What if every game started at halftime in 2021?

Who was the best second half team in 2021?

Published by

Scott Pryde

We looked at what the NRL would have looked like if every game only consisted of the first half yesterday, so it’s only fair that we follow it up with the second half picture today.

While the first half snapshot saw some surprises across the ladder (trust me, you’ll fall off your chair), this second half is a little more on par with what the final ladder actually looked like, albeit with some shuffling of the order.

In fact, the entire top eight and bottom eight were the same as what the final order was.

The Penrith Panthers were able to claim their place on the top of the pile, with 20 second half wins out of 24 games, although their for and against blew out in the second half of the year - they were conceding just three points per game through the first 12 rounds second halves.

The Melbourne Storm and South Sydney Rabbitohs are once again in the top three, with the Sydney Roosters surprisingly taking fourth spot ahead of the Manly Sea Eagles. Given Manly missed the top eight in yesterday’s list, it makes their fourth spot on the NRL ladder at season’s end all the more surprising, although they were only a point behind the tri-colours.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 04: Angus Crichton of the Roosters is tackled during the round four NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and the New Zealand Warriors at Sydney Cricket Ground, on April 04, 2021, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

The Eels, Knights and Titans rounded out the top eight on this ladder in the correct order, while the Warriors and Dragons were the first two teams just outside of the top eight.

The big faders were the Sharks, who were a top-four team during first halves, but a bottom four team this time around, while the Bulldogs and Broncos rounded out the bottom of the table.

Final second half ladder

Scroll on for the second half result in every single game during the 2021 NRL season.

	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Draw	Points	For	Against	F/A
1	Penrith Panthers	24	20	4	0	40	374	132	242
2	Melbourne Storm	24	16	6	2	34	401	192	209
3	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	17	7	0	34	395	233	162
4	Sydney Roosters	24	16	7	1	33	330	215	115
5	Manly Sea Eagles	24	16	8	0	32	416	208	208
6	Parramatta Eels	24	15	9	0	30	324	231	93
7	Newcastle Knights	24	11	12	1	23	213	273	-60
8	Gold Coast Titans	24	11	13	0	22	266	303	-37
9	New Zealand Warriors	24	10	13	1	21	233	295	-62
10	St George Illawarra Dragons	24	9	13	2	20	263	343	-80
11	Canberra Raiders	24	10	14	0	20	218	334	-116
12	Wests Tigers	24	9	14	1	19	290	376	-86
13	North Queensland Cowboys	24	7	15	2	16	246	337	-91
14	Cronulla Sharks	24	7	15	2	16	206	332	-126
15	Brisbane Broncos	24	6	17	1	13	198	365	-167
16	Canterbury Bulldogs	24	5	18	1	11	194	398	-204

ROCKHAMPTON, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 21: Luke Metcalf of the Sharks runs the ball during the round 23 NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Cronulla Sharks at Browne Park, on August 21, 2021, in Rockhampton, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Before we get into every result, here is a quick snapshot at what Week 1 of the finals would have looked like had the NRL season been played in first halves only:

Qualifying final 1: Penrith Panthers (1) vs Sydney Roosters (4)
Qualifying final 2: Melbourne Storm (2) vs South Sydney Rabbitohs (3)
Elimination final 1: Manly Sea Eagles (5) vs Gold Coast Titans (8)
Elimination final 2: Parramatta Eels (6) vs Newcastle Knights (7)

Regular season

Round 1
Melbourne Storm 4 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
Newcastle Knights 14 - Canterbury Bulldogs 6
Brisbane Broncos 0 - Parramatta Eels 24
New Zealand Warriors 13 - Gold Coast Titans 6
Sydney Roosters 20 - Manly Sea Eagles 0
Penrith Panthers 16 - North Queensland Cowboys 0
Canberra Raiders 24 - Wests Tigers 6
St George Illawarra Dragons 18 - Cronulla Sharks 18

Round 2
Parramatta Eels 10 - Melbourne Storm 6
New Zealand Warriors 10 - Newcastle Knights 12
Gold Coast Titans 6 - Brisbane Broncos 12
Canterbury Bulldogs 0 - Penrith Panthers 18
Manly Sea Eagles 6 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
North Queensland Cowboys 12 - St George Illawarra Dragons 12
Wests Tigers 0 - Sydney Roosters 22
Cronulla Sharks 10 - Canberra Raiders 0

Round 3
Penrith Panthers 6 - Melbourne Storm 4
St George Illawarra Dragons 20 - Manly Sea Eagles 6
South Sydney Rabbitohs 8 - Sydney Roosters 16
Canberra Raiders 6 - New Zealand Warriors 28
Brisbane Broncos 22 - Canterbury Bulldogs 0
Parramatta Eels 18 - Cronulla Sharks 0
Newcastle Knights 12 - Wests Tigers 12
North Queensland Cowboys 8 - Gold Coast Titans 18

Round 4
Manly Sea Eagles 0 - Penrith Panthers 24
Canterbury Bulldogs 0 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 24
Melbourne Storm 16 - Brisbane Broncos 0
Cronulla Sharks 12 - North Queensland Cowboys 6
Gold Coast Titans 0 - Canberra Raiders 12
Newcastle Knights 6 - St George Illawarra Dragons 16
Sydney Roosters 16 - New Zealand Warriors 0
Wests Tigers 12 - Parramatta Eels 16

Round 5
South Sydney Rabbitohs 17 - Brisbane Broncos 0
New Zealand Warriors 6 - Manly Sea Eagles 7
Penrith Panthers 12 - Canberra Raiders 4
Gold Coast Titans 16 - Newcastle Knights 4
Canterbury Bulldogs 12 - Melbourne Storm 22
Sydney Roosters 22 - Cronulla Sharks 6
Wests Tigers 24 - North Queensland Cowboys 6
Parramatta Eels 12 - St George Illawarra Dragons 8

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Cody Walker of the Rabbitohs celebrates with team mates after scoring a try during the NRL Preliminary Final match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Manly Sea Eagles at Suncorp Stadium on September 24, 2021 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Round 6
Brisbane Broncos 0 - Penrith Panthers 10
Newcastle Knights 12 - Cronulla Sharks 16
Melbourne Storm 16 - Sydney Roosters 4
Manly Sea Eagles 10 - Gold Coast Titans 0
South Sydney Rabbitohs 12 - Wests Tigers 8
Canberra Raiders 0 - Parramatta Eels 23
St George Illawarra Dragons 6 - New Zealand Warriors 8
North Queensland Cowboys 24 - Canterbury Bulldogs 12

Round 7
Penrith Panthers 14 - Newcastle Knights 0
Gold Coast Titans 6 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 30
Parramatta Eels 22 - Brisbane Broncos 0
Cronulla Sharks 12 - Canterbury Bulldogs 0
North Queensland Cowboys 14 - Canberra Raiders 0
Wests Tigers 0 - Manly Sea Eagles 22
Sydney Roosters 18 - St George Illawarra Dragons 4
Melbourne Storm 16 - New Zealand Warriors 16

Round 8
Canberra Raiders 4 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 20
Melbourne Storm 34 - Cronulla Sharks 6
Brisbane Broncos 14 - Gold Coast Titans 6
Penrith Panthers 12 - Manly Sea Eagles 10
Canterbury Bulldogs 10 - Parramatta Eels 16
Newcastle Knights 0 - Sydney Roosters 18
New Zealand Warriors 0 - North Queensland Cowboys 16
St George Illawarra Dragons 0 - Wests Tigers 10

Round 9
South Sydney Rabbitohs 0 - Melbourne Storm 24
Penrith Panthers 24 - Cronulla Sharks 0
Parramatta Eels 13 - Sydney Roosters 6
Canberra Raiders 0 - Newcastle Knights 24
Wests Tigers 16 - Gold Coast Titans 12
North Queensland Cowboys 11 - Brisbane Broncos 6
Manly Sea Eagles 26 - New Zealand Warriors 12
St George Illawarra Dragons 26 - Canterbury Bulldogs 12

Round 10
Wests Tigers 12 - Newcastle Knights 14
Manly Sea Eagles 30 - Brisbane Broncos 0
Canterbury Bulldogs 18 - Canberra Raiders 12
Cronulla Sharks 16 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
Sydney Roosters 12 - North Queensland Cowboys 6
New Zealand Warriors 12 - Parramatta Eels 10
Melbourne Storm 30 - St George Illawarra Dragons 8
Gold Coast Titans 12 - Penrith Panthers 18

during the round 26 NRL match between the Manly Sea Eagles and the Penrith Panthers at Lottoland on September 2, 2017 in Sydney, Australia.

Round 11
North Queensland Cowboys 20 - Newcastle Knights 4
New Zealand Warriors 12 - Wests Tigers 16
Cronulla Sharks 7 - St George Illawarra Dragons 10
Gold Coast Titans 12 - Canterbury Bulldogs 10
Sydney Roosters 2 - Brisbane Broncos 18
Canberra Raiders 0 - Melbourne Storm 22
South Sydney Rabbitohs 6 - Penrith Panthers 26
Parramatta Eels 0 - Manly Sea Eagles 12

Round 12
Brisbane Broncos 12 - Melbourne Storm 24
North Queensland Cowboys 7 - New Zealand Warriors 22
Wests Tigers 16 - St George Illawarra Dragons 18
Penrith Panthers 20 - Canterbury Bulldogs 4
South Sydney Rabbitohs 18 - Parramatta Eels 14
Sydney Roosters 28 - Canberra Raiders 6
Cronulla Sharks 12 - Gold Coast Titans 4
Newcastle Knights 6 - Manly Sea Eagles 0

Round 13
St George Illawarra Dragons 28 - Brisbane Broncos 6
Wests Tigers 16 - Penrith Panthers 6
Melbourne Storm 4 - Gold Coast Titans 10
Newcastle Knights 4 - Parramatta Eels 18

Round 14
Manly Sea Eagles 22 - North Queensland Cowboys 6
Cronulla Sharks 1 - Penrith Panthers 18
Gold Coast Titans 30 - Sydney Roosters 17
South Sydney Rabbitohs 12 - Newcastle Knights 0
Canberra Raiders 16 - Brisbane Broncos 6
New Zealand Warriors 14 - Melbourne Storm 24
Parramatta Eels 26 - Wests Tigers 6
Canterbury Bulldogs 20 - St George Illawarra Dragons 0

Round 15
Brisbane Broncos 0 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 28
North Queensland Cowboys 12 - Cronulla Sharks 6
Penrith Panthers 16 - Sydney Roosters 0
Newcastle Knights 6 - New Zealand Warriors 0
St George Illawarra Dragons 16 - Canberra Raiders 6
Melbourne Storm 26 - Wests Tigers 16
Parramatta Eels 30 - Canterbury Bulldogs 0
Gold Coast Titans 0 - Manly Sea Eagles 48

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 23: Bryce Cartwright of the Eels celebrates with Reed Mahoney of the Eels after scoring a try during the round seven NRL match between the Parramatta Eels and the Brisbane Broncos at TIO Stadium, on April 23, 2021, in Darwin, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Round 16
Sydney Roosters 0 - Melbourne Storm 16
New Zealand Warriors 6 - St George Illawarra Dragons 13
Penrith Panthers 7 - Parramatta Eels 8
Canterbury Bulldogs 0 - Manly Sea Eagles 30
Canberra Raiders 6 - Gold Coast Titans 22
Newcastle Knights 16 - North Queensland Cowboys 0
Brisbane Broncos 14 - Cronulla Sharks 6
Wests Tigers 22 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 12

Round 17
Manly Sea Eagles 12 - Canberra Raiders 18
South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 - North Queensland Cowboys 6
Canterbury Bulldogs 6 - Sydney Roosters 6
Cronulla Sharks 0 - New Zealand Warriors 6

Round 18
Gold Coast Titans 8 - Parramatta Eels 6
Manly Sea Eagles 20 - St George Illawarra Dragons 4
North Queensland Cowboys 6 - Sydney Roosters 20
Canberra Raiders 22 - Cronulla Sharks 6
Melbourne Storm 18 - Newcastle Knights 4
New Zealand Warriors 6 - Penrith Panthers 14
Brisbane Broncos 6 - Wests Tigers 32
South Sydney Rabbitohs 22 - Canterbury Bulldogs 12

Round 19
Parramatta Eels 10 - Canberra Raiders 12
Sydney Roosters 18 - Newcastle Knights 0
North Queensland Cowboys 10 - Melbourne Storm 10
South Sydney Rabbitohs 26 - New Zealand Warriors 6
Manly Sea Eagles 24 - Wests Tigers 12
Penrith Panthers 14 - Brisbane Broncos 12
St George Illawarra Dragons 4 - Gold Coast Titans 18
Canterbury Bulldogs 18 - Cronulla Sharks 14

Round 20
Sydney Roosters 16 - Parramatta Eels 0
Wests Tigers 6 - New Zealand Warriors 18
Brisbane Broncos 15 - North Queensland Cowboys 6
Newcastle Knights 12 - Canberra Raiders 18
Melbourne Storm 21 - Penrith Panthers 10
St George Illawarra Dragons 4 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 26
Canterbury Bulldogs 6 - Gold Coast Titans 18
Cronulla Sharks 12 - Manly Sea Eagles 24

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 15: Wayde Egan of the Wallabies looks to pass during the round 22 NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Canterbury Bulldogs at Moreton Daily Stadium, on August 15, 2021, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Round 21
Newcastle Knights 16 - Brisbane Broncos 12
Canberra Raiders 8 - St George Illawarra Dragons 0
Parramatta Eels 12 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 26
New Zealand Warriors 12 - Cronulla Sharks 0
Sydney Roosters 8 - Penrith Panthers 6
Manly Sea Eagles 10 - Melbourne Storm 20
Canterbury Bulldogs 4 - Wests Tigers 10
Gold Coast Titans 22 - North Queensland Cowboys 10

Round 22
Melbourne Storm 6 - Canberra Raiders 12
St George Illawarra Dragons 10 - Penrith Panthers 18
Brisbane Broncos 8 - Sydney Roosters 9
South Sydney Rabbitohs 12 - Gold Coast Titans 6
North Queensland Cowboys 10 - Wests Tigers 12
Manly Sea Eagles 30 - Parramatta Eels 6
New Zealand Warriors 8 - Canterbury Bulldogs 0
Cronulla Sharks 2 - Newcastle Knights 8

Round 23
Gold Coast Titans 4 - Melbourne Storm 22
Canberra Raiders 6 - Manly Sea Eagles 19
Penrith Panthers 15 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 0
Wests Tigers 16 - Cronulla Sharks 34
Canterbury Bulldogs 16 - Newcastle Knights 12
Parramatta Eels 18 - North Queensland Cowboys 10
St George Illawarra Dragons 16 - Sydney Roosters 26
Briabane Broncos 12 - New Zealand Warriors 18

Round 24
Newcastle Knights 9 - Gold Coast Titans 2
New Zealand Warriors 0 - Canberra Raiders 22
Sydney Roosters 6 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 30
St George Illawarra Dragons 6 - North Queensland Cowboys 28
Cronulla Sharks 6 - Brisbane Broncos 6
Melbourne Storm 0 - Parramatta Eels 12
Manly Sea Eagles 26 - Canterbury Bulldogs 6
Penrith Panthers 18 - Wests Tigers 10

Round 25
Canberra Raiders 4 - Sydney Roosters 20
Cronulla Sharks 4 - Melbourne Storm 16
Parramatta Eels 0 - Penrith Panthers 28
Brisbane Broncos 17 - Newcastle Knights 18
North Queensland Cowboys 12 - Manly Sea Eagles 28
South Sydney Rabbitohs 6 - St George Illawarra Dragons 16
Gold Coast Titans 28 - New Zealand Warriors 0
Wests Tigers 0 - Canterbury Bulldogs 22

Published by

Scott Pryde

3 years ago