Home / Sports / Penrith Panthers Defy Odds, Lurk Outside Top 4 in Thrilling 2025 NRL Season
Penrith Panthers Defy Odds, Lurk Outside Top 4 in Thrilling 2025 NRL Season
1 Aug
Summary
- No team had featured in 4 consecutive NRL grand finals or won 3 premierships in a row until Penrith Panthers
- 8 runners-up since 1998 came from outside the top 4, 30% of all NRL seasons
- 6th-placed St. George Illawarra Dragons came closest to breaking top 4 curse in 1999
As the 2025 NRL season reaches its midpoint, the league has been turned on its head, with the all-conquering Penrith Panthers currently sitting just outside the coveted top 4 positions. This comes as a surprise to many, as conventional wisdom has long held that a top 4 finish is essential for any team hoping to win the premiership.
However, the article points out that this notion has been challenged in recent years, with the Panthers themselves rewriting the record books by featuring in four consecutive grand finals and winning three titles in a row - feats previously thought to be impossible. Additionally, the data shows that several teams from outside the top 4 have come agonizingly close to breaking the so-called "top 4 hoodoo", with eight runners-up since 1998 hailing from outside the four - a staggering 30% of all NRL seasons.
The article highlights the 1999 grand final as a particularly poignant example, where the 6th-placed St. George Illawarra Dragons led by 14 points in the second half before ultimately falling short in a controversial finish against the Melbourne Storm. With the Broncos and Dolphins also emerging as dangerous contenders this season, the 2025 campaign could be the year that the top 4 curse is finally broken.
