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Good Friday is one of the great days and nights of footy on the NRL calendar. The record 65,000 crowd Canterbury and South Sydney drew last year is proof of that.<\/p>\n
This time round though, Souths are coming off a bye and the Dogs were flat and well-beaten by the Knights.<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s only round five, and he\u2019s not the only young half in the spotlight, but it\u2019s all eyes on Lachlan Galvin and Canterbury\u2019s attack<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most importantly, we have to remember Lachie is only 20 years old and he\u2019s still working out his game, particularly at No.7. Go back and watch Johnathan Thurston or Nathan Cleary at that age. It\u2019s unrecognisable compared to when they\u2019re at the peak of their powers.<\/p>\n Still, if you\u2019re on big money, wearing the No.7 and calling the shots, then you need to deliver. So my advice to Galvin would be to simplify his play for now.<\/p>\n From each spot on the field, Galvin can help himself by not complicating Canterbury\u2019s attack and running just one offensive shape.<\/p>\n So whether it\u2019s from the middle, with a 6-4 split (as in how many defenders set up on either side of the play-the-ball, with two markers and the fullback), or with a longer shift from one side to the other, use one shape.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Have your edge ball-runners, your middle forwards and your spine operating from one pattern. And from that, you can always roll with various options off the back of it. The way he and Jacob Preston combine on the right-edge is a good example.<\/p>\n But against Newcastle, Galvin dropped two balls cold and it looked to me like his mind was racing with all his playmaking options. So simplify it, run one dominant playmaking shape and build your game from there.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Bulldogs and Rabbitohs are such an interesting match-up because Canterbury loads 60 per cent of their efforts into defence and South Sydney put that same amount into attack.<\/p>\n The Bunnies love playing daytime footy and on a fast track with Cameron Murray bringing the fastest play-the-ball in the NRL, I think Souths will score a minimum 24 points.<\/p>\n And the way the Bulldogs are attacking, averaging 15 points a game this year, I can\u2019t see four tries in them.<\/p>\n To me, the match-up of Cody Walker and Lachlan Galvin says plenty. One knows his game blindfolded and is still my favourite individual player to watch.<\/p>\n The other is only 20, remember, so he\u2019s still learning his own game and how to bring his strike players into the contest.<\/p>\n Joey\u2019s tip: Rabbitohs by six What does Manly do with their prodigious playmaker?<\/p>\n Dead cat bounce: A brief rise after a steep fall, based on the idea that even a dead cat will bounce if it falls fast enough.<\/p>\n Have Manly got this kind of recovery in them? They\u2019ve pulled the trigger on Anthony Seibold after three games<\/a> \u2013 what a horrible pressure cooker NRL coaching must be.<\/p>\n I wish him well and find Seibs to be a really good fella, and can only wish the same to Kieran Foran. He\u2019ll know he\u2019s truly alive in a month or so because Manly are on the road for the next three weeks against the Dolphins, Dragons and Cowboys.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of focus on young Joey Walsh and when Foran pulls the trigger on him. As we\u2019ve seen with a developing playmaker like Galvin, you can\u2019t toss them to the wolves in an underperforming team.<\/p>\n But personally, I\u2019d be bringing Walsh on in the No.14 role and gradually looking to start him in the halves, because if you don\u2019t make changes, then nothing changes either.<\/p>\n First things first though, Foran\u2019s biggest focus has to be on Manly\u2019s defence. They\u2019ve leaked 12 tries in their past two games at home and their middle forwards and bench replacements will be under the microscope<\/a> at Kayo Stadium given how they\u2019ve underperformed to start the season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n How the Dolphins can tear Manly apart<\/p>\n I\u2019m a big fan of the way the Dolphins attack and play up-tempo footy, but I think they\u2019ve also been below par across the first month. Aside from thumping Cronulla two weeks ago, I\u2019ve marked the Dolphins as a 6\/10.<\/p>\n Isaiya Katoa too has had his moments in the first four weeks and I\u2019ve been as big a fan as anyone<\/a> of his playmaking. There\u2019s naturally high expectations on him but again, that\u2019s what comes with his potential and rare skills and temperament \u2013 if you\u2019re going to be a world-class halfback, you need to be an 8\/10 every week.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Last week the Dolphins only managed to score two tries but I loved their attack against Brisbane, with 25 offloads and a bit more polish needed to really take advantage of them.<\/p>\n The key with offloads is you can\u2019t waste them. And that means responsibility rests with the Dolphins\u2019 spine players to be pushing up in support of whoever is running the ball, because often it is someone like a Herbie Farnworth (16 offloads, the most in the NRL) getting the ball away.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Once the second phase play starts, the ball should be straight to their edges for Jake Averillo, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, and of course Farnworth.<\/p>\n And from the next play, again it needs to be Katoa standing up and commanding the ball. As soon as an offload presents anything like a disrupted defence, it should be your halfback, five-eighth and fullback combining and getting an attacking shape sorted.<\/p>\n I\u2019d like to see Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in around the ruck chasing these offloads and working a bit more with Max Plath. While on the other side of the ledger, Manly need a 10\/10 game from Tom Trbojevic to be any hope.<\/p>\n I think the Sea Eagles will be in this game for 50-60 minutes. The cat will bounce, but not high enough.<\/p>\n The Dolphins have too much strike out wide and Katoa is the playmaker to take advantage.<\/p>\n Joey\u2019s tip: Dolphins by 12 Why missing Panther can trigger Storm upset<\/p>\n And rounding out Good Friday, we might just have the grand final preview. On form, it\u2019s hard to argue.<\/p>\n Penrith aren\u2019t just flying at the moment, they\u2019re out of the stratosphere and floating up around Mars. Right now, they look unbeatable, incredibly fit and so mentally strong.<\/p>\n On the other side, we really don\u2019t see Melbourne lose two in a row very often. They were brought undone by a late Cowboys comeback last week and it was typical of how the game is being played in 2026.<\/p>\n North Queensland scored three tries in five sets and were running downhill with serious momentum and field position. It doesn\u2019t matter who you\u2019re playing against, that equals points.<\/p>\n Related Article Now Penrith have strike all over the paddock<\/a> and their attack is on song with Nathan Cleary and Isaiah Yeo pulling the strings.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been really impressed with their left-edge too, where youngsters Blaize Talagi and Casey McLean are combining with Isaiah Papali\u2019i, and Tom Jenkins is scoring tries for fun outside them.<\/p>\n That said, I think Melbourne have the advantage among the playmakers. Mitch Kenny\u2019s suspension<\/a> is a huge blow for the Panthers \u2013 he\u2019s the type of player people don\u2019t realise the importance of until he\u2019s not playing. His service to Cleary is first-class, he gets through so much defence and leads Penrith\u2019s effort areas.<\/p>\n If the Storm forwards can hold their own, then I think the visitors spring an upset.<\/p>\n And I\u2019m backing Cameron Munster to shoot the lights out against Cleary, with back-to-back losses and a showdown with the best player in the game lighting a fire in him.<\/p>\n Melbourne won both clashes against the Panthers in tight contests last year and Mitch Kenny\u2019s absence has me thinking Penrith\u2019s undefeated start comes to an end.<\/p>\n Joey\u2019s tip: Storm by two Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n
First try-scorer: Alex Johnston
Man of the match: Cameron Murray<\/p>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/659383f59f9e067b794334e8309d5b5c2827328f.jpeg\")
How does Kieran Foran handle the demand for Joey Walsh to play NRL?Peter Rae<\/p>\n
First try-scorer: Jamayne Isaako
Man of the match: Isaiya Katoa<\/p>\n![\"Penrith](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/adbcc6ea44771daea35634d22db2c87c5201775b.jpeg\")
Penrith are on top of the world right now.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Nathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3c74365df2c918bf4b1e50f06d4583079f5baffc.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
First try-scorer: Tom Jenkins
Man of the match: Cameron Munster<\/p>\n
![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/54e3daf438194693e706b65570bf349f98818d7c.png\")