Penrith Panthers v Canberra Raiders match the perfect advertisement for new-look NRL
Idea
In responding to criticism of its fast-forward 2026 model, the NRL could present Sunday’s Canberra-Penrith game as Exhibit A for the defence.
The scoreline, which Penrith won 30-18, does not represent what a fantastic game this was. A first half with 38 completed sets and no kicks from either side, a high pace of possession and brutal tackles that still failed to prevent five tries, was followed by a second half where Penrith defended desperately as Canberra continued to throw everything at them.
The speed and duration of the ball in play led to a match of grand final quality, not football or explosion; This goes to show that if you keep the ball and play with precision, this version of rugby league can be just what the label says.
Painting for colors
Jake Trbojevic would die for Manly, his brother Ben said after Jake’s 250th game on Saturday. So which jersey is this? Manly’s predominantly white 2026 strip appears to be “inspired” by the famous Pepsi can jersey with which they won the competition 30 years ago, with maroon hiding over red and blue stripes. You have to use your imagination to want to die for this.
Clubs playing around with their colors to create new products have never been anything more than a sugary financial coup and experimentation always leads back to their ‘heritage’ colours, whereupon everyone breathes a sigh of relief. On Saturday night, Brisbane wore a strange midnight blue jersey worth 20 tackles and 42 missed tackles. If players are asked to die for their colors, they deserve to know what those colors are.
Some help for Big Mal’s Bears please
Regardless of what’s going on with Mal Meninga and the Perth Bears, the ARLC needs to shake off the stink if the Bears are to re-enter the league with a long-suffering outlook before they’ve even played a game. It’s all very well to feed from the well of rugby league DNA, but the Bears were the league’s perennial losers before their kamikaze dive as the junior half of the Northern Eagles.
Whether it’s club ID or luggage, you don’t want them to carry this burden from day one. They will think the world is against them because they live in Perth.
Whether it’s through cap concessions, more aid through third-party deals, or other tools at the ARLC’s disposal, it makes more sense to help the Bears now than to dig them out of the pit of despair in 2027 or 2028.
dire predictions
Ten rounds to go and the NRL competition is sorting itself out. Here are some scary predictions. With the Roosters posing a serious threat and the Warriors not far behind, Penrith clearly deserve premiership support. At the bottom the Dragons will hope they can compete with the Titans in the spoon and the Eels can’t get into the eight.
This is the easy part and largely matches pre-season predictions. I say Canberra and Brisbane are teams that could disturb the top three once they get their troops back.
The Knights and Dolphins are thrilling machines who can come in with injuries and make for an exciting final run if they’re lucky. Melbourne may have a late surge like Penrith last year but will not win the competition. Souths, Manly, Tigers and Cowboys are now reaching the top.
Cronulla and Canterbury will continue to be overwhelmed. Ultimately keeping key players in the paddock will be the deciding factor and Penrith currently have the shortest injury list, as if they don’t need any more help.
There you have it: today’s best guesses, tomorrow’s fish and chip packaging.
Facts about Magic Round
Magic Round is always fun, even watching it on TV where all the games are in the same venue (your living room) like every week.
At Lang Park, the random Southern guy in the crowd is neutrally celebrated by the random guys in every jersey.
The NRL did well to adopt the name ‘Magic’ Round before the AFL settled for the not-quite-accurate ‘Gather’ Round. But the anomaly of the Magic Round each year is that the Broncos can play a nominal away game in their own packed stadium.
Their victims are usually a struggling club that receives financial compensation for the loss of home advantage.
This year it is the Warriors’ turn to play “at home” against the Broncos in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.
The Dolphins will likewise play an “away” game against South Sydney. This injustice could easily be remedied by making the Broncos-Dolphins fixture the annual focus of the tour.
Malcolm Knox is a journalist, author and columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.
