WHERE THE NRL MOMENTUM LIES A WEEK OUT FROM THE FINALS
SYDNEY ROOSTERS (momentum ranking: 1st; ladder position 1st)
The premiership frontrunners are also the NRL’s form team on the back of 11 successive wins. Their last loss was to Cronulla way back in round 13.
CRONULLA (momentum ranking: 2nd; ladder position: 4th)
The Sharks are building nicely, having won seven of their last eight, including wins over St George-Illawarra, Canterbury and North Queensland. Their sole loss in the past two months was to Melbourne two weeks ago.
CANTERBURY(momentum ranking: 3rd; ladder position: 6th)
The Dogs have won their past four straight. They have lost to and beaten Brisbane as part of a 5-3 record in the past two months. They have lost to the Roosters and Sharks in that time but beaten Souths.
BRISBANE (momentum ranking: 4th; ladder position: 2nd)
The Broncos have won two of their last five, and five of their last eight. That streak includes losses to the Roosters, Bulldogs and Manly but big wins over the Dragons and last-start South Sydney.
MELBOURNE (momentum ranking: 5th; ladder position: 5th)
Unusually the Storm have become the NRL’s most inconsistent team. In the last five weeks they have lost to lowly-ranked Wests Tigers and Newcastle but thrashed Cronulla and beaten the Cowboys. They are 5-3 in their last eight matches.
SOUTH SYDNEY (momentum ranking: 6th; ladder position: 7th)
The premiers have lost to Brisbane, Canterbury and Manly over the past month, with their only win in that time over North Queensland in Townsville fading from memory. Souths are 4-4 over the past two months.
NORTH QUEENSLAND (momentum ranking 7th; ladder position: 3rd)
The Cowboys are 5-3 over the past two months but have won just one of their last four, a thrashing of the hapless Warriors. Their last three losses have come to contenders Cronulla, Souths and the Storm.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA (momentum ranking 8th; ladder position: 8th)
Are the Dragons just making up the numbers? They are 3-5 in their last eight games, with losses to Cronulla, Souths, Melbourne, Brisbane and last-start Gold Coast and wins over Newcastle, the Warriors and Penrith.
