Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\nDolphins win enormous top four clash | 06:45<\/p>\n
In particular, Cronk loved what he saw from the Dolphins\u2019 middle forwards Max Plath, Tom Gilbert, Tom Flegler and Kurt Donoghoe. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe question mark was whether their pack and middle defence was able to stop a powerful forward pack like the Roosters. Well, the answer is yes,\u201d Cronk said on Matty & Cronk.<\/p>\n
\u201dThe Dolphins are deadset premiership threats now.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Cronk still has one lingering concern.<\/p>\n
While the Dolphins deservedly earned the double chance in the finals, the lack of experience at the business end of the season compared to the Panthers, Warriors and Roosters could find them out as the premiership winning halfback explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things about the Dolphins is, I don\u2019t believe in the theory that you have to lose one to win one, right? But they\u2019re gonna play finals for the first time, and going to have to travel to Sydney at some stage maybe and the intensity of getting your best game on a big stage,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re gonna walk up against either you know Penrith who have been there a thousand times as well or Fisher-Harris and the Warriors. The Roosters are finals hardened over a period of time. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dolphins are gonna have to do something that that club\u2019s never done before.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of their players outside of Felise Kaufusi and maybe a couple of others who were at the Broncos at different stages, haven\u2019t had a lot of finals experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
ROOSTERS\u2019 STYLE SHAKE-UP LOOMS AFTER WALKER BLOW<\/p>\n
South Sydney Rabbitohs v Sydney Roosters, Friday 8pm @ Allianz Stadium<\/p>\n
Will the Roosters be forced to play a different style of football in the finals without Sam Walker?<\/p>\n
It seems likely given Walker isn\u2019t the type of player that can be replicated.<\/p>\n
Veteran Daly Cherry-Evans certainly isn\u2019t at the point in his career where he\u2019ll change the way he plays while his expected halves partner Hugo Savala is still learning his trade.<\/p>\n
Former premiership-winning halfback for the Roosters, Cooper Cronk, expects his former club to construct more shape plays in the finals. <\/p>\n
He spoke on the Matty & Cronk podcast about how he expects Trent Robinson\u2019s side to attack differently without their No. 1 halfback.<\/p>\n
\u201cSam\u2019s got this ability to be more effective in the red zone than most other halves given his short kicking game, so you imagine Cherry-Evans steps in, or Savala steps in, and maybe they come a little bit more structured. Maybe they come in with a bit of a set play mentality for tackles one or two, three, and then play off the back of that,\u201d Cronk said. <\/p>\n
\u201cSam Walker\u2019s effectiveness is his unpredictability, right? So maybe the Roosters narrow that down a bit and start doing a little bit of sequence play to get the best out of Savala and Cherry-Evans.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s probably something their rivals will welcome, especially bogey team Penrith, whose defence is so good at handling structure.<\/p>\n
‘It was crazy’ Pearce on infamous bender | 00:46<\/p>\n
Walker\u2019s off-the-cuff style isn\u2019t something that can be trained to handle.<\/p>\n
Mitch Moses joined the podcast to discuss the Roosters\u2019 halves issues.<\/p>\n
The State of Origin half says the team can still be a huge attacking threat with 24-year-old half Savala, who has played just 40 NRL games. <\/p>\n
He said Savala will add a new dimension to the side\u2019s attack and his boot can\u2019t be underestimated. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think having Savala there is not a bad thing,\u201d Moses declared. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think he brings his back rowers onto the ball really well. He creates for his fullback in Teddy (James Tedesco). He has got a long kicking game, and I think in finals games, in those tight games, you need to be able to kick long, hold the ball, and really use your defence as a mechanism.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he can just simplify his game and allow the strike outside (to play) and really narrow his footy down, they\u2019ll go a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Historically it\u2019s been near-impossible for teams to win a premiership without their first-choice halfback, but Cronk said the Roosters had enough strike across the park to worry teams in tight games.<\/p>\n
\u201dThey are individually as talented as any other list in the competition. Naufahu Whyte is a wrecking ball, Tedesco can break open anything. Mark Nawaqanitawase, well every time he touches the ball, something will happen,\u201d Cronk said.<\/p>\n
The Roosters have drifted to $9 to win the title following Walker\u2019s season-ending ankle injury.<\/p>\n
ARE THE COWBOYS GENUINE TITLE CONTENDERS?<\/p>\n
NQ Cowboys v Canberra Raiders, Saturday 5:30pm @ QLD Country Bank Stadium<\/p>\n
Are the Cowboys genuine title contenders, or they just making up the numbers?<\/p>\n
North Queensland booked their postseason ticket with a win over the Tigers last weekend depending on results in Round 27, will finish either seventh or eighth. <\/p>\n
They were neither impressive or bad against the Tigers, but it was hardly the performance that had the other seven finals bound teams shaking in their boots. <\/p>\n
History would suggest that they\u2019re up against it to win given their position on the ladder outside the top four, but what they may draw upon inside their four walls is that they\u2019re the last club to make the grand final from 8th (2017).<\/p>\n
2026 has mostly been decent season from the Cowboys but there has been plenty of indifference. <\/p>\n
There have been some highlights, including wins over the Roosters, Panthers and two victories over Brisbane but there has also been a 70-point thrashing from the Chooks while also losing to Parramatta twice.<\/p>\n
Arrow’s milestone fuels Souths | 03:04<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir gap between their best and their worst is so far,\u201d Fox League\u2019s Cooper Cronk said. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo get beaten by the Roosters a couple of weeks back by 70 and then to have some games like how they beat the Broncos at home when Todd Payten came out and said they hated Brisbane. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat statement put some fire in their belly and they played outstanding then they get thrashed by the Roosters five days later.\u201d<\/p>\n
While they are hard to gauge, Eels star Mitch Moses gave some insight into why the Cowboys can be a \u2018Jekyll and Hyde\u2019 type side.<\/p>\n
Moses also revealed who he thinks could be the Cowboys\u2019 danger men heading into the finals series.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re a very aggressive team. They want to be aggressive all the time and we tried to break them down as much as possible,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey like to force errors with their defence but that can also hurt them as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, I think Tommy Dearden coming in the other night was huge. It was his first week back for a while (on the sideline), and he probably didn\u2019t look at 100%, but he\u2019ll be better for that run. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he\u2019s playing on the front foot Tommy, he\u2019s one of the hardest people to stop<\/p>\n
\u201cTom Dearden makes them a ten point, 12 point better team,\u201d Cronk added.<\/p>\n
WHY SHARKS\u2019 SLIDE IS \u2018HARD TO BELIEVE\u2019<\/p>\n
Cronulla Sharks v Melbourne Storm, Saturday 7:35pm @ Ocean Protect Stadium<\/p>\n
The downfall of the Sharks has come as a great surprise to many in the game given the position they were in a month ago.<\/p>\n
They were on a five-match winning streak and had by far the softest draw for the run home, having no top eight teams to play before the finals.<\/p>\n
Basically, there were no excuses for the Sharks not to finish in the top four and give the minor premiership a shake.<\/p>\n
But three losses in four games have dashed their top four hopes.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve wasted a golden opportunity which no doubt has left many stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201dIt\u2019s just it\u2019s hard to believe that a team that goes on such a great winning run and who\u2019s playing such good football, suddenly has a loss and loses focus on all the things that got them there, although I understand there\u2019s no Trindall,\u201d Matty Johns told Cooper Cronk in their weekly podcast on Monday. <\/p>\n
Johns highlighted the loss of Braydon Trindall.<\/p>\n
Now, while he wears the No. 6 jersey, in reality he\u2019s the team\u2019s halfback and organiser.<\/p>\n
So, it\u2019s only natural that the Sharks will be weakened without their main man.<\/p>\n
Crawls: “This is absolutely piss weak!” | 03:20<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s still no excuses to lose to the bottom teams. Even their one win in the past month against the struggling Titans was a poor performance that they were lucky to get away with.<\/p>\n
Cronk said last Sunday\u2019s performance against the Eels showed that the Sharks weren\u2019t there, mentally. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn the last five weeks, and particularly the performance against the Eels, there were moments that says that the Sharks aren\u2019t dialled in,\u201d Cronk said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first set, (Kitione) Kautoga runs straight through Nicho Hines. Now, as a halfback, you\u2019ve probably got to make your first tackle and then worry about everything after that. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey get to halftime and they\u2019re not playing well. Fitzgibbon gets them in the sheds and then (Oregon) Kaufusi, with the first hit up off the kick-off, tries to offload it out the back. <\/p>\n
Cronk also said the Sharks need to find some steel ahead of the finals where teams likes the Panthers, Warriors and Roosters will test their toughness in tight matches. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe know Fitzy, he\u2019s a tough dude. He wants toughness first and then wants the finesse to come after that. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re going about their game at the moment with toughness, and they\u2019re just not willing to roll up the sleeves,\u201d Cronk said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Nicho Hynes is playing well, he\u2019s playing north-south but at the moment, he\u2019s finessing the ball east-west. <\/p>\n
\u201cTrindall being out is a big part so if I\u2019m Fitzy, I\u2019m trying to get a lot more out of Fonua-Blake and the starting front rowers and Brailey needs to become the focal point of their attack while Trindall\u2019s out and Nicho can (chime in) on the back of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
EELS GUN\u2019S FINAL 2027 AUDITION<\/p>\n
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Parramatta Eels, Sunday 2:00pm @ WIN Stadium<\/p>\n
Jarome Luai arrives at the Eels in 2027.<\/p>\n
It was clear at the time the premiership-winning No.6 would slot straight into the halves alongside Mitchell Moses. But is that spine now a certainty?<\/p>\n
Doubts have been cast over that halves pairing due to the rise of five-eighth Ronald Volkman, who has been impressive throughout Parramatta\u2019s poor 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n
So much so, the Eels handed him a two-year contract extension in the lead-up to their Round 27 clash against the Dragons, with Volkman starring in their win over the Sharks.<\/p>\n
Luai has struggled for form during a turbulent campaign in Tiger Town, overshadowed by the club\u2019s decision to let him walk early after signing a contract with the PNG Chiefs in 2028.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey will be banking on Mitchell Moses and that combination bringing out the best in Jarome,\u201d The Daily Telegraph\u2019s David Riccio said on NRL360.<\/p>\n
\u201c(But) he has gone backwards this season. Calling it as you see it, he has gone backwards. Defensively, and whether it\u2019s a combination of trying to appease so many different parties here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volkman, meanwhile, is playing career-best football.<\/p>\n
While there\u2019s no denying Luai has experience on his side, having won multiple premierships before making his move to the Tigers, Volkman is mounting a strong case to be given first crack in Parramatta\u2019s spine next season.<\/p>\n
Politis backs Queensland bid | 02:13<\/p>\n
Riccio was also asked if he believed the Eels \u201cregret\u201d signing Luai, with his new xlub set to pay $700,000 of his mammoth $1.2 million contract for a single season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say regret,\u201d Riccio said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I reckon this guy (Volkman) should have first crack. Why not?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luai and Moses have also previously worked together as a halves pairing, having played a monumental role in the Blues\u2019 2024 Origin series victory.<\/p>\n
Moses being a dominant kicker could unlock the best of Luai\u2019s game \u2014 his freewheeling, \u2018eyes up\u2019 nature that saw him become a genuine attacking threat at the Panthers.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s exactly the type of football Volkman has been playing to close out the 2026 season, scoring tries in his last four appearances with sidestepping runs.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an argument to say Volkman is laying the groundwork for Moses to become attuned to his new halves partner\u2019s style of play next season.<\/p>\n
And league legend Gorden Tallis poured cold water on leaving Luai out of Parramatta\u2019s starting side come Round 1 next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cParramatta have missed so many big fish, they have thrown a lot of burley out there and they haven\u2019t got a big fish,\u201d Tallis said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey got this scalp, but at the moment you feel for that young kid. But it\u2019s only the way he has played in the last month.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he played like that 10 weeks ago, it would have been a different decision by Parramatta.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Broncos may not be in the finals race \u2014 but Michael Maguire\u2019s veteran playmaker still has everything…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":877887,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-877886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=877886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/877887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=877886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=877886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=877886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788386414_849_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n