While Tumut can take plenty of positives from last week, the Tigers have wound in their odds to go back-to-back.

Southcity have the attacking weapons to worry both sides and it looks a race in three for the title.

While Albury are just a point behind second, and are the only team yet to be beaten by the premiers, they need to take another step after showing good improvement to be considered a real title contender.

It's been a decade long finals drought for Temora and the Dragons' two-win buffer is a big boost heading into the second half of the season but there are plenty of sides within striking distance if they can find some consistency and make a late charge.

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: Third

The premiers are yet to taste defeat and despite not being at their best still downed arch rivals Tumut.

It bodes well for more success for the club who has been in the last four grand finals.

Not looking to rest of their laurels, adding Royce Tout only boosts their chances to cover any injuries while the return of James Smart looms after his mid-season move to play in the United States.

They've been there and done that before, have experience and depth in every position plus with Mathew Lyons adding a new dimension to their attack this season it would a brave person to tip against them at this stage of the season.

It looks like their's to lose at this stage.

PREDICTION: First

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: First

After going from the hunted to the hunter by falling short of a third straight premiership consistency has been a problem for the Bulls.

They were upstaged early in the season by Temora before going on a winning streak before getting blown off the park by Gundagai leading to internal questions over their commitment to the cause following so much success..

They've usually got plenty of points in them but their performance at Anzac Park was worrying to say the least.

Struggling to handle getting behind is never ideal when the big game comes around and while they've responded well the tougher tests will come later in the season.

Despite his injury concerns, Nathan Rose seems to be having an even bigger influence on their attack this season and finding different avenues could help release pressure against the top sides.

PREDICTION: Third

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: Second

Tumut's big off-season recruitment drive is delivering with the Blues on the cusp on turning this into a massive season.

Their only two losses have been tight ones against Gundagai and Southcity and the team should be getting better as new combinations start to settle.

They've added plenty of depth to their impressive forward pack but cracks are appearing there.

The loss of Lachlan Bristow could be massive, even if they performed well without him to start the season, however Adam Pearce is expected to be back ahead of schedule.

Another big concern is a lack of creativity in the halves and points in the back line with their forwards dominating on the field and on the scoreboard.

They have been the big improvers but they also got to find a way to down their big rivals and things won't get any easier after tight losses at Twickenham to the top two sides.

Still their best chance of the title since their 2010 premiership.

PREDICTION: Second

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: Fifth

The Thunder underachieved last season with their raft of narrow losses proving costly but in their second year under Adrian Purtell there has been good improvement.

They've only lost twice, to Southcity and Tumut, while a draw against Gundagai reads very well.

With the exception of two games against Young and Kangaroos they've been fairly untroubled by the rest of the competition.

They may have been guilty of underestimating their more recent rivals in those victories however they've got take another step if they are going to topple the top three sides.

At this stage it might be a step too far.

Another worry is their makeshift halves pairing of Purtell and Robbie Byatt and whether they need more attacking options to get the results they want but it shapes as a return to finals for the southern giants.

PREDICTION: Fourth

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: Last

Have been the real surprise packets so far this season.

They lost their best player in Hayden Philp but have finally been able to find a little depth to help their cause as they look to play finals for the first time in about a decade.

A win over Junee last week was crucial in getting a four-point gap on the chasing pack but the Dragons still need to be consistent or things can change quickly in the compressed bottom half of the ladder.

Injuries also need to be kind as there isn't an abundance of depth there but expect them to sneak into the five for the first time in a long time.

PREDICTION: Fifth

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: Fourth

The Wagga side has fallen a long, long way this season.

With a nearly identical side to last year, where they made it to the preliminary final and looked a real premiership contender before a run of bad injuries, Brothers have struggled to replicate anywhere near the same form.

They had a good pre-season and a slow first few weeks things looked like they could be getting back on track before a blowout against Southcity.

It wasn't just the 40-point margin that was concerning but how they went about the clash after scoring early.

It slipped away badly and so could their season if there isn't vast improvement in the next few weeks and they get back to the brief glimpse of form they showed in round one.

PREDICTION: Ninth

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: Seventh

Injuries haven't been kind to the Diesels so far this season and their results have shown that.

The big list has diminished in the past few weeks however they haven't been able to turn around their slow start.

They've let a couple of good chances against the teams around them on the ladder slip in the last two weeks to put themselves under plenty of pressure at the midway point.

The talent is there after the side made finals last year but finding a way for so many playmakers in the side has been a challenge even without their injury problems.

There seems to be a much bigger gap to the top teams this time around with simple errors proving particularly costly and it will be tough to crack into the top five.

PREDICTION: Seventh

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: Sixth

They was plenty of hype surrounding the Cherrypickers at the start of the season and they haven't lived up to it yet.

They were touted internally of having their best side in years but have failed to deliver consistency not only week-to-week but throughout game.

In patches they have shown they can compete against the best but playing patches aren't winning many games in this competition.

They've made plenty of personnel changes to try and get things right but it hasn't quite come off yet.

With their strong forward pack there is still time for Young but they've got to find a way to start and finish off the same game or it will be another year where their promise doesn't deliver a finals berth.

PREDICTION: Sixth

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: Eighth

It always shaped as another in between season but injuries haven't been kind to the Wagga side so far.

All is not lost after almost causing a boilover with a strong performance against Albury and haven't been too far off the mark of late but need to win a way to start winning and quickly.

They haven't tasted success since round two and if they don't take advantage of the next few weeks they will run out of time to make an attempt to snare fifth place and it will be back to the drawing board.

Glenn Dumbrell holds the key to the side and even with a couple of significant back line injuries they're fighting hard to avoid falling off the pace but it's a tough fight to win.

PREDICTION: Eighth

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: Ninth

It always shaped as a tough season for the Bulldogs after losing so many of their big names from a team who just missed out on finals last year.

The season didn't start off to bad with a couple of tight losses but now a win looks a long off.

With rivals staking up some big scorelines it's hard to see them adding to their tally this season.

However they young side is getting plenty of experience in the top grade which will help in the long run.

PREDICTION: Last