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The 2026 NRL season proper has come to an end, so it's time to evaluate every team's year. We take a look back at our preseason prediction, assess the way each team travelled, and work out their grades for 2026. This will be updated as every team's season finishes. Brisbane Broncos Last year's ladder finish: 4th (Premiers) Predicted 2026 finish: 3rd Actual finish: 14th Grade: F Very rarely does a premiership winning side fall so far, so quickly. Everyone fully expected that the Broncos would mount an impressive title defence on the back of what they achieved in 2025 and the relative stability of their squad. What the pundits and fans could not predict was the behind-the-scenes discourse, the injuries to key players, and the apparent complete lack of commitment from players out in the middle. The coach losing the locker room is an often-used excuse, usually followed by the sacking of the coach, but Michael Maguire was only in his second season at the club after bringing them premiership glory in his first year. The players have to be held accountable for this unsightly collapse. Where to from here: Adam Reynolds has retired, Payne Haas is off to the Rabbitohs, and the talk is that the players are not happy with coach Maguire. Mitch Barnett is coming to replace Haas, Dane Gagai to shore up the backline, and Jonah Pezet to reset the halves. They have the entire offseason to sort themselves out, a similar season in 2027 would be completely intolerable for the proud club. Canberra Raiders Last year's ladder finish: 1st Predicted 2026 finish: 7th Actual finish: 11th Grade: D The Raiders took out the minor premiership last season, but the way they crashed out of the finals was not encouraging when it came to predicting their 2026 run. They still should have played finals football this year and, as they showed against the Cowboys in the final round, they still have all the weapons to challenge the top sides. Hudson Young's injury certainly didn't help as they battled for a spot in the Top 8, nor did their ability to lose games they had seemingly already won. Where to from here: They have lost several players ahead of next season, without making any moves on the player market. They will rely on the juniors coming through as well as halfback Coby Black, who lived up to all the hype during his debut performance against the Cowboys in the final round. Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Last year's ladder finish: 3rd Predicted 2026 finish: 2nd Actual finish: 12th Grade: F The Bulldogs receive an F for their 2026 season, simply because they were expected to build on their 2025 success, not crumble in the opposite direction. Lachlan Galvin proved that he is a star of the near future and probably the club's best player through the year, but he played halfback when the team needed a genuine halfback. Moving Matt Burton to centre saw him improve with new found freedom out wide, but moving Stephen Crichton to five-eighth hamstrung his best assets. The whole team continued to look completely lost in attack and only finished as high as they did through defensive resolve, which also faded at the back end of the season. Such a disappointing effort. Where to from here: Freddy Lussick arrives to hopefully fix one part of the spine. Either Mitchell Woods or Alex Conti should be ready to pull on the No. 7 jersey, Galvin will rise to star status wider of the ruck in the No. 6 jersey, and Burton and Crichton can form the most expensive and lethal of centre combinations. All the club needs then is an attack coach, a dangerous fullback, a new lock and some more grunt in the front row. Easy! Cronulla Sharks Last year's ladder finish: 5th Predicted 2026 finish: 10th Actual finish: 5th Grade: TBD Where to from here: TBD Dolphins Last year's ladder finish: 9th Predicted 2026 finish: 6th Actual finish: 3rd Grade: TBD Where to from here: TBD Gold Coast Titans Last year's ladder finish: 16th Predicted 2026 finish: 14th Actual finish: 16th Grade: D We predicted the Titans would improve slightly under coach Josh Hannay, but they stayed in exactly the same spot. It must be so frustrating for everyone involved to watch the patches of sensational football this club is capable of playing at times. Jayden Campbell remains an elite attacking weapon, Keano Kini an amazing young talent at fullback, Cooper Bai an explosive forward and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui a stoic leader. But, they just lack a couple of key pieces and the drive to play a full 80 minutes of totally committed football. Where to from here: Apart from welcoming Sharks centre Mawene Hiroti in 2027 they haven't made too many moves on the player market and will be looking instead to improve their systems and fitness. Hannay has a long road ahead of him, with the Bears joining the fray next season, the Titans will face another rung on that ladder they failed to climb at all in 2026. Manly Sea Eagles Last year's ladder finish: 10th Predicted 2026 finish: 13th Actual finish: 9th Grade: C The Sea Eagles started the season where they left off in 2025, losing and looking like a team headed down the ladder. They sacked Anthony Seibold and hired club legend Kieran Foran as head coach and went on an incredible run, which looked certain to take them into the finals. They lost Tom Trbojevic to injury and managed to keep going, but subsequently losing Luke Brooks brought the winning run to a grinding halt. Overall it was a very mixed year, which ended in a frustrating ninth place finish. Where to from here: They lose Reuben Garrick to the Roosters next year and have made some minor acquisitions. Foran will have a full offseason with the side and they have some promising talent coming through at the club including halfback Joey Walsh. It will be interesting to see whether Foran can recapture the magic of his early days in the job, as they battle again to play finals football. Melbourne Storm Last year's ladder finish: 2nd (Runners-up) Predicted 2026 finish: 8th Actual finish: 10th Grade: D We tipped the Storm to take a slide down the ladder after losing last year's grand final to the Broncos, but no one ever really expects them to miss the finals. They did have a horror year with injuries, with their superstar spine seldom complete for any number of consecutive games. When they did have Harry Grant, Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster they were capable of beating anyone, but the bit-part players were unable to lift in their absence. Injuries aside, the Storm didn't look like the Storm at times, with defensive lapses and handling errors driving coach Craig Bellamy up the wall. Where to from here: Bellamy is going around again as coach, which is handy as it would have been an injustice for him to leave the Storm after that season. They are revamping their backline with the addition of Dolphins flyer Jamayne Isaako and Bulldogs centre Bronson Xerri, while adding Eels forward Kelma Tuilagi. They are also losing a raft of players including Tyran Wishart and Nick Meaney, both to the Bears. Newcastle Knights Last year's ladder finish: 17th Predicted 2026 finish: 13th Actual finish: 7th Grade: TBD Where to from here: TBD New Zealand Warriors Last year's ladder finish: 6th Predicted 2025 finish: 9th Actual finish: 2nd Grade: TBD Where to from here: TBD North Queensland Cowboys Last year's ladder finish: 12th Predicted 2026 finish: 16th Actual finish: 8th Grade: TBD Where to from here: TBD Parramatta Eels Last year's ladder finish: 11th Predicted 2026 finish: 12th Actual finish: 13th Grade: D The Eels had a frustrating season, often competitive, but rarely consistent. When they were bad, they were very bad, conceding 52 points to the Storm in the opening round, before conceding another 52 to the Titans just five weeks later. They weren't helped by injuries to Mitchell Moses and one-year halves partner Jonah Pezet, but were more often let down by a lack of defensive resolve. Beating the Sharks in Round 26, only to lose to the Dragons in the final round, just about summed up 2026 for the Eels and their long-suffering fans. Where to from here: They lose a bundle of players for next year, while acquiring Jarome Luai from the Tigers and Jaydn Su'A from the Dragons. It is hard to make any sense of the one-year deal for Luai, even more so with the late-season form of Ronald Volkman, but maybe he will click with Moses and provide more value to the Eels than he did for the Tigers. It is certainly going to be an interesting season for the Eels. Penrith Panthers Last year's ladder finish: 7th Predicted 2026 finish: 1st Actual finish: 1st Grade: TBD Where to from here: TBD St George Illawarra Dragons Last year's ladder finish: 15th Predicted 2026 finish: 17th Actual finish: 17th Grade: D Nailed it. Pre-season favourites for the wooden spoon, the Dragons lived up to all the hype. A mid-season coach sacking didn't help them as much as it did the Sea Eagles, with Dean Young struggling to squeeze any consistency out of the team. We saw flashes of brilliance from Tyrell Sloane, Jacob Liddle and the Dragons' young forward pack, but nothing short of lethargy at times from players like Valentine Holmes, Moses Suli and Clint Gutherson. When in the right mood, they provided some moments of tough opposition, but doing it week-to-week for a full 80 minutes was beyond them. Where to from here: Nothing but exciting times ahead for the Dragons as they welcome one of the most bountiful player market raids in the history of rugby league. Scott Drinkwater (Cowboys), Keaon Koloamatangi (Rabbitohs), Luke Metcalf (Warriors), Kodi Nikorima (Dolphins), Phillip Sami (Titans) and Connor Watson (Roosters) will all be joining the Dragons' ever-improving young forwards for what should be a complete transformation. Line up now for those 2027 finals tickets, Dragons fans! South Sydney Rabbitohs Last year's finish: 14th Predicted 2025 finish: 5th Actual finish: 6th Grade: TBD Where to from here: TBD Sydney Roosters Last year's ladder finish: 8th Predicted 2025 finish: 4th Actual finish: 4th Grade: TBD Where to from here: TBD Wests Tigers Last year's finish: 13th Predicted 2026 finish: 7th Actual finish: 15th Grade: F What a horribly disappointing season for Tigers fans everywhere. The re-built club, with Jarome Luai at the helm, were expected to break their finals drought and started strongly beating the Cowboys, Warriors, Knights and Raiders in the first eight rounds. And then, Luai announced he was signing with the PNG Chiefs for the club's debut 2028 season. The Tigers imploded and it has been a long road of misery since, conceding 52 to the Sharks, 44 to the Storm, 46 to the Sea Eagles, 68 to the Panthers and 56 to the Raiders along the way. They did upset the Roosters in Round 25 to bring a little joy to the black-and-gold army. Where to from here: Coach Benji Marshall has to somehow wipe 2026 from the players' minds, as he focusses their attention on returning to finals football in 2027. They have made two very astute acquisitions in Jake Averillo (Dolphins) and Jayden Brailey (Raiders). Both are no-nonsense professionals who will sharpen up the Tigers' play and their attitude.