With no promotion or relegation, the teams here are the same as in 2021. Eight head into the playoff (blue) and eight (yellow) get off early. Let's look at the teams.
Penrith: Second in 2021, most people's favourite to win and they did it in style. Some injuries late in the season blunted their much vaunted attack but they were still too good.
Cronulla: Ninth 12 months ago, few if any saw this rise in fortune but they were effective without too much fanfare.
North Queensland: A lousy 15th to an impressive 3rd in one season? Yep. They had the attack and worked hard on their defence to become a successful team.
Paramatta: It's hard to get a smile out of the coach but he was happy with fourth place. He should be too.
Melbourne: The most successful club for some years and they started the season strongly too. Injuries and some loss of form led them to an uncharacteristic fifth.
Sydney Roosters: Finished strongly to take sixth place.
Sydney Rabbitohs: Dropped from third to seventh in one year and while having a talented roster, it doesn't always translate into a positive result.
Canberra: Same as the Roosters. Looked dead and buried but found a way into the playoffs.
Brisbane: The club was cruising into the finals but suddenly lost their way and had some disastrous results. The joint Choker Club of the year winners.
St George: A bunch of battlers but you need more than that to avoid an early exit.
Manly: The same as Brisbane and deserved co-winners of the above mentioned award.
Canterbury: A horror start but a better second half of the season got them to what is for this club a respectable placing.
Gold Coast: They could look really good at times but kept finding ways to lose. They should have done better.
Newcastle: A team of triers but well off the pace and did well to end up 14th.
New Zealand: A club that has spent three years in the road. How they have avoided the wooden spoon in that time is amazing. It's starting to take a toll on the squad, not that they will be getting any tangible help.
Wests: The fact they couldn't even threaten a bedraggled Warriors outfit shows where this club is at the moment. Truly woeful.
The chart below shows the teams in the playoffs (blue), those returning next year in the hope of doing better. Picture above the NZ Warriors.
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