Even though there is a clear top four in the NRL, it is in fact a wide open competition, much more so than the past four or five years when the Storm and Panthers dominated. 

Melbourne are again legit title contenders, even though the Bulldogs and Warriors are above them on the ladder and the Raiders have a better record even though Melbourne are technically ahead of them due to the two byes they’ve already pocketed.

The fact that Canberra still have six competition points to come from their three byes means they are not only set to finish in the top four, they could even end up doing the unthinkable and take out the minor premiership if the Dogs, Warriors and Storm falter in the second half of the season.

In the lower reaches of the top eight, Cronulla, the Cowboys and Sea Eagles are capable of getting to grand final night if they find the consistency that has eluded them throughout the year thus far. 

And although the Broncos, Roosters and Panthers are on the outside looking in at the top eight, it’s not yet time to write them off. 

Here’s how the teams stack up after Round 13. 

1. Bulldogs (1): They stay on top of the rankings after having a bye. 

The addition of Lachie Galvin could be a massive mid-season boost, although if Cameron Ciraldo replaces Toby Sexton in the halves with the former Tigers teenager, it has the potential to blow up in their face with Galvin and Matt Burton both natural five-eighths.

As the old saying doesn’t go, two five-eighths don’t make up a whole.

2. Storm (2): They keep second spot … just … after a less than convincing victory over the Titans on the Gold Coast. 

They were without Harry Grant and Xavier Coates, but it was another example of Melbourne getting the job done without necessarily reinforcing their status as one of the teams to beat. 

3. Raiders (3): Yet another gritty, defiant, against the odds, name your adjective here win for Canberra. 

That’s nine wins from 12 matches for Ricky Stuart’s ragtag bunch, and with the young prospects getting more game time as the season wears on, the Green Machine should only improve in the run-in to the finals. 

Mitchell Barnett. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

4. Warriors (4): Not at their best in beating the Bunnies, but they got the job done. 

The potential absence of Mitch Barnett due to a knee injury could be a huge body blow for Andrew Webster’s team, but they have maintained a high standard all season long, despite James Fisher-Harris, Dylan Watene-Zelezniak and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck being in and out of the line-up. 

5. Sharks (5): Had the bye, but get to go up a spot because the Roosters have dropped.

A crunch game for them looms in round 14 at home to the Warriors. 

6. Roosters (6): They drop a spot because they dropped a match they should have won against the Raiders.

They had their nose in front for the most part during the game, but a couple of defensive lapses, particularly on one kick chase, proved costly for a team that is threatening to make a run at the finals but is still languishing in 12th spot on the ladder with a 5-6 record. 

7. Sea Eagles (7): When they click like they did in the first half at Brookvale on Saturday night, Manly are one of the best teams to watch in the NRL.

Unfortunately for coach Anthony Seibold and their fans, they can often follow that up with a clunker. They need to consolidate over the next month and with Newcastle, Gold Coast, the Tigers and Rabbitohs on the schedule, it’s a chance for them to start knocking on the door of the top four. 

Tom Dearden scores a try against Wests Tigers. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

8. Cowboys (9): Another team that looks unstoppable when they’re on song like they did on Saturday night when racing out to a 32-6 lead over Wests Tigers.

But they showed their soft underbelly by then conceding four straight tries and nearly giving up two competition points that should never have been in the balance if they had been able to put their foot on the Tigers’ throat. 

9. Rabbitohs (10): Hang on, didn’t they just lose to the Warriors but they go up a notch?

Well, that is because the Broncos have plummeted and Souths did not lose too many admirers in pushing the team running second all the way.

10. Dolphins (12): Rise two spots by doing nothing, well not quite nothing. They did have a win over the team coming first before they had the bye last weekend.

They need to string a few more performances like that together, starting with this Friday’s Suncorp Stadium showdown with St George Illawarra. 

11. Broncos (9): Michael Maguire seems to say the same thing in every post-match media conference, that the team needs to be just a bit smarter.

That message is not sinking in because they came up with a fair few dumb plays in attack and defence against Manly. And it could be time for him to start seriously swinging the selection axe to shake up this underperforming team. 

12. Dragons (14): They looked like a more than competent team in the way they dismantled Newcastle on Friday. 

Jacob Liddle has to be one of the most improved players in the NRL this season, going from being a reliable hooker to a player who is now capable of busting a game wide open. 

Loko Pasifiki Tonga celebrates scoring a try. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

13. Panthers (17): They have been reinstated to the periphery of playoff contenders by virtue of their nail-biting win over Parra. It’s too early to say whether this was just a flash in the pan or a sign that they are truly on the way back into finals contention. But after the season they’ve had, any win is a good win.

With another four games to negotiate through the Origin period, they are far from out of the woods. 

14. Eels (13): One that got away on Sunday against Penrith. 

Despite being down near the bottom of the ladder with a 4-8 record, there is still plenty to like about the way they have gone about their business in Jason Ryles’ rookie season as coach. 

They won’t threaten for the top eight in the second half of the season, even if Mitch Moses and Zac Lomax stay on the park, but they will be a tough out for whoever they come up against. 

15. Tigers (11): Going backwards fast. They are playing like a frustrated team at the moment, giving away silly penalties and arguing the point far too often.

Both two sin bins they gifted the Cowboys on Saturday night could have been avoided, and given that they nearly pulled off a rousing comeback victory, those two blunders in the first half were extremely costly. 

They won’t break their finals drought at this rate, and with Galvin now gone, their chances are fading faster than you can say “I want a release from my contract”. 

16. Titans (15): Des Hasler threw up one of his trademark smokescreens in the post-match media conference when he complained about a try to Sam Verrills that was disallowed at a crucial part of the game against Melbourne. 

The fact of the matter is they were 12 points down at this stage, and even if the try had been awarded, which it should have been, Gold Coast probably still would have lost to a Storm team missing a couple of their star players. 

17. Knights (17): Speaking of smokescreens, Adam O’Brien tried to divert attention from his team’s dismal display against the Dragons by pointing out that they were in the midst of a rough stretch when they had to play three times in the space of nine days. 

That is, indeed, a poor piece of scheduling, but it should not detract from the fact that Newcastle have been ineffective in attack all season, and his constant chopping and changing reeks of a team that lacks an identity and a coach desperately searching for answers.