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The Almanac Rugby league Crew<\/p>\n
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After a healthy five week break from Almanac duties, my first observation about the NRL season is that not a lot seems to have changed during that time. The Panthers seem destined to win the premiership, the Warriors have gone up a step this year, the Roosters are the next most likely, and the Broncos have premiership hangover. Foran\u2019s Manly have turned their season around, likewise (perhaps) the Storm, the Dolphins are exciting but vulnerable, the Rabbitohs and Sharks continue to tease but can\u2019t be taken too seriously, and the rest make up the numbers.<\/p>\n
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A mini rave<\/p>\n
On a non-football note, if you haven\u2019t been to Japan, put it on your list. Our three week visit was a cultural, panoramic, historical and geographical pleasure. It\u2019s both a challenge and an interesting experience to travel in a country where you can\u2019t speak or read the language, but a combination of a little preparation, some nous, Google translate and the ubiquitous kindness of strangers makes it both possible and well worth the effort. A story for another place and another time.<\/p>\n
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Round 14<\/p>\n
Briefly, the Panthers played, the Dolphins preyed; the Sea Eagles continued their revival, as did the Storm; the Roosters crowed and the Titans kicked Big Brother while he\u2019s down; the Sharks eventually fed, the Dragons, Wests Tigers and Cowboys bled.<\/p>\n
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Round 15<\/p>\n
State of Origin intervenes this week with key players missing here and there, making tipping a lottery. For what it\u2019s worth, here\u2019s my take. (And I must warn you that I didn\u2019t improve my place on the tipping ladder, ie low down, much while I was away.)<\/p>\n
The Rabbitohs host the Broncos on Thursday night and how can you be confident about either side? Somehow, but I\u2019m not sure how, the Rabbitohs look a bit better across the park and so I\u2019ll go with them. How\u2019s that for compelling reasoning?<\/p>\n
On Friday night it\u2019s the Dolphins and Roosters with about a dozen players missing overall on Origin duties. Although I think the Roosters are the better longterm bet for the season, I fancy the\u00a0Dolphins\u00a0to nab two valuable point in this one.<\/p>\n
Come Saturday, the Warriors take on the Sharks. If Trindall continues his fine form then the Sharks are a chance but the game is away for them, usually a stumbling block. Perhaps the Warriors by a whisker. Later on the Eels meet the Raiders, two enigmatic sides if ever there were. It depends which Raiders side shows up. But Strange is missing, which is a big out. Maybe the Eels will have a change of fortune and win a close one for a change.<\/p>\n
On Sunday afternoon, the Wests Tigers are at home to the Titans \u2013 last week\u2019s catastrophe versus last week\u2019s surprise, but a hell of a choice nonetheless. Even though they\u2019re away from home I\u2019ll go with the Titans.<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs, Cowboys, Dragons, Knights, Panthers, Sea Eagles and Storm have the bye.<\/p>\n
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Tipping<\/p>\n
6\/8 last week has been my best effort for a while but I think a lot of tipsters probably did just as well. Maybe I\u2019ll have \u2018re-beginners\u2019 lick this week.<\/p>\n
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The Round<\/p>\n
To see the who, when and where of Round 15 click here.<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n State of Origin<\/p>\n The teams for Game 2 have been announced and you get the feeling that no-one is all that confident. The Blues got away with a win in Game 1 but not really on their own merits; the Maroons wonder if they can reproduce that first 20 minutes again and then grind away as they did for the next 40. No doubt we\u2019ll get the usual breathless scares from each camp as the week progresses. More on that next week.<\/p>\n The 2026 women\u2019s series was hard-fought with the Blues emerging deserved winners. A 3-0 result was tad unkind to the Maroons but will provide incentive for next year. In the end, experience, size and speed won the day. After finally achieving a 3-game series in recent times, the next step in the evolution of the women\u2019s series is to do with its timing. It has to come later in the season when they\u2019re actually playing regularly, not as some sort of (almost) pre-season event.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n To read our library of rugby league stories click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n To return to our Footy Almanac home page click HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n To see the full 2026 season draw for the NRL click HERE<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n To see the full 2026 season draw for the NRLW click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0To see the details for State of Origin in 2026 click HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?<\/p>\n And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help things keep ticking over please consider making your own contribution.<\/p>\n
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