbitohs, 17. Tigers
1.
Storm - steady
The Storm hosted the Panthers after enjoying the bye and they somehow looked sharper than they did in hammering the Eels in Round 1. Racing to a 14-0 lead and with Nathan Cleary out of the game, it looked like it was going to be a convincing Storm victory, although the Panthers' first try looked a little too easy. The Panthers then went back to the same well, beating the Storm defence to the right-hand corner again. Big Nelson Asofa-Solomona had an immediate impact on his return, breaking teammate Nick Meaney's jaw in an ugly head clash. Down 16-14 early in the second half, Xavier Coates flew and crashed through for a try, the Storm regathered their focus and scored two more, but the Panthers would not go away. The game ended with both teams scoring five tries, with goal-kicking seeing the Storm home.
2.
Sharks - ladder up 1
The Sharks started their Saturday afternoon clash with the Rabbitohs with 8/8 completions and two tries in the first eight minutes. It was a fair indication of how professional the Sharks are playing under coach Craig Fitzgibbon. They play to their strengths, play with plenty of patience and wait for the opposition to crack under the mounting pressure. They led 26-0 until late in the game, taking the foot off the gas a little in the second half and allowing the Rabbitohs to score two late tries. It was a comfortable victory in a game where they were a class above their opponents.
3.
Bulldogs - snake down 1
The unbeaten Bulldogs visited the winless Eels and took part in a dour struggle, which wouldn't have impressed either of the fervent fan bases. Despite only minor showers during the day, the Bulldogs looked like they were playing wet-weather football. A lot of one-out running, with Toby Sexton struggling to make metres with his kicking game at the end of each set. They would occasionally try the same backline move, which only worked once for a Bronson Xerri try. In the end they were lucky the Eels were so inept, and a similar effort would see them struggle against the stronger sides. So, despite the win, the Bulldogs hit a snake in terms of their performance. They'll certainly need to improve to beat the Sharks next week.
4.
Sea Eagles - ladder up 4
Manly have proven unstoppable both times at Brooky this season. After humbling the Cowboys in Round 1 they started similarly against the Raiders running up a 30-0 first-half lead while enjoying a large majority of possession. The Raiders, like the Cowboys, were left dumbfounded and without answers. The Sea Eagles proved that they can be just as threatening without Tom Trbojevic at fullback. In the second half their defence was so fresh they managed to repel all but the best efforts of the Raiders, while continuing to carve up with the ball in hand.
5.
Warriors - ladder up 4
The Warriors started the game will plenty of ball, but they were unable to crack the Roosters' defence early. The Roosters were up 6-0 before the Warriors crossed through Ali Leiataua in the 25th minute. The game then became a dour struggle with errors and strangling defence snuffing out any hint of flair. With 14 minutes left in the game Chanel Harris-Tavita chased through on his own kick, out-leapt James Tedesco to score and put the home team in front for the first time. Leiataua carved the Roosters up again the final 10 minutes to seal the game. This was the kind of game that the Warriors have long been guilty of losing, so the resolve shown in battling through to the end has seen them find a healthy ladder this week.
6.
Raiders - snake down 2
Canberra travelled to the Northern Beaches and had what can only be described as a first-half shocker. The Sea Eagles are tough to stop when they get on a roll at Brookvale, and the Raiders not only handed them too much ball, they could not muster the defensive resolve needed to stop the maroon-and-white attacking waves. It was one of those days where a Ricky Stuart halftime paint stripper would have been as pointless as the Raiders' side of the scoreboard. With more of the ball after the break and thanks to two late Jamal Fogarty tries, they managed to win the second half 12-10.
7.
Tigers - ladder up 4
The Tigers traveled to Redcliffe to face the Dolphins on the back of their good win over the Eels. They looked good in attack at times, but leaked points through the middle and out wide to trail 18-12 at the break. With former Panthers Apisai Koroisau, Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva leading the way, it was all the Tigers after the break, scoring 18 points while not conceding. It was a gutsy performance which they will be able to reference whenever they fall behind in games this season. The new-look Tigers look a bit disjointed at times, but they have a grit and determination that was lacking in recent seasons.
8.
Panthers - snake down 1
Penrith started the grand final rematch looking way more like the four-straight premiers. Having leaked 60 points in the first two weeks there was a more familiar steely resolve in their fast-moving defence. Still, after only five minutes, on the back of a piggyback penalty, the Storm were over in the corner. Three minutes later Nathan Cleary and Jahrome Hughes came together heavily, with the Panthers star slamming his head into the turf and having to leave the field heavily concussed, diagnosed a Category 1 and out of the game. Brought over from the Eels ostensibly to replace Jarome Luai, Blaize Talagi was thrown into the fire as the rain pelted down in Melbourne. The champions fought back from 14-0 down to go into halftime 14-10 after two well-worked tries out wide to Paul Alamoti. They would defy logic with a trick play from a scrum to hit the lead in the second half. Talagi playing the role of Cleary in the well-drilled play. Under the circumstances, the Panthers did well to score 24 points, but unbelievably kept their season average of conceding 30 points a game.
9.
Roosters - snake down 2
The Roosters started the game in Auckland with a bad case of the fumbles. Of their first nine sets they only completed five, which meant they faced a mountain of work in defence. Still, when they finally had the ball in good field position they managed to score the first try of the game. They faced an all too familiar alarming scene in the first half when Victor Radley took yet another knock to the head. He was miraculously cleared to continue after his mandatory break, but his long-term wellness must be under serious consideration at the moment. The Roosters took their 6-4 first half lead deep into the second, with both teams blowing chances to advance the score, before the Warriors drew away with two tries to take the two competition points.
10.
Broncos - ladder up 2
The Broncos' little men were taking advantage of the early dominance of their forward pack and multiple Cowboys errors. Ben Hunt, Adam Reynolds and Reece Walsh cause enough headaches for any defence with their running and passing games; on Friday night they had Cowboys heads spinning with an array of deft kicks, taken on any tackle, and mostly proving difficult to nullify. And to top the display, Reynolds crossed untouched for the Broncos' second try as he dummied to kick, dummied to pass and completely bamboozled John Bateman defending on the edge. Despite allowing the Cowboys back into the game early in the second half, the one-two punch of Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan, along with the guile of Reynolds and Hunt, proved too good in the end.
11.
Knights - Snake down 3
The Knights, looking to continue their unbeaten start to the season, had all the ball early, but couldn't breach the Titans' defence. As the game progressed and they remained scoreless, frustration set in and nothing seemed to go right for them. Meanwhile they were missing enough tackles for the Titans to steadily build an unassailable 20-0 lead midway through the second half. Fletcher Sharpe was among their best players, but no matter how many chances they created they just couldn't finish them off.
12.
Rabbitohs - snake down 2
After winning their first two games, the Bunnies' bubble burst at Sharks Park on Saturday. Cody Walker was running the show and Jye Gray's sharpness was their biggest weapon, but, try as they might, they struggling to breach the Sharks defence. They managed to run in a couple of consolation tries late in the game, but coach Wayne Bennett will know they have a long way to go before they can mix it with the top sides.
13.
Dragons - bye - steady
14.
Titans - ladder up 2
The Titans were under pressure from the opening kick off, with the Knights launching wave after wave of attack. But they scrambled gallantly to keep them out before making the most of their first real chance to score the opening try of the night thanks to a clever offload by Tino Fa'asuamaleaui. From there they coasted home on the back of a much better performance from their forwards and halfback Jayden Campbell.
15.
Cowboys - snake down 1
The Cowboys went into the latest edition of the Queensland Derby in the kind of form that wasn't expected to trouble Brisbane. As the Broncos worked their way to a 12-0 halftime lead, it looked as though it would be all one way traffic. But the Cowboys are a proud, if underperforming club, and scored the next two tries after the break to level it up. But, in the end, they simply couldn't find an answer to the charges of Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan, as the Broncos accelerated away.
16.
Dolphins - snake down 1
The Dolphins needed a victory at home to turn their early season troubles around. They scored first in the corner through Jack Bostock, before Kodi Nikorima put Daniel Saifiti through a yawning gap to set up their next try to Herbie Farnworth. Nikorima cut through himself to score the Dolphins' next try. They led 18-12 at halftime, but couldn't put the Tigers away. After the break it was all Tigers as the Dolphins battled to keep them out while being largely ineffective with the ball. It was a disappointing second half effort from the Dolphins at home. They remain winless and a long, long, way from playing in their first ever finals series.
17.
Eels - steady
The Eels looked much better in stages against the Bulldogs, but failed to put together a full 80-minute performance. They looked more dangerous at times with the ball than their opponents, but made too many errors when trying to build pressure on the Bulldogs. Winger Josh Addo-Carr endured a torrid reception from Bulldogs fans and players, following his ignominious departure last season, but had one moment of pleasure with a diving try in the corner. The Eels managed to at least stay in this game until the very end and will take some confidence out of the improved performance.