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<\/p>\n
The engine room is the heart and soul of every rugby league team, and no team has ever won a competition with a poor forward pack.<\/p>\n
It’s really quite as simple as that.<\/p>\n
The spine might get all the credit, and the outside backs provide all the flash, but they might as well all stay in the dressing room.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Every NRL club’s outside backs ranked for 2026<\/a><\/p>\n For the purposes of this exercise, and given hookers were included in the spine, we will be looking at the prop, lock and second-row positions to determine which NRL<\/a> side has the best forward pack.<\/p>\n SEE ALSO: Every NRL club’s spine ranked for 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Here are the rankings for the 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n 17. North Queensland Cowboys<\/p>\n Likely first-choice: Coen Hess<\/a>, Jason Taumalolo<\/a>, Reuben Cotter<\/a>, Jeremiah Nanai<\/a>, Heilum Luki<\/a><\/p>\n If Todd Payten<\/a> had any hair left, he’d be pulling it out coming into the 2026 NRL<\/a> season.<\/p>\n There are no coaches under more pressure than him, and with what we view as the weakest forward pack in the competition, that’s going to be hard pressed to change.<\/p>\n The real issue is the prop positions. Coen Hess<\/a> and Jason Taumalolo<\/a> have served a purpose for many, many years, but they enter 2026 with their careers winding down.<\/p>\n Reuben Cotter<\/a> at lock is an Origin player, but doesn’t add a whole lot of style or flash as some of the best locks to.<\/p>\n Jeremiah Nanai<\/a>, for all his attacking exploits, struggles in defence, and while Heilum Luki<\/a> is a lot better than his ranking suggests, he has barely played a game over the last two years.<\/p>\n The depth isn’t great either for the Cowboys, just quietly.<\/p>\n
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