NRL Lock Power Rankings 2026: Joel’s Top 5 Heading Into the Season
The article provides a detailed analysis of the top five NRL locks heading into the 2026 season, emphasizing the evolving roles and expectations for lock players. Isaah Yeo takes the top spot, praised for his strategic play and leadership at the Penrith Panthers. Close behind is Patrick Carrigan of the Brisbane Broncos, known for his physicality and intelligence on the field. The list also highlights Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Erin Clark, and Cameron Murray, each bringing unique strengths that significantly impact their respective teams. This ranking is anticipated to influence team dynamics in the coming season.
- Isaah Yeo ranked top lock for 2026; key for Penrith's dominance.
- Patrick Carrigan shows intensified gameplay and leadership.
- Top 5 includes impactful players like Murray and Fa’asuamaleaui.
Isaah Yeo of the Panthers. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
NRL Lock Power Rankings 2026: Joel’s Top 5 Heading Into the Season
The lock position has become the engine room of the modern NRL.
- NRL Lock Power Rankings 2026: Joel’s Top 5 Heading Into the Season
- 5. Cameron Murray (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
- 4. Erin Clark (New Zealand Warriors)
- 3. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (Gold Coast Titans)
- 2. Patrick Carrigan (Brisbane Broncos)
- 1. Isaah Yeo (Penrith Panthers)
Once a role built purely on toughness and work rate, the best locks now shape games through ball playing, decision making, and defensive control. They are expected to link like halves, carry like props, and defend like back-rowers, often all in the same set.
After wrapping up the final episode of our League of Inches positional power rankings series, one thing was clear. The gap at the top has never been tighter. There is an established benchmark, two genuine challengers pushing hard, and a group of elite forwards whose value comes from influence rather than highlight moments.
These rankings reflect what we expect heading into the 2026 season. Form, role security, durability, leadership, and how much responsibility each player carries within their system all matter.
5. Cameron Murray (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Cameron Murray may feel like a surprise inclusion after an injury-ruined 2025, but his ranking is about impact, not recency bias.
When Murray is fit, South Sydney are a completely different football side. His ability to tighten the middle, control defensive effort, and link play through the ruck is unmatched within the Rabbitohs system. They felt his absence more than almost any team felt the loss of a single forward last season.
Murray is the heartbeat type of lock. He does not need flashy moments to influence games. His value comes from work rate, positioning, and the way he allows others to play with confidence around him.
If he stays healthy, this ranking could look conservative by mid-season.
4. Erin Clark (New Zealand Warriors)
Erin Clark’s rise at the Warriors was one of the standout forward stories of 2025.
After arriving from the Titans, he immediately locked down the number 13 jersey and never let it go. His consistency week to week, combined with his physical presence and underrated ball playing, made him one of the most reliable locks in the competition.
Clark thrives in a system that values effort and accountability. He plays with intensity, wins the tough carries, and links cleanly without overplaying his hand. His Dally M Lock of the Year recognition was fully deserved.
With the Warriors building around him, Clark enters 2026 as one of the safest and most dependable locks in the NRL.
3. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (Gold Coast Titans)
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui remains one of the most physically imposing locks in the game.
At his best, he is a tone-setter who intimidates opposition packs and drags his team into the contest through sheer presence. His performances at representative level continue to highlight just how damaging he can be when surrounded by structure and stability.
The challenge for Tino has always been context. At the Titans, he is often asked to do everything. Carry, defend, lead, and fix problems elsewhere. That burden can limit how consistently his best football shows up week to week.
Pure talent-wise, he could easily be higher. But heading into 2026, he sits just behind two players whose systems allow their influence to be maximised.
2. Patrick Carrigan (Brisbane Broncos)
Patrick Carrigan’s game has reached another level.
The Broncos’ premiership run added polish to a player who was already elite through effort and physicality. Carrigan has become more composed, more selective, and more damaging at the right moments. Even when he rotates through the middle like other Top 5 Props of 2026.
While he may not possess the same natural ball-playing instincts as some locks, his running game, defensive leadership, and engine are among the best in the competition. He is relentless, intelligent, and now brings finals-tested confidence into every performance.
Carrigan enters 2026 primed for another huge year, and there is very little separating him from the top spot.
1. Isaah Yeo (Penrith Panthers)
Isaah Yeo remains the benchmark.
For years, he has defined what the modern lock position looks like. His ability to operate as a third half, control tempo, and cover for missing playmakers has been central to Penrith’s sustained dominance.
What separates Yeo is his football IQ. He knows when to carry, when to distribute, and when to slow a game down. Very few forwards can manipulate a contest the way he does. The beauty of the Panthers system is the fluency of the spine with a Top 5 Halfback and a Top 5 Fullback in that set up.
Even as others close the gap, Yeo’s consistency, leadership, and understanding of the game keep him at number one heading into 2026. Until someone proves they can match that influence across a full season, the crown remains his.
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