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NRL 2026: Round 26 Talking Points, opinion, analysis, Bulldogs’ recruitment blunders, Cooper Cronk says Sharks are making up the numbers, Sam Walker injury, news, reaction Two burning questions loom for the Bulldogs this off-season after they were eliminated from the top eight picture as a recruitment decision comes back to bite them. Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. The Roosters have copped a cruel blow on the eve of the postseason. How will they cover the loss? Meanwhile, an NRL great has put a line through one of the finals bound teams following a dreadful performance over the weekend. Read on for the Round 26 Talking Points! CHAMPION HALFBACK’S MASSIVE SHARKS CALL Sunday was an ugly day for the Sharks. Entering the clash against the Eels, Cronulla weren’t travelling all that well, having lost two of their past three. However, against an undermanned Eels side, Craig Fitzgibbon’s men had a golden opportunity to win and keep their top four hopes alive. Unfortunately for the Sharkies faithful, their team put in one of their worst performances of the year. It means The Eels scored a try with their first set and jumped out to a 26-8 half time lead before going onto win 38-18. The performance was frustrating for many reasons. As Andrew Voss noted on F 32 points conceded against the Eels, who are having a wretched year in attack. “The signs were there in the first set when Kautoga ran through Nicho Hynes in the first set. That set the scene. “Their form for the last month is ordinary. “It’s more than ordinary. It’s shocking. “The Sharks had an opportunity to get to the top four but their physically, intensity and execution is not what a finals team should be delivering. “They’ll just make up the numbers this September “There is absolute daylight between the two teams’ halves today and the output of Ronald Volkman and Mitch Moses compared to Niwhai Puru and Nicho Hynes. Puru is only playing his fifth first grade game but Hynes, well, his form is a worry. A massive worry. “He’s been too sideways in attack and he missed that tackle early. When you have a soft start to the game like that defensively, it means they’re not in an aggressive mindset and he hasn’t looked to take the line on at all. run stats. BRONCOS COULD BE IN FOR MORE PAIN NEXT YEAR They may have given him a controversial, some say disrespectful, send-off but if Matty Johns is right, the Broncos might not know what they’ve lost until Adam Reynolds is not lining up in Round 1, 2027. Reynolds’s career ended in controversy over his non-selection last week, which denied him a farewell game in front of his home fans. Moving on, he’ll likely be given a role on the coaching staff next year but his absence on the field is set to rock the Broncos. For decades, powerhouse prop Glenn Lazarus has been lauded as the club’s most important signing. He was the missing piece to the puzzle that delivered the Broncos back-to-back premierships in 1992 and 1993. Johns believes Reynolds’s signing in 2021 is now the club’s best. “I think Reyno almost supersedes it (Lazarus) because when they bought Adam Reynolds, don’t worry about getting close to winning the competition, they were just trying to avoid the wooden spoon,” Johns said. “Before he got to that club they went, wooden spoon and 14th, and the moment he got there, everything changed. “He had such a dramatic effect on that rugby league club. I think he should go down as one of their most important signings in the history of the club.” Now, the Broncos have to move forward not only without their greatest ever signing, but without their captain, and most importantly, halfback. It’s by far the most influential position on a rugby league field and without a top-liner, history says you aren’t a title contender. The Broncos earmarked Jonah Pezet as the man to take the mantle from Reynolds, but he has hardly played a first grade game this year in a struggling Parramatta side. Broncos coach Michael Maguire has given Tom Duffy a chance to see what he can do at No. 7 in the back half of the year, but last week it was veteran Ben Hunt who started in the position. Duffy is only 23 and has played less than 20 first grade games while Pezet too is very inexperienced. To make matters worse, the five-eighth who will be there to guide them next year, Ezra Mam, has been hopelessly out of form in 2026 and has missed more tackles than any Bronco by far. His spot in the team isn’t guaranteed despite previous years when he’s starred in a couple of grand finals. Hunt has signed on for next year knowing he’s a No. 14 and not a top-line halfback. So at this stage, the halves for the Broncos in 2027 look like a major problem for Maguire. And they won’t have Payne Haas to play behind. This alone could make them a non-event in 2027 and for a few seasons beyond. They don’t seem to have a good plan to replace Reynolds – and that means they could be in for a few lean years to come. If that happens, it only enhances the Reynolds legacy. MILLION-DOLLAR MARTO? Liam Martin has made his intensions clear to Penrith in recent times – pay me $1 million a season or risk losing me. And on Friday night against the Bulldogs he showed just how important he is to the Panthers when scoring two tries which proved the difference in a tight game. It’s hard to justify paying a second-rower that much money under the current cap unless they’re a consistent scoreboard influencer. Martin was not only that on Friday night but also on grand final night in 2024 when he won the Clive Churchill Medal after scoring a try and setting up another in a low-scoring game. Martin only had six runs on Friday night which would be considered poor, but it’s his impact that makes him a special player. The Australian and NSW representative has put contract talks on hold with Penrith until the end of the season, and the next month or so may decide how much he’s worth. Post-game Fox League’s Michael Ennis and Kevin Walters discussed Martin’s influence and hefty contract demands. Ennis said Martin is the type of player that not only has an impact on the field, but gives players around him confidence. “If I was playing for Australia, I’d want to look around the dressing room and have Liam Martin playing next to me,” Ennis said. “It doesn’t have to be statistical, I don’t have to sell it to you, he’s just the type of character that I’d want to lace up with every week. “He competes, he cares, and he’ll do whatever it takes for the team and he showed that tonight in that moment after halftime, chasing that kick when no-one else was there. I love him.” When asked if he was worth $1 million a season, Walters was in no doubt. “Open the bank vault up and give him the million,” he said. There’s no doubt rival clubs will offer Martin $1 million a season if he goes to market on November 1. With their tax-free advantages, the PNG Chiefs could offer around $800,000 which would be a good deal. The Chiefs would love Martin to partner his NSW teammates Hudson Young in the back row in their inaugural team in 2028. Young is set to head over to PNG for talks after being given a week to negotiate with the franchise. As the cap stands now, Penrith probably would resist giving Martin $1 million a season to stay. They’ve got so many junior forwards coming through and are excellent when it comes to salary cap management. It’s hard to think of a player that’s been overpaid there in the past six years. Like Melbourne, only spine players at Penrith get more than $1 million. Nathan Cleary is currently the only player at the club earning more than $1 million a season. If someone is going to join Cleary in the millionaire club, it’s going to be Isaah Yeo or Dylan Edwards. CANTERBURY POST-MORTEM BEGINS AS SEASON HANGS BY A THREAD With the Bulldogs’ season over following a 24-10 loss to the Panthers on Friday and other results going against their bid for a finals berth, the post-mortem into what went wrong has begun in earnest – and it hinges on two key positions. Two former Bulldogs, Fox League’s Braith Anasta and Michael Ennis, agree the side’s biggest holes this season have been the lack of a seasoned halfback to support rising star Lachlan Galvin, and the absence of versatile fullback. While both pundits believe the Dogs campaign hasn’t all been ‘doom and gloom’ – heaping praise on their mid-season revival and the effort levels of the playing squad – they believe the Dogs have some moves to make in order to reach their top four potential. “They’ve shown some ticker, there’s no doubt about that,” Ennis reflected. “From where they were in Round 13 or 14, they were sitting in 14th position and they’d lost eight of 10 games. It looked like the wheels were really off. “There were little periods there where I thought it came to life for them. Defensively, they started to definitely find that hunger and desire there again – there’s no doubt about that. “Definitely some question marks around them.” Anasta agreed, and insisted that it wasn’t all ‘doom and gloom’ at the Dogs for 2026. The former premiership winner argued Canterbury were only a whisker between being a fringe top eight side and being a genuine title threat. However, he holds some reservations. “Galvin was fantastic for them tonight, he’s had a great year. Tracey is a question mark for them at the back, and that showed tonight in pivotal moments,” Anasta said in Fox League’s post-match coverage. “I hate saying it because he had a go tonight, and until that moment he was having a strong game.” The other major talking point remains Stephen Crichton’s long-term position. Already established as one of the best centres in the game, the 25-year-old was shuffled into the five-eighth role this year in a bid to streamline the side’s communication and connection in the middle. Crichton’s move coincided with a dramatic form reversal for Canterbury, getting them in touch with the top eight once again. However, long-term Anasta believes Crichton is not the solution – and his form showed it when it mattered against the Panthers. “Critta just got it wrong tonight, he wasn’t even close. His kicking game was poor, and it really let the side down,” Anasta said. “I don’t blame him though. You talk about being one of the best centres in the game, and I don’t disagree with the move, because they played some very good football and he has in that position. “It just showed, in a game where you’ve got to win, under the pump and in a position you don’t play in too often, it comes down to composure, touch and experience – and he struggled with it tonight.” Ennis said the Bulldogs now had a decision to make around their halves. With the consensus being that Galvin’s long-term future is at five-eighth, Ennis said Cameron Ciraldo either need to back one of the club’s younger halves to pair him long-term, or acquire a seasoned, dedicated halfback. “The issue is not their backline but their halves. They need a specialised half around Lachie Galvin. Now whether they playing Galvin at 6 – and we all think that’s his best position,” Ennis said. “They need to have a number 7 or they need one of these young guys to come through and give them room to grow. If you look at Zane Harrison, for example, just give him an opportunity. “It is a young man’s game and sometimes these kids are grabbing the opportunity and flourishing. “The expectation this year was for them to be a top four side; that was the expectation given what we saw last year. For them to go to that next level, they have to go to market.” . HOW DO ROOSTERS SOLVE WALKER HEADACHE? With Sam Walker ruled out for the remainder of the season, attention now turns to who will fill his big shoes. Now one off-season signing has become even more important than it already was — Daly Cherry-Evans. The veteran playmaker has been resigned to playing second fiddle to Walker, who is the Tricolours’ chief playmaker and ball-handler. “It’s a big blow, obviously. Sammy is their halfback and Queensland’s halfback this year,” Walker’s former Roosters halves partner Luke Keary said on Fox League. “It’s a big loss, but for me it’s not the end of the world for the Roosters. They’ve still a quality side across the park. “For me, Hugo Savala slots straight in and Daniel Tupou is due back, so Billy Smith moves to the left centre. They just need to get together and get things going.” The 37-year-old will now shift into the No. 7 jersey and call the shots, a role in which he has already delivered a premiership and multiple Origin series for Queensland. With Hugo Savala the likely man to partner him in the halves, Cherry-Evans’ experience is set to be all the more important for the Roosters. “It was one of the stories of the off-season, the signing of Daly Cherry-Evans,” Fox League’s Michael Ennis said. “Premiership winner, Test player, Origin player. The Roosters going to market to get that final piece of the puzzle. “Boy, if they’ve ever needed him, it’s right now. They need the experience of Cherry-Evans.” While Cherry-Evans’ experience could prove invaluable, fellow Fox League analyst Greg Alexander warned the absence of Walker would still leave a major hole. “We know how important Sam is to the Chooks, yes, DCE can play halfback and Hugo Savala can certainly fill in at six,” Alexander said. “But Sam has been instrumental to what the Roosters have done this year, so if he is not there it’s a massive blow.” However, Alexander believes the Roosters can soften the blow with the returns of Angus Crichton and Victor Radley in the coming weeks, with the latter potentially playing an even more important role alongside the halves. “With Sam Walker gone it’s a much bigger challenge to win the comp but you bring Angus Crichton (and) Victor Radley (back),” he said. “Victor will be an important inclusion with Cherry-Evans and Hugo Savala as the halves. “Victor plays that role as a distributing thirteen as good as anyone.” Keary agreed Radley’s return could be crucial to helping the Roosters adjust to life without Walker in attack. He added, “He’s probably more important with Sam and Daly there.” “He straightens them that whole attack up and digs them right into the line. “They missed him last night and they’ll miss him next week too.” WHY THE DOLPHINS PROVED DOUBTERS WRONG WITH ROOSTERS WIN Michael Ennis called it season-defining. Dolphins prop Tom Gilbert has gone one better and declared it perception changing. Either way, one of the most turbulent 10 minute periods of the NRL season has given the Dolphins all the self-belief they need leading into the NRL finals. The high-flying ‘Phins were a fortress in defence against the Sydney Roosters during their 26-12 win at Allianz Stadium on Saturday. Down to 11 men after separate sin bins to Tom Flegler and Morgan Knowles, the Dolphins showed their true grit with brilliant cover defence and some huge individual defensive performances from the likes of Max Plath and Jack Bostock during a frenetic second half-exchange. All told, the Dolphins managed to keep the Roosters to one try during the sin bin-affected period – a factor no doubt helped by Sam Walker’s game ending syndesmosis injury earlier in the half. “It was a good challenge. The best thing for us is it was an opportunity for us to show a lot of people that there is a defensive resolve about this team and a resilience that in the past we’ve been in questioned about,” said Gilbert afterwards. “Sometimes this year it hasn’t been good enough or hasn’t been at the standard that we want to show. I’m just proud and happy that we got that opportunity. “As a group, we can start taking a lot of confidence in our ability to defend, and to want to defend for long periods of time; be under a lot of pressure against a top four team, and come away with the win.” Fox League’s Jared Waerea-Hargreaves heaped praised on the individual and collective defensive efforts of the Dolphins against the Roosters. “Those plays are huge. Defensively the coach will no doubt be very, very happy,” he said. Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf said his side had exceeded expectations at the beginning of the season. More than that, he is satisfied with where the Dolphins are heading, with six wins on the trot as they prepare to face the struggling Gold Coast Titans in the final regular fixture of the season. “We’ve said since the start of the year that we believe we can make the top eight, and we believe we’re a top eight team,” Woolf said. “We’ve gone a little bit better than that. But making the top eight was our starting point; we haven’t done that before. “There’s no doubt that we’ve got the talent in the group, there’s no doubt when you watch tonight that we’ve got the fight and the hunger. “They’re a group that loves playing together, and I love coaching them. They can start believing in themselves.” Woolf doubled down on Gilbert’s sentiments around the Dolphins defensive areas, describing it as their ‘bravest’ win of the season, and very close to their most complete. It’s hard to disagree; other than an opening 20 minute exchange which heavily favoured the Roosters and had the Dolphins making early interchanges in a bid to keep up, Woolf’s men dominated much of the game – building off their four unanswered tries leading into halftime. “It’s got everything you want about a team and everything you want about a team going into finals,” he said. “I love seeing that in us, the care factor for each other, the wanting to turn up for each other. You know we’re going to need that mid game, we had every bit of that in us tonight.” XX