The Roosters have copped a cruel blow on the eve of the postseason. How will they cover the loss?<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, an NRL great has put a line through one of the finals bound teams following a dreadful performance over the weekend.<\/p>\n
Read on for the Round 26 Talking Points!<\/p>\n
CHAMPION HALFBACK\u2019S MASSIVE SHARKS CALL<\/p>\n
Sunday was an ugly day for the Sharks. <\/p>\n
Entering the clash against the Eels, Cronulla weren\u2019t travelling all that well, having lost two of their past three.<\/p>\n
However, against an undermanned Eels side, Craig Fitzgibbon\u2019s men had a golden opportunity to win and keep their top four hopes alive.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for the Sharkies faithful, their team put in one of their worst performances of the year.<\/p>\n
It means<\/p>\n
The Eels scored a try with their first set and jumped out to a 26-8 half time lead before going onto win 38-18.<\/p>\n
The performance was frustrating for many reasons. <\/p>\n
As Andrew Voss noted on F<\/p>\n
32 points conceded against the Eels, who are having a wretched year in attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe signs were there in the first set when Kautoga ran through Nicho Hynes in the first set. That set the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir form for the last month is ordinary.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more than ordinary. It\u2019s shocking. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Sharks had an opportunity to get to the top four but their physically, intensity and execution is not what a finals team should be delivering.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll just make up the numbers this September<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is absolute daylight between the two teams\u2019 halves today and the output of Ronald Volkman and Mitch Moses compared to Niwhai Puru and Nicho Hynes.<\/p>\n
Puru is only playing his fifth first grade game but Hynes, well, his form is a worry. A massive worry.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been too sideways in attack and he missed that tackle early. When you have a soft start to the game like that defensively, it means they\u2019re not in an aggressive mindset and he hasn\u2019t looked to take the line on at all. <\/p>\n
run stats.<\/p>\n
BRONCOS COULD BE IN FOR MORE PAIN NEXT YEAR<\/p>\n
They may have given him a controversial, some say disrespectful, send-off but if Matty Johns is right, the Broncos might not know what they\u2019ve lost until Adam Reynolds is not lining up in Round 1, 2027.<\/p>\n
Reynolds\u2019s career ended in controversy over his non-selection last week, which denied him a farewell game in front of his home fans.<\/p>\n
Moving on, he\u2019ll likely be given a role on the coaching staff next year but his absence on the field is set to rock the Broncos.<\/p>\n
For decades, powerhouse prop Glenn Lazarus has been lauded as the club\u2019s most important signing.<\/p>\n
He was the missing piece to the puzzle that delivered the Broncos back-to-back premierships in 1992 and 1993.<\/p>\n
Reynolds thanks Walters, not Madge | 00:54<\/p>\n
Johns believes Reynolds\u2019s signing in 2021 is now the club\u2019s best.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Reyno almost supersedes it (Lazarus) because when they bought Adam Reynolds, don\u2019t worry about getting close to winning the competition, they were just trying to avoid the wooden spoon,\u201d Johns said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore he got to that club they went, wooden spoon and 14th, and the moment he got there, everything changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had such a dramatic effect on that rugby league club. I think he should go down as one of their most important signings in the history of the club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, the Broncos have to move forward not only without their greatest ever signing, but without their captain, and most importantly, halfback.<\/p>\n
Adam Reynolds and the departing Broncos farewell Suncorp. Picture: NRL PhotosSource: Supplied<\/p>\n
It\u2019s by far the most influential position on a rugby league field and without a top-liner, history says you aren\u2019t a title contender.<\/p>\n
The Broncos earmarked Jonah Pezet as the man to take the mantle from Reynolds, but he has hardly played a first grade game this year in a struggling Parramatta side.<\/p>\n
Broncos coach Michael Maguire has given Tom Duffy a chance to see what he can do at No. 7 in the back half of the year, but last week it was veteran Ben Hunt who started in the position.<\/p>\n
Duffy is only 23 and has played less than 20 first grade games while Pezet too is very inexperienced.<\/p>\n
To make matters worse, the five-eighth who will be there to guide them next year, Ezra Mam, has been hopelessly out of form in 2026 and has missed more tackles than any Bronco by far.<\/p>\n
His spot in the team isn\u2019t guaranteed despite previous years when he\u2019s starred in a couple of grand finals.<\/p>\n
Madge laments sloppy Broncos errors | 07:23<\/p>\n
Hunt has signed on for next year knowing he\u2019s a No. 14 and not a top-line halfback.<\/p>\n
So at this stage, the halves for the Broncos in 2027 look like a major problem for Maguire.<\/p>\n
And they won\u2019t have Payne Haas to play behind.<\/p>\n
This alone could make them a non-event in 2027 and for a few seasons beyond.<\/p>\n
They don\u2019t seem to have a good plan to replace Reynolds \u2013 and that means they could be in for a few lean years to come.<\/p>\n
If that happens, it only enhances the Reynolds legacy.<\/p>\n
Arrow leads Souths into finals | 01:44<\/p>\n
MILLION-DOLLAR MARTO?<\/p>\n
Liam Martin has made his intensions clear to Penrith in recent times \u2013 pay me $1 million a season or risk losing me.<\/p>\n
And on Friday night against the Bulldogs he showed just how important he is to the Panthers when scoring two tries which proved the difference in a tight game.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to justify paying a second-rower that much money under the current cap unless they\u2019re a consistent scoreboard influencer.<\/p>\n
Martin was not only that on Friday night but also on grand final night in 2024 when he won the Clive Churchill Medal after scoring a try and setting up another in a low-scoring game.<\/p>\n
Martin only had six runs on Friday night which would be considered poor, but it\u2019s his impact that makes him a special player.<\/p>\n
The Australian and NSW representative has put contract talks on hold with Penrith until the end of the season, and the next month or so may decide how much he\u2019s worth. <\/p>\n
Post-game Fox League\u2019s Michael Ennis and Kevin Walters discussed Martin\u2019s influence and hefty contract demands.<\/p>\n
Cleary fury at Jenkins decision | 06:24<\/p>\n
Ennis said Martin is the type of player that not only has an impact on the field, but gives players around him confidence. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was playing for Australia, I\u2019d want to look around the dressing room and have Liam Martin playing next to me,\u201d Ennis said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be statistical, I don\u2019t have to sell it to you, he\u2019s just the type of character that I\u2019d want to lace up with every week. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe competes, he cares, and he\u2019ll do whatever it takes for the team and he showed that tonight in that moment after halftime, chasing that kick when no-one else was there. I love him.\u201d <\/p>\n
When asked if he was worth $1 million a season, Walters was in no doubt.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen the bank vault up and give him the million,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubt rival clubs will offer Martin $1 million a season if he goes to market on November 1.<\/p>\n
With their tax-free advantages, the PNG Chiefs could offer around $800,000 which would be a good deal.<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA \u2013 AUGUST 28: Liam Martin of the Panthers celebrates after scoring a try during the round 26 NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and Canterbury Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium on August 28, 2026, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Chiefs would love Martin to partner his NSW teammates Hudson Young in the back row in their inaugural team in 2028.<\/p>\n
Young is set to head over to PNG for talks after being given a week to negotiate with the franchise. <\/p>\n
As the cap stands now, Penrith probably would resist giving Martin $1 million a season to stay.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve got so many junior forwards coming through and are excellent when it comes to salary cap management.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to think of a player that\u2019s been overpaid there in the past six years.<\/p>\n
Like Melbourne, only spine players at Penrith get more than $1 million.<\/p>\n
Nathan Cleary is currently the only player at the club earning more than $1 million a season.<\/p>\n
If someone is going to join Cleary in the millionaire club, it\u2019s going to be Isaah Yeo or Dylan Edwards. <\/p>\n
Panthers dent Dogs’ finals dream | 03:03<\/p>\n
CANTERBURY POST-MORTEM BEGINS AS SEASON HANGS BY A THREAD<\/p>\n
With the Bulldogs\u2019 season over following a 24-10 loss to the Panthers on Friday and other results going against their bid for a finals berth, the post-mortem into what went wrong has begun in earnest \u2013 and it hinges on two key positions.<\/p>\n
Two former Bulldogs, Fox League\u2019s Braith Anasta and Michael Ennis, agree the side\u2019s biggest holes this season have been the lack of a seasoned halfback to support rising star Lachlan Galvin, and the absence of versatile fullback.<\/p>\n
While both pundits believe the Dogs campaign hasn\u2019t all been \u2018doom and gloom\u2019 \u2013 heaping praise on their mid-season revival and the effort levels of the playing squad \u2013 they believe the Dogs have some moves to make in order to reach their top four potential. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve shown some ticker, there\u2019s no doubt about that,\u201d Ennis reflected. <\/p>\n
\u201cFrom where they were in Round 13 or 14, they were sitting in 14th position and they\u2019d lost eight of 10 games. It looked like the wheels were really off.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were little periods there where I thought it came to life for them. Defensively, they started to definitely find that hunger and desire there again \u2013 there\u2019s no doubt about that.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely some question marks around them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ciraldo laments fine margins in defeat | 04:32<\/p>\n
Anasta agreed, and insisted that it wasn\u2019t all \u2018doom and gloom\u2019 at the Dogs for 2026. The former premiership winner argued Canterbury were only a whisker between being a fringe top eight side and being a genuine title threat.<\/p>\n
However, he holds some reservations.<\/p>\n
\u201cGalvin was fantastic for them tonight, he\u2019s had a great year. Tracey is a question mark for them at the back, and that showed tonight in pivotal moments,\u201d Anasta said in Fox League\u2019s post-match coverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate saying it because he had a go tonight, and until that moment he was having a strong game.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other major talking point remains Stephen Crichton\u2019s long-term position. Already established as one of the best centres in the game, the 25-year-old was shuffled into the five-eighth role this year in a bid to streamline the side\u2019s communication and connection in the middle.<\/p>\n
Crichton\u2019s move coincided with a dramatic form reversal for Canterbury, getting them in touch with the top eight once again.<\/p>\n
However, long-term Anasta believes Crichton is not the solution \u2013 and his form showed it when it mattered against the Panthers.<\/p>\n
\u201cCritta just got it wrong tonight, he wasn\u2019t even close. His kicking game was poor, and it really let the side down,\u201d Anasta said.<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA \u2013 AUGUST 14: Cameron Ciraldo, head coach of the Bulldogs looks on before the round 24 NRL match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and South Sydney Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium on August 14, 2026, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t blame him though. You talk about being one of the best centres in the game, and I don\u2019t disagree with the move, because they played some very good football and he has in that position.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just showed, in a game where you\u2019ve got to win, under the pump and in a position you don\u2019t play in too often, it comes down to composure, touch and experience \u2013 and he struggled with it tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ennis said the Bulldogs now had a decision to make around their halves. With the consensus being that Galvin\u2019s long-term future is at five-eighth, Ennis said Cameron Ciraldo either need to back one of the club\u2019s younger halves to pair him long-term, or acquire a seasoned, dedicated halfback.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe issue is not their backline but their halves. They need a specialised half around Lachie Galvin. Now whether they playing Galvin at 6 \u2013 and we all think that\u2019s his best position,\u201d Ennis said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need to have a number 7 or they need one of these young guys to come through and give them room to grow. If you look at Zane Harrison, for example, just give him an opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a young man\u2019s game and sometimes these kids are grabbing the opportunity and flourishing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe expectation this year was for them to be a top four side; that was the expectation given what we saw last year. For them to go to that next level, they have to go to market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Panthers secure win over determined Dogs | 02:47<\/p>\n
. <\/p>\n
HOW DO ROOSTERS SOLVE WALKER HEADACHE?<\/p>\n
With Sam Walker ruled out for the remainder of the season, attention now turns to who will fill his big shoes.<\/p>\n
Now one off-season signing has become even more important than it already was \u2014 Daly Cherry-Evans.<\/p>\n
The veteran playmaker has been resigned to playing second fiddle to Walker, who is the Tricolours\u2019 chief playmaker and ball-handler.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big blow, obviously. Sammy is their halfback and Queensland\u2019s halfback this year,\u201d Walker\u2019s former Roosters halves partner Luke Keary said on Fox League.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big loss, but for me it\u2019s not the end of the world for the Roosters. They\u2019ve still a quality side across the park.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, Hugo Savala slots straight in and Daniel Tupou is due back, so Billy Smith moves to the left centre. They just need to get together and get things going.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 37-year-old will now shift into the No. 7 jersey and call the shots, a role in which he has already delivered a premiership and multiple Origin series for Queensland.<\/p>\n
With Hugo Savala the likely man to partner him in the halves, Cherry-Evans\u2019 experience is set to be all the more important for the Roosters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was one of the stories of the off-season, the signing of Daly Cherry-Evans,\u201d Fox League\u2019s Michael Ennis said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPremiership winner, Test player, Origin player. The Roosters going to market to get that final piece of the puzzle.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoy, if they\u2019ve ever needed him, it\u2019s right now. They need the experience of Cherry-Evans.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Cherry-Evans\u2019 experience could prove invaluable, fellow Fox League analyst Greg Alexander warned the absence of Walker would still leave a major hole.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know how important Sam is to the Chooks, yes, DCE can play halfback and Hugo Savala can certainly fill in at six,\u201d Alexander said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Sam has been instrumental to what the Roosters have done this year, so if he is not there it\u2019s a massive blow.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Alexander believes the Roosters can soften the blow with the returns of Angus Crichton and Victor Radley in the coming weeks, with the latter potentially playing an even more important role alongside the halves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Sam Walker gone it\u2019s a much bigger challenge to win the comp but you bring Angus Crichton (and) Victor Radley (back),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor will be an important inclusion with Cherry-Evans and Hugo Savala as the halves. <\/p>\n
\u201cVictor plays that role as a distributing thirteen as good as anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keary agreed Radley\u2019s return could be crucial to helping the Roosters adjust to life without Walker in attack.<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cHe\u2019s probably more important with Sam and Daly there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe straightens them that whole attack up and digs them right into the line. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey missed him last night and they\u2019ll miss him next week too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teddy & Robbo quizzed on Walker injury | 04:12<\/p>\n
WHY THE DOLPHINS PROVED DOUBTERS WRONG WITH ROOSTERS WIN<\/p>\n
Michael Ennis called it season-defining. Dolphins prop Tom Gilbert has gone one better and declared it perception changing.<\/p>\n
Either way, one of the most turbulent 10 minute periods of the NRL season has given the Dolphins all the self-belief they need leading into the NRL finals.<\/p>\n
The high-flying \u2018Phins were a fortress in defence against the Sydney Roosters during their 26-12 win at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Down to 11 men after separate sin bins to Tom Flegler and Morgan Knowles, the Dolphins showed their true grit with brilliant cover defence and some huge individual defensive performances from the likes of Max Plath and Jack Bostock during a frenetic second half-exchange.<\/p>\n
All told, the Dolphins managed to keep the Roosters to one try during the sin bin-affected period \u2013 a factor no doubt helped by Sam Walker\u2019s game ending syndesmosis injury earlier in the half.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a good challenge. The best thing for us is it was an opportunity for us to show a lot of people that there is a defensive resolve about this team and a resilience that in the past we\u2019ve been in questioned about,\u201d said Gilbert afterwards.<\/p>\n
‘It’s a penalty you f****** idiot!’ | 00:29<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes this year it hasn\u2019t been good enough or hasn\u2019t been at the standard that we want to show. I\u2019m just proud and happy that we got that opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a group, we can start taking a lot of confidence in our ability to defend, and to want to defend for long periods of time; be under a lot of pressure against a top four team, and come away with the win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fox League\u2019s Jared Waerea-Hargreaves heaped praised on the individual and collective defensive efforts of the Dolphins against the Roosters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose plays are huge. Defensively the coach will no doubt be very, very happy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf said his side had exceeded expectations at the beginning of the season. More than that, he is satisfied with where the Dolphins are heading, with six wins on the trot as they prepare to face the struggling Gold Coast Titans in the final regular fixture of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve said since the start of the year that we believe we can make the top eight, and we believe we\u2019re a top eight team,\u201d Woolf said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve gone a little bit better than that. But making the top eight was our starting point; we haven\u2019t done that before.<\/p>\n
NRL 2026 RD26 Sydney Roosters v Dolphins \u2013 Max Plath, try, celebration \/Source: Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that we\u2019ve got the talent in the group, there\u2019s no doubt when you watch tonight that we\u2019ve got the fight and the hunger. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re a group that loves playing together, and I love coaching them. They can start believing in themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woolf doubled down on Gilbert\u2019s sentiments around the Dolphins defensive areas, describing it as their \u2018bravest\u2019 win of the season, and very close to their most complete.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to disagree; other than an opening 20 minute exchange which heavily favoured the Roosters and had the Dolphins making early interchanges in a bid to keep up, Woolf\u2019s men dominated much of the game \u2013 building off their four unanswered tries leading into halftime.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s got everything you want about a team and everything you want about a team going into finals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love seeing that in us, the care factor for each other, the wanting to turn up for each other. You know we\u2019re going to need that mid game, we had every bit of that in us tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dolphins win enormous top four clash | 06:45<\/p>\n
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