Power Rankings - Round 6

1. South Sydney Rabbitohs (equal)
The Roosters losing on the weekend has saved the Rabbitohs for losing top spot, although the Broncos are putting on some heavy pressure. The loss of Adam Reynolds proved costly, and without a recognised five eighth in the side, the Bunnies looked lost. The return of John Sutton should see them improve their direction somewhat, but their heavily beaten forward pack will need to improve. Every team so far has aimed up against Souths, and it's not something they're used to dealing with.

2. Sydney Roosters (up 2)
Rumours circulating that Jared Warea-Hargreaves had surgery earlier in the week to remove Sam Thaiday from firmly under his skin. Thaiday's job was obviously to put Warea-Hargeaves off his game, and he certainly managed to do so. The Broncos won't be too worried about their golden point loss to the Broncos, but they will be concerned about the performances of their halves. Neither Pearce nor Maloney have fired so far this season.

3. Brisbane Broncos (up 4)
Aggressive powerful forwards? Tick. Crafty halves with a running game? Tick. Outside backs who get the job done? Tick. Top of the table? Tick tick. The Broncos seem to be on top of their game at the moment, and are playing well even without star centre Justin Hodges in the side. Ben Hunt had his best game of the season, and despite his inability to kick a field goal (seriously mate, they were shocking), still grabbed his team the win.

4. Newcastle Knights (down 2)
Wet weather footy does two things for the Knights. It helps them to lose, and also lubricates their slide down the power rankings. Clinging to the top 5 by their fingernails, the Knights will need to regroup quickly after two losses in a row. Their attack is definitely cause for concern - scoring only 6 points in two games, against the Dragons and the Sharks, the Knights' halves need to take a long hard look at themselves.

5. Melbourne Storm (up 3)
Perhaps all hope is't lost for the Storm after their stars begin to move on. Billy Slater didn't play on the weekend, and Cooper Cronk has barely 'played' all season, and yet the Storm keep winning. Jesse Bromwich took on the entire Raiders pack himself, running for almost 260 metres and making thirty-odd tackles as well.

6. Penrith Panthers (equal)
Whoever has the Panther voodoo doll, please give it a break! The Panthers spent most of last season saying "just wait until we get our players back", and so far 2015 has been no different. News during the week that Jamal Idris is out for the season broke the hearts of many Panthers fans, who have already been forced to battle on without halves for the past couple of weeks. Luckily, Matt Moylan is in great form and has provided some structure.

7. St. George Illawarra Dragons (up 3)
After not knowing how to attack in the first few weeks, the Dragons have certainly turned things around. Jack de Belin was a monster off the interchange bench, and picked up points in the LeagueUnlimited player of the match, while Benji Marshall turned the clock back to show some attacking prowess. And the Dragons are putting it together on both sides of the coin, with their defence only conceding 1 try in the past 2 games.

8. North Queensland Cowboys (up 5)
See also: Johnathan Thurston. OK, we'll stop short of calling the Cowboys a one-man team, but seriously, if this bloke doesn't turn up the Cowboys get lapped by 20. Traditionally poor travelers, the Cowboys have picked up two away wins on the trot, and look like they may have finally thrown the monkey off the back.

9. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (down 6)
The Bulldogs were depleted in terms of thenumber of players they had available, and also in terms of making the correct attacking decisions. Their forwards were going forward, but they lacked direction and thought in the halves. At one point, the Bulldogs ran the same exact play three times, with the exact same result occurring each tme. If it's not working, try something different boys. It's not that hard!

10. Wests Tigers (down 5)
The Tigers weren't disgraced by the Warriors, but they certainly didn't play as well as they could have. Aaron Woods was great at the front, and James Tedesco ran some good lines at the back, but some silly mistakes let them down.

11. Warriors (equal)
Manu had a bit of a field day against the Tigers, scoring two tries in his 200th first grade game. His side proved they are one of the competition's attacking heavyweights, with almost all of the starting 13 running for 100 metres. That said, their defensive reads are still poor at times, and will need to improve.

12. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (up 2)
The Sharks finally look to be getting their stuff together, although young Jack Bird will be having nightmares about BJ Leilua knocking the wind out of him. That said, Bird definitely came out on top in the battle, steering his side around in a clinical demolition of the Knights. Ben Barba's move to the interchange bench looked the goods, as he was much more impressive from fullback - but it's a massive risk to carry a replacement fullback on the bench.

13. Gold Coast Titans (up 3)
The Titans were ruthless as they tore the Eels apart, continuing their recent history of solid performances away from home. Greg Bird was strong up front, allowing James Roberts to rip shreds off the Eels defence. Will Zillman also had his best game in a long, long time.

14. Parramatta Eels (down 5)
Stop the ride, I feel sick. We're only 6 rounds in, and already the Eelsare proving themselves to be the most inconsistent team in the competiion. Wins against the Rabbitohs and Sea Eagles have done nothing to offset their poor showings in the last two weeks. The resigning of Danny WIcks is a bright spot, considering he's the only Parramatta forward who hasn't looked out of place in the NRL each week.

15. Canberra Raiders (down 3)
Despite a valiant effort, the Raiders went down at home again in 2015, a place that has in the past been considered one of the tougher away trips in the competition. Second half injuries to Josh Hodgson and Shaun Fensom threw the Raiders off their game, but they weren't far behind the Storm.

16. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (down 1)
Entree of injuries, with a handful of injuries for main please. Perhaps throw in some injuries for desert as well. The poor Sea Eagles just can't take a trick at the moment. Already missing several key players, the Manly side have now also lost Tom Trbojevic to the injury monster as well. While the Sea Eagles faithful have turned out in support of their coach this week, one can only wonder how many dire performances the side can turn in before support dries up.