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1. St George Illawarra
The premiers took up where they finished off last season, dominating the opposition with their relentless style. The fact they were playing on the road against a team with a good home record didn't matter.
2. Canberra Raiders
Watch out for the Raiders. They are set to be among the biggest challengers to the Dragons for the title. Despite being without Dugan, Campese and Orford, and then losing Tongue early, they crushed the Sharks.
3. Canterbury
The Bulldogs showed enough in their win over the Tigers to suggest they have moved on from last year and will instead be much more like the team that made it through to the third week of the finals in 2009.
4. Sydney Roosters
They nearly blew it against the Rabbitohs after getting away to a big lead, but when the game was there to be won in the last 10 minutes they were clearly the smarter side. And, don't forget, Carney didn't play.
5. Parramatta
That was a very disciplined performance on the road against the Warriors. The fact everyone else was prepared to do their jobs and not look to Hayne to win the game made it a lot easier for the superstar fullback.
6. Newcastle
There were a few people tipping the Knights to improve dramatically this season, and the team certainly provided reason to be optimistic about their chances with a smashing win over the Panthers on the road.
7. Melbourne
They don't have the firepower across the board that they had in the past, but they still have tremendous discipline and star players in key positions. They ground away against the Sea Eagles until the win was secure.
8. North Queensland
Good luck to them for opening their campaign with a win, but they still must rate as the lowest-ranked victors because they only just got home against a Broncos outfit that included a lot of rookies.
9. South Sydney
Coach Lang's head might explode if he gives too many of those halftime blasts we saw on TV. It will be interesting to see how this season pans out for them. The big question mark is over halfback Sandow.
10. Wests Tigers
Marshall scored a terrific individual try against the Bulldogs, but the Tigers still didn't get what they needed from him and his halves partner, Lui, over the course of the game. They can improve in a hurry.
11. New Zealand Warriors
Losing at home to the Eels would have been a shock to the system, but they deserved to go down. They made too many mistakes, and the opposition defence held them out for long enough to build a big lead.
12. Gold Coast
It's obviously no shame to lose to the Dragons, but the issue for the Titans over the course of a long season is that a lot of their key players are getting old, and might get tired. They need to bank points early.
13. Manly
They have got a tough ahead season of them. They were committed against the Storm, but they weren't very threatening, and now on top of that loss they have to deal with injuries in a squad that lacks quality depth.
14. Broncos
Another team that looks like doing it tough in 2011. They couldn't get the cash at home against the Cowboys, and it's a lot to expect even a superstar like Lockyer to try to drag them over the line week after week.
15. Cronulla
Hell, what do you say about them? They just kept dropping the ball against the Raiders, and after scoring the first six points they conceded 34 straight before scoring again. Not the stuff Jaws was made of.
16. Penrith
Here's a question for you: what do the Panthers have in common with the Central Coast Mariners? Both teams led 2-0 on Sunday, only to lose. But the Mariners held on for a whole lot longer than the Panthers did.
The premiers took up where they finished off last season, dominating the opposition with their relentless style. The fact they were playing on the road against a team with a good home record didn't matter.
2. Canberra Raiders
Watch out for the Raiders. They are set to be among the biggest challengers to the Dragons for the title. Despite being without Dugan, Campese and Orford, and then losing Tongue early, they crushed the Sharks.
3. Canterbury
The Bulldogs showed enough in their win over the Tigers to suggest they have moved on from last year and will instead be much more like the team that made it through to the third week of the finals in 2009.
4. Sydney Roosters
They nearly blew it against the Rabbitohs after getting away to a big lead, but when the game was there to be won in the last 10 minutes they were clearly the smarter side. And, don't forget, Carney didn't play.
5. Parramatta
That was a very disciplined performance on the road against the Warriors. The fact everyone else was prepared to do their jobs and not look to Hayne to win the game made it a lot easier for the superstar fullback.
6. Newcastle
There were a few people tipping the Knights to improve dramatically this season, and the team certainly provided reason to be optimistic about their chances with a smashing win over the Panthers on the road.
7. Melbourne
They don't have the firepower across the board that they had in the past, but they still have tremendous discipline and star players in key positions. They ground away against the Sea Eagles until the win was secure.
8. North Queensland
Good luck to them for opening their campaign with a win, but they still must rate as the lowest-ranked victors because they only just got home against a Broncos outfit that included a lot of rookies.
9. South Sydney
Coach Lang's head might explode if he gives too many of those halftime blasts we saw on TV. It will be interesting to see how this season pans out for them. The big question mark is over halfback Sandow.
10. Wests Tigers
Marshall scored a terrific individual try against the Bulldogs, but the Tigers still didn't get what they needed from him and his halves partner, Lui, over the course of the game. They can improve in a hurry.
11. New Zealand Warriors
Losing at home to the Eels would have been a shock to the system, but they deserved to go down. They made too many mistakes, and the opposition defence held them out for long enough to build a big lead.
12. Gold Coast
It's obviously no shame to lose to the Dragons, but the issue for the Titans over the course of a long season is that a lot of their key players are getting old, and might get tired. They need to bank points early.
13. Manly
They have got a tough ahead season of them. They were committed against the Storm, but they weren't very threatening, and now on top of that loss they have to deal with injuries in a squad that lacks quality depth.
14. Broncos
Another team that looks like doing it tough in 2011. They couldn't get the cash at home against the Cowboys, and it's a lot to expect even a superstar like Lockyer to try to drag them over the line week after week.
15. Cronulla
Hell, what do you say about them? They just kept dropping the ball against the Raiders, and after scoring the first six points they conceded 34 straight before scoring again. Not the stuff Jaws was made of.
16. Penrith
Here's a question for you: what do the Panthers have in common with the Central Coast Mariners? Both teams led 2-0 on Sunday, only to lose. But the Mariners held on for a whole lot longer than the Panthers did.
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