The Bulldogs are struggling for cohesion and only have themselves to blame, while Craig Bellamy is facing the biggest test of his Storm coaching career.
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Read on for the key Talking Points from Round 8.
TIGERS’ SPINE SHINES IN COMEBACK WIN OVER RAIDERS
The Tigers were flying high coming into Round 7, but hit the first speed bump of their season in a loss to the Broncos.
In that game, it was Adam Reynolds, a player Benji Marshall tried to sign, that secured a hard-fought win with a field goal.
Marshall’s side could have gone away, licked their wounds and in the past their momentum would have been stopped in its tracks.
But the 2026 Tigers are a new team, taking the lessons they learnt to fight back from 14-10 down to beat the Raiders with their spine shining in an impressive 33-14 win.
Adam Doueihi was again the star with 98 run metres, a linebreak assist, two linebreaks and a classy double, earning high praise from a host of legends.
“Hasn’t Adam Doueihi just matured,” Matty Johns said on The Late Show with Matty Johns.
“He has hit his sweet spot as a playmaker.”
Koroisau looking at 3 game ban | 25:52
Nathan Hindmarsh noted teams don’t seem to be able to get a handle on the way Doueihi plays as a chief playmaker, whose running game is his best asset.
“He is a bit of an unconventional playmaker as one of the taller ones,” Hindmarsh said.
“He reminds me a bit of Jason Smith with his tempo and being able to put blokes through holes. But he is awkward and I think a lot of teams are still working out his strength and his speed because he carries a couple of defenders over to score tries tonight just from pure strength. He was outstanding.
“And I thought Jarome Luai is getting back to his best skipping across field and being a little bit unorthodox and elusive, which is when he is at his best.”
Alongside Luai, Jahream Bula and Api Koroisau all had a try assist each to lead the team to victory.
Marshall’s ref fury despite victory | 05:40
Meanwhile, Bryan Fletcher felt the Raiders only got back in the game due to Api Koroisau’s sin bin, which resulted in a three game ban.
“They only got back in it when Api Koroisau went to the sin bin, but the Tigers were always in control,” Fletcher said.
“Our man Alex Twal just keeps getting better and better. It is a great combination of the senior players in Api and Jahrome and these kids on the edges.
“Their back-rowers Samuela Fainu and Kai Pearce-Paul are just starting to work each other out.”
Adam Doueihi is on fire for the Tigers.Source: The Daily Telegraph
Rugby league legend Billy Moore noted the Tigers’ defence is the biggest improvement this season — which then lets them flourish on the attacking end.
And flourish they did against a team who won the minor premiership last year, scoring 33 points which included six tries.
“The thing with the Tigers is they are always going to have points in them, but it is about their defence and we saw that tonight,” Moore said.
“They were down 14-10 and they came home with a wet sail, but that was down to their defence.”
Johns agreed the Tigers can match anyone with their attack.
“If they get their defence right, they are a fantastic side to watch with the football,” Johns said.
“You look at the spine, Koroisau is still their most important player, even with Jahrome there and they have got Doueihi, Madden on the bench and Bula.
“And you look at the creativity they have got with their back-rowers it is a terrific football side.”
Tigers beat Raiders at Leichhardt | 03:01
STAGGS PUTS HAND UP FOR ORIGIN WITH POWERHOUSE DISPLAY
Laurie Daley has a mountain of tough selection decisions to make.
But the toughest? It could be his centre pairing, with the Blues blessed with a mountain of quality options to fill the slots.
Kotoni Staggs has put his name firmly in selection calculations this season, making it incredibly difficult for Daley to overlook him.
The veteran centre has been carrying a foot injury, but still managed 110 metres, seven tackle busts, an offload and 16 tackles to lead the baby Broncos to an upset 32-12 win over the Bulldogs.
He outshone his rival for a Blues spot, Stephen Crichton, who is carrying a shoulder injury of his own, while Latrell Mitchell has also been in hot form to start the year.
“He is a powerhouse and I know we are a fair way away from Origin, but he would have to be in the frame,” Braith Anasta said.
Madge praises under-manned Broncos | 06:53
Former Broncos coach Kevin Walters believes Staggs will be tough to leave out, having played an impressive role in masterminding a win without 13 injured players.
“Kotoni Staggs was outstanding, I would be surprised if the NSW selectors overlook him for game one, he has been in great touch,” Walters said.
“He just brings that aggression on the edge that is very important to the Broncos.
“Someone once told me a few years back when Kotoni Staggs is up and about at the Broncos they rarely lose and that was the case against the Bulldogs.”
Greg Alexander conceded it is a hot field for the Blues centre roles, but Staggs can’t do much more than he is doing at the moment.
“He has been very consistent this year,” Alexander said.
“His defence tonight and his defence last week against the Tigers was outstanding and brutal too. He had plenty of questions thrown at him and he was outstanding.
“You have got Latrell on the left and Crichton on the right, so it is hard.”
Kotoni Staggs is making a strong case for an origin recall.Source: Supplied
However, the fitness concerns around Crichton makes Staggs a very handy back-up if called upon, according to Walters.
“Crichton didn’t look tonight where he should be, but regardless of who they pick, Kotoni Staggs has been outstanding,” Walters said.
“Last year on the Kangaroos tour I thought he was outstanding and he has grown into a strong leader at the Broncos as well, which is rubbing off on some of those younger players.”
Broncos coach and former Blues boss Michael Maguire echoed the Fox League panel’s opinions, revealing he believes he is built for Origin.
“I might be a bit biased, but I think Kotoni is one of the best centres in the game at the moment,” Maguire said.
“With Origin ahead, that he’s really being talked about in that space.
“He understands that space and for him to battle with what he’s been going through in the last two weeks and do what he’s done for his teammates, that’s the ANZAC spirit.
“But it’s also too the ability for a player to play through the things he has. And that’s Origin, that’s in the Origin space. So it’s really great to see one of our players performing like that for their teammates.”
Ciraldo: “We didn’t take our chances!” | 04:38
As expected, Maguire also said if he was still coaching the Blues, Staggs would be one of the first picked.
“If I was in that position, I’d be picking him,” Maguire said.
“So that’s a bit about what I feel. But I get to see him do that week in, week out. How he’s training, how he’s grown as a player, as a leader.
“He’s excellent, so he’s just got to keep working away at his game and when the time’s right, I think he’ll get selected.”
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Undermanned Bronx run riot over Dogs | 01:59
BULLDOGS COMING UNDONE DUE TO OWN MINDLESS MEDDLING
Consistency.
It’s a buzz word in most sporting codes, but especially the NRL considering the peaks and troughs teams experience in each and every season.
And the Bulldogs’ consistent chopping and changing of their spine is hurting their bid to create cohesion and challenge for the title this season.
Cameron Ciraldo’s side showed they were ready to mix it with the contenders with a win over the Panthers.
But back-to-back losses to the depleted Eels and Broncos missing half their squads has placed huge doubt on their title credentials.
“They beat the Panthers and we thought maybe we have got this wrong,” Braith Anasta said.
“We thought they were on their way to the finals and the top four and if they can beat Penrith they can beat anyone.
“Everyone jumped on board and said it was their best performance since Ciraldo has been at the helm and then within two weeks, they have gone back to where they were before Penrith.”
Ciraldo: “We didn’t take our chances!” | 04:38
Greg Alexander was simply stunned by the manner in which the Dogs have regressed.
“There was a bit of pressure going into the Penrith game and no one gave them a chance, they were long outsiders because of the losses they had in the previous two weeks to Newcastle and to Souths,” Alexander said.
“They got it all right against Penrith. Their edges were fantastic, Lachlan Galvin pulled the right rein with passes he was delivering and the combination with Kikau and Preston on the edges. They played with a lot of energy.
“The game against the Eels they lacked a lot of energy. It was a flat performance, so whether the game against Penrith had anything to do with that, I don’t know.
“But against the Broncos I thought the Bulldogs would win. I thought after last week they would be up for this because Brisbane are down a lot of their players and they were nowhere near good enough tonight.”
Now back to that buzz word — ‘consistency’.
Luke Keary believes there’s two main reasons as to why Ciraldo’s outfit are world beaters one game, and wooden spooners the next.
“There are two things when I watch them technically they shift the ball a lot, Galvin and Burton,” Keary said.
The Bulldogs look unsettled in their positions due to meddling.Source: Getty Images
“They had a few opportunities to start the game on the right side of the field. I saw it in Las Vegas early in the year and they got it out of their game but it came back tonight.
“They are really deep when they get to the centres and wingers. Connor Tracey is really deep out the back. Crichton missed a couple of opportunities to pass to Montoya on the right side.
“The other thing is they look unsettled. It is no secret they have played around with their spine at times this year. We saw Turpin come in tonight for Hayward. We have seen O’Sullivan slot in at times and Burton moved and now they have moved O’Sullivan back to reserve grade.
“Even Kurt Mann and Jaeman Salmon who is playing lock, but Mann played Origin last year and he is the one that adds a little bit to them in the middle and allows Galvin and Burton to free up.”
However, Anasta feels the Bulldogs only have themselves to blame and need to point the finger back on themselves.
“They are unsettled because of their own doing,” Anasta said.
“Their own meddling. You could go back and talk about Reed Mahoney. They have put all their eggs into Hayward and now he is not really the answer, so they are mixing that up.”
Woolf not bothered by narrow losses | 02:54
A case in point is the decision to let Hayward take over at hooker, despite growing up as a half and then benching him for Jake Turpin against the Broncos.
“Hayward looked better when he was playing in the middle at lock and not at dummy-half,” Alexander said.
“He was delivering to Lachlan Galvin and Matt Burton. That was his best footy last year at lock.
“I haven’t seen anything from Bailey Hayward that says, he is a good No.9 and the fact that he didn’t grow up playing hooker. He was a half, so you thought maybe they will give him some time there.
“But you don’t make a move like that and move Reed Mahoney and say, we will give this bloke some time and see how he develops. You would want to be pretty sure.”
Lest We Forget: 2026 ANZAC Ceremony | 02:02
NO FLANAGANS, SAME PROBLEM FOR RED V
The St George Illawarra Dragons may have terminated Shane Flanagan and axed Kyle Flanagan from the halves, but the same issues have presented themselves without the duo.
After having the first try-scoring opportunity against the Roosters, it was all negatives from then on, as they succumbed to their eighth loss of 2026 and 12th consecutive defeat.
In arguably their worst defeat of this year’s campaign, they leaked 64 points with several tries coming through either simple mistakes in the lead-up or basic handling errors.
“It was a pretty bad performance by the Dragons,” Cooper Cronk said on Fox League.
“You would have thought there would have been a bit more of a reaction from them, especially defensively and not allow that scoreboard to tick over.
“Yes the discipline was poor for 20 minutes of play against a red-hot Roosters but you get the sense that Dean Young tried to make some changes and get a reaction but there’s still lingering effects on what was set-up from Flanagan, maybe prior.
“He wants to get out of the system and out of that feeling from the club but it’s going to take a while.”
Young faces the music after brutal loss | 04:51
What makes matters worse is that the thing that stood out about their performance wasn’t even their lacklustre attack or shocking defence; it was their lack of energy and heart.
This was illustrated perfectly when Valentine Holmes decided to question the referee and stay still, rather than tackle and chase James Tedesco, who went 80 metres to score.
If things are to change, some more heads will need to turn and interim coach Dean Young needs to make some tough calls regarding the club’s playing squad.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves added, “(They need) some honest conversations but to also get excited about some of the young guys. It can be refreshing, sometimes a change can be good.”
“It looks like there’s going to be some change elsewhere.
“They’ll reset so a bit of time will do them a bit of justice as well. It give the opportunity for them to build on some combinations and to get out there and spend some time and to work on a few things.
Kade Reed had a tough debut for the Dragons.Source: Getty Images
Although they may have had a similar performance under Shane Flanagan, Young is the man who looks after the club’s defence, and it’s not a good look if they keep on conceding over 60 points per match.
Their dreadful performance even saw opposing coach Trent Robinson concede that he “felt for” Young and the Dragons.
“Yeah, yeah you do. It’s a hard game the NRL, and so it should be,” Robinson said.
“This competition is difficult and they are going through a difficult time, I think Dean has had a tough day today.
“But I think he had a good week in setting the tone for how he wanted the club to go forward, and for them I hope that today doesn’t change that.
“You set a path, yeah you might get a short-term sugar hit, but that’s not the point. He’s made some strong decisions and yeah I felt for him today.
“Because I know what it’s like to get started on your vision. But I’d say he had a really good week, 80 minutes today wasn’t what he wanted but there was strength in what he did.”
Leilua Sin Bin ‘As DUMB as it gets!’ | 00:37
HIP DROP CONFUSION MARS VICTORIES
Despite wins, both Tigers and Warriors head coaches Benji Marshall and Andrew Webster have admitted their confusion with how hip drop tackles are officiated.
Coaches are puzzled about how the tackle is policed, and the lack of consistency has become a bit of a recurring theme in the NRL over the past month.
Following Thursday night’s win against Canberra, Marshall let rip over the sin bin of Api Koroisau for a hip drop which almost derailed the Tigers.
The Tigers skipper copped a three-week ban (early plea) for the incident but before the match review committee handed down their punishment, Marshall said the sin bin was enough.
“Yeah, look, it’s probably not a good time, but who cares?” Marshall said.
“The inconsistency of the refereeing is annoying me at the moment, to be honest. I know we won, but just some of the calls were just… it’s hard to understand.
“Even Api’s case with the sin bin, I don’t know what he’s supposed to do in that situation. He’s making a cover tackle from behind. Of course he’s going to land on his legs.
“Where’s he supposed to go? He’s coming from behind making a cover tackle where he has to tackle his legs. That’s where he’s going to end up… I don’t think it was intentional. He did his 10 minutes, surely that’s enough.”
Webster weighs-in on Hip Drop debate | 06:14
Interestingly, Marshall’s comments sparked a response from Wayne Bennett, who coached Marshall at Souths.
“If he’s asking for consistency, he’s wasting his time. You’re never going to get that,” the supercoach said.
On Saturday night, Webster was quizzed about a tackle that put Dallin Watene-Zelezniak on report late in the win over the Dolphins.
“Well, I’m confused with the rule, because I thought the hip drop was that when you sit down your weight, and you put your weight on the back of the player,” Webster said.
“Dallin dropped his weight and was on the ground, so I’m confused on what this rule was brought in for people landing on the back of ankles and legs.
“It’s rugby league, like, you can’t, not every tackle’s going to be safe, and we’re trying to make the game safe, which I love.
“But that rule was brought in for people dropping their weight on the back of people.”
Herbie produces electric solo try | 00:29
BELLAMY FACES TOUGHEST CHALLENGE OF CAREER
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy is set to face the toughest challenge of his coaching tenure as he stares down the barrel of missing out on taking the side to the finals for the first time in his career.
Suffering their sixth consecutive loss on the weekend to the Rabbitohs, the Storm don’t look like the side that made back-to-back grand finals. Instead, they look depleted and like a team that has lost its motivation to win.
“This is the biggest challenge of Craig Bellamy’s coaching career, outside of the salary cap year which was more emotional than physical change,” former Storm halfback Cooper Cronk said on Fox League.
“You can see in the way he’s answering questions. He’ll find it, whether it’s this week or next week.”
Struggling on both ends of the field, they completed only 68% of their sets and scored once (in the dying minutes of play), despite multiple opportunities in the Rabbitohs’ red zone.
Craig Bellamy was irate at his Storm players during the loss to the Rabbitohs.Source: FOX SPORTS
To make matters worse, they missed 48 total tackles and made 12 errors, a statistic you wouldn’t normally see from a team coached by Bellamy.
“It’s really hard to gauge what’s happening at the Melbourne Storm,” Cronk added.
“We played the game and watched a lot of football around a long period of time but I couldn’t sit here and really say it’s this or that. They’ve got arguably the best coach, they’ve got three of the best players in the competition.
“They’ve got a defensive system (and) attacking system over a long period of time that has held up and had success. So the only way to really look at it is the individual is not bringing their best performance.”
Speaking after the match, experienced duo Cameron Munster and Harry Grant were “filthy” with their performance, and if things don’t change soon, the roster may need to be shaken up as they head into the final stages of the careers of the duo and Jahrome Hughes.
“He [Craig Bellamy] was pretty filthy with our efforts. We were completing at 55% or something like that,” Harry Grant said.
“He was upset with our start of half and challenged us to go out and do it but it’s really disappointing we didn’t respond well to that.
Foz heaps praise on Haumole Olakau’atu | 09:14
“I think it’s important we maintain high standards. We’ve been training well and like I said, it’s not transferring on the field but we just got to
“There’s obviously going to be some noise but we can’t control that so we lock into our four walls and go after some things we need to in our game.
“The main thing is keep preparing well and stay together.”
Five-eighth Cameron Munster added, “It’s appalling. We spoke about today about how lucky we are to play on a day like ANZAC Day. You want to turn up for your teammates, club and the soldiers who served our country.
“We all had moments we want to have back as players and as a group.
“We were very poor again. It’s frustrating because we’re training so well.
“We’ll have to go back to the drawing board. As a spine, we’ve been very poor.”
“Most Embarrassed Ive Ever Been!” | 07:09
EDWARDS AND CLEARY MASTERCLASS PULLS APART KNIGHTS
The Panthers’ shock loss to the Bulldogs looks a long time ago, with their winning streak back on track after a 44-12 demolition of the Knights, which had Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards’ fingerprints all over it.
Man of the match Edwards finished with 194 run metres, eight tackle busts, two linebreaks, a linebreak assist, a try assist and a classy hat-trick.
And Cleary had 90 run metres, 12 tackle busts, a linebreak, a linebreak assist, a try assist and a try in a brilliant allround display.
Matty Johns lauded the performance of both players and feels coming up against Cleary is the toughest assignment in football.
“Another precision performance from the Panthers and Dylan Edwards scored a hat-trick within 20 minutes,” Johns said on Sunday Night with Matty Johns.
“You watch Cleary in the first 20 minutes and every time he got the ball he runs the football.
“By his own admission he can get a little bit pass happy sometimes. It was about him taking the ball to the line and being accountable and playing physical.
“For a fullback coming up against Nathan Cleary is the biggest challenge in the game.”
Luai spotted meeting with PNG Chiefs | 01:39
Titans star Keano Kini explained how Cleary makes it so hard on opposition fullbacks.
“He is just so deceptive with the ball and how he shows his insides,” Kini said.
“It is just so tricky for the defenders to set up, especially as a fullback you have to set the numbers in the line and he makes it so hectic for us to try and set our numbers and he likes to get to certain points on the field where it makes it hard to set those numbers.
“We did some video on him and they like to go from scrum line to scrum line and get the fullback on the short side to go on a long shift and then kick the ball through, so he is very smart on getting the fullback on one side and then kicking for his centres, so that’s what makes him so great.”
Dylan Edwards scored a brilliant hat-trick against the Knights.Source: Getty Images
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary backed Edwards to hold onto his Blues jersey despite a push from James Tedesco to earn a recall for Origin I.
“Dylan is just everywhere all the time,” Cleary said.
“He has had a great season. He does so much work, but just some of the quality today as well. He turned up in the right spots to get the tries, but he threw a nice pass for a try as well and that’s an evolution in his game as well.
“It’s pretty much business as usual for Dylan. He does that for us week in and week out and has been for years.”
Cleary was pressed on if Edwards would hold onto his jersey amid Tedesco’s stunning form.
“Rightly so for Teddy I think he has been outstanding, so that’s what you want competition for spots,” Cleary said of the Origin talk around the Roosters skipper.
“No one owns any Origin jersey or they shouldn’t, so I just think it is a good problem for Laurie and the selectors. It’s not really my business, but I think it’s a good problem at the end of the day.”
Holbrook praises Knights despite defeat | 04:55
Nathan Hindmarsh noted the Knights didn’t give themselves a chance with their poor error rate, but Cleary controlled the game with his running game.
“I don’t think the Knights had the ball in the first half,” Hindmarsh said.
“It was a shocking start for the Knights with so many errors and they would get the ball back and then they would get dragged into touch and you can’t do that against a side like the Panthers.
“It was just a question of when they were going to score and then they opened up and the floodgates opened.
“In the second half the Knights came back and made it more of an arm wrestle, but the class of the Panthers was too much.
“I thought Cleary was absolutely outstanding the way he took on the line and squared them up. Leota was awesome as well with his ball playing.
“I think that is three losses in a row for the Knights, so they have got to get back on track.”
Hindmarshed challenged Dylan Brown to get his hands on the ball more after he produced a stunning try in the second half.
“They have got Kalyn coming back and Brown’s second game back from injury and they have just got to get him running the ball and wanting the ball a little bit more because we know what he can do,” Hindmarsh said.
“He is quite devastating when he runs so he needs to get the ball in his hands more often.”
Cleary speaks on Edwards’ Origin push | 04:47