It’s a countdown to the 2026 NRL Finals Series in clubland right now, and Oscar Pannifex from the Neds NRL Unpopular Opinions Podcast is tipping a few upsets in Round 20.
Beware the Broncs
While the top half of the NRL premiership ladder jostles for poll position in the 2026 finals series, a very different narrative is playing out down the bottom end of that same ladder.
Every year we see teams no longer in calculations for finals footy suddenly find a new lease on life as the pressure lifts and the footy becomes fun.
Often those teams have been decimated by injuries or simply don’t have the quality or experience in their roster to feature in the finals that season.
This year though, that team is the Brisbane Broncos.
For the first time since NRL Round 6, the Broncs will roll out a first-choice* starting pack featuring Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Xavier Willison (*in for Corey Jensen), Brendan Piakura and Jordan Riki.
For the best part of 14 weeks – a period during which Brisbane won just two games and dropped out of finals contention – Michael Maguire has rolled out a pieced-together pack and a constantly changing backline.
That backline is also back to full strength this week. In fact, with the inclusion of Billy Walters in the reserves, NRL Round 20, 2026 could be the first time we see the same spine that won the 2025 NRL Grand Final… up against the Penrith Panthers, no less.
It’s been a horror campaign for ‘Madge’ this year but with nothing to lose and everything to play for on Thursday night, I give this Broncos side every chance to remind us all what they’re capable of.
Dragons, Titans, Eels Trending
Rugby league is in the business of winning and more often than not, a club’s success is judged by the wins and losses column alone.
In the context of a rebuilding club though, the St George-Illawarra Dragons and Parramatta Eels are both recent examples of why us fans might need to look a little further than the scoreboard, each week.
Dean Young (and arguably Shane Flanagan before him) is doing the best he can with a very young, inexperienced and often outclassed roster. After 16 games played, their attack averages a lowly 15 points per game to rank dead last in the NRL and leave the Dragons incapable of going with anyone in a shoot-out.
So what has Young done? He’s stripped everything right back to the basics; minimised errors, cleaned up their discipline and played the percentages. It’s somewhat hypnotic watching St George roll four hitups into a yardage bomb but what it doesn’t do is apply extra pressure back on their defence.
Within a reliable and repeatable system, we’re starting to see a few more role specific actions emerge in the Dragons attack.
Valentine Holmes has again become a kick target in behind the line..
Luciano Leilua is ballplaying on the edges while Clint Gutherson sniffs around in support.
Kyle Flanagan is passing Hamish Stewart into offload situations with Holmes as the support target on the left edge.
They won’t post any cricket scores this season, but what Young and St George are doing is getting the foundations right and the systems in place so that when the likes of Keaon Koloamatangi, Luke Metcalf, Scott Drinkwater and Connor Watson all arrive next year, they can be the icing on top.
Parramatta are another club who had every right to go backwards this year with a ridiculous injury toll, but Jason Ryles is doing an excellent job to keep the Eels competitive – and good enough for the odd ambush – while finals remain out of reach.
Josh Hannay and the Gold Coast Titans need to be added to that list.
Four wins from 16 games doesn’t read nicely but the Titans roll into NRL Round 20 on the back of an encouraging month of footy.
The gap between their best and worst has quickly narrowed while Hannay has ironed out some important roles for specific players along the way. Oliver Pascoe and Zane Harrison are two good examples; neither are highlight reel names but their ability to help get the most out of the Titans best players in attack – Jayden Campbell, AJ Brimson, Keano Kini, Jojo Fifita – is evidence of a team trending in the right direction.
The Gold Coast profile well this week against an injury-hit Manly Sea Eagles pack. No team scores more of their tries through the middle-third (43%) than this Titans attack and they can punch a few holes in the ruck on Sunday if they play it right.
Depth Watch
Roster depth and health becomes even more important at this time of year for clubs fighting for a place in the Top Eight. Some of those clubs are better placed than others to navigate injuries to key players in the business end of the season…
Cody Ramsey is no longer just a good story. He’s established himself as a genuine first-grade replacement for James Tedesco and an invaluable depth player for Easts as they approach the finals series. Ramsey had spiders on him last week, clocking 166 running metres (2 linebreaks, 1 assist) against Parramatta in a very similar role to the man he was substituting. There’s no replacing a player of Tedesco’s quality but the Roosters don’t have to change much with Ramsey at fullback again this week.
South Sydney made a tactical decision to play Matt Dufty at fullback over Jye Gray in NRL Round 19 and it paid dividends in the form of three try assists and two competition points. In a week where Cody Walker was sidelined, the Bunnies needed another ballplaying threat on the park and Dufty provided it with aplomb. There’s a winning formula in there somewhere with both Gray and Dufty in Souths extended squad as they fight to maintain their spot in the Eight.
Andrew Webster and the Warriors somehow continue to fly under the radar despite sitting second on the NRL ladder & with a dream run into the playoffs. Webster’s ability to develop players and set them up for success with a complimentary role has been a key factor in the Wahs ‘26 premiership push. Naming Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad in the reserves this week speaks to the quality of depth Webster now has to choose from; Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Taine Tuaupiki are undroppable at this point to leave one of the Wahs favourite servants out of the side… for now.
