The new year has arrived and the NRL season is less than two months away, with the 2026 edition promising to be another filled with excitement and intrigue.
Brisbane ended a nearly two-decade premiership drought last year, producing a grand final triumph for the ages against the Storm thanks largely to Reece Walsh‘s heroics.
On the flip-side, the likes of Newcastle and Gold Coast languished at the bottom of the ladder, while the Maroons walked away with the State of Origin shield.
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As always, fans and experts alike will be bringing out the crystal ball and trying to make sense of the rugby league chaos before players even lace up a boot.
Here are 10 bold predictions for the upcoming season.
Dolphins clinch maiden top-eight finish
Isaiya Katoa has risen to stardom with the Dolphins. Getty
It’s been a case of close but no cigar for the NRL’s newest club in their first few years in the competition, but things feel destined to change for the Dolphins in 2026.
After holding a top-eight spot for much of last year, Kristian Woolf‘s men ran out of puff as injuries continued to mount at Redcliffe in crucial periods.
This season, the Dolphins will have a litany of key players back either for round one or early in their campaign including Herbie Farnworth, Tom Gilbert and Max Plath.
Then there’s the looming return of Tom Flegler, who has been sidelined for an extended period with a career-threatening neck injury and is on the verge of a comeback.
The rise of Isaiya Katoa has seen the Tongan international form a strong combination with the rest of the spine and the Dolphins possess plenty of strike out wide.
It’s a well-balanced roster and the players who stepped up in an injury crisis during the 2025 season will be better for the run, giving the Dolphins plenty of depth.
Mitchell Woods becomes Bulldogs halfback
Mitchell Woods during the U19s State of Origin. Getty
He’s the uber-talented teenager that had three sporting codes chasing his signature, but the time has almost come for Mitchell Woods to make the jump to first grade.
The 19-year-old has dominated through the junior ranks, featuring in the U19s State of Origin game two years in a row, before moving into Canterbury’s reserve grade side in the second half of last season and earning selection in the NRL squad multiple times.
Woods has all the tools to become a superstar of the game and his spot in the top grade might not be far away due to the Bulldogs’ halves situation.
Lachlan Galvin’s well-documented move to the club interrupted what looked like it was going to be a premiership-level season and there are still genuine question marks over whether the former Wests Tigers prodigy is a long-term halfback.
The potential pathway for Woods into first grade this year would be moving Galvin to the No.6 jumper and pushing Matt Burton into the centres – a position where he’s won a grand final for Penrith and played representative football for NSW and Australia.
It’s a bold move many are already calling for without a ball being kicked in 2026 and while it’s unlikely Cameron Ciraldo pulls the trigger on it to start the year, Woods will earn his NRL debut sooner rather than later.
Todd Payten sacked as Cowboys coach
Cowboys coach Todd Payten. Getty
Since his arrival at the club, Todd Payten has been through all the ups and downs as an NRL head coach – but time may be running out for him in Townsville.
Payten has overseen a mixed bag of results in his five years in charge, narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon in 2021 before taking the Cowboys to a preliminary final in 2022.
The side dropped back down the ladder again the following year, before going back into the finals in 2024 and missing out again in 2025.
If we’re following that pattern, North Queensland should be back in the finals this year – but it’s hard to see their roster causing that type of damage and rising that high.
Payten has done a solid job when few expected him to, but he enters this year under more pressure than any other coach and if results don’t come within the first six or eight games, it could be curtains for his tenure as Cowboys coach.
Moses, Pezet to steer Eels back into September
Mitchell Moses missed a large chunk of last season. Getty
It’s been a dire few years at Parramatta but the tide finally looks like it has turned as the Jason Ryles rebuild enters a second season.
Ryles took over as coach for 2025 and while things started horribly, the Eels finished strong with five wins from their last seven games.
The absence of Mitchell Moses for much of the season due to injury didn’t help their cause and when the halfback was on the field, Parramatta looked like a finals side.
Moses is set to strike up a short-term halves pairing with Jonah Pezet, who will join the club on a one-year deal, while the emergence of young gun Isaiah Iongi at fullback and the Ryley Smith-Tallyn Da Silva hooker combination gives the Eels a quality spine.
Parramatta have a good forward pack mixed with youth and experience, aided by the recruitment of Jack de Belin after already adding Dylan Walker in mid-2025.
If they can keep Moses on the field and continue the momentum shown in the latter stages of last year, Parramatta should be featuring in September football for the first time since their grand final loss against the Panthers in 2022.
NSW blood fresh faces for Origin
Ethan Strange in action for the Raiders. Getty
After a disappointing series loss, the Blues will be desperate to get back to their winning ways in the 2026 State of Origin series.
Selections are always a crucial part of the Origin mix and there’s a case to be made for plenty of changes heading into this year’s campaign.
Terrell May’s omission was a major talking point and if he can find the same form that put him in the conversation, the Wests Tigers prop will be there or thereabouts.
Ethan Strange is another player knocking on the door and could fill a variety of roles in the backline, while Jacob Kiraz looms as the front-runner to replace Zac Lomax on the wing after he was granted an early release and is gone from the NRL, at least for now.
Jacob Preston was included in the wider squad last year and will be vying for a back-row position, while it’s expected Cameron Murray will return from injury.
Blues lose back-to-back series under Laurie Daley
Cameron Munster and Tom Dearden. Getty
NSW can bring in whoever they want for the Origin series, but it’s hard to see them toppling a strong Queensland outfit as long as Billy Slater is coach of the Maroons.
Both teams have strengths and weaknesses, but it’s the spine of the Maroons that should catapult them to another series triumph.
Reece Walsh is expected to regain the fullback role, while the halves pairing of Tom Dearden and Cameron Munster worked wonders last year and Harry Grant is the undisputed best hooker in the game and is coming off a Golden Boot win.
If the Blues do lose back-to-back series, expect to see Laurie Daley’s second stint in charge come to an end as well.
Craig Bellamy to finish up with Storm
Craig Bellamy is entering his 24th season as Storm coach. Getty
After years of delaying his retirement, the time for Craig Bellamy to relinquish his position as Melbourne’s head coach may have finally arrived.
The 66-year-old has hinted at stepping down for many years, but has continued to serve the Storm and took them to another grand final appearance in 2025.
Bellamy has been linked to a consultancy role at the Gold Coast Titans for 2027, but he could also step into a similar position at the Storm if he moves away from coaching.
Losing back-to-back deciders and farewelling some key players makes this year a big one for the Storm and the legendary mentor will be doing everything in his power to go out a winner if this does end up being his final year in charge.
Dragons to finish with wooden spoon
Kyle Flanagan. Getty
There are plenty of teams who could feasibly finish in 17th spot this year, but there have to be serious question marks over St George Illawarra‘s potential.
After a weird season that saw them defeat the Broncos and Storm – the eventual grand finalists – as well as minor premiers Canberra, things fell apart late for the Dragons as injuries continued to mount and they ended up finishing in the bottom four.
The club has made some great moves off the field, landing Daniel Anderson as the new recruitment officer, as well as starting to build a centre of excellence – but the fact is, the cattle in the current squad is not up to the task.
Clint Gutherson carried the Red V last year but isn’t getting any younger and Damien Cook is also in the twilight of his NRL career in a key position, while the likely halves pairing of Kyle Flanagan and Daniel Atkinson is probably the worst in the competition.
There are plenty of green shoots at the club with a tremendous crop of young gun forwards coming into the top grade, but it won’t be enough and it could be an ugly season for Shane Flanagan with the light at the end of the tunnel getting further away.
Ezra Mam to win Dally M Medal
Ezra Mam Getty
This would be a highly controversial outcome given his past off-field indiscretions, but the Broncos five-eighth looks poised for a standout season.
After spending a large chunk of 2025 on the sidelines due to suspension, Ezra Mam returned late in the piece and was vital in Brisbane’s charge towards the premiership.
The playmaker came off the bench in the grand final and changed the game, but it’s expected he will regain his No.6 jumper this season with Ben Hunt moving to hooker.
Mam will be a genuine threat for the season’s top individual prize, barring injury or another suspension.
Roosters to win the grand final
James Tedesco Getty
In what was supposed to be a rebuild year, Trent Robinson’s men made the finals and showed glimpses of genuine premiership potential in the back-half of 2025.
So when you add in one of the greatest halfbacks of the modern era in Daly Cherry-Evans, as well as incumbent NSW hooker Reece Robson, the team should only improve.
There is quality all over the park at Bondi, from last year’s Dally M Medal winner in the form of James Tedesco, to freakish winger Mark Nawaqanitawase and one of the game’s rising stars Sam Walker pulling rabbits out of their hats on a weekly basis.
Naufahu Whyte announced himself as a top-line middle forward last year and Spencer Leniu is never far away from the action, while the back-row contingent of Angus Crichton and Victor Radley when he is back from suspension is class.
This squad on paper is arguably the best in the NRL heading into 2026 and it’s hard to see them not featuring deep into September along with the likes of the Broncos, Storm, Bulldogs and perhaps a dark horse like the Dolphins or Eels.