Two clubs finished the 2026 NRL regular season locked together on 42 competition points, and a single tie-break settled the minor premiership. Penrith beat the Wests Tigers 38–10 in the final round to edge the New Zealand Warriors on points differential, shaping a finals draw that has since played out across September. Below is the full 17-club table, a plain-English guide to how the standings are built, and where the season stands now.
Key Facts
| Minor premiers | Penrith Panthers — 42 pts, +336 |
| Runners-up | New Zealand Warriors — 42 pts, +310 |
| Top-eight cut-off | 32 pts (North Queensland Cowboys, 8th) |
| Wooden spoon | St George Illawarra Dragons — 16 pts, 5 wins |
| Season length | 24 games, 3 byes per club, no drawn matches |
| Grand final | 4 October 2026, Accor Stadium |
Key Points
- Penrith and the Warriors both finished on 42 points; Penrith took the minor premiership on points differential (+336 to +310).
- Teams earn 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 2 for a bye, and differential separates clubs that finish level.
- It took 32 points to reach the top eight; the Cowboys made it in eighth with a −84 differential.
- St George Illawarra took the wooden spoon with five wins and 16 points.
- The finals began on 11 September; the Warriors bowed out in week two, and the grand final is on 4 October.
Final NRL ladder 2026
This is the official table after Round 27, the last round of the 24-game regular season. Every club played 24 matches and had three byes, and no game was drawn in 2026, so the draw column is left out. You can cross-check it against the official NRL ladder for Round 27, 2026.
| Pos | Club | W | L | For | Against | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penrith Panthers | 18 | 6 | 683 | 347 | +336 | 42 |
| 2 | New Zealand Warriors | 18 | 6 | 728 | 418 | +310 | 42 |
| 3 | Dolphins | 17 | 7 | 662 | 506 | +156 | 40 |
| 4 | Sydney Roosters | 16 | 8 | 619 | 501 | +118 | 38 |
| 5 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 14 | 10 | 672 | 523 | +149 | 34 |
| 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 14 | 10 | 694 | 581 | +113 | 34 |
| 7 | Newcastle Knights | 14 | 10 | 633 | 591 | +42 | 34 |
| 8 | North Queensland Cowboys | 13 | 11 | 568 | 652 | −84 | 32 |
| 9 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 11 | 13 | 623 | 524 | +99 | 28 |
| 10 | Melbourne Storm | 11 | 13 | 594 | 576 | +18 | 28 |
| 11 | Canberra Raiders | 11 | 13 | 581 | 626 | −45 | 28 |
| 12 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 11 | 13 | 476 | 536 | −60 | 28 |
| 13 | Parramatta Eels | 9 | 15 | 497 | 678 | −181 | 24 |
| 14 | Brisbane Broncos | 8 | 16 | 471 | 677 | −206 | 22 |
| 15 | Wests Tigers | 8 | 16 | 445 | 699 | −254 | 22 |
| 16 | Gold Coast Titans | 6 | 18 | 477 | 663 | −186 | 18 |
| 17 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 5 | 19 | 392 | 717 | −325 | 16 |
The Warriors scored more points than any other club (728) and only Penrith conceded fewer (347). That balance kept Auckland in the top two for most of the year and earned it the right to host a home qualifying final. 1News reported that the Warriors fell just short of the minor premiership on the final weekend.
How the NRL ladder is calculated
The table looks simple, but a few rules catch people out every season. For a fuller breakdown, this guide to how the NRL ladder works walks through the same points, byes and tie-break rules.
- A win is worth 2 competition points and a draw 1. A loss is worth nothing.
- A bye is also worth 2 points. With 17 clubs, one team sits out every round, and in 2026 each club had three byes — six free points apiece.
- When clubs finish level on points, points differential (points scored minus points conceded) separates them first.
Why Penrith finished above the Warriors
Both clubs won 18 of their 24 games. Penrith’s +336 beat Auckland’s +310, so the Panthers took first place and the Warriors settled for second. The margin was thinner than it looks: the Warriors actually scored 45 more points than Penrith across the season, but they conceded 71 more, and that gap in defence decided the minor premiership.
The same tie-break sorted out the logjam on 34 points. Cronulla (+149), South Sydney (+113) and Newcastle (+42) all won 14 games, and differential alone decided who took fifth, sixth and seventh.
Why a “live” ladder can mislead mid-season
Because a bye is worth two points, a club that has already used its byes can sit higher on the ladder than its form deserves. Mid-season, the fairer comparison is wins and differential from games actually played. By Round 27 every club has had the same three byes, so the final table is a clean, like-for-like comparison.
Where the top eight was won and lost
Thirty-two points was the cut-off. North Queensland squeezed in on 13 wins despite a −84 differential, the worst of any finalist, while four clubs finished level on 28 points and missed out: Manly, Melbourne, Canberra and Canterbury.
Melbourne finishing tenth was the headline for Australian fans. For New Zealand viewers the bigger story sat at the other end of the top eight: a Warriors side that led the competition for points scored and earned a home qualifying final in Auckland.
At the foot of the table, St George Illawarra won five games and took the wooden spoon on 16 points. Gold Coast (six wins) and the Wests Tigers (eight) were the next worst.
The finals picture
The top four earn a second chance in week one, while fifth to eighth meet in knockout elimination finals. That is why finishing second rather than fifth mattered so much for the Warriors: they could lose their qualifying final against the Dolphins and still stay alive. In the end that is exactly what happened — and it still was not enough.
Finals week one ran from 11 to 13 September; the week-one draw was set out by Rugby League Zone. Here is how the first two weeks unfolded:
| Stage | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying final | Penrith Panthers v Sydney Roosters | Penrith 19–12 |
| Qualifying final | Dolphins v New Zealand Warriors | Dolphins 26–16 |
| Elimination final | Newcastle Knights v South Sydney Rabbitohs | Newcastle 20–10 |
| Elimination final | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v North Queensland Cowboys | Cronulla 26–16 |
| Semi-final | Sydney Roosters v Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Roosters 46–10 |
| Semi-final | New Zealand Warriors v Newcastle Knights | Newcastle 12–10 |
The Warriors’ season ended in straight sets: beaten by the Dolphins at home, then edged 12–10 by Newcastle in front of a sell-out Eden Park crowd. That leaves four teams in the preliminary finals — the Dolphins host the Sydney Roosters at Suncorp Stadium on 25 September, and Penrith host the Newcastle Knights at Accor Stadium on 27 September. The grand final is set for 4 October at Accor Stadium.
Our NRL finals 2026 guide tracks every fixture and New Zealand kick-off time, while the round-by-round results page keeps the full scoreline history. You can also check what is on next on our NRL games tonight page.
For a sense of what the season is building towards, the 2025 decider went to the Brisbane Broncos, who beat Melbourne 26–22 in front of 80,223 at Accor Stadium — Wikipedia’s 2025 NRL Grand Final page has the full record. A year on, the Broncos finished 14th, a reminder of how quickly the ladder turns over.
What the ladder can and can’t tell you
The final table is the best single summary of a season, but it hides detail that matters in September.
- Differential is a better guide to underlying strength than wins alone. The Cowboys’ 13 wins came with a −84 differential, which points to narrow wins and heavy losses.
- Home and away records split the leaders. Penrith and the Warriors both went 10–2 at home and 8–4 away.
- Late-season form is not on the main table. The Warriors and Dolphins each won their last five regular-season games; Cronulla won only one of theirs.
- Depth can decide finals. The Dolphins, for instance, have retained foundation players such as hooker Kurt Donoghoe, who featured in the club’s first NRL game back in 2023.
If you follow the markets, remember that prices move on all of this quickly. Our guide to how betting odds work explains what a price does — and does not — tell you.
Looking ahead to 2027
The competition grows to 18 clubs in 2027 when the Perth Bears enter under foundation coach Mal Meninga, announced by the NRL in June 2025. An even number of teams changes the round structure, so the bye-heavy tables of the 17-team era should start to fade. The 2027 draw is usually released late in the year, and we update our NRL draw page when it lands.
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Sources
- NRL.com — 2026 Telstra Premiership finals series, week one schedule
- ABC News — Newcastle Knights defeat New Zealand Warriors 12–10 (20 September 2026)
- RNZ — NZ Warriors’ 2026 NRL season ends with loss to Knights at Eden Park
- Rugby League Project — 2025 NRL Grand Final: Melbourne Storm 22, Brisbane Broncos 26
- New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs — Law changes for online racing and sports betting
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Who won the 2026 NRL minor premiership?
Penrith won the minor premiership. The Panthers and the New Zealand Warriors both finished on 42 competition points, and Penrith took first place on points differential (+336 to the Warriors’ +310).
How is the NRL ladder decided when teams are level on points?
Points differential is the first tie-break — that is the total points a club has scored minus the total it has conceded. In 2026 it separated Penrith from the Warriors at the top and the three clubs tied on 34 points in the middle of the eight.
How many points did it take to make the 2026 top eight?
Thirty-two points. North Queensland claimed eighth spot on 32 points from 13 wins, edging four clubs stranded on 28: Manly, Melbourne, Canberra and Canterbury.
Did the New Zealand Warriors make the 2026 finals?
Yes. The Warriors finished second and hosted a home qualifying final, but their finals run ended in straight sets — a 26–16 loss to the Dolphins, then a 12–10 defeat to Newcastle at Eden Park.
When is the 2026 NRL grand final?
The 2026 NRL grand final is scheduled for 4 October at Accor Stadium in Sydney, following the preliminary finals on 25 and 27 September.
