The improbable dream of the Panthers rising from last spot to give a fifth straight premiership a red-hot go is now well and truly alive.

They were stone cold motherless with a 2-6 record after Round 8 but are now in the top eight and riding high after upsetting the Warriors in Auckland despite Ivan Cleary’s gamble to rest his five Origin stars.

After their under-strength side lost to Newcastle last month, they have beaten Parra and Wests Tigers – not too much to write home about – but now Warriors to show they won’t give up their title without an almighty fight.

They are seven points adrift of the top four but if they can rise another three or four rungs by the end of the season, anything is possible.

Here’s how the teams stack up after Round 16. 

1. Bulldogs (Last week 1): Had their final bye of the year so once they get through the next few weeks of Origin interference, they can lock in on securing the minor premiership before focusing on their ultimate goal.

Cameron Ciraldo looks set to put Lachie Galvin into the halves alongside Matt Burton, starting with Thursday’s blockbuster against Penrith.

2. Raiders (2): Ricky Stuart summed it up by saying it was an ugly win at Campbelltown over the Tigers on Friday night.

But that’s what the good teams do, even when they are below their best.

3. Storm (3): Another example of a professional outfit doing enough without anything fancy.

With four Origin reps backing up, they did not look as engaged as usual but Ryan Papenhuyzen’s fresh legs and Sua Fa’alogo’s younger ones proved decisive in the closing stages against the Rabbitohs. 

4. Roosters (7): They have unearthed several young prospects in 2025 and you can now add hooker Benaiah Ioelu to the ever-growing list.

The 21-year-old New Zealander had the Cowboys at sixes and sevens at Allianz Stadium on Sunday and created a try for Daniel Tupou with a pin-point kick.

Blaize Talagi celebrates with teammates. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

5. Panthers (6): Their win over the Warriors in Auckland could be the turning point of what had been an underwhelming season for the four-time defending premiers.

If they can bring down the Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium on Thursday night, the impossible dream of rising from the cellar to the penthouse is very much in play.

6. Warriors (5): They have split their last four matches and this week’s bye comes at an ideal time so they can reset heading into the final two months of the regular season.

7. Dolphins (4): They slipped up in Perth after a three-game purple patch. 

Despite their mid-season hot streak, they are ninth on the ladder and need to cash in with six points from their next three outings against Souths, Cronulla and the Cowboys to solidify their playoff prospects.

8. Broncos (8): They’re up to fifth on the ladder on the back of their resurgence to sink the Sharks on Sunday.

But there are still plenty of issues for Michael Maguire to solve and their upcoming clashes with the Warriors and Bulldogs will provide more clarity around whether they are genuine contenders or still in the pretenders category.

9. Knights (13): They have won three of their past five to revive their playoff hopes. 

The 26-20 upset of the Dolphins in Perth was their best performance all year but with Fletcher Sharpe hospitalised with a lacerated kidney, their hopes of proving they are the real deal against Canberra this Friday have taken a huge hit.

Cameron McInnes is tackled. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

10. Sharks (9): When they click they are slick. But when the heat is on, they wilt. 

Cronulla have lost three of four with an unconvincing win over the Dragons their only points of the past month. 

11. Eels (11): The fact that they knocked over the Titans even though Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown were watching from the stands says a lot about this team.

Jason Ryles is building something with this rebuild.

12. Rabbitohs (10): They were unlucky not to get the chocolates against Melbourne on Saturday night – they were the better team for the match apart from the first 10 minutes and the extra time period.

13. Tigers (12): They have now lost five on the trot and don’t seem to be learning from the error of their ways.

With all the momentum in the second half they should have run down the Raiders at Campbelltown on Friday night but dopey decisions (see hair-pulling penalty while in possession against Jeral Skelton) continue to bring them undone.

14. Sea Eagles (15): Anthony Seibold is rolling the dice with Tom Trbojevic to centre and Lehi Hopoate to fullback. 

Hope it works for his sake or that could be curtains not only for his time at Manly but also for his NRL head coaching career after three stops along the way. 

15. Dragons (16): They’ve got to take down the Eels on Saturday in Wollongong with a huge rest advantage coming off a bye against a team that played Sunday night.

Or their faint finals hopes will be in “mathematical chance only” territory.

16. Titans (14): They tried hard against Parramatta but the NRL is no place for participation ribbons.

17. Cowboys (17): Apart from a narrow win over the Tigers, they have suffered four heavy defeats in the past five rounds with Manly, Melbourne, the Dolphins and Roosters tearing their flimsy defence apart.

Todd Payten’s time could be running out to turn this sinking ship around.