Could the Panthers pull off a near impossible pre-Origin feat? One expert certainly thinks so following their perfect start to the season.
Meanwhile, there are a handful of coaches on the hot seat but is Dragons coach Shane Flanagan one of those? The stats paint a damning picture.
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Welcome to foxsports.com.au’s Buy or Sell, where we give a verdict on the big, burning narratives in the NRL.
COULD THE PANTHERS STAY UNDEFEATED UNTIL ORIGIN PERIOD?
Through three games of the 2026 season, no team has looked as good as the all-conquering Panthers.
Clearly hungry after their four-year NRL reign ended last year, this Penrith team has been nothing short of sensational.
In three wins against quality opponents (Broncos, Sharks, Roosters) the Panthers have scored 92 and conceded just 10.
Punters and bookies have reacted. The Panthers are red-hot favourites to win their fifth title in six years.
Their form has led to former Origin prop Steve Roach to make a huge declaration.
“I don’t think they’ll lose until Origin,” Roach said on NRL Tonight.
“If there was no Origin, I don’t think anyone would beat the Panthers.
“You see what you did to the Sharks and then you see what they did to the Roosters, who a lot of people tipped for the premiership.
“They only conceded two tries in those two games and then you look at the amount of points he could put on. Unbelievable.
“Origin will probably be the only thing that stops them from going through undefeated. The way that they’re playing, I don’t think anyone could beat them.”
It would be a herculean effort if Penrith were able to achieve the feat.
The Panthers’ first bye comes the weekend before Origin Game I in Round 12, meaning they’ll have to win 11 straight.
Three are in the books, but they have a tough schedule upcoming, with games against the Eels, Storm, Bulldogs and Dolphins over the next four weeks.
No game in the NRL is a given but if Ivan Cleary’s men can get through that period without dropping a game, Roach might be on the money as their next patch of games are against the Knights, Sea Eagles, Raiders and Dragons.
With that said, we think Penrith will slip up at least once in the next month with the Storm, Bulldogs and Dolphins to all provide extremely stiff challenges.
Verdict – Sell
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SHOULD SHANE FLANAGAN BE ON THE COACHING HOT SEAT?
Entering the season, Manly’s Anthony Seibold and North Queensland’s Todd Payten were the coaches with the most uncertainty around their future.
Seibold’s seat has only become hotter after a 0-2 start including a horror loss to the Knights while Payten’s cooled after a pressure-relieving win against the Titans.
But is there another coach who should be under fire?
The Dragons under Shane Flanagan have won just 37% of games since the start of the 2024 season. That’s lower than Seibold (50%) and Payten (49%).
With that said, the team Flanagan inherited doesn’t boast the same amount of talent as the Cowboys or Sea Eagles.
For that reason, Flanagan has escaped the blowtorch for now according to journalist Brent Read.
“Of course he isn’t under pressure, he was extended at the end of last season. And he shouldn’t be under pressure,” Read said on NRL360.
“The difference between the Dragons’ situation and those other teams is that the Dragons is pretty stable at the moment. They are a stable footy club.
“That’s part of the reason I think you don’t hear anything out of the Dragons.
“Flanno has also reduced expectations. At the start of the year he said they couldn’t win the comp, so expectations are lower.”
To start this year, the Dragons are 0-3, but that record doesn’t tell the whole story.
While it’s a less than ideal way to begin a season, the teams the Dragons have lost to (Dogs, Storm, Eels) have a combined record of 6-2.
Moreover, they lost in golden point to the Bulldogs, were in front of the Storm inside the final 20 minutes in Wollongong and pushed the Eels all the way last weekend.
Dragons fans might have to deal with the fact they won’t be playing finals footy this year but this is a team in a rebuild and there’s a lot to be excited about.
Flanagan is a top coach who has clearly improved this side since being hired.
If he’s given the chance to lead this team for the next few seasons, the Red V should be returning to the finals.
Verdict – Sell
Confidence hit? Flanno addresess defeat | 02:52
WARRIORS SET TO MAKE FREE AGENCY SPLASH
With two of their more expensive players set to walk out the door at season’s end, the Warriors should have plenty of cap space to attempt to lure a star player or two to the club.
Mitch Barnett and his deal of roughly $750,000 will be off the books when he leaves for the Broncos a year before his contract was meant to end.
Meanwhile, veteran outside back Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who has a deal with the Warriors until the end of this season, has resisted interest from a couple of Sydney clubs to instead sign with Super League team Wakefield Trinity in a shock move.
That’s $650,000 more cleared from the Warriors’ cap, giving them a mini war chest to improve their roster for next season.
The Warriors are flying this season and look sure to be in the finals hunt, but you get the feeling they are missing a key piece in the backline either at centre or fullback to be genuine title threats.
Nearly five months since the November 1 deadline, most of the best available players have been snapped up, but there are still some game-changing options out there.
Nothing is official but Will Warbrick is reportedly on the verge of signing with the Warriors from next season. At 28, he is an upgrade at wing over a nearly 33-year-old RTS.
Rocco Berry has had his fair share of injury issues in recent seasons but when healthy, he’s a huge asset.
Off contract for 2027, he is keen to stay, but the Warriors will need to decide if he’s worth the risk. It’s clear though that when right and playing well, he makes this team better.
Will Penisini is another option for the Warriors at centre but that’s highly doubtful if Berry ends up re-signing.
In terms of available fullbacks for next year, there isn’t much available, with Connor Tracey and Will Kennedy the best of the bunch.
It means that the Warriors will instead move ahead for 2027 with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Taine Tuaupiki as their No. 1 options for the next two seasons.
Could they then eye off a big fish after November 1 of this year when the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Scott Drinkwater, Jahream Bula and Lehi Hopoate among others become available?
Time will tell.
Verdict – Buy
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and his $650,000 salary will be off the Warriors’ books at season’s end, with the superstar outside back heading to the UK to continue his career.Source: Getty Images
HAS KOTONI STAGGS GOT A CASE FOR THE NRL’S BEST CENTRE LABEL?
A bumper centre battle will be played out at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night when the Broncos take on the Dolphins in the seventh edition of the Battle of Brisbane.
Kotoni Staggs will line up across from his former teammate Herbie Farnworth, who many consider the best centre in the NRL.
Many others are of the belief that Bulldogs skipper Stephen Crichton holds that title but there is at least one person who thinks Staggs has a claim for the label.
“Kotoni Staggs, are we thinking he’s the best centre in the game in the moment on form?” The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie asked the NRL360 panel.
“We have Stephen Crichton, Herbie Farnworth and Staggs are the top three.”
Staggs was outstanding for the Broncos in their stirring second half comeback against Melbourne.
In those 40 minutes he had 61 metres, four tackle busts, a try and a try assist as Brisbane scored 18 unanswered points.
NRL360 host Braith Anasta was impressed by Staggs’ game against the Storm, but believes Ritchie’s claim was very bold.
“He’s a great player, don’t get me wrong, but that’s a big call,” Anasta said.
“I thought he was too for 40 minutes against the Storm but they’ve (Broncos) only won game in half of footy.”
Staggs’ form during Brisbane’s premiership run last year was rewarded with selection in the Kangaroos’ Ashes Tour.
When on song, he can be devastating on both sides of the ball, but at the moment, he just lacks the level of consistency which makes Farnworth and Crichton so elite.
Staggs can no doubt get to that level, but for now, there’s at least a little bit of a gap between him and Farnworth/Crichton.
Verdict – Sell
Kotoni Staggs diving over for a try against Melbourne.Source: Supplied
TANAH BOYD IS A SNEAKY ORIGIN SMOKEY
This may elicit a few readers to think ‘slow your roll’, but hear us out.
Alongside Nathan Cleary, the Warriors half has been the form No. 7 of the comp so far, leading his team to a 3-0 record and an impressive points differential of 84 which has the Auckland-based side atop the ladder.
An ex-NRL whipping boy during his underwhelming stint at the Titans, Boyd’s statistical output in just three games has been insane in 2026.
He has recorded seven try assists, three tries and 46 total points with the Warriors putting on at least 40 in all three rounds.
In fact, he leads the NRL in try assists and points.
Can he keep that pace up? Probably not, but it’s easy to claim that the Warriors haven’t looked this good in attack in a long, long time, and Boyd is the conductor behind it all.
Fox League’s Matty Johns believes simplicity has been key for Boyd as nailing the little things has built the hlafback’s confidence as the game goes on.
“I think he’s gone to the crossroads and done a deal with the devil. I couldn’t be happier for the bloke,” Johns said on Matty and Cronk.
“The thing I like about his game is that he’s built his football on simplifying things and building confidence on the simple things.
“His man focus was just on kicking. You just need to kick well and make your tackles and bit by bit, brick by brick, he’s building his game.”
Initially thought as a bridging option until Luke Metcalf returns from injury in about a month’s time, unless something drastic happens, it will be Chanel Harris-Tavita on the hot seat when Metcalf returns, not Boyd.
The Titans junior is Maroons eligible and will need a Tom Dearden injury to be considered given the deeds of the Cowboys halfback in last year’s series.
With that said, Dearden’s form to start the season has been shaky as has the other candidates in Sam Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans.
Dearden will get first crack if healthy but if Boyd continues to play at a high level, there’s a chance Billy Slater considers him for Queensland’s extended squad.
Verdict – Buy
Tanah Boyd leads the league in points (46) and try assists (7) through three rounds.Source: Getty Images
KNIGHTS ARE SET TO FREEFALL DOWN LADDER
Newcastle started the Justin Holbrook era with a bang, winning in Las Vegas before thrashing the Sea Eagles a fortnight later.
The win at Brookvale came at a massive cost though. Fullback Kalyn Ponga (hamsting) and shiny new recruit Dylan Brown (knee) suffered injuries within ten minutes of each other and were subsequently ruled out for eight weeks and four weeks.
That leaves a whopping $2.7 million on the sidelines and two of the NRL’s richest contracts on ice.
Without Brown, Ponga and the exciting Fletcher Sharpe, the Knights couldn’t match it with the red-hot Warriors last weekend.
Sharpe is back on deck this weekend but Brown and Ponga will be out for a few more weeks at least.
Last year’s wooden spooners may have started 2-0, but a look at their upcoming schedule reveals a brutal stretch of games.
The Bulldogs, Raiders, Tigers, Roosters and Panthers are next up – all games they desperately would’ve needed their best players involved to have a chance.
Verdict – Buy
Holbrook reflects on sin bins in loss | 03:29