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<\/p>\n
A new year has arrived, with some teams looking to carry on the good times of the last 12 months, and others looking for a 180-degree turn.<\/p>\n
Rugby league is a sport full of storylines both on and off the field, and the season ahead will be shaped by some obvious, and some not so obvious ones.<\/p>\n
Here are the ten storylines that will shape 2026.<\/p>\n
Todd Payten’s future<\/p>\n
Of all the coaches heading into the 2026 season, it would appear that there are none more under pressure than Todd Payten<\/a>.<\/p>\n When you run the rule over the bottom half of the 2025 ladder, the Newcastle Knights<\/a> and Gold Coast Titans<\/a> have new coaches in Justin Holbrook<\/a> and Josh Hannay<\/a> respectively, Shane Flanagan<\/a> has just re-signed with the St George Illawarra Dragons<\/a>, Wayne Bennett<\/a> is safe as a house at the South Sydney Rabbitohs<\/a>, Benji Marshall<\/a> has more issues to worry about than his future, Jason Ryles<\/a> has the Eels on the bounce and Kristian Woolf<\/a> is also safe.<\/p>\n Anthony Seibold<\/a> at the Manly Sea Eagles<\/a> is the only other coach where you’d raise an eyebrow on the safety chart, but Payten is certainly the one to follow.<\/p>\n A 12th place finish for a team that should have been in the top eight last year simply wasn’t good enough, but inconsistency, eyebrow-raising selections and underperformance have been far too prevalent during his stint as the main man in Townsville.<\/p>\n Expect the pressure gauge to climb quickly on Payten if the Cowboys don’t have a brilliant start to 2026.<\/p>\n
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