NRL 2021 mid-season report cards: Every club graded at the halfway mark

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NRL 2021 Mid-Season Report Cards

Blink and you'll miss it.

The 2021 NRL season has reached the halfway mark and what a bumper ride it's been thus far.

From Canberra's stuggles to start the year that no one saw coming to Penrith being on the trajectory to outdo last year's remarkable rise to the grand final – there's been no shortage of storylines to begin the season.

After 12 rounds of footy, three tiers of the competition have clearly risen to the surface when it comes to performance.

Most people's money is on a Storm-Panthers GF rematch to decide this year's premiership, but the Eels, Roosters, Rabbitohs and even Sea Eagles are lurking.

Cast your eyes further down the ladder and it appears the battle for the lower part of the top eight could go down to the wire between the likes of the Warriors, Titans, Dragons and Cowboys. While cellar dwellers the Bulldogs and Broncos appear poised for a battle for the wooden spoon. 

As we do every year, Sporting News examines each club's position at halfway based on our pre-season predictions.

Interested to see where your club was at this time last season? Here are our 2020 report cards.

BRISBANE BRONCOS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 15th, 5-7, -85

Pre-season prediction: 15th

Mark: D

It's been somewhat of a baptism of fire for Kevin Walters in his inaugural season as an NRL coach, but let's be honest: we all saw this coming.

Brisbane are a different team each week they take the field, with huge question marks over a number of key positions across their starting side, as evidenced by Walters' naming virtually a different halves pairing each game.

There have been areas of promise – Tevita Pangai Junior is becoming a more consistent performer, Jamayne Isaako is having fewer rocks and diamonds games, and Payne Haas continues to develop into one of the competition's premier front-rowers – but a club with the power of Brisbane should still be better than this.

At the halfway mark, the Broncos sit in 16th position with a -356 points differential, having conceded 624 points to date. At this rate, that could read 1000 come September.

CANBERRA RAIDERS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 13th, 4-8, -86

Pre-season prediction: 5th

Mark: D-

In the space of a few months, the Raiders have gone from pre-season premiership fancies to contenders for the spoon.

From second-half fade-outs, star players out of form and others seeking the exit door mid-season ala George Williams and subsequent rumours of coach-player rifts, all is not well down in the nation's capital. 

A team that became a constant premiership contender over recent years off toughness and defensive resolve, the Raiders have completely lost their identity. 

They're currently averaging 25.4 points conceded per game, which is a far cry away from their average of 15.8 in 2020. The Raiders also rank 13th for points scored this season, which highlights the fact their spine isn't gelling.

No doubt injuries have played a part, with Josh Hodgson returning from last year's ACL injury and fullback Charnze Nichol-Klokstad also sidelined, but they're not worthy excuses for the club's current plight.

Canberra Raiders

CANTERBURY BULLDOGS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 16th, 1-11, -226

Pre-season prediction: 13th

Mark: D

Even with the holes throughout their roster and our pre-season prediction of a bottom-four finish, the Bulldogs were expected to have had a couple more wins on the board than just one under new coach Trent Barrett.

Barrett was thought to hold the key to reviving the Bulldogs' attack after what he did with Penrith's last season, but in all honesty, it hasn't looked any better than last year's.

Canterbury are averaging just under two converted tries a game, which simply isn't enough to compete with even the mid-tier teams on a consistent basis.

As has been the case for a few years now, the attack issues stem from the fact they've struggled to land on the right halves pairing, with new recruit Kyle Flanagan unable to fire to this point. Brought to the club as a fullback, Corey Allan is another fresh face whose influence hasn't been noteworthy. 

While props Luke Thompson and Renouf Atoni have been shining lights, as a unit the Bulldogs forward pack lacks muscle and the ability to impose themselves on the contest across the 80 minutes. That's going to make it hard for any team.

CRONULLA SHARKS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 10th, 4-8, -47

Pre-season prediction: 10th

Mark: C-

Cronulla were considered a mid-table team prior to season kick-off and they're performing just about below that at the halfway point, sitting in a logjam in 10th with four wins and superior points differential.

With the lack of quality across the competition this year, when you take out the off-field dramas, Cronulla realistically should be sitting inside the top eight with the roster they have.

The bizarre axing of John Morris back in April, plus the noise around off-contract players like Shaun Johnson and Matt Moylan, looks to have thrown the club off the rails.

Missing Johnson, their most important attacking player last year, for the first two months with an achilles injury hasn't helped either, and since returning the gun playmaker is still finding his feet.

There have been green shoots, in particular the emergence of Will Kennedy as the club's first-choice fullback, but Sharks fans will be disappointed with what they've witnessed from their side this year.

sharks loss roosters

GOLD COAST TITANS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 12th, 5-8, -61

Mark: C

With the way they finished off 2020 and then recruited for this season, the Titans were a real consideration for the top six.

Although there's still time for the side to solidify a finals spot currently sitting in 10th, there are clear growing pains evident in Justin Holbrook's young team.

Bursting onto the blocks to start the year with three wins from their first five games, Gold Coast looked to becoming the team many thought they would with Origin stars David Fifita and Tino Fa'asuamalueai joining this year.

Fifita sure looks like he could prove to be the Buy of the Year, even with the $1 million the Titans paid, but outside of that we're still left wanting more from the NRL's newest team.

There's no shortage of points in this team, but the Titans are very capable of shooting themselves in the foot with leaky defence, which is ranked the 5th worst in the competition.

MANLY SEA EAGLES

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 6th, 6-6, +1

Pre-season prediction: 11th

Mark: B

Only a brave punter had Manly placed in their pre-season top eight, but the way Des Hasler's side have turned their season around at the blink of an eye has been remarkable.

As is often the case when Tom Trobjevic is on the sidelined, the Sea Eagles performed and plummeted to the bottom of the ladder to start the year off winless.

But since the superstar fullback's return, Manly are now a genuine top-four chance after winning five of their last seven with Trbojevic in the No. 1.

Credit needs to be paid to Manly's forward pack too, with Martin Taupau's big motor in the middle setting strong foundations plus youngster Josh Schuster's ballplaying class on the left edge offering areal point of difference to the attack.

Widely considered a bottom eight side before a ball was kicked, the Sea Eagles need to be commended on sitting in sixth spot with 6-6 record at the halfway point of the season. At this rate they appear to be the only side capable of breaking up the competition's top four.

Tom Trbojevic

MELBOURNE STORM

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 2nd, 11-2, +268

Pre-season prediction: 2nd

Mark: A+

It's a matter of copy and paste for last year's premiers.

Repeating history of going to a new level a year after losing a big name player, Melbourne haven't missed a beat since farewelling Cameron Smith to retirement. But that hasn't been their only challenge.

They've been without Clive Churchill Medalist Ryan Papenhuyzen for much of the year, and had to battle on without injured stars Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Dale Finucane at stages during the season, and still sit in second place.

The constant speculation about where coach Craig Bellamy will be next year – whether it's coaching elsewhere, retiring or staying – also hasn't been ideal.

However, like they have for over a decade now, Melbourne continue to show resilience unmatched by the rest of the competition.

Scoring a whopping 34.2 points per game to hold the NRL's most dangerous attack, Melbourne also rank 1st in the competition for linebreaks, tacklebreaks, offloads and try assists. While only Penrith have a stronger defence.

Put it all together and you're looking at the formula for another Melbourne Storm premiership waiting to happen.

NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 14th, 5-8, -121

Pre-season prediction: 9th

Mark: C-

Newcastle have been one of the disappointments of the competition.

The acquisition of rep edge forward Tyson Frizell was tipped to see Newcastle improve on last year's sixth-place finish, but that hasn't proven to be the case.

They've had to endure their battles – namely Mitchell Pearce suffering a pec tear in round four, and Kalyn Ponga's ongoing absence – but Adam O'Brien's side looks unrecognisable to the one last year that made finals off tough and unrelenting defence and a never-say-die attitude. 

On a number of occassions the challenge has been put to the Knights' senior players to aim up and they haven't, which has clearly had a flow-on effect on the younger players.

NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 7th, 6-6, -87

Pre-season prediction: 12th

Mark: B

Things started off rocky for Todd Payten in his first season in Townsville but the Cowboys have gradually turned a corner to now be inside the top eight.

There weren't big expectations on the Cowboys given teams tend to take time to find their feet under a new coach, but four heavy losses to start the season, headlined by the 48-10 defeat to Cronulla in round four, left some huge question marks over the club's prospects in 2021.

There were rumours of unrest between Payten and his biggest name in Jason Taumalolo, which both have since smoothed over, while the Cowboys also lost co-captain Michael Morgan to medical retirement inside the first month of the season.

Winning fixes everything though, and that's exactly how North Queensland have addressed it. They've now won six of their last eight at the halfway point of the season and Payten looks to have unlocked his side's attack, which has averaged 26.2 per game over this winning stretch. Conceding an average of 27.7 points a game, defensively they still need work.

Nonetheless, a finals finish would be considered a big accomplishment to end the year for North Queensland, and it's looking more and more likely entering the second half of the season.

PARRAMATTA EELS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 3rd, 10-3, +148

Pre-season prediction: 6th

Mark: A-

Two back-to-back recent losses have put a dampener on what's otherwise been a really impressive start to the year for Parramatta.

As is always the case going into a new season, you never know what to expect from the blue and gold, but the inconsistencies that have plagued the club over the past decade look to have disappeared.

Brad Arthur has built a winning blueprint off his big and mobile forward pack's dominance in the middle of the field, which sees the Eels ranked second in the competition for run metres, which workhorse fullback Clint Gutherson, averaging 185 run metres a game also deserves credit for.

While Mitch Moses is looking like a far more confident player, which has had a big influence on Parramatta's attack.

Pivotal to the club's top-four position has also been the influence of new recruit Isaiah Papali'i, who after being pushed out of the Warriors has found a home on the Eels' left-edge and emerged as undoubtedly the NRL's buy of the year thus far. 

PENRITH PANTHERS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 1st, 12-1, +286

Pre-season prediction: 4th

Mark: A+

This one writes itself.

It took an almighty effort for the Tigers to beat them – albeit it with half of their team unavailable due to Origin – but Penrith's almost perfect start to the year is one to be marvelled at.

Halves Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai have set the standard with the ball in hand, James Fisher-Harris has again solidified himself as the NRL's premier forward, while Brian To'o has taken his game to a new level and redefined the way a winger can influence the momentum of a team.

You could single out almost any individual in Ivan Cleary's team but what makes Penrith a great outfit is the way they work together as a unit for the full 80 minutes.

While their attack is what mostly steals the headlines due to the jaw-dropping tries it produces, Penrith's defence is what has them on the trajectory to better last year's slim grand final loss and claim the premiership this season.

Penrith Panthers

SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 4th, 9-3, +45

Pre-season prediction: 1st

Mark: B-

The Rabbitohs were widely tipped as this year's premiership favourites, and based on that presumption, you'd have to say their opening half of the year hasn't been up to scratch.

A circuit breaker win over fellow heavyweights Parramatta in their last start papers over what's been a stop-start kind of year so far for Wayne Bennett's side, who to be fair have had to deal with a few injuries and other off-field disruptions.

What's most concerning is their defence. Attack has never and will never be an issue for a team containing Cody Walker, Latrell Mitchell and Damien Cook. But defensively the Rabbitohs are averaging 22.7 points per game to rank as the NRL's 10th worst defensive side.

While they're still hovering around the top four, Souths have mostly struggled to match it with top class opposition, as evidenced by them conceding over 50 points to both Penrith and Melbourne. This paints a bleak picture for their hopes of a deep finals run.

But as with any Wayne Bennett-coached team, don't ever write them off for some late-season magic.

ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 8th, 6-7, +9

Pre-season prediction: 16th

Mark: B

Many – not quite us – but many placed the Dragons as wooden spoon favourites going into the season, so on that alone you'd have to call their first half of the year a big success.

Anthony Griffin has taken his new side to within the top eight all thanks to an impressive four-game win streak at the start of the year, bookended by a dominant win over Parramatta at Bankwest Stadium in round five.

Since then they've won two of their last eight, in an indifferent run of form that perhaps more truly represents where the Dragons are at in their first season with Griffin at the helm.

There were huge doubts over how Ben Hunt would handle the sole captaincy, but the maligned halfback has taken it in his stride and is in arguably his best form since arriving at the Dragons in 2018 with a $1 million price tag attached.

While it was heavily doubted, Griffin's recruitment of Andrew McCullough as hooker has more or less paid off, plus Jack Bird has been a raging success in his return to the Dragons after virtually two years out of the game up in Brisbane with ACL dramas.

All up Griffin's new Dragons have given fans enough to cheer about at this point of the season, with only one win needed to better last year's campaign.

SYDNEY ROOSTERS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 5th, 8-4, +147

Pre-season prediction: 3rd

Mark: A-

With what they've been served up over the course of the opening half of the year, the Roosters can hang their heads high on sitting in fifth and only a win away from third-placed Parramatta.

From Jake Friend's mid-season retirement, the loss of Luke Keary to an ACL injury in round three, Lachlan Lam's extended absence and the ongoing unavailability of Boyd Cordner, the bad luck the Tricolours have had to overcome will have seen many other clubs crumble by now.

But as they've made a habit of doing over the years, Trent Robinson's side keeps plowing on thanks to their ever-consistent senior players, and the remarkable rise of young halfback Sam Walker.

Even before all that has happened so far this season, there were other sides considered stronger on paper than the Roosters, but like any champion team, they refuse to go down without a fight.

Whether they can keep it up all the way until September remains to be seen. After similar luck last year, the Roosters looked spent going into last year's finals series and crashed out in the semis.

But a top-four finish from this point on will be considered a success.

Sam Walker

NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 9th, 5-7, -40

Pre-season prediction: 8th

Mark: B

The Warriors have shown plenty of promise under Nathan Brown – enough to be a worthy finals contender.

Their attack hasn't let up, but defensively they've developed a grittiness that has been lacking for years, which is all the more impressive given they've been missing their biggest enforcer in the middle of the field in Addin Fonua-Blake for most of the season.

The Warriors are rated the best side for ball control in the competition by NRL.com, and when they complete high they're a very hard team to take down.

Given they rank 13th for tackles in opposition 20 suggests the Warriors are struggling for go forward, which again hasn't been helped by the absence of Fonua-Blake, one of the league's premier metre-makers. However, Brown's side are clearly missing one or two more top-class forwards.

When you throw youngster Reece Walsh into the mix, and the attacking combination he's carved out with Kodi Nikorima and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, and there's a lot to like about what the Warriors could achieve come the end of the regular season. Watch this space.

WESTS TIGERS

Ladder position/win record/points differential: 11th, 5-8, -54

Pre-season prediction: 14th

Mark: C

Three wins from their last five starts to round out the first half of the season will give Tigers fans some hope going into the back half, but it's been another year of mixed results for Michael Maguire's side.

Defensively the Tigers have shown their usual frailties throughout the year, with an average of 25.7 points conceded making them the NRL's 12th ranked defensive side, but their attack has started to come good slowly as the year has worn on.

The role new recruit Daine Laurie has played at fullback in putting more points on the board has been noticeable, while Luke Brooks and Adam Doueihi are really starting to play with more confidence.

Forwards Alex Twal and Luciano Leilua continue their development in Maguire's system, while even Joe Ofahenguae has found some after his switch from the Broncos.

Overall there have been areas of promise, but not enough to suggest the Tigers will be able to rid themselves of the 'perenially 9th' tag that has plagued them for years.

Author(s)
Ed Chisholm Photo

Ed Chisholm is a content producer for Sporting News Australia.