Power Rankings - Round 1

1. South Sydney Rabbitohs
The top spot could have gone either way this week. The Rabbitohs continued their pre-season form in style, running in 5 tries in their demolition of a hapless Broncos outfit. With Glenn Stewart and John Sutton playmaking down either side of the field, the Rabbitohs effectively have 4 halfbacks on the field, and the defence doesn't know where to turn. Adam Reynolds was on fire with the boot, kicking 8 goals from 8 attempts.

2. Sydney Roosters
The Roosters took on one of the most daunting tasks on the Rugby League calendar this week, travelling to North Quuensland to take on the Cowboys. Defending against a team organised by Thurston is no mean feat, but the Roosters handled it with aplomb, coming away with a bruising win built almost solely on their defence.

3. Parramatta Eels
Pre-game, all the focus and hype was around the battle between Anthony Watmough and his former club. After the game people were asking if the Sea Eagles had focused too much on that and not enough on preparation. The Eels were clinical in their demolition of the Sea Eagles, scoring 42 points. Semi Radradra was again almost unstoppable, and Chris Sandow looks fitter than ever. Jarryd who?

4. Newcastle Knights
The Knights were impressive against the warriors. Kurt Gidley pulled out just before kickoff, however some Knights fans would argue the inclusion of Sione Mata'utia was an upgrade. Pre-season, worries were about the quality of the Knights forward pack, but Snowden, Sims and Rochow certainly answered a few questions. Dane Gagai was sublime.

5. Penrith Panthers
Watch out for the Panthers in 2015! I don't know who James Segeyaro had to bribe to get the new ruck rules introduced, but they're working a treat for him. On the back of some tired defence, the Panthers smaller men ran riot. They need to remember to defend for the full 80 minutes in future, but I foresee good things for the Panthers this season.

6. Canberra Raiders
Someone should have told the Raiders that they were meant to be at the bottom of the table. While they were far from polished in their performance, there were good signs. Jack Wighton has a real future, and earned his side bonus points in the power rankings for throwing a punch. Stupid, yes. Entertaining, definitely.

7. Melbourne Storm
It's hard to judge the performance of the Storm this week, considering the opposition they were up against, but I just wasn't impressed. Yes, Smith is under injury clouds. Yes, their defence was great. But are the golden days of the Storm a thing of the past? With aging superstars and opposition that aims up every week, the Storm could have a rough road ahead.

8. North Queensland Cowboys
It's tough to judge the Cowboys too harshly in round 1. Johnathan Thurston's men came up against a white-hot Roosters outfit, and couldn't break the stonewall defences.

9. New Zealand Warriors
I'd love to have the Warriors higher up this list. They were not poor performers in round 1, and a lot of things went against them, including injuries to key players, and the late scratching of Sam Tomkins. That said, the Warriors are notoriously slow starters, so it was no real surprise.

10. Wests Tigers
While at times they looked confused against the Titans, the Tigers still managed to come away with a win. Pat Richards took on the role of a half in showing composure for his side, and the young spine of Tedesco, Moses, Brooks and Farah should provide plenty of entertainment in 2015.

11. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Don't let the scoreline fool you - the Bulldogs were never in the game against the Panthers. The Panthers controlled the game and played it at their own speed, and it was only three late tries to the Bulldogs that made it look close. That said, I'm not writing the Bulldogs off yet. The Morris brothers and Sam Perrett running off the Bulldogs imposing yet skillful forward pack - that's what I'm looking forward to.

12. Brisbane Broncos
This opening match for the season was much anticipated for a number of reasons, including Wayne Bennett's return to Brisbane and Corey Parker's 300th game. For those reasons alone, we expected the Broncos to come out firing. Instead, they faltered. It's early days, but if things don't improve for the Broncos, serious questions will be asked about Bennett's coaching - is he past it?

13. Cronulla Sutherland Sharks
Ben Barba is not a half. There, I said it. Brilliant fullback, devastating ball runner, but there's one thing he's lacking to play in the halves. A kicking game! Barba sent one kick out on the full, and picked out the fullback on another couple of occasions. If he's the answer to the Sharks creativity problems, well, they may need a rethink.

14. Manly Sea Eagles
Well, the Sea Eagles have players to come back from injury. That's something, right? Daly Cherry-Evans finally has his future sorted, so hopefully that'll remove one distraction, but coach Geoff Toovey will need to watch his back just the same.

15. Gold Coast Titans
What can I say. The Titans are lucky I'm not ranking them based on off-field performances, because they'd run dead last. Considering their team was crippled by suspensions, the Titans didn't perform too badly.

16. St George Illawarra Dragons
Listless. That's about the only way to describe the Dragons performance in Round 1. The Dragons looked completely clueless in attack, despite direction from Widdop and Benji Marshall. Dugan's injury added insult to an already bad night.