NRL Teams Rated : 2020 Top Teams

The top eight moved into a finals series, where teams were eliminated until the finalists were found. The road to that point and the final itself can be found elsewhere but here I will simply rank the sides. The points they achieved in the main round of matches is shown.

8th: 20 points, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (Sydney).

They were the lowest-ranked of the top eight and went straight out at the first elimination hurdle. There was some class in the team but were the obvious candidate to exit early. Although only losing 20-32 to Canberra, through the season they ended up conceding more than they scored, including this elimination match. 

7th: 23 points, Newcastle Knights (NSW).

I didn't expect the Knights to make the cut but they played well through the season and earned their place here. However, they were always likely to leave at this point and in that they didn't disappoint. Well beaten 20-46 by Souths, I didn't expect more.

6th: 28 points, Sydney Roosters (Sydney).

The team from the eastern side of the city had won the previous two grand finals and for much of the competition played like they were genuine title contenders yet again. But when they approached the business end of the season, their form dipped alarmingly and lost both their finals matches for an early exit. True, both losses were by slender margins but their form warranted their departing.

5th: 30 points, Parramatta Eels (Sydney). The team from the midwest of Sydney did slightly better than I thought they would. Their captain Clint Gutherson was inspirational. They too lost both finals matches to two classy sides. 

4th: 24 points, South Sydney Rabbitohs (Sydney).

This was a team that on its day could demolish any other team. They lost some key players and were not as consistent as they should be. A roster of gifted players can be like that. Winning the first two finals games got them here, but narrowly lost 16-20 to Penrith. Certainly good enough to go all the way, this was the third consecutive season to finish one game short of the final. Ouch!

3rd: 28 points, Canberra Raiders (ACT).

Situated in the capital city, it's not an area one would expect a working-class sport like RL to prosper but they have. The team has been bolstered by taking a punt on importing English players to supplement their own well organised development system. They won both games to make the semi-final but were well beaten 10-30 by Melbourne. They are still a tad short of being good enough to go all the way.

2nd: 37 points, Penrith Panthers (Sydney).

The team from the foot of the mountains in the far west of Sydney went from not making the finals in 2019 to easily winning the league and reaching the final. They put together 17 consecutive wins in the lead up to the big game. In a tough sort such as RL is, that was a huge achievement. They had a poor first half of the final before staging a comeback in the second 40 minutes. Lack of experience in this situation may have been the reason. They will be better for the loss.

1st: 32 points, Melbourne Storm (Victoria).

This is a club in a state where RL isn't that big, but with a clever recruitment system they keep on delivering year after year. Stars retire and they create new stars to fill their boots in a seamless transition of quality that is amazing to behold. Second in the league, they took the final with a devastating first half. The second half effort had the coach less than impressed but in the end yet another title for the team in hostile territory.

	Rk	Team	Pts	W	L	Diff
	1	Penrith Panthers	37	18	1	299
	2	Melbourne Storm	32	16	4	258
	3	Parramatta Eels	30	15	5	104
	4	Sydney Roosters	28	14	6	230
	5	Canberra Raiders	28	14	6	128
	6	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	12	8	169
	7	Newcastle Knights	23	11	8	47
	8	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	20	10	10	0