NRL Power Rankings: Sharks jump to top spot, Warriors keep top 8 dream alive

Magic Round was an absolute feast of rugby league, showcasing why it deserves to be a major highlight on the sporting calendar each year.

Suncorp Stadium saw nearly 150,000 in attendance with many games being competitively close and highly entertaining, so where does that rank your NRL team on the weekly 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 11 of the NRL.

Here's how they saw each matchup:

Raiders def. Bulldogs 24-20
The Bulldogs came into Magic Round off the back of a strong performance against Penrith in Round 10, and bullish about their chances against a Raiders side full of youngsters.

Alas, it was all going the Doggies way when Jordan Rapana and Josh Papalii were both sent to the bin for Canberra in the space of five minutes, resulting in two quick tries for the blue and whites.

Blake Ayshford: Raiders (1) Bulldogs (0)
Anthony Gelling: Raiders (3) Bulldogs (1)
Sam Hewat: Raiders (2) Bulldogs (0)

Broncos def. Sea Eagles 13-12
Billed as one of the games of Magic Round, the Sea Eagles were looking to rectify a two-game slide against teams they really should have beaten, while Brisbane were once again forced to play without Adam Reynolds.

A true grind, both these teams were guilty of errors across the field, pointing to their positions on the completion percentage charts – Brisbane in 16th and Manly in 12th – making for a tight but perhaps less entertaining watch than many thought.

Just a Jock Madden field goal in the 75th minute separated the two sides and Manly see their losing streak extend to three.

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

Knights def. Titans 28-24
The Knights continue to roll on without Kalyn Ponga, now four wins on the trot in large part thanks to fill-in fullback David Armstrong – who nabbed a hattrick against Newcastle on Saturday.

Despite yet another loss for the Gold Coast, fans should take some delight in the fact Des Hasler is blooding plenty of young stars and this team could be on the verge of something special in the next few years should injuries stay away – a problem for most clubs in 2024.

Blake Ayshford: Knights (1) Titans (0)
Anthony Gelling: Knights (2) Titans (0)
Sam Hewat: Knights (1) Titans (0)

Sharks def. Roosters 38-30
The game of the round had it all on Saturday night, with the high-flying Cronulla Sharks taking on the in-form Sydney Roosters.

Both teams were looking for a statement to prove to the rest of the competition they mean business, and this time it was Cronulla coming out on top to stay in the number one position on the NRL ladder.

Both sides traded blows, going try-for-try, with the Roosters ahead narrowly at half-time, but the Sharks reeled them in and Tom Hazelton sealed the game’s fate in the 77th minute.

The Sharks are genuine contenders in 2024 and to be honest, the Roosters are not far behind at all.

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

Cowboys def. Rabbitohs 28-22
The Cowboys and Todd Payten were desperate to turn around a four-game losing streak against the bottom-of-the-table Rabbitohs. They came out of the blocks flying and at one point held a 22-12 lead with 15 minutes to play.

To their credit, the Rabbitohs stayed in the game for the entire 80 minutes - however, the Cowboys completed at just 69% and missed a whopping 51 tackles. Against any other side in the NRL, that might have ended in a shellacking.

Still, they will bank a very important two points as they struggle to find the identity that propelled them into the top four just two years ago.

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

Warriors def. Penrith 22-20
Do we really need to say anything? The NZ Warriors produced the ultimate Houdini during Magic Round, upsetting the reigning Premiers with a side bereft of their most important pieces.

Players out of position, youngsters with less than ten NRL games under their belt, and a concussion to Wayde Egan after 15 minutes wasn’t enough to deter Andrew Webster’s men who came to Brisbane to shock the rugby league world.

The big question now is whether they can back it up on Sunday against the Dolphins and if this is the true turning point in their 2024 season.

Blake Ayshford: Warriors (3) Panthers (1)
Anthony Gelling: Warriors (2) Panthers (0)
Sam Hewat: Warriors (2) Panthers (0)

Storm def. Eels 48-16
There’s not a lot of positive things to say about this performance from the Eels. So much so, it took Paramatta less than 24 hours following the match to make the call to sack Brad Arthur immediately.

Harry Grant stole the show for Melbourne, while seemingly everyone chipped in on the scoresheet to come one missed conversion away from cracking the 50-point mark.

The only downside for Melbourne is seeing Cameron Munster go down with a nasty injury that will see him ruled out of State of Origin.

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

Dolphins def. Tigers 24-12
The Dolphins continue to fly under the radar of most rugby league pundits despite sitting inside the NRL’s top four.

Still, most of their wins have come against weaker opposition, and Sunday was no different as they took down a Tigers team who coach Benji Marshall described to be “beating themselves”.

He’s probably right, on plenty of occasions the Tigers had chances to score points and potentially win the game, only to come up with a silly error, wrong decision, or stupid pass.

The Dolphins just held them at bay long enough to allow Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to get his legs moving and once he did, it was lights out for Benji’s men.

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

SENZ League Rankings after Round 11:

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

Join Sam Hewat and Blake Ayshford for commentary of the One NZ Warriors v Dolphins, live from Go Media Stadium this Sunday from 5pm.