Final NRL ladder predicted in good and bad news for Broncos, Warriors & Storm

The final NRL ladder has been predicted, and it makes for interesting reading.

Depending on whether you support the likes of the Brisbane Broncos, New Zealand Warriors, or Melbourne Storm, it makes for good or bad news.

The 2026 NRL season has been quite the entertaining affair to date. Both Grand Finalists from last year are struggling in the Broncos and Storm, having lost more than they’ve won, while the 2025 minor premiers, the Canberra Raiders, are doing worse.

The collapses of the Broncos, Storm and Raiders have been surprising, while Penrith Panthers’ rise back to the top has been remarkable, and the Wahs’ form has been a delightful addition to the NRL mix.

But how will things look at the end of the NRL regular season? Who will finish where? Who will reach the Grand Final and win the Premiership?

We’ve asked ChatGPT to run through its thoughts on how the campaign will play out. And here is what it said below.

AI NRL Final Ladder Prediction

Pos Team
1 Penrith Panthers
2 New Zealand Warriors
3 Sydney Roosters
4 Dolphins
5 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
6 Newcastle Knights
7 Cronulla Sharks
8 South Sydney Rabbitohs
9 North Queensland Cowboys
10 Melbourne Storm
11 Canterbury Bulldogs
12 Wests Tigers
13 Brisbane Broncos
14 Canberra Raiders
15 Parramatta Eels
16 Gold Coast Titans
17 St George Illawarra Dragons

Premiership chances for the Top 8

Team Chance
Penrith Panthers 43%
New Zealand Warriors 18%
Sydney Roosters 15%
Dolphins 10%
Manly Sea Eagles 6%
Newcastle Knights 4%
Cronulla Sharks 3%
South Sydney Rabbitohs 1%

Others

Melbourne Storm – <1% (I think they’ll probably miss the top four, which makes a premiership extremely unlikely.)
Brisbane Broncos – <0.5% (Making the finals itself is now a major challenge.)
AI verdict on the key teams

🐾 Penrith Panthers (Minor Premiers)
They’re the best defensive team in the competition and continue to win comfortably. Their points differential is enormous, and they have enough depth to handle Origin better than most rivals. They deserve to be clear favourites.

⚫ New Zealand Warriors
The Warriors have earned top-two status rather than stumbled into it. They’re consistent, defend well and have put themselves in a perfect position for a home qualifying final.

🐓 Sydney Roosters
Recent form has convinced me they’re the most likely side to challenge Penrith. If they finish third, they could realistically reach the Grand Final.

🐬 Dolphins
One of the stories of the season. Their attacking football has been outstanding, but sustaining that over the finals against elite defensive teams is a different challenge.

🦅 Manly
Dangerous enough to beat anyone, but consistency remains the question. I see them winning a finals match rather than making the Grand Final.

⚡ Melbourne Storm
This is the biggest change from my earlier prediction. I originally thought Melbourne would charge into the top four, but the ladder now makes that difficult. Even if they sneak into the eight, they’d almost certainly have to win four consecutive finals away from home. Given no team has won the premiership from outside the top four, I’d rate their title chances as extremely slim.

🐴 Brisbane Broncos
Their season has unravelled. Recent heavy defeats and their current ladder position mean they’re now chasing the top eight rather than the top four. Even if they recover and qualify for September, history suggests their premiership hopes would be very limited.

Grand Final prediction

🏆 Penrith Panthers 26 def. Sydney Roosters 18

Preliminary Finals

Panthers def. Dolphins
Roosters def. Warriors

Grand Final

Penrith Panthers 26–18 Sydney Roosters

I still think Penrith are the standout side. The biggest change in my outlook isn’t who wins the premiership—it’s who gets the opportunity. With Melbourne unlikely to crack the top four and Brisbane facing a steep climb just to make the finals, I think the premiership race has narrowed considerably. At this stage, I’d say there’s around a 75–80% chance the eventual premiers come from Penrith, the Warriors, the Roosters or the Dolphins, simply because they’re in the strongest positions to secure a top-four finish.