Incredible to think we are only a quarter of the way through the 2026 NRL season given the drama that has already unfolded.

It’s been an absolute soap opera of a few months in the league world with bombshell dropped everywhere.

Payne Haas leaving the Broncos at season's end, remember when that was big news? Then there was the Zac Lomax saga.

Gorden Tallis v the Broncos, Manly sacking Anthony Seibold. The never-ending disaster that is the Dragons, the Ben Te'o exit and many other big stories.

The good news? There’s still 20 rounds and finals to go.

We asked Corey Parker and Ian Healy to reflect on the opening seven rounds of footy and grade the clubs out of 10 for their performances so far and decide how their pressure barometer is looking.

Penrith Panthers

• 6 wins 1 loss, 1st
• Performance: 9/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 1/10 (Heals)
• Postitives: Have only conceded 94 points (13 per game), Casey McLean has emerged as a gun centre, Thomas Jenkins on an all time try scoring tear
• Negative: Bulldogs loss

HEALY: They seem to cope very well with their own expectations, standards and player loss.

PARKER: The Panthers, for me, have been in scinterlating form.

They look like they are going to take part in another Grand Final barring injuries and the like.

New Zealand Warriors

• 5 wins 2 losses, 2nd
• Performance: 8.5/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 5/10 (Heals)
• Impressive wins on the road vs the Storm - Strong home form
• Positives - Tanah Boyd, Jackson Ford, young players standing up
• Negatives - Wests Tigers loss at Home

HEALY: They're not in a perfect position but they're not feeling pressure. They now know what works. The learnings they have got to get their heads around, can they repeat this? They have a history of not repeating great performances.

PARKER: Tanah Boyd, exceptional has been outstanding. Two losses, to the Wests Tigers at home and then the Sharks, but the thumping of the Storm showed their scintillating form. They're going from strength to strength. A great nucleus. They can give it a red hot shake.

Wests Tigers

• 4 wins 2 losses, 3rd (done before Thursday's game)
• Performance: 7.5/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 7/10 (Healy)
• Positive: Aggressive brand of football, Jahream Bula, Kai Pearce-Paul, Terrell May, Heamasi Makasini
• Negatives: Broncos loss

HEALY: They can outplay anyone and they're a new target now. This is a new pressure for them. Expectations of themselves and others go up.

PARKER: Big win over the Cowboys. They are going good. There will be adversity along the way.

South Sydney Rabbitohs

• 4 wins 2 losses, 4th
• Performance: 7/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 7/10 (Healy)
• Postitives: Latrell is back to elite form and AJ's Try Scoring Record
• Negatives: Raiders loss in Perth

HEALY: They're under a little bit of pressure because one of the things that are unanswered by the Rabbitohs is how do they play against structure?

The Rabbitohs have got a little test ahead of them (against the Melbourne Storm).

PARKER: They are very much improved from what we saw last year.

They've beaten the Dolphins, the Tigers, the Dogs and the Dragons, so no massive scalp as of yet.

But they have had a lot of their players on the field for long periods of time, which (this time) last year, they didn't.

Sydney Roosters

• 4 wins 2 losses, 5th
• Performance: 7.5/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 2/10 (Healy)
• Positives: James Tedesco’s form
• Negatives: Blowout losses to the Warriors and Panthers, Billy Smith put a helmet on you gronk

HEALY: They're playing well and they're starting to click. It's all going really smoothly. It's a dangerous level of confidence in this one (against the Dragons).

PARKER: They started the season, they went down 41-18 against the Warriors. They're looking for consistency but they've been able find a little bit over recent time.

Manly Sea Eagles

• 3 wins 3 losses, 6th
• Performance: 7/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 5/10 (Healy)
• Positives: Kieran Foran got that club feeling good about itself, Tolu Koula's form
• Negatives: 0-3 start to the season

HEALY: Their mindset is excellent, let's play and see how we go. That's a good way to be.

PARKER: It's been a tale of two (halves) for Manly. 0-3 start and all of a sudden, coach gone and in comes one of the favourites sons in Kieran Foran and he's going for four in a row.

Their forward pack has been polar opposites from where they started the year.

Cronulla Sharks

• 3 wins 3 losses, 7th
• Performance: 7/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 7/10 (Healy)
• Positives: Nicho Hynes has started the season strongly
• Negatives: Home loss to the Dolphins

HEALY: I still don't know whether they know what they are. Their criticism has been they don't get big scalps. And here we are this year, they're having a surprise win and a surprise loss. They're in OK shape but there a little bit tense.

PARKER: Blayke Brailey has been one of their shining lights this season as too Nicho Hynes.

Newcastle Knights

• 4 wins 3 losses, 8th
• Performance: 7.5/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 8/10 (Healy)
• Positives: Have been competitive without Dylan Brown and Kalyn Ponga
• Negatives: Form slump after hot start

HEALY: They're not sitting around for Kalyn to come back. They're moving on.

But this has been a reasonably quick slide (in form) from a good start, and they're heading backwards even though their attack is working.

PARKER: Four wins, three losses to start the season have been exceptional given the fact they have lost two of their marquee men (in Brown and Ponga). Not any men but their marquee men.

Brisbane Broncos

• 4 wins 3 losses, 9th
• Performance: 7.5/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 5/10 (Healy)
• Positives: Broke AAMI Park Hoodoo, Battle of Brisbane win alongside Kotoni Staggs and Ben Talty in good form
• Negatives: Early season defence, Shibasaki form, Injury crisis

HEALY: There's a little pressure on because their backline is a little bit in tact in the halves and Kotoni.

PARKER: There were some question marks raised. They lost to Penrith 26-nil at home to start the season, they then lost again 40-30 to Parramatta and a lot of eyeballs and pressure was put squarely on to the reigning premiers.

They then go down to Melbourne and they come up with a performance...it was a hoodoo for them down at Melbourne. 14 points behind at half time and they come back and win that game in the second half.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

• 3 wins 3 losses, 10th
• Performance: 6.5/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 8/10 (Healy)
• Positives: Win over the Panthers, Lachie Galvin improvement, Jacob Preston
• Negatives:

HEALY: I've got them feeling a little more pressure than most. They need to get this done (against the Broncos) otherwise it's going to hurt them.

PARKER: It's been a rollercoaster start for them. Their biggest win obviously over Penrith.

Jacob Preston. He's won the medal for their player of the year before. He wouldn't surprise me...there is a lot of people throwing (him) around for smokies for Origin. He'd do a great job.

North Queensland Cowboys

• 4 wins 3 losses, 11th
• Performance: 6.5/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 9/10 (Healy)
• Positives: Jaxon Purdue and Jason Taumololo's form improved from recent seasons,
• Negatives: Poor defence plus blowout losses to Tigers and Sea Eagles

HEALY: What they get themselves into trouble with is not completing their basics.

Get 20 minutes of basic Rugby League into you and make your effort off of that.

That's not that hard to do, but they're struggling with it.

PARKER: They found four (wins) in a row. Hard to find four in a row because there's only been a handful of sides that have found (it).

And just when you think they're going to get their fifth (win in a row), they throw up a turd sandwich.

The Dolphins

• 2 wins 4 losses, 12th
• Performance: 5/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 7/10 (Healy)
• Positives: Morgan Knowles, the returns from injury of Max Plath and Tom Flegler
• Negatives: Inconsistency

HEALY: They rush at the start of their games. They make errors, or they give away penalties.

The penalty count against the Panthers was 6-1. That's not good enough.

PARKER: They have absolutely everything it takes. They just need to find that consistency.

Canberra Raiders

• 3 wins 4 losses, 13th (done before Thursday's loss)
• Performance: 6/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 9/10 (Healy)
• Positives: Simi Sasagi and Noah Martin
• Negatives: Back to Back losses to the Sharks and Dogs at home, GIO Stadium is a dump and needs to be Bulldozed, problems with discipline

HEALY: They really feel the pressure here tonight (Thursday against the Tigers).

They know this is a win that they could start heading up the ladder with.

If they don't get it, they'll hurt badly.

PARKER: Did they overachieve last year? Some would say, probably.

They were minor premiers, which you'd then think, you're starting this season, deemed as the most consistent Rugby League side in the competition last year, and they haven't reached those heights this season.

Parramatta Eels

3 wins 4 losses, 14th
Performance: 4/10 (Parker)
Pressure: 9/10 (Healy)
Positives: Iongi, win over the Bulldogs
Negatives: No team in the comp has conceded more points have had 50 scored on them twice

HEALY: Feeling the pressure. They're supposed to be good this weekend and that's why the pressure is on.

PARKER: They came in with high hope but after seven rounds they have copped two 50-point drubbings. They're not winning the comp and they have the worst defence. They have a lot of work to do. Very inconsistent, yet to find their groove. If Moses doesn't play, they don't win.

Melbourne Storm

• 2 wins 5 losses, 15th
• Performance: 2/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 8/10 (Healy)
• 5 straight losses after starting the season with back-to-back 40+ wins
• Positives: Sua Fa'alongo
• Negatives: Tui Kamakamica stroke, Losing streak, Cam Munster's form, losses after half time

HEALY: They have a lot of new players and they have had some loss. Some big outs. Bellamy won't feel the pressure as much as others, he will take this on.

PARKER: They continued their first round winning streak. Ran the cleaners through Parra. Then put 46 on the Dragons. Has complacency set in? They have gone five losses in a row. Warriors bashed them up then they copped a 50. I put a red line straight through them. This is unchartered territory for them.

Gold Coast Titans

• 2 wins, 5 losses, 16th
• Performance: 4/10 (Parker)
• Pressure Rating 6/10 (Heals)
• Positives - Arama Hau, Keano Kini, Jojo Fifita, Cooper Bai
• Negatives - Tino and Moe start to the year

HEALY: They need to tighten up and produce good, solid basics. Consistency. Do not tolerate any lack of standards. They have a few things to tighten but need to get thingsright.

PARKER: New Coach Josh Hannay and New GM of Football Scott Sattler. The team they beat was the Dragons - it was a stinker and then a big victory over Parra.

St.George-Illawarra Dragons

• 0 win 7 losses, 17th
• Performance: 1/10 (Parker)
• Pressure: 5/10 (Healy)
• Positives: Couchman brothers have shown glimpses of being long term players
• Negatives: Losing streak, senior players have gone missing, coach sacked

HEALY: They're immune to pressure. Eyes up and look after your mates this weekend.

PARKER: 11 straight losses. Flanagan has been sacked. Their younger brigade have shown some great signs moving forward. Some seniors are not up to speed. Not where their normal high standards are.