By Matt Bungard
1.Melbourne Storm (Last Week: 1): Alone on top of the ladder after a narrow win coupled with losses by the Bunnies and Roosters.
2. Sydney Roosters (2): Beaten by the Broncos and are now in a bit of trouble without suspended firebrand Dylan Napa for three weeks.
3. Cronulla Sharks (4): Have quietly trundled their way into the top four and look good value to get that second chance in the playoffs.
Frontrunner: Melbourne's narrow win over Gold Coast was enough to separate them from the pack.Credit: AAP
4. South Sydney Rabbitohs (3): 'Three straight losses have given Anthony Seibold's men some cause for concern and they need to grab a win over the Tigers this week.
5. Brisbane Broncos (5): A big victory over the Roosters was enough to clinch a spot in the finals and who knows what the in-form outfit can do from here?
6. New Zealand Warriors (6): A thumping win over Penrith punched their ticket to the finals for the first time since 2011.
7. Penrith Panthers (8): Defeated easily by the Warriors and will now need a miracle to scrape into the top four.
8. St George Illawarra Dragons (7): Their disastrous second half of the year continues and they look like dead men walking in the finals.
9. Wests Tigers (9): A win over Manly was enough to briefly keep their season alive but after other results, it was dead.
10. Canberra Raiders (10): Two big wins in back-to-back weeks have capped off a solid end to what has been a frustrating season.
11. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (13): The Lachlan Lewis era has been thoroughly enjoyable for the Dogs, who are ending 2018 on a high.
12. Newcastle Knights (11): Another loss to the Sharks, but some positive signs regardless of the result.
13. Gold Coast Titans (12): Perhaps unlucky to lose against the Storm as they look to build towards next year.
14. North Queensland Cowboys (16): Huge winners in the 'Spoon Bowl' as Townsville got to send Johnathan Thurston off on a high note.
15. Manly Sea Eagles (15): A close loss to the Tigers and they remain an outside chance of collecting the spoon.
16. Parramatta Eels (14): Completely blown off the park by the Cowboys and mercifully, this season from hell only has one week to go.