The 2025 NRL season is days away from beginning as 16 teams look to dethrone the reigning four-time winners, the Penrith Panthers. Kicking off in Las Vegas, the opening round will be played across two weekends as fans get to watch their teams after a short hiatus.
2025 NRL Season Preview
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos failed to reach expectations last season and missed out on playing in the NRL Finals after appearing in the Grand Final 12 months earlier. After axing Kevin Walters and entering a new era under Michael Maguire, the Broncos boast several star and representative players, and if they are able to play consistent football, there is no telling how far they might be able to go.
Best Now TOP 4 FINISH 2025 - BRISBANE BRONCOS @ $2.25Canberra Raiders
After losing Jarod Croker and Jack Wighton in 2023, the Raiders lost more experienced talent at the end of last season, with Jordan Rapana, Elliott Whitehead, and Zac Woolford headlining the exits. Having secured several younger recruits, the club enters the next generation this year and is likely to finish near the bottom of the table, as there are no expectations for them this season.
Best Now LEAST WINS 2025 - CANBERRA RAIDERS @ $6.00Canterbury Bulldogs
Coming off a remarkable 2024 season that saw them return to the NRL Finals, the Bulldogs will only get better this year after adding to their forward stocks and only losing Josh Addo-Carr – Blake Wilson or Marcelo Montoya will replace him on the wing. With a fantastic fan base behind them, their ceiling is quite high and will be led by Stephen Crichton and Matt Burton, who will once again be in the Origin conversation.
Best Now TOP 4 FINISH - CANTERBURY BULLDOGS @ $3.25Cronulla Sharks
The Sharks may struggle to find victories in the NRL Finals, but it is a different story when they compete in the home-and-away season. The club tends to defeat the best teams in the competitions during the regular season and their home stadium acts as a fortress in which they rarely lose at.
Best Now MINOR PREMIERSHIP - CRONULLA SHARKS @ $9.50Gold Coast Titans
The Gold Coast Titans head into 2025 as one of the competition’s underdog teams but will be boosted by the return of skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui. Boasting one of the most elite forward packs in the competition, if they manage to keep consistency on the field, there is no telling how far the club could go this season and could find themselves contending for the Minor Premiership.
Best Now TOP 4 FINISH 2025 - GOLD COAST TITANS @ $9.00Manly Sea Eagles
On his day, Tom ‘Turbo’ Trbojevic is arguably not only one of the best fullbacks in the competition but is also one of the best players in the NRL. Although he has been continually plagued with injuries over the past few seasons, if he stays fit and available, he can be assured of being one of the top try-scorers and cross the white line on several occasions.
Best Now TOPMelbourne Storm
After making the 2024 NRL Grand Final, the Storm are one of only a few teams that contend with the Penrith Panthers and are one of the favourites heading into the season. Clinching the Minor Premiership last year, the club have several A-list talents headlined by their spine of Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant.
Best Now TO MAKE GRAND FINAL 2025 - MELBOURNE STORM @ $2.25Newcastle Knights
Yet to decide on their halves combination weeks away from the start of the season, the Knights enter 2025 with a depleted forward pack and will need to rely heavily on fullback Kalyn Ponga. However, if Ponga misses multiple matches or underperforms, there is no telling how bad the Knights season could potentially be.
Best Now 2025 LEAST WINS - NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS @ $6.50New Zealand Warriors
One win away from making the Grand Final in 2023, the Warriors had a fall from grace last season and it’s hard to see them reaching the NRL Finals again after losing Shaun Johnson to retirement and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak to injury. With an inexperienced halves combination in Te Maire Martin and Luke Metcalfe, they can be expected to miss the top eight.
Best Now TO MISS THE TOP 8 2025 - NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS @ $1.50North Queensland Cowboys
The Cowboys will be without veteran and star outside backs Kyle Feldt and Valentine Holmes this season after they departed the club and will need someone to step up in their absence. Enter Murray Taulagi. One of the best young wingers, the Maroons star is able to cross the line with ease and will be the go-to man near the try-line if he manages to stay fit and available.
Best Now 2025 TOP TRYSCORER - MURRAY TAULAGI @ $31.00Parramatta Eels
Parramatta may have brought in several new players, headlined by Zac Lomax but there is a good chance they will remain winless after the opening five rounds. Kicking off their season against the Storm, they face the Tigers, Bulldogs, Sea Eagles, and Dragons, where ‘King Gutho’ Clint Gutherson will be looking for vengeance in his first match against his former team.
Best Now WINLESS AFTER ROUND 5 - PARRAMATTA EELS @ $11.00Penrith Panthers
Can the Panthers make it five-in-a-row? While they have lost Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris and Sunia Turuva, the rest of the squad remains the same and they have even brought in Blaize Talagi (Eels) and Isaiah Papali’i (Tigers). Over the past four years, they have shown that they can still perform despite losing multiple stars and are likely to do the same in 2025.
Best Now 2024 LEAST WINS - CANBERRA RAIDERS @ $7.00South Sydney Rabbitohs
Finishing second-last in 2024, the Rabbitohs enter a new era this season with Wayne Bennett returning to the club and re-taking the head coaching reigns. Struggling with injuries to key players last year, Campbell Graham, Tyrone Munro, Isaiah Tass and Tevita Tatola are all set to be available from Round 1 and Latrell Mitchell has the ability to change the match in an instant.
Best Now MOST IMPROVED 2025 - SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS (-20) @ $3.60St George Illawarra Dragons
Entering the 2025 season with an entirely new-look roster and losing Kangaroos stars Ben Hunt and Zac Lomax, the Dragons are currently favourites to win the wooden spoon. Despite bringing in the likes of Clint Gutherson, Valentine Holmes and Damien Cook, a massive question mark remains over their forward pack and their lack of star-power in their halves.
Best Now 2025 LEAST WINS - ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS @ $6.00Sydney Roosters
After losing Luke Keary, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Joseph Manu, Joseph Suaalii, and Sitili Tupouniua during the off-season, the Roosters will also be without Brandon Smith and Sam Walker for the first half of the year as they remain sidelined due to injury. If a few other of the regular players sustain injuries, it is hard to see the Bondi-based club achieving the same success they have had in recent years and could fall lower than expected.
Best Now 2025 LEAST WINS - SYDNEY ROOSTERS @ $21.00The Dolphins
A prolific try-scorer and goal-kicker, there aren’t too many players that can contend with Jamayne Isaako’s point-scoring ability. One of the favourites to score the most points in the upcoming season, Isaako will be looking to reclaim his form after he was named the Dally M Winger of the Year in 2023, and the best way to do that is to cross the line on multiple occasions. He also isn’t eligible for State of Origin, meaning he will play three more matches than others.
Best Now TOP POINTSCORER 2025 - JAMAYNE ISAAKO @ $5.00Wests Tigers
Claiming the past three wooden spoons, the Wests Tigers will hope to climb off the bottom of the ladder this season and have made several high-profile signings such as Jarome Luai, Sunia Turuva, Royce Hunt and Terrell May. Due to this, they can be expected to contend for the top-eight and look to change around their fortunes that their fan base has been accustomed to.
Best Now TOP 8 FINISH 2025 - WESTS TIGERS @ $3.50