Every NRL teams has slipped out of the top eight this season

THE 2014 NRL season is the most open competition in decades and we have the statistic to prove it.

THE 2014 NRL season is the most open competition in decades and we have the statistic to prove it.

For the first time since 1990, every team in the league has spent at least one round outside the top eight, or the equivalent number of teams involved in finals.

The statistic emerged when the Broncos dropped to 11th on the ladder following their 27-14 loss to the Cowboys last Friday.

They joined the Dragons in being the fast starters to falter, while the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs are among those to have kicked their campaigns into gear after seeming average early.

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The news is good for fans, as more teams than ever shape up for a bid at the premiership.

Since the start of the 1991 competition, there have been 60 instances of teams remaining inside the finals tier of the ladder for the entire season.

The Broncos have achieved the feat 11 times in that period, with the Storm next best with nine.

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In a demonstration of the Storm’s dominance of the modern era, Round 5 this year is the only week the team have spent outside the eight since they were stripped of competition points in the 2010 season as a result of the salary cap scandal.

In fact, if Melbourne had been awarded competition points in 2010, they would have spent a total of just six out of a possible 294 weeks outside the top eight since the end of the 2002 season.

Last year, the Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs joined Melbourne in never straying into the bottom half of the ladder.

Originally published as Every NRL teams has slipped out of the top eight this season