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The way the game presents itself, it\u2019s only getting faster with the new penalty rule, which I think will allow teams to be playing on the front foot a lot more. <\/p>\n
And with Brown, Ponga and Sharpe attacking you due to more ball in play and more six-agains rather than traditional penalties, I think that promotes an opportunity for that really unstructured, creative attack. <\/p>\n
Everyone, for so long, has been screaming out for the Knights to have a halves paring that they can stick with for years to come. <\/p>\n
Round 1 in Vegas presents that opportunity for a real view of what the future is and what the fans are going to be able to get behind.<\/p>\n
And I\u2019m not turning a blind eye here to the fact that Brown has played really good footy at No.6, in the NRL and Test arena which you can\u2019t dismiss.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s also facts to the argument that he has played a lot of No.7 throughout his junior football. <\/p>\n
I remember watching him play No.7 for Wentworthville in NSW Cup. The position is not foreign to him. <\/p>\n
Dylan Brown will play halfback for the Knights in Round 1.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a great defender, which I think is a big reason behind Newcastle being so comfortable with him as their marquee half going forward. <\/p>\n
He has a really long kick. He\u2019s a very relaxed character, great decision-maker, and I think the team will really grow with him. <\/p>\n
We\u2019re in an age in the NRL where they\u2019re making rule changes every single year. <\/p>\n
And the one thing that I keep hearing Peter V\u2019landys say is that he wants more ball in play. He wants more time of the actual game.<\/p>\n
He wants to continue to improve the spectacle of the sport. On average, it\u2019s around mid-50 minutes a game that we actually get that live ball in play time. <\/p>\n
Brown embracing pressure of price tag | 05:04<\/p>\n
The game doesn\u2019t want dead time. The game wants live football. <\/p>\n
And I feel that any team that wants to look at other teams to build their squad or copy their style of play because it\u2019s worked previously is justifiable. <\/p>\n
But the way the game is changing, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the best approach. I think it leans into the Knights\u2019 approach in relation to Brown, Sharpe and Ponga. <\/p>\n
They\u2019re not a specific style of player. They\u2019re going to be able to over time develop their own game. <\/p>\n
They\u2019re going to be able to get comfortable with each other and they\u2019re going to be able to score some points, which has been a question in the past and they\u2019re going to be able to ask some questions of their opponents defensive lines.<\/p>\n
Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n League fans soak up trip of a lifetime | 04:48<\/p>\n DRAGONS HALVES DILEMMA AMID BIG FORGOTTEN LOSS<\/p>\n There has been no shortage of critics for the Dragons and particularly their halves pairing of Daniel Atkinson and Kyle Flanagan. <\/p>\n But as coach Shane Flanagan said in his interview with Matty Johns<\/a>, it\u2019s really important that you defend well and kick well to start the year. <\/p>\n As much as Daniel Atkinson is a big signing and they\u2019ve paid a good amount of money for him, I think to start the year, as much as there will be external pressure and expectations, the half needs to build themselves into the team and build their game and their season. <\/p>\n And what that means is simply what Flanagan said \u2014 kick well, support well, defend well. And those three things are all things that Atkinson can do really well. <\/p>\n It also means play into your strengths, which will allow Kyle Flanagan to kick and be that first receiver.<\/p>\n Kyle Flanagan and Daniel Atkinson will play a simple role in the early rounds.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n From all reports, they\u2019ll present a solid team, which has got good experienced players in it. However, Jack de Belin will be a massive loss. They\u2019re going to miss him more than people might think. <\/p>\n But it also gives an opportunity for Hamish Stewart to start at lock and be able to play a style of footy that brings him into the game and particularly his ball playing skills, which is exciting for a young player. <\/p>\n But de Belin was always somebody that really set the tone in defence and tied a lot of things up, so it\u2019ll take in a few months for somebody to fall into that spot and for them to recognise what they\u2019re going without.<\/p>\n MORE NRL NEWS<\/p>\n \u2018PICK UP YOUR ACT\u2019: How brutal Wayne spray sparked greatest Vegas party<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018UGLY EXIT\u2019, FIERY BEERS: Mahoney opens up after startling arrival at new club<\/a><\/p>\n LANDING SPOTS: One clear favourite… but FIVE other clubs could make play for star<\/a><\/p>\n F2F with Dragons coach Shane Flanagan | 20:54<\/p>\n TOO MANY QUESTIONS OVER BRONCOS BACK-TO-BACK BID <\/p>\n I\u2019ve never seen a premiership team have more questions around it than the 2026 Broncos. <\/p>\n I\u2019ve never seen a title team win the comp and then the next year people are still questioning the coach. <\/p>\n I can understand the questions are valid. I\u2019m not dismissing them. I\u2019m just saying there\u2019s so much conjecture and questioning around the Broncos at the moment. It\u2019s absolutely hilarious. <\/p>\n They just won the comp and the coach has done a great job. The sooner the ball is kicked off and the sooner the footy starts for them, the better it\u2019ll be. <\/p>\n There\u2019s always headlines around the Broncos squad and especially at the moment and with everything that is going on. <\/p>\n A lot of people like to take shots at different sorts of people and that\u2019s fine, but as soon as the football starts, I think people will be reminded about why they won the comp. <\/p>\n A lot of people say that the Broncos went on a run last year and they put themselves in good positions, and that they had a little luck on their side with a few games. <\/p>\n You can look at that from one direction and go, sure they had a lot of luck on their side and they were lucky to win and get those results. <\/p>\n But you can also look at it from other way and go, they haven\u2019t actually fulfilled their potential yet. They haven\u2019t actually fully dominated a season. They haven\u2019t fully dominated a NRL finals series. <\/p>\n It\u2019s really interesting to see people question their multiple wins in the finals and how things played out.<\/p>\n A lot of people say, Reece Walsh\u2019s final series and the grand final performance is like none other and it\u2019ll never be repeated and they had some outstanding performances as most grand final teams do. That\u2019s how you win grand finals. <\/p>\n Payne Haas leaving has raised questions over the Broncos\u2019 title defence.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n But the reality is, I don\u2019t think Brisbane\u2019s actually reached their potential yet. And with a full and healthy squad, the Broncos in 2026 could be pretty bloody scary. <\/p>\n The other question mark is the changes to their starting halves and playmaking combinations with Ezra Mam coming in at five-eighth and Ben Hunt moving to the bench. <\/p>\n Hunt has shown throughout his whole career that he\u2019s a selfless team first player and for Ben to be able to play that role and transition out of the starting team and have someone like Mam to come in and take the No.6 is very fortunate for a team to be able to have that luxury. <\/p>\n We can\u2019t really forget that this is not like a rookie No.6 is going in to take the position. This is Ezra Mam, who scored a hat-trick and nearly won the Clive Churchill Medal in 2023, before Nathan Cleary intervened. <\/p>\n He\u2019s not like an inexperienced player, so I think it\u2019s a real luxury that Ezra is able to come back into that position with the support of Hunt and the guidance of him over the next year or two. <\/p>\n It\u2019s also a real luxury how Hunt plays that hooker-lock role. The Broncos lost Tyson Smoothy and Kobe Hetherington from their Grand Final team. <\/p>\n There were a lot of games last year when Smoothy came onto the field and his ability to pass the ball and support was a real point difference for them. <\/p>\n It was understated the effect that he was having on games and I really think Hunt can play that role in the middle at No.13, given he\u2019s able to find a pass and bring other players into the game. <\/p>\n Smoothy played a real pivotal role in their attack and their style of play just before half-time and into the second half and that\u2019s something that Hunt could probably start to do. <\/p>\n Just that style of play where they\u2019re able to pass through the middle and play that role that really supported some of the big, powerful runners that they have.<\/p>\n Get all the latest news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports NRL Sportmail. Sign up now!!! <\/a><\/p>\n Unpacking the shock Payne Haas departure | 08:20<\/p>\n FORGOTTEN BROWN VOID EELS CAN\u2019T IGNORE <\/p>\n Trading Dylan Brown for Jonah Pezet in attack seems like a pretty fair swap for the Eels, but there are two sides to a rugby league game. <\/p>\n Overall the Eels look like every player is improving and that\u2019s a good sign for the club and the coaching staff and how things are operating. <\/p>\n They all look fit and they all look like they\u2019re improving, which is what you want. You want your squad to continue to get better, but their season will be dictated by Mitchell Moses\u2019 health. <\/p>\n But with Brown going to Newcastle, he\u2019s probably one of the best defensive halves in the game.<\/p>\n Mitchell Moses might get less traffic in defence after Dylan Brown\u2019s departure.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n The fact that now Jonah Pezet falls into that spot, I feel like a lot more attack will be going that side of the field towards Pezet rather than at Moses. <\/p>\n In the past, a lot of attack was thrown at Moses because Brown was a really good defender. Moses would be pretty happy that Pezet signed at Parramatta and I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll get a lot of attention from other teams\u2019 attack and he will have to step up in defence. <\/p>\n 2026 SEASON PREVIEWS<\/p>\n SEA EAGLES: Big unknown in new era… and superstar facing make-or-break year<\/a><\/p>\n DOLPHINS: They are the ultimate entertainers… but can\u2019t ignore darker reality<\/a><\/p>\n