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NRL 2025 Season Preview: Top Teams, Key Players, and Bold Predictions

The 2025 NRL season is edging ever closer, but should we expect to see the same outcome we’ve witnessed over the last few years?

For those who haven’t been following the rugby that is played Down Under, the competition has been dominated by one team over the last four years: the Penrith Panthers.

The team has been crowned Premier Champions every time since the 2021 season, and it has become difficult to try and argue a case for others to win the competition. However, that hasn’t stopped some from suggesting that the 2025 season could see a new team be crowned the champion and end the dominance that has been experienced.

Storm To End Penrith Dominance In 2025?

While the 2025 NRL season isn’t scheduled to start until the beginning of March, there has already been a lot of discussion about what could potentially happen in the upcoming campaign.

Of course, it’s one of the biggest pastimes that sports fans have during the offseason. We like to make predictions based on what happened last season and the moves or decisions that teams have made to try and improve themselves when competing to reach their objectives.

For NRL fans, many have been speculating about who they believe can put an end to the dominance that Penrith has been showing over the last four years or so. For many, the Melbourne Storm is the team that has been argued to be the best positioned to make that happen.

The Storm finished top of the league table after 24 games played, winning 19 of the games that they had played. They had beaten the Penrith Panthers in both of their regular season contests, however they lost to the side in the Grand Final. Having won 8–0 and 24-22 in the regular season, they lost 14-6.

The Storm were the last NRL champions before the dominance that was observed took place. But, according to fans, experts, and bookies like Unibet Australia, it seems the 2025 campaign could be theirs and a return to winning titles. They lead the current odds available at the sportsbook, being priced at 3.60 ahead of the season. In contrast, the Penrith Panthers are second in the order, priced at 4.50 while the Brisbane Broncos priced at 8.50 suggests it’s a two-horse race.

Why Is The Melbourne Storm Favorites To Win The 2025 NRL Season?

Given the dominance that the Penrith Panthers have displayed over the last few years, it seems strange to think that there is an overwhelming consensus that the Melbourne Storm will finally knock them off their perch this season.

However, there are reasons why this could be the case.

The Storm were depleted for much of the season, leaving the likes of Jahrome Hughes to try and play as a one-man band. In the Grand Final, players had returned from injuries or suspensions, but he was revealed to have been struggling in that game with back and neck injuries. Since then, they’ve addressed the issues on their roster by adding Stefano Utoikamanu. The prop arrives from NSW Origin and is expected to have an immediate impact on the team and their chances of success.

Moses Leo is another new name to have been acquired by the Storm that is also expected to make an immediate impact for the team. Having switched codes from union to league, the former New Zealand Sevens winger is expected to play a pivotal role during his two-year stint with the team, which has been allowed to start in 2025 instead of 2026.

Could the Panthers Retain The NRL Title Again?

While many suggest that this could be the year that the Storm end the dominance shown, Penrith haven’t been resting on their laurels this offseason. It seems they’ve been making moves to ensure they win their fifth consecutive NRL title and continue to sit atop of everyone in the country.

In the offseason, they have managed to add Blaize Talagi from the Parramatta Eels after a successful rookie season and Isaiah Papali’i after making the shock move from the Wests Tigers when he had a year left to run on his contract.

Of course, there will be doubt about the Panthers’ chances as they did lose key players themselves. They lost Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva to the Wests Tigers, as and James Fisher-Harris to the New Zealand Warriors. These departures could be telling on their chances, although fans will wait to see what happens once the season begins.

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