{"id":609340,"date":"2026-04-15T22:03:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T22:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/609340\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T22:03:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T22:03:10","slug":"storm-slump-tigers-soar-and-dragons-sink-nrl-power-rankings-round-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/609340\/","title":{"rendered":"Storm slump, Tigers soar and Dragons sink: NRL Power Rankings, Round 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following the most negative 20 Thoughts<\/a> of my life, I am going to focus on being positive here today.<\/p>\n

Round 6 produced a plethora of negativity, but it also produced some wonderful tries, an upset of epic proportions and continues 2026’s feel good story.<\/p>\n

For every Storm or Eels struggle, there has been a Cowboys or Tigers triumph.<\/p>\n

Let’s get straight into it and ask; Where did your team land on this week’s Power Rankings<\/a>, following Round 6?:<\/p>\n

1. Penrith Panthers (Last Week: 1)<\/p>\n

Despite their shock loss to the Bulldogs, the Panthers are still the best team in the competition. Comfortably!<\/p>\n

Nathan Cleary<\/a> had very little influence on the game while a 65% completion rate combined for a very un Penrith-like night out. Tom Jenkins still managed to cross for a double mind you.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins<\/a> present a difficult task, especially off the bye, but I fully expect the Panthers to bounce back right away.<\/p>\n

2. Wests Tigers (4)<\/p>\n

The Tigers absolutely played the equally high flying Knights off the park on Sunday. The 42-22 scoreline, if anything, looks closer than the game felt.<\/p>\n

Apisai Koroisau<\/a> was brilliant, as was Jahream Bula<\/a> but Jock Madden<\/a> and Adam Doueihi<\/a> were the stars of the show. They can lay claim to be the forming spine combination of the competition.<\/p>\n

The fact the Tigers are short price favourites against the current NRL<\/a> Premiers, the Broncos says it all. I’m tipping the Tiges!<\/p>\n

3. North Queensland Cowboys (7)<\/p>\n

If it weren’t for the aforementioned Tigers, I could refer to the Cowboys as the surprise packet of the 2026 season. Their incredible last gasp win over the Broncos was their fourth in a row.<\/p>\n

Scott Drinkwater<\/a> and Jaxon Purdue<\/a>, among others, absolutely lit up Suncorp Stadium on Friday night. I am convinced that Jason Taumalolo<\/a> has found the fountain of youth.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys host the Sea Eagles on Thursday night and should be confident of a fifth straight win.<\/p>\n

4. Brisbane Broncos (2)<\/p>\n

The Broncos were on the end of a Cowboys ambush at Suncorp on Friday night. A last gasp Cowboys winner saw them snap Brisbane’s four game win streak.<\/p>\n

Former Cowboy Tom Duffy<\/a> was best on ground for the home side with Pat Carrigan and Kotoni Staggs<\/a> not too far behind them. Unfortunately it’s tough to win after conceding 35 points.<\/p>\n

Incredibly, they start as outsiders against the Wests Tigers<\/a> this weekend. They will welcome back Adam Reynolds<\/a>. That said, Pat Carrigan is suspended.<\/p>\n

5. New Zealand Warriors (8)<\/p>\n

The Warriors re-entered the winner’s circle via a massive 38-14 win over the Melbourne Storm<\/a>. They snapped a horror run in Melbourne in the process.<\/p>\n

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak<\/a> crossed for yet another try double but, again, Jackson Ford<\/a> and Tanah Boyd<\/a> were the main men for the travelling Warriors.<\/p>\n

They’re back home this Saturday evening as they host the exciting but inconsistent Titans. Should be a fun watch!<\/p>\n

6. Newcastle Knights (3)<\/p>\n

The high flying Knights were dealt a reality check, of sorts, by the Tigers on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

A horror injury toll, which got worse during the game, largely meant they were confined to a distant second best on the day.<\/p>\n

They welcome back Dylan Brown<\/a> as they come back to Sydney to play the Roosters on Sunday. Tough ask considering the form of the Chooks.<\/p>\n

7. South Sydney Rabbitohs (5)<\/p>\n

The Bunnies played their part in a high scoring Perth clash but ultimately lost to the out of sorts Raiders.<\/p>\n

Latrell Mitchell<\/a> and Cody Walker<\/a> both wracked up the attacking stats while I thought Alex Johnston<\/a> was brilliant! David Fifita<\/a> was in red hot form and his injury is a horror blow for the Rabbitohs.<\/p>\n

Saturday afternoon gifts them a perfect opportunity to return to the winner’s circle when they host the hapless Dragons.<\/p>\n

8. Sydney Roosters (11)<\/p>\n

The Roosters overcame an almost impossibly bad start to beat the Sharks in Perth.<\/p>\n

A five try blitz saw them deliver the Sharks first loss in Perth in a long time. Daly Cherry-Evans<\/a> crossed for a double while James Tedesco<\/a> ran for over 280 metres. Great signs.<\/p>\n

An injury riddled Newcastle side is in town this Sunday. The Chooks will like their chances.<\/p>\n

9. Cronulla Sharks (6)<\/p>\n

The Sharks led the Roosters 16-0 early on, and then 24-12 at halftime. Unfortunately that was all she wrote for the previous Perth specialists.<\/p>\n

Blayke Brailey<\/a> had three early try assists and has surely locked up NSW Origin duties. Unfortunately he didn’t have a whole lot of help on the day,<\/p>\n

The bye has come at a good time. The Sharks sit three and three and even the most rusted on Sharks fan has no idea what they really are in 2026.<\/p>\n

10. The Dolphins (10)<\/p>\n

The Dolphins<\/a> had a long, long time to simmer on their horror loss to Manly. They surely used the bye to get things in order.<\/p>\n

Their brilliant start to the season was hugely hampered by two straight losses.<\/p>\n

They return this week, in Darwin, where they “host” a Panthers side coming off their first loss. Not ideal.<\/p>\n

11. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (12)<\/p>\n

The Bulldogs roared back into form on the back of the biggest upset of the season.<\/p>\n

Lachlan Galvin<\/a> played his best game as a Bulldog, and potentially of his career, in combing with Jacob Preston<\/a> to absolutely beat down Blaize Talagai and that Panthers edge.<\/p>\n

They enter Sunday afternoon’s clash with the Eels as super short price favourites. If they play anything like last Thursday night, it could be a fun afternoon for the blue and white.<\/p>\n

12. Manly Sea Eagles (14)<\/p>\n

The Sea Eagles are now, somewhat, flying on the back of a second straight win for the season. They’re a different team than they were to start 2026.<\/p>\n

Reuben Garrick<\/a> has returned to his “PVL Ball” best while Haumole Olakau’atu<\/a> and Tom Trbojevic<\/a> look unstoppable again. Jamal Fogarty<\/a> has found his groove also.<\/p>\n

An away trip to Townsville to play the Cowboys looks a difficult task but shapes as a low key match of the round candidate.<\/p>\n

13. Canberra Raiders (15)<\/p>\n

Canberra needed a win. They held off a fast finishing Bunnies outfit to record just that. After leading 24-4 at halftime, they would have expected an easier afternoon as Souths brought it back to 36-34 in the final moments.<\/p>\n

Kaeo Weekes<\/a> is a human highlight reel, scoring two tries including one of the tries of the season. Simi Sasagi’s move to the centres has been an absolute masterstroke.<\/p>\n

Canberra will like their chances on Friday evening as they host the horribly out of sorts Melbourne Storm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

14. Melbourne Storm (9)<\/p>\n

The Storm fall to an all time low here on the back of a fourth straight loss. A humiliating 38-14 home loss to the Warriors, a team they usually stomp, no less.<\/p>\n

Sualauvi Faalogo ran for 184 metres while young gun Cooper Clarke<\/a> crossed for his first NRL<\/a> try. Outside of that though …<\/p>\n

Melbourne travel to Canberra on Friday evening knowing they’re approaching must win territory. In round Seven. As the Storm! Yikes.<\/p>\n

15. Gold Coast Titans (16)<\/p>\n

The Titans lit up CommBank Stadium on Sunday afternoon running up a score against the Eels. The 52-10 win was super enertaining.<\/p>\n

Jayden Campbell<\/a>, Phillip Sami<\/a> and Sialetili Faeamani all crossed for try doubles but Keano Kini<\/a> was the star of the show. He is arguably the most entertaining player in the comp on his day.<\/p>\n

The Titans travel to New Zealand<\/a> for a Saturday evening clash with the Warriors. This could be a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

16. Parramatta Eels (13)<\/p>\n

The Eels were booed off their own field on Sunday afternoon after being beaten down by the Gold Coast Titans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The only memorable moment for Parra fans was Mitch Moses<\/a> yelling at Tallyn Da Silva<\/a>, again!<\/p>\n

Going to be hard to find anyone tipping the broken Eels against the Bulldogs this Sunday afternoon, even at home.<\/p>\n

17. St George Illawarra Dragons (17)<\/p>\n

If I could place the Dragons 18th, I would. They were absolutely listless in a 28-18 loss, at home, to Manly.<\/p>\n

Jacob Liddle<\/a> sparked a mini revival and has us all pulling hair out at Shane Flanagan’s decision to keep him on the bench for far too long. Potential saviour Kade Reed<\/a> tore is up in NSW Cup<\/a>, again, this weekend.<\/p>\n

The Bunnies are licking their lips this Saturday as the Dragons come to Accor. Surely it’s time for a massive upset. They owe their fans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Following the most negative 20 Thoughts of my life, I am going to focus on being positive here…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22388,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-609340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}