NRL's 2026 draw causes controversy with uneven competition among 17 teams and 24 games.
It's impossible to have an equitable draw in the NRL. 17 teams and 24 games simply doesn't fit the bill.
The screams of blue murder, and those who haven't said anything, are all too obvious already within hours of the fixtures for 2026 being released by the NRL.
But which teams, as it stands, should be having a party, and which shouldn't?
Zero Tackle have run the numbers to determine who has the toughest draw based on a system designed purely from last year's ladder, where the minor premiers - the Canberra Raiders - are awarded 17 points, the second-place Melbourne Storm 16 points, and so on all the way down to wooden spooners the Newcastle Knights who are worth just 1 point.