The Broncos are in a major funk, but Michael Maguire isn’t too worried just yet with a silver lining emerging of what is generally a tough couple of months for the club.
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The Origin period should do the world of good for Mitch Moses, who is playing frustrated at the moment.
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Meanwhile, a legend believes the Bulldogs confidence has “crumbled” and the signs indicate that they’ll struggle to climb out of the hole they’re in.
Read on for the key Talking Points out of Magic Round 11.
BRONCOS SILVER LINING OF ORIGIN PERIOD AMID WORRYING THREE-GAME SKID
“I would say the bye has come at a good time for us.”
Michael Maguire said what every Broncos fan was thinking following the club’s 42-12 loss to the Warriors on Sunday afternoon.
After three consecutive losses by a combined margin of 72, it could be viewed as an understatement.
Injuries are killing the Broncos no doubt, but there’s still enough talent on the park to not be losing by these sorts of margins.
While Maguire wanted to take a closer look at how the first half was officiated given Brisbane were on the wrong end of a 10-3 penalty count and had just 30% of the ball, ultimately, it isn’t an excuse.
“We need to be better than what we saw out there today,” Maguire said.
“The boys will have the bye now and we’ll get a few rolling back in over the next couple of weeks, but in saying that, the players that I’ve got out there, I know they’re very capable of being better than what we showed tonight.
“Our discipline was just off tonight. When you put pressure on yourselves, a team like the Warriors are going to put some pressure back on you.
“I thought when we do have the ball, we’re very capable but there are things like kicks and penalties to tidy up.”
The Origin period can be a tough time for a club like Brisbane, who are generally well represented.
However this season, it looks as if only Pat Carrigan is a certainty to play all three games. Payne Haas will be picked when available.
Kotoni Staggs has earned a spot in Game I, however his spot is in doubt when Latrell Mitchell returns. Meanwhile, Gehamat Shibasaki and Ezra Mam have been named on an extended bench.
Brisbane have the bye this weekend, but do have to play in Round 15 and Round 18 which will be held when players are in Origin camps.
If it’s just Carrigan and Haas (if fit) forced out due to Origin selection, the Broncos could come through a normally tricky period quite ok.
More good news for Broncos fans is that Maguire said some injured troops will be back on deck after the bye, notably Brendan Piakura and Grant Anderson.
The Broncos ended Magic Round with a 5-6 record, good for 11th on the ladder.
It’s not ideal but Maguire has faith in his side. He’s seen enough in the past and even during the form slump to suggest things will get back on track.
“The boys, to their credit, they’re fighting. I’m really proud of how they go about what they’re doing at the moment,” Maguire said.
“We’re looking forward to getting the boys back after a little bit of a break now and we’ll get back into our game. We know what our (best) game looks like but we just got to make sure we find that now.
“We haven’t been giving ourselves our best opportunities to be able to perform how we can and that’s on us, that’s on everyone. Myself included. So, we’ll look at how the games are being played at the moment or how we’re playing the game.”
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Boyd injury dampens Warriors win | 07:32
BIG $3.3M QUESTION AS BULLDOGS IN ‘MASSIVE HOLE’
We’re not even halfway through the season, and hope in a top eight finish for the Bulldogs is fading fast.
Things are dire at Belmore after five straight losses, the latest an ugly 38-16 defeat at the hands of the Sharks.
Once a stout defensive unit, the Bulldogs conceded 30 points in the first half. Through ten games, they’re letting in 27 points per game, which is ten more a contest than last season.
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo lamented his side’s defensive struggles post-game, but didn’t want to make any excuses.
What’s so puzzling about this team is the fact they’re not far removed from one of the performances of the year across the competition.
They’re the only team to lower Penrith’s colours this season, and they managed to do that with ease.
But since, it’s like a completely different team has taken the field.
“You see their win over Penrith and think they can win the comp but they’ve fallen off a cliff. How can they get up for that game, but not for any other?” former Bulldogs star Braith Anasta wondered.
“They’re in a massive hole and it doesn’t look like they’re going to get out of it anytime soon.”
Panthers legend Greg Alexander believes the side’s confidence is shot.
“The big worry for the Dogs is that when the Sharks were on the attack, you thought, they’re going to score here,” Alexander said.
“So if I’ve got it going through my head, Dogs fans, Dogs players, Dogs staff (would be thinking it too).
“Their confidence has crumbled and you can tell by the way they’re playing footy.
“He’s (Ciraldo) trying to keep things upbeat but when you dig yourself into a hole, sometimes it’s impossible to pull yourself out and I don’t know how they save their season. I don’t know if anyone has any answers.”
The Bulldogs are in free fall.Source: Getty Images
There are several problems to pinpoint.
The defensive issues have been mentioned above but in attack, they offer very little as well.
There’s no cohesion seemingly and in turn, no potency.
On several digs at the Sharks’ line, the Bulldogs ended their set safely held.
Warriors great Shaun Johnson believes he knows why the Bulldogs are struggling with ball in hand, shifting the focus away from the much-maligned halves pairing of Lachlan Galvin and Matt Burton.
“A lot has been made about their attack and their halves but they’re missing cattle in the middle third of the park,” Johnson said.
“You’ve got halves who aren’t playing off any ruck speed. Yes, the noise is around the six and seven like it always will be, but they’re attacking set defensive lines every single time.
“There is no manipulation of the defensive line. You got fully set defensive lines who have got all the energy in the world to get off their tryline.
“It’s a double-edged sword. You don’t get your attack right, you get these feelings of ‘we should’ve scored’ and your compounding tour defence.
“Your attack needs to help your defence and when you’re playing off a dead ruck, it doesn’t matter who the halves are, you’re always going to struggle.”
The Bulldogs forwards were expected to be one of the team’s strengths this season with the arrival of Leo Thompson.
While he missed the first seven weeks of the season with injury, Thompson is not playing anywhere near his $3.3 million contract as Michael Ennis noted.
“We’ve spoken about the leg speed of the Dolphins forwards tonight. We’ve given (Sharks prop) Addin-Fonua-Blake the VB Hardest Working Player award for his ability to create momentum with late feet. Where is that coming from Leo Thompson or Max King?” Ennis said.
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Bulldogs suffer 5th straight loss | 01:35
WHY LEGENDARY HALFBACK IS ‘NOT FULLY SOLD’ ON SOUTHS
While the Sharks have been the ultimate ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ team in 2026, the Rabbitohs haven’t been much better when it comes to delivering consistent performances.
It has got beyond the point of being frustrating for coach Wayne Bennett. In fact, he said on Friday night it is getting close to “embarrassing”.
No one would have blamed Bennett for giving his players a bit of leeway given the lengthy injury list, with David Fifita, Jamie Humphreys, Jack Wighton, Alex Johnston, Jai Arrow and Brandon Smith all unavailable for the game against the Dolphins.
But Bennett was making no excuses.
“We’ve had three really good wins and next week we’ve turned up and played rubbish,” he said.
“ … It’s worse than frustrating. It just kind of gets to the embarrassing stage because there is no logic to why they’re doing it except what’s probably happening in their heads through the week, happy with themselves, I don’t know.
“It’s an obvious trend right now, so we’ve got to get on top of it.”
While it is so easy to fall into the trap of buying South Sydney as a legitimate contender given their expansive and exciting brand of football, Shaun Johnson isn’t sold.
Friday’s loss to the Dolphins was just further proof of it, with the legendary Kiwi playmaker suggesting the Rabbitohs may be too rigid in their play style and struggle to adapt to what the game is asking of them.
“I’m still not fully sold on them,” Johnson said on Fox League.
The Rabbitohs lost their second game in three weeks.Source: Getty Images
“Maybe it’s the opposition that they’ve played against. It’s been high scoring games and they’ve conceded high scores in shootouts, but I just don’t think they adapted to the conditions well enough tonight.”
The result was an error-riddled and ill-disciplined performance which saw the Rabbitohs complete just 65 per cent of their sets in the first half to fall in an early 20-0 hole.
“There was a clear mindset from the Dolphins to play tight and direct and that sets up your pass. Souths played too side-to-side and they actually looked their best when their halves wanted to take the line on, so that’s where I think they let themselves down tonight,” Johnson added.
“That was also on the back of errors, set restarts. They were juicing their own gas tank and it quickly snowballs.”
Bennett hinted that his players may be reading into positive press too much and it is a timely warning ahead of a tough stretch of games for the Rabbitohs.
They play top-four contenders the Cowboys, Sea Eagles and Broncos in the next three weeks before facing Penrith and the improved Knights shortly after.
While the Rabbitohs have the attacking firepower to be a finals threat, they need to clean up their defence and put in more consistent 80-minute performances to be a genuine chance come September.
Otherwise, they’ll just be making up the numbers.
Wayne provides Latrell Origin update | 03:45
HOW KATOA IS SHOWING SHADES OF CLEARY FOR DOLPHINS
He won’t hear his name called on Monday morning when Laurie Daley announces the Blues squad for Game 1 of the State of Origin series.
But Dolphins halfback Isaiya Katoa is a Blues player of the future according to Braith Anasta, with the 22-year-old continuing to show maturity beyond his years.
Katoa enjoyed a breakout 2025 season and while he has struggled at times this year to replicate the same success in the face of more pressure from opposition defences, his performance against South Sydney was a reminder of just how far ahead he is.
The numbers don’t say much, with teammate Kodi Nikorima stuffing the stats sheet with linebreak assists and try assists before he left early with a hamstring injury.
But for former Dally M Halfback of the Year Shaun Johnson, Katoa was the “different” in the first half with his heads-up kicking game.
In fact, co-commentator Cooper Cronk had high praise for Katoa after one clearing kick early in the tackle count which flipped the field and had Souths fullback Jye Gray racing in cover.
“That is why this kid is going to dominate the competition for a long time,” Cronk said.
For Johnson, there are three words that best sum up Katoa: “cool, calm and collected”.
“He was looking to kick early and set the tone,” Johnson added.
Isaiya Katoa dominated Souths.Source: Getty Images
“He’s putting them in pockets he knows the Rabbitohs are going to struggle to get out of.
“But this is the cream right here. This makes me excited. The subtlety, the sleight of hand in passing. He holds up the footy and gives his outside men some space.
“I spoke to him in the pre-game and he wanted to give his outside men a slight advantage and I thought he did that tonight.
“His strength is the tempo but there’s other impressive parts of his game. His defence was impressive, the way he got the boys around the park, watching how methodical he is with his moments. All of it is truly impressive and I’ve got such an appreciation for a gun seven.”
Of course, Katoa linked up with the Dolphins given his path to regular first-grade minutes was blocked at Penrith by Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai.
Katoa, a Penrith junior, spent plenty of time in the Panthers system and according to club legend Greg Alexander there are similarities between the 22-year-old and Cleary.
“I think there’s a similar temperment with both of them,” Alexander said.
“One of the best things about Nathan is his ability to handle pressure. Nathan doesn’t seem to panic and that’s Isaiya.
“Isaiya is such a mature footballer for a 22-year-old … there are a lot of similarities in the way they approach things. There’s no one better than Nathan in a pressure moment but Isaiya is closely learning to be that.”
Woolf endorses potential Origin debutant | 05:22
18-YEAR FIRST BEHIND ‘ONE OF THE BEST TURNAROUNDS IN HISTORY’
You’d be hard pressed finding a better story in 2026 than the Kieran Foran-led Manly Sea Eagles.
The club surprised many when Anthony Seibold was sacked after just three games. There was even more surprise when CEO Scott Penn revealed that one of the reasons Seibold was axed was to save the Sea Eagles’ season.
Even at that early stage, there weren’t many Sea Eagles fans thinking finals.
There was very little hope that a rookie coach Kieran Foran would spark a turnaround sharp enough to see Manly even contend for a top eight spot.
Hasn’t he proven the masses wrong.
Not only are the Sea Eagles now sitting comfortably in the eight, they are genuine premiership contenders.
“It is one of the best turnarounds in the history of our game, what Kieran Foran has done to the Sea Eagles.” Cooper Cronk said on Fox League.
“They lacked energy, they lacked execution for the first three weeks of the competition.”
Since taking over, Manly have won six from seven, including the Magic Round thumping of the Tigers.
In fact, the only loss was a two-point defeat at the hands of the all-conquering Panthers.
While the Sea Eagles are a potent attacking side with threats all over the park, the most impressive aspect of life under Foran has been the stingy defence.
Kieran Foran has transformed the Sea Eagles.Source: Supplied
They’ve conceded 18 points or less in all seven games. It’s the first time since 2008 they’ve recorded such a feat.
“It’s all on the back of our defence. We really changed our attitude towards our defence and I think that sets up our game,” resurgent five-eighth Luke Brooks said.
While the players deserve plenty of credit, the way Foran has led this stunning turnaround is nearly unbelievable.
It’s expected the club will announce Foran as the team’s new full-time coach in the coming weeks.
“Whatever he’s giving his group in terms of messaging, he’s instilled that belief in them. They haven’t learned how to play rugby league again over the last five or six weeks. But with that belief and clarity comes execution like we saw today,” ex NRL halfback Shaun Johnson said.
Cronk agreed, believing Foran’s value rises with each win.
“If Kieran Foran hasn’t signed the contract yet he is adding zeros to it as the wins tick up. He is doing some very special things at that football club,” Cronk said.
“What he has done really well is get his players playing to their strengths. Haumole Olakau’atu on that edge, since Kieran has jumped in the seat, his run metres have gone through the roof and he’s become this destructive player we know he can be.
“It’s been an amazing turnaround. Their key players are playing well.”
Jake Trbo backs Haumole for Blues | 08:04
WHY ORIGIN COULD BE EXACTLY WHAT MOSES NEEDS RIGHT NOW
Mitchell Moses is only 31 years old.
He’s still got at least five years of top-level footy left in him and the Eels are slowly but surely improving under Jason Ryles’ watch.
However, after Saturday’s comprehensive loss to the Storm, it begs the question: is Moses destined to just become one of the greatest what ifs in the game once he hangs up the boots.
The Eels halfback’s passion on the field may rub some of his critics the wrong way, but it is just more proof of how much he cares. How much he wants to win, not just a few games but a premiership.
The problem is Parramatta seem so far away from doing that at the moment.
It is hard to get a great read on the Eels in their second year under Ryles given their mounting injury toll, but even at full-strength it seems clear they don’t quite have the class at five-eighth and hooker that they need to make Moses’ life easy.
Instead, too much of the burden was on Moses to create everything against the Storm and that was on top of doing almost all of the general play kicking.
Moses’ frustration came to the fore on two occasions in the loss to the Storm.
Both saw him throw his hands up in the air, first after a forward pass from Joash Papalii in prime attacking territory, before Tallyn Da Silva later opted for a crash play on the last tackle.
That decision from Da Silva had Moses “blowing up” according to Luke Keary, who said on Fox League that the Eels halfback needs more help.
Mitch Moses deserves better at Parramatta.Source: Getty Images
“As a hooker you need to read the game. You need to get the ball to your halfback in those critical moments,” Keary explained.
“It’s really difficult. Mitch is touching the ball three, four times a set when you get down there but you can’t do everything yourself. He’s actually playing really good footy, kicking the ball really well. It’s on every individual to execute.”
That just isn’t happening at the moment, but if there is one positive for Moses and the Eels it is the upcoming Origin series.
Should he be selected for the Blues as expected, Shaun Johnson believes Moses will be given a chance to show just how devastating a ball runner he can be.
“I know the threat he poses when he gets into an arena like Origin or ever Test level and he’s got some of the strike weapons he’s blessed with, that brings out the best part of the game which we aren’t quite seeing at the moment and that is his running game,” Johnson said on Fox League.
“He had one snipe tonight where he cut off his left foot and I instantly went up because that is the Mitch that you want to see. When your side misses 40-odd tackles and uses up your gas tank on that side of the ball, you’re not as effective with the footy. Your lead lines aren’t as effective, your ball-playing isn’t as silky and it snowballs so fast.”
Premiership-winning halfback Cooper Cronk agreed, suggesting it will be good for Moses to bring that confidence back to Parramatta.
“I think it’ll be really good for Mitch Moses to let some of the weight off his shoulders,” Cronk said.
“It feels like he’s carrying everything for Parramatta at the moment and in that second half when Melbourne went Mitch had to go as well and he kept trying but he doesn’t quite have the firepower in and around him.”
‘Right direction’: Ryles talks positives | 03:54