1. Penrith Panthers (Last Week: 1): Worked hard late in the contest to see off a depleted Canberra team by a single point – not pretty, but they got the job done.
2. South Sydney Rabbitohs (2): Speaking of not pretty, the Bunnies were equally flat against the Titans but also did enough to pull out a close win.
The Panthers retain their spot at the top of our NRL power rankings.
Photo: NRL Photos
3. St George Illawarra Dragons (3): And let's go for the hat trick – the Saints held on late against their rivals the Bulldogs as the top three won by a combined five points.
4. Melbourne Storm (4): Pulled away from the Broncos in the second half and look to be on track to be right around the top four at season's end.
5. New Zealand Warriors (5):Flattened the Sea Eagles and this is the time of year where the Warriors really thrive – will the Denver test disrupt their rhythm?
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6. Cronulla Sharks (6): Came from behind to overrun the Tigers late on, another team that could be primed for a strong second half surge.
7. Sydney Roosters (8): Just did enough against the Knights, and are quietly lurking just outside the top four.
8. Brisbane Broncos (7): Well beaten in Melbourne, and are really struggling for cohesion and organisation. Still haven't worked out their best halves pairing.
9. Canberra Raiders (10): Another game, another heartbreaking late loss for the Raiders. Their fans have suffered more in the last couple of years than anyone should in one lifetime.
10. Wests Tigers (9): Starting to slow down now as Ivan Cleary continues to chop and change his backline each week in the search for more points.
11. Newcastle Knights (12): Ripped in against the Roosters and nearly came away with the two points – could shock a few sides when Mitchell Pearce returns.
12. North Queensland Cowboys (11): Easily beaten by Parramatta in Darwin before a couple of late tries gave the scoreline some respectibility.
13. Gold Coast Titans (14): Unlucky to lose against the Rabbitohs as their poor season continues – some bright sparks for the future, though.
14. Manly Sea Eagles (13): A big loss on the field, and off-field drama continuing to rear its head as well. Not looking good at all on the northern beaches.
15. Parramatta Eels (16): A much more solid performance this week, with Jarryd Hayne putting in his best shift of the year.
16. Canterbury Bankstown-Bulldogs (15): Worked really hard against the Dragons but still came up short and still struggling to find points in attack.
Matt Bungard is a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald.
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