Welcome to the 2026 season. Allow me to briefly introduce myself. I am a retired high school Humanities HOD with a lifelong love of Rugby League. I live on the Gold Coast and have a partner and three sons, all of whom continue to play Rugby League. Last season I was the ghost writer for Prop by the Sea while he was travelling overseas. This year, I will be writing on a weekly basis, covering various issues in the game. I look forward to reading your comments. In the 1970s my teams were Redcliffe in the BRL and St George in the NSWRL. My favourite player was Arthur Beetson and I was fortunate to be able to emulate him in a couple of ways, having developed a lifelong love of meat pies and struggling with my weight. Anyway, enough about me, let’s look at the 2026 season.
Hope springs eternal at all 17 clubs. From the wooden spoon winning Knights to the premiership winning Broncos, there is cause for optimism. Enjoy it while you can, because the harsh realities of the NRL will kick in soon enough. Let me explain the hope side of things first. The Knights have a new coach, Justin Holbrook, they have their new star in Dylan Brown, and the enigmatic Ponga is fit, for now at least. The Titans have trialled well, putting heavyweights Melbourne to the sword last week. Over at Souths, after a completely lost season due to injuries, Wayne has his home for wayward boys in full operation, with Latrell, David, Brandon, and Cody all pictures of fitness and being exemplary model citizens. It would not surprise me if they were serving as altar boys at St Maroun’s Cathedral in Redfern on Sunday mornings! Saints are wooden spoon favourites, but they have young talent coming through and Flanagan is a smart, street-wise coach. The Dolphins have Flegler and Gilbert fit for the first time in living memory. The usual quotes are coming out of Clubland. “Everyone is loving it this season under (insert coach name). Everyone is really buying into what (insert coach name) is bringing to the club. There is a different vibe around the place this year”.
Now for the harsh realities. I read an article yesterday about the prospects and expectations for all 17 clubs. The journalist gave a pass mark for each club. Seven clubs would get a pass mark for finishing top 4. A further seven clubs would get a pass mark for finishing top eight. For the other three clubs, finishing outside the bottom 4 would constitute a pass mark. So that leaves us with fourteen clubs in the top 8 and no one in the bottom 4.
As I said, my area was Humanities, not Mathematics, but even with my rudimentary knowledge, this is obviously not going to happen. In short, many clubs will not meet expectations this year, like every other year. Professional sport does not operate like a primary school Athletics carnival where everyone gets a ribbon, a participation certificate and ice block and goes home happy at the end of the day. It is a brutal, results-driven business where only the successful survive.
I watched the World Club Challenge last Friday morning. I could not have been happier for Hull KR, knocking off the Broncos. This club had not won anything for 40 years and has now won everything on offer, the Quadruple, they call it. What a remarkable story. Willie Peters has worked a minor miracle there and is surely destined for a coaching job in the NRL in the near future. A 7-part series is now airing on FOX. It is worth a watch. It shows that anything is possible in Rugby League. I would love to see something like that happen this year in the NRL. Imagine a Titans v Tigers grand finale. Yes, I know, that is going too far, but a shake-up of the ladder would be nice.
The Pre-season is almost done and dusted, the players are physically and mentally prepared, resilient, and totally invested in their task. They are glad to play footy and not be on an Army camp somewhere, getting yelled at and deprived of sleep, food, water and clothing. Legendary NFL coach and commentator John Madden once said, “The road to Easy St goes through the sewer.” I am sure many players can relate to that. The late, great Shane Warne would certainly agree.
Sit back and enjoy the highs and the lows of another season of NRL. It never fails to surprise. The game evolves; rules change but it is still a high-quality product. I hope your team has a wonderful year and I look forward to bringing you some perspectives on the “greatest game of all”.
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