NRL 2026, mid-year report card, Penrith Panthers, premiership, Brisbane Broncos, Ivan Cleary, Reece Walsh, history

Mid-season check in: Panthers eye winning formula as clubs jockey for position

Author: Cameron Mee NRL Reporter
Timestamp: Thu 4 Jun 2026, 12:01 PM

The Penrith Panthers are out to follow a premiership-winning formula as the NRL season reaches the midway point and clubs battle for positions inside the top eight.

Ivan Cleary's men are in a familiar spot at the top of the table leading into a Round 14 clash with the Wests Tigers at CommBank Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Panthers sit four points clear of the Warriors and a big chasing pack of contenders.

Panthers v Warriors – Round 13, 2026

Just four competition points separate the Warriors on 20 points and the 10th-placed Tigers, with six teams level on 16 points.

The Panthers used a dominant start to the season as a launch pad to four successive titles from 2021-2024 and sat first after Round 13 in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Penrith were third at this point in 2024 and ultimately finished the regular season in second before defeating Melbourne in the decider.

With 11 wins from 12 games, Penrith's start to the season marks a stark turnaround from where they were a year ago. The 2025 Panthers sat last after 12 rounds before climbing into the top eight and ultimately falling to Brisbane in an epic preliminary final.

Cleary is pleased with his side's form but knows they must keep improving to stay one step ahead of the chasing pack.

"I'm stoked with where we are on the table and how many wins we've had," Cleary told reporters this week. "You can never really predict that, so that's been really good and consistency has been high.

"The first half of the year, no one remembers it really. It's all about what happens now, continuing that through a different phase of the season. Origin's a different thing altogether, there are some disruptions around the team with who's training and who's not.

"We made a good start last week for this phase of the year, so I'm looking forward to going on with that this week."

Round 14 - Round 14 - Sunday 7 Jun

4:00 am

Wests Tigers

Panthers

Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney

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While Penrith are in a comfortable position, history shows the race to the premiership remains wide open.

Brisbane sat 11th leading into Round 14 last year before Reece Walsh inspired a dramatic charge to a drought-breaking title.

The similarities between the two years are striking. After a slow start, the Broncos claimed a commanding 44-14 win over Gold Coast in Round 14 last season and went on to win 10 of their last 12 games.

Michael Maguire's men will have to replicate that performance this season. The squad is in the same spot on the ladder and primed to make a late-season charge to the finals, starting with Saturday's clash with the Titans.

Reece Walsh's 2025 try-scoring season

The Roosters were sixth at this point before taking out the 2018 premiership, while the Rabbitohs sat fifth in 2014 before Sam Burgess led the club to an emotional grand final victory.

Back in 2005, the Wests Tigers were 11th after 13 rounds and climbed to fourth en route to a memorable title. Benji Marshall's men currently sit 10th and are well placed to end a 15-year finals drought as they welcome back a host of key players.

While not where they want to be, Broncos fullback Reece Walsh said his team is drawing inspiration from last season as they look to reproduce that stunning run to the title.

"The footy we've been showing over the last few weeks hasn't been the blueprint of who we are as a team and what we pride ourselves on," Walsh told reporters in Brisbane this week.

"The weeks and training sessions we've been having here at Red Hill have been awesome. Everybody's been working hard, we just haven't been relaying that same model out there on the weekend.

"It's been disappointing but we know when you work hard you get what you deserve. We've got to keep putting in those hours away from the footy field and hopefully things start to turn around."

Remarkably last year's top four of Canberra, Melbourne, Canterbury and Brisbane all currently sit outside the eight but history suggests a handful of teams will climb into the finals frame before the regular season concludes.

The Roosters, Penrith and Brisbane were on the outside looking in after 13 rounds before finishing in the top eight last year, while Canterbury, North Queensland and Newcastle did it in 2024.

The Roosters and Knights also achieved the feat in 2023. The two sides are comfortably inside the eight and sitting third and fourth respectively on the ladder this season.

Kalyn Ponga's 2023 Dally M reel

While disappointed to lose their last two games, Roosters coach Trent Robinson is confident his side is poised to challenge the Panthers in the second half of the year.

"We're in a good spot," he said. "We're starting to find our identity. That's part of every year, there's some stuff you assume from the year before and carry over and then there's always new people that come in and out and how does that affect your team?

"I'd say we're getting close to finding out who that is and how we're going to play for the rest of the year. I'd say we're in a good position with better to come."