NRL Power Rankings: Dolphins crack top eight as Warriors' slide continues

With a losing streak now extending to four games, winless in five, the One NZ Warriors maintain 14th position on the NRL ladder, while other clubs are making their case as the competition turns its attention to Magic Round in Brisbane.

So, where does that currently leave your team in the SENZ Power Rankings?

The SENZ League team of play-by-play caller Sam Hewat, plus experts Blake Ayshford and Anthony Gelling, have crunched the numbers following Round 10 of the NRL.

Here's how they saw each matchup:

Dolphins def. Sea Eagles 30-24
The Dolphins continue to climb the NRL in 2024 and show no signs of the slowdown they experienced in the back half of 2023.

A host of troops returned from injury and suspension for Wayne Bennett’s side facing a Manly team that is hurting after dropping games they really should have won.

From the start it seemed like a similar story running out to 12-0 lead, only to suffer brutal injuries to star fullback Tom Trbojevic and winger Jason Saab. From there, it was all the Dolphins and young Trai Fuller who produced one of the best solo tries of the season as his side put on three tries in five minutes to lead at half-time – a lead they wouldn’t surrender.

Questions will be asked about the depth of the Sea Eagles which will now be tested yet again.

Blake Ayshford: Dolphins (1) Sea Eagles (0)
Anthony Gelling: Dolphins (2) Sea Eagles (0)
Sam Hewat: Dolphins (2) Sea Eagles (0)

Panthers def. Bulldogs 16-10
A real grind of a game where both teams completed under 80% and managed just four tries across the game.

The Bulldogs missed a whopping 54 tackles but the Panthers weren’t able to convert it into points with Nathan Cleary leaving the field once again just before halftime. It’s expected the star halfback will be out for quite some time (including State of Origin) meaning the Panthers will rely on Brad Schneider once more.

For the Bulldogs, it's a much better performance than what they would have dished up in 2023 and fans can definitely start getting excited about a potential top eight finish.

Blake Ayshford: Penrith (1) Bulldogs (0)
Anthony Gelling: Panthers (1) Bulldogs (1)
Sam Hewat: Panthers (1) Bulldogs (1)

Broncos def. Eels 30-14
The Eels season continues to go from bad to worse and Brad Arthur’s job must be hanging on a knife’s edge. Granted the team has been decimated by injuries, completing at 62% on Friday night is just simply not good enough to win NRL games.

Brisbane were far from their best, making eleven errors across the match, but the fact they still scored 30 points perhaps shows more about Paramatta than Brisbane.

Blake Ayshford: Broncos (2) Eels (0)
Anthony Gelling: Broncos (1) Eels (0)
Sam Hewat: Broncos (2) Eels (0)

Knights def. Wests Tigers 20-14
Bradman Best had a standout game for the Knights as Newcastle managed to hold off a spirited comeback from the Tigers in Tamworth.

You could argue both sides suffered from a lack of creativity on attack, which makes sense without players like Kalyn Ponga on the park, and the Tigers did well to limit the imposing forward pack the Knights put out, but really it was the edges that were exploited with quick plays to Greg Marzhew, Enari Tuala, David Armstrong, and Best all running wild to score Newcastle’s four tries.

Blake Ayshford: Knights (1) Tigers (0)
Anthony Gelling: Knights (1) Tigers (0)
Sam Hewat: Knights (1) Tigers (0)

Dragons def. Rabbitohs 28-14
The return of Latrell Mitchell for South Sydney wasn’t enough of a spark to see the Bunnies break their losing streak, going down to a Dragons team that is proving troublesome for most sides in the NRL this season.

Despite Mitchell bagging a double, it was a 14-minute stretch with the game in the balance where Souths lost control and St. George ran in two tries to extend their lead and close the match out.

A big question is whether South Sydney interim coach Ben Hornby will make any major changes, or keep things the same as the side looks to get back to winning ways.

Blake Ayshford: Dragons (2) Rabbitohs (0)
Anthony Gelling: Dragons (1) Rabbitohs (0)
Sam Hewat: Dragons (2) Rabbitohs (0)

Sharks def. Storm 25-18
The Sharks were dealt a big blow before kickoff with Nicho Hynes ruled out of their crucial clash against Melbourne at AAMI Park on Saturday night.

Pre-kickoff, all the conversation was around whether or not the Sharks could finally prove their Premiership credentials with a win against a top eight side.

Melbourne were without Jahrome Hughes and Ryan Papenhuyzen, but Hynes is arguably a much bigger piece to his side, with youngster Daniel Atkinson (at just 23 years of age) instead taking over the reins and impressing big time.

Cronulla are genuine contenders in 2024, make no mistake about it.

Blake Ayshford: Sharks (2) Storm (0)
Anthony Gelling: Sharks (3) Storm (1)
Sam Hewat: Sharks (2) Storm (0)

Roosters def. Warriors 38-18
It was a game summed up in one 15-minute period, where the Roosters ran in 18 unanswered points and had the NZ Warriors battling to even start the game, let alone get back into it.

To their credit, the Warriors fought their way out of hell and finished with a much more favourable score line than the first stanza suggested.

Plenty of things went their way from officiating, to injuries, and at times it’s like they’re just playing a team that’s fit, as opposed to the one that’s best.

The Roosters made sure to punish the Warriors for poor discipline and mistakes and solidified their position inside the top eight.

Blake Ayshford: Roosters (2) Warriors (0)
Anthony Gelling: Roosters (3) Warriors (0)
Sam Hewat: Roosters (3) Warriors (0)

Titans def. Cowboys 20-18
Gold Coast are finally getting on the right side of the ledger - another extremely close game, with more anxiety than Titans fans would have liked given they led 20-0 at half-time.

The Cowboys went on a run with twenty minutes to play, scoring three tries and setting up a grandstand finish, but the Titans held on. It came at a cost, however, with Kieran Foran and Harley Smith-Shields going off for injuries that may cause problems in the near-future.

The real problem though is the Cowboys, who many thought would battle back into the NRL’s top eight this year, perhaps even push the four. Now, Todd Payten is starting to look like a coach under pressure if the results continue on a downward trend.

Blake Ayshford: Titans (1) Cowboys (0)
Anthony Gelling: Titans (1) Cowboys (0)
Sam Hewat: Titans (1) Cowboys (0)

SENZ League Rankings after Round 10:

1. Panthers (1st previous week)
2. Sharks (2)
3. Roosters (4)
4. Storm (3)
5. Broncos (5)
6. Sea Eagles (6)
7. Bulldogs (7)
8. Dolphins (10)
9. Warriors (8)
10. Raiders (9)
11. Cowboys (11)
12. Dragons (14)
13. Knights (13)
14. Eels (12)
15. Titans (16)
16. Tigers (15)
17. Rabbitohs (17)

HOW IT WORKS

Each week, our NRL experts award points to each team for their performance over the weekend while also taking into account difficulty of opposition, playing at home/away, injuries etc. Points are generally awarded in the following manner:

0 points: Poor performance in a losing effort. 1 point: Good performance in a losing effort, or disappointing effort in winning effort. 2 points: Good performance in a winning effort. 3 points: Strong and dominant performance in a winning effort. 4 points: Exceptional performance in a winning effort.

At the end of each round, the points are tallied and teams are adjusted up and down accordingly. For teams on a bye, they will receive one point from each expert.

SENZ will be live from Magic Round throughout the weekend with live commentary of the Sea Eagles v Broncos, Sharks v Roosters, and Warriors v Panthers from Suncorp Stadium.