On Saturday afternoon and evening, both the Eels and Dolphins secured their initial victories of the season.
On the opposite side of the table, the Bulldogs maintained their perfect record at the beginning of the 2025 season.
At the center of the table lies sheer pandemonium. It’s beautiful, Rugby League-style pandemonium. There were upsets, landslides, and even some players sent off. This past weekend truly had everything.
Where did your team end up on ours? Power Rankings following Round Five?:
1. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (Last Week: 1)
The Dogs managed to maintain their lead. Newcastle Knights scoreless during their journey to a fifth consecutive victory to kick off their 2025 season.
Kurt Mann marked his 200th appearance by scoring a try in special segments. Bronson Xerri He has flames licking at his left side. As one, the Bulldogs displayed remarkable performance.
They will head into their Good Friday match in two weeks without any losses since they get a bye this week. What an impressive beginning to the season!
2. Melbourne Storm (5)
If there’s anywhere you definitely don’t want to find yourself, it’s up against Melbourne after they’ve lost. They completely dominated Manly, and this wasn’t even at their home ground; it was at Brookvale.
Jahrome Hughes and Cam Munster were the primary devastators while Grant Anderson achieved a hat-trick. It’s impossible to put into words that second-half surge.
Melbourne will welcome the Warriors, who had last week off, for an exciting Sunday matinee match that might just turn out to be one of the highlights of this round.
3. Brisbane Broncos (3)
The Broncos appeared to struggle with finding their higher gears against the Tigers. However, this can be seen more as an encouraging sign rather than a drawback since they still dominated throughout the match.
Adam Reynolds A potential injury cast a dark shadow over what would have been an otherwise outstanding evening. In the competition, Pat Carrigan emerged as the victor against his props partner. Payne Haas on the night.
In Brisbane, once more playing at home, has an opportunity to make quick work of the struggling Roosters this Friday evening. I anticipate that they will take full advantage of it.
4. New Zealand Warriors (4)
The Warriors relaxed and watched as chaos unfolded over the previous weekend due to their bye week.
They head over to face the scorching-hot Storm on Sunday afternoon. This might just be the ideal situation when playing in Melbourne.
5. South Sydney Rabbitohs (6)
Despite ongoing injuries and unfavorable chances, the Bunnies managed another victory this weekend against their longtime adversaries, the Roosters.
Latrell Mitchell appreciated the brilliance of the match-winning pass though it was initiated once more by their tiny playmaker Jye Gray .
Souths, lacking their starting halves due to unavailability, will face the Cowboys on Saturday evening. It would be foolish to discount them.
6. Manly Sea Eagles (2)
I want to make it clear right away, I'm not suggesting that Manly defeated the Storm. Tom Trbojevic On the sideline, but wow, they certainly appear as though they're an entirely different squad without their key player, who wears jersey number one.
Despite having home-field advantage, Manly were outplayed thoroughly. Honestly, they should consider themselves fortunate not to have conceded over 50 goals. Tolutau Koula were the Sea Eagles' standout players on the day.
A quick visit to Perth looms for them as they face off against the struggling Sharks, which could shape their entire season.
7. Canberra Raiders (11)
The Raiders delivered one of the tries of the season to defeat the Sharks in the closing stages on Thursday evening. Honestly, however, they outperformed their opponents throughout the entire match.
Joseph Tapine enjoyed a big night out while Jamal Fogarty watched the Sharks' trio spinning around helplessly beneath the high ball. Sebastian Kris is rapidly turning into a favorite of mine.
A visit to Darwin for the match against the Eels on Saturday evening seems like an appealing chance, even though the weather will be quite stifling.
8. Cronulla Sharks (7)
The Sharks managed some highlights during their Thursday night match against the Raiders, yet they were eventually overshadowed by a Canberra team that was more enthusiastic and determined.
Addin Fonua-Blake Needs additional forwards to complement him. He dominated the center, but he stood alone. Nicho Hynes And Will Kennedy experienced some terrible evenings out.
Cronulla need a win to ease fans frustration. Manly are a tough get, especially off a loss. The Perth trip will make Sharks players glad for the long turnaround.
9. Gold Coast Titans (8)
The Titans remain the biggest foes of tipsters. NRL I'm sure they press "random" as they stroll through the tunnel.
Nearly all the players who performed well last week struggled this time around. It's shaping up to be quite an unpredictable season ahead, folks.
I have absolutely no clue what to anticipate when they face off against the Dragons this weekend. They must improve upon their performance from the game against the Dolphins.
10. Newcastle Knights (9)
Despite returning from a one-week break, The Knights seemed as though they could use another week of rest after failing to score against the Bulldogs.
Despite their extended preparation time, they failed to show much flair. For the benefit of Knight’s supporters, let's hope this underwhelming performance was merely an unusual dip rather than what we can expect regularly.
We can determine this coming Sunday afternoon when they welcome the Tigers, which appears to be a crucial early assessment.
11. Wests Tigers (10)
The Tigers undoubtedly shone at times during Saturday evening’s match against the Broncos, yet they were eventually overshadowed.
Starford To'a maintained his strong beginning to the season with a brace of tries. Terrell May and Fonua Pole mostly aligns with the top starting properties in the contest.
This upcoming Sunday presents an excellent chance to return to victorious form with a highly achievable match against the Knights.
12. St George Illawarra Dragons (12)
The Dragons appeared ready to secure their consecutive victory on Saturday afternoon but had it taken from them during the golden point period.
Clint Gutherson was truly phenomenal, scoring two tries and setting up another one. He was nearly flawless facing his former team.
The Dragons have to bounce back swiftly. They welcome a struggling Titans team on Friday night, which presents them with an ideal opportunity.
13. Penrith Panthers (13)
The Panthers' nightmare in 2025 has persisted following their fourth consecutive defeat. If only Jesse McLean had thrown that pass ...
Nathan Cleary came back and, needless to say, enhanced the team. Daine Laurie has appeared quite formidable playing as a fullback.
Penrith faces the grim possibility of suffering their fifth consecutive defeat this weekend. Their nearly desperate situation calls for an urgent turnaround as they travel to take on the Dolphins on Thursday night.
14. North Queensland Cowboys (15)
It makes logical sense for the Cowboys to be ranked higher than the team they've just defeated, but I remain unconvinced about their overall performance as of now. Despite recording such an impressive victory.
Tom Dearden slipped seamlessly back into his regular habits as soon as he was accompanied by Jake Clifford Drinkwater as well. It's amusing, really.
The Cowboys face a lengthy journey to Sydney, yet they will be up against a Bunnies team lacking a significant amount of skill. Still, this promises to be quite an exciting match.
15. The Dolphins (16)
The Dolphins served as a reminder for everyone about what they are capable of when it comes to ensuring their initial victory of the season. Beating the Titans in the local derby made the triumph even more delightful.
The Hammer exhibited indications of stirring but it was Isaiya Katoa He was the standout performer of the evening. I trust that speculations about him considering a comeback to Sydney will be dismissed swiftly.
The Phins welcome the error-prone Panthers on Thursday evening. It has been quite some time since I recall Penrith dropping five consecutive matches, so this matchup is sure to present a significant challenge.
16. Parramatta Eels (17)
The Eels have secured their first win of 2025. It was much needed. Zac Lomax Against those he was supposed to be on the same team with. As they would say nowadays, "scenic views."
Isaiah Iongi illuminated Commbank Stadium with a career-best performance. Junior Paulo He looks exactly like the formidable player he was last season once more.
The yearly match in Darwin against the Raiders offers a good opportunity for the Eels to double their victory count. This win should certainly boost their morale and help them get into top form.
17. Sydney Roosters (14)
I understand that the Eels are presently ranked 17th. NRL Sure, here's your sentence with a different wording: The table shows this, yet I couldn’t be less interested... Right now, the Roosters are the poorest performing team in the competition.
They were defeated by an understrength Bunnies side that only had one healthy player available on their bench for quite some time. This doesn’t surprise me at all. Chad Townsend Dom Young and another individual are expected to be removed from the team.
A match against Brisbane on a Friday night appears quite challenging considering how both teams have performed over the last two weeks.