Two weeks to play, and the ladder is far from set with the Top 4 razor tight and the final spot in the eight still firmly up for grabs.
Round 26 has arrived and Oscar Pannifex has you covered for tips and predictions ahead of every game, including Saturday’s big clash between the Roosters and Dolphins!
Just as they did against Canberra this time 12 months ago, Brisbane finished fastest to post a comeback win against the Raiders in NRL Round 25.
Hayze Perham was superb filling in for Reece Walsh while Ben Hunt provided enough calm in the pressure moments to steer Brisbane to an unlikely win. That result felt like it was a long time coming for this embattled Brisbane club but I can’t back them to make it two in a row this week.
Deine Mariner was spotted up by Canberra multiple times at left centre last week – they turned him out before cashing in twice back on his inside – and no doubt Craig Bellamy and the Melbourne coaching staff will have noticed. That’s where I’m looking here.
Prediction: Melbourne Storm to Win @ $1.73
Anytime Tryscorer: Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown, Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown 2+
Tom Trbojevic made a winning return from injury last week but it was the involvements of his deputy – Clayton Faulalo – that were the difference against Newcastle.
The young Sea Eagles star cameoed at five-eighth with aplomb; offering a genuine running threat and some silky ballplaying on the left edge while Jamal Fogarty steered the ship at halfback. Overall, it allowed Manly to ask more questions of the Knights defence than they had answers, and it could be a similar story here against St George.
The Dragons are doing everything right to finish a low year on a high but they mightn’t have the attack to go with the Sea Eagles in a shoot-out.
Like Faulalo for Manly, Lhykan King-Togia is doing some promising things in attack for St George and both five-eighths can have their moments here.
Prediction: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles win,
Anytime Tryscorer: Haumole Olakau’atu, Reuben Garrick
A week after registering a season-high 84 receipts in a loss against Easts, Nathan Cleary had a season-low 47 receipts in a big win against Melbourne. Go figure.
Penrith’s lack of possession against the Storm played a part in those numbers but it’s an interesting stat to keep an eye on this week, nonetheless. With Isaah Yeo out and the Panthers still trialling different personnel at five-eighth, this feels like the time for Cleary to play on the ball more than ever…
With so much common history across these two playing rosters, there’s a bit of a modern day rivalry forming between Penrith and the Dogs and this can make for another entertaining chapter.
Canterbury played themselves into some form last week and at the very least they will make this a physical contest early. I like the class of Cleary to be the difference in the end but there should be a few defensive highlight reel moments for us to enjoy along the way.
Prediction: Penrith Panthers 1-12
Anytime Tryscorer: Nathan Cleary
We saw the best of Keano Kini and Jayden Campbell in moments last week as the Titans threatened to upset Cronulla at home.
The Gold Coast have a willing and eager spine (shout-out Oliver Pascoe, too) who all play above their weight on both sides of the ball. The flow-on effect they often have on this Titans squad is tangible; a brave Kini kick defusal last week was quickly followed by a Beau Fermor offload for Campbell, before Kini found AJ Brimson to ice it a few tackles later.
Provided Souths can limit or contain any momentum the Gold Coast generate, I like them to bounce back here.
No one can convert field position into points like this Rabbitohs left edge and while they struggled in yardage against the Wahs last week, they profile a little better against this pieced-together Titans pack.
Prediction: South Sydney Rabbitohs 13+ , Anytime Tryscorer: Alex Johnston 2+ tries
Redcliffe’s slow starts remain a concern but there was plenty to like about how they eventually worked through the gears against Parramatta last week.
The output of Herbie Farnworth and Selwyn Cobbo in both yardage and attack is a real point-of-difference for this Dolphins side leading into finals. Two of their best and most experienced players are in a rich vein of form right now and can help Redcliffe target the spaces around Daly Cherry-Evans here.
A loss to Wests last week is bad publicity but that’s about as far as the concerns go for Easts in my opinion.
They’re are one of the few teams who can match the Dolphins firepower if this becomes a shoot-out, but with finals just two weeks away though and some lingering concerns around Redcliffe’s defence, I like the Chooks to make this a grind.
Prediction: Sydney Roosters 1-12 + Under 47.5 Total Points
The bye gifted North Queensland a chance to recover from a shock loss to Parramatta and also bought Tom Dearden more time to return for the finals. They need to get there first though, and a blow-out win against Wests could be exactly what the Cowboys need to springboard themselves into September.
Their sweeping attack through Scott Drinkwater profiles nicely against either Tigers edge that has been stripped apart for the best part of the regular season.
Barring last week’s boilover, Wests don’t have the pack to play the long game and promote fatigue into these big Cowboys forwards. If that’s how it plays out, we should see closer to the best version of North Queensland with the ball in hand late in each half.
Prediction: North Queensland Cowboys 13+ Anytime Tryscorer: Tom Chester, Heilum Luki
An upset loss to Manly last week was a long time coming for a Newcastle squad that has been up for a while now.
It’s no coincidence the Knights appeared flat in a week where Bradman Best and Jacob Saifit returned; they’ve done well to cover key absences for extended periods but now have something close to a full strength squad for the approaching finals series.
A matchup against New Zealand at home here isn’t quite as timely.
The Wahs have built their 2026 NRL campaign on a brutal, physical brand of football through the middle and the Knights must expect to cop some punishment in this one. How Newcastle handle, absorb and respond to that pressure this week will be a good indicator of their chances in September.
Prediction: New Zealand Warriors (-7.5)
Anytime Tryscorer: Leka Halasima
Cronulla’s slingshot attack looked slick early last week as Nicho Hynes and Will Kennedy took their cues and executed on either edge. Once fatigue set in and the Titans applied some pressure though, the unfamiliarity in a new-look spine was felt.
It’s for this reason that Parramatta profile nicely here; they’ve made a habit of dragging their opposition into a dogfight and bringing out the worst of them in the back end of the regular season.
They’ve got a host of mobile, hungry defensive middles who can make things ugly for this big Sharks pack, but I’m happy to give Cronulla another shot on the back of Hynes’ role in their comeback win last week. He excelled in a primary playmaker role to execute on clutch ballplaying involvements on either edge – not typically where we’ve seen Hynes do his best work in the past.
Prediction: Cronulla Sharks (-6.5)
Anytime Tryscorer: KL Iro, Will Kennedy
