2026 NRL – Prop by the Sea: You gotta love footy!

 

 

Round 6 can only be described as a tipster’s nightmare and Luck be a Lady if you tipped half the card. The look on my face above was replicated about 4 times during the round. Putting aside the confusion around the disruption rule, the round was completely disrupted. This started with the first game on Thursday night where the Bulldogs ran out winners 32-16 over the previously undefeated Panthers. All the talk about the Panthers going through the season undefeated was washed away by this Bulldog’s victory, built on putting pressure on Cleary. The 10 in the bin for McLean in the 8th minute of the first half did not help Penrith, and the Bulldogs were just too strong with their fans Dancing on the Ceiling.

There were two games on Friday night, with the first game having Manly up against St. George. This game was not a shock as very few people expected the Dragons to win even though Manly have been relatively poor. However, Coach Foran has his second win and Manly looks a much better side than they did 3 weeks ago. I am not sure where the Dragons go from here, but they will have to Dig Down Deep if they are to resurrect this season.  I do not think it will be long before their coach is in the unemployment queue. The second game was the traditional Queensland Derby between the Cowboys and the Broncos. The Broncos were weakened but we all expected a better performance from them. However, once again the sin binning of Carrigan in the 9th minute of the first half allowed the Cowboys to score12 points. The game was exciting, and Duffy kicked a great field goal to put the Broncos in front just before full time before Drinkwater (who is not one of my favourite players) booted a terrific left footer to level the scores before the Cowboys scored to win the game and it was Goodnight Irene. Brisbane has a deal of injuries, and it was a real shame to see young Mozer finally get a chance in the NRL and then be injured. Taumalolo wound the clock back for the Cowboys and was outstanding.

Saturday had three games with the first having the Raiders complete a much-needed victory over the Rabbitohs. One thing that Raiders do have is plenty of speed, and their try by the fullback Kaeo Weekes (his second) was well worth having another look at. It was a very entertaining game, and the Rabbitohs would be disappointed to let this one slip. Both coaches have High Hopes for the season, and the mid-term games are going to be crucial. The second Saturday game had the Roosters up against Cronulla. The Roosters were too strong in this match, and DCE most probably had his best game for the season, controlling the shots and seeing the Roosters home over a Cronulla side that really cannot go against the top sides. I Can’t get Started on the Sharks. The final match saw the Storm at home for the Warriors. When you consider it has been about 12 years and about 17 games since the Warriors have beaten the Storm, no one expected that this Saturday night would have been the one. However, Fly Me to the Moon, the Warriors found their mojo that has been sadly lacking for the last couple of weeks and defeated the Storm, which must really have Bellamy concerned. The four walls of the dressing shed would have been scorched by Coach Bellamy. They have lost five games in a row before in 2012 and went on to win the premiership, but they had the Big 3 then.  It looks like this year that it is going to be very hard for them to get back up into that top 4.

There were two games on Sunday, the first of which saw the complete demolition of Parramatta by the Titans. The Titans are another side that has plenty of speed, and they certainly threw the ball around. Pleasing for Coach Hannay who must be whistling I Get a Kick out of You to himself. He must be especially happy that their defence held strong for the game, although Parramatta were very, very poor and did not throw much against them. The Titans at least look better now than they did in the first two weeks. The final round of the game saw the West Tigers at home to the Knights in what was a clash of the team’s placed at 2nd and 3rd on the ladder. The West Tigers put the Knights to bed. The issue for both the Knights and the West Tigers is that they have not really played any of the competition heavyweights yet. Benji must be Beginning to see the Light as his team and beginning to Dream the Impossible Dream. The Tigers do play an expansive and exciting brand of footy, but it will be interesting to see how they go starting this week against the Broncos. Once again, it is an exceedingly difficult round to select.

 

Round 7 starts off with a Thursday night home game for the Cowboys against Manly at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium. The Cowboys will be keen to continue their winning run at the moment, and we will have to wait and see if Manly’s last two weeks are a change to the club’s culture. I could Write a Book on how many times we use the culture term. On last week’s performance I think the Cowboys will send Manly back to the drawing board.

Friday has two games, with the first seeing a slightly relieved Raiders at home to a desperate Storm. It’s Been a Long Long Time since the Storm have lost 5 which raises the stakes in this game. The Raiders had lost four on the trot, before last week, so the victory over Souths eased the pressure on them. Both sides desperately need to win this match. It is hard to believe that Melbourne is facing their worst start for many years and likewise the Raiders, who many had picked as a top eight side for Season ’26, sitting near the bottom of the ladder. The second match has the Dolphins at home to Penrith but playing up in Darwin. It is impossible to see Penrith losing this match after the Dolphins’ performance two weeks back, but who knows which Redcliffe will turn up? Jeepers Creepers, the Dolphins desperately need to find something and soon or their season will be in tatters, and the Panthers will be keen to make amends.

Saturday has three games. The first has the Warriors at home to the Titans. It will be interesting to see if the Titans can carry their better form of the last two weeks over the ditch, or whether the Warriors can replay last week’s efforts. They were much better last week. The second match has the Rabbitohs matching it against the much-maligned Dragons. It is impossible in this game to see the Dragons winning. They are a shambles at the moment and sit at the bottom of the ladder for that reason. The Dragons’ glory days are Long Ago (And Far Away) and look as though that will stick. The third game has a lot of interest with the West Tigers at home against the Broncos. The West Tigers have been playing an excellent brand of football under coach Benji Marshall, and the Broncos are struggling a little through injury. Luai and May are back for the Tigers and Reynolds is supposedly back for the Broncos, however, they will be without Walsh, Hunt, Carrigan, and Paix possibly opening the door a little bit for the Tigers to potentially be Makin Whoopee if they win this game. I think the Broncos will have to be very good on Sunday at Campbelltown to win.

There are two games on Sunday with the Roosters at home against the Knights. Coach Holbrook from Newcastle will be coaching against the team he was an assistant for last year, but I do not think knowing the Roosters’ secrets will help him out. Dylan Brown is back, and Now is the Hour for Brown to repay the faith. This is the real test for Newcastle, especially after last week’s drubbing. The Roosters have been clunky but at home they will be too strong for the Knights. The final game is a Western Sydney derby between the Eels and the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are on a high, and Leo Thompson adds the forward punch they need, and if the Bulldogs are to be a semi-final threat this year, this is a game they should win comfortably. Likewise, the Eels are desperate for a win and were very poor last week, so it would be Pennies from Heaven if they were to win.

Last week’s embedded music clue was of old Blue Eyes himself – Frank Sinatra and his favourite song, The Best is Yet to Come (Many coaches’ weekly mantra) was off his 1964 Album It Might as Well be Swing, and countless others! It is classic Sinatra and the phrase is on his tombstone. It was organised by Quincy Jones. I have been known to do the odd cabaret slot as Tanked-Up Sinatra. Ahh, My Way. See if you can find this week’s clue.

 

The Rat Pack First 13

1 Frank Drake 2 Peter Mortimer 3 Dean Lance 4 Peter Jackson 5 Frank Hyde 6 Sammy Walker 7 Peter Sterling 8 Sammy Burgess 9 Dean Young 10 Peter Gallagher 11 Sammy Thaiday 12 Dean Pay 13 Frank Burge. Coach: Frank Stanton, Manager: Frank Facer

 

Round 7 Tips

Cowboys, Storm, Panthers, Warriors, Souths, Broncos, Roosters, Bulldogs

 

I beat the Prop Tipping Comp Leaderboard

1 Gerry 30 2 Souffs(29) 2 Flying Mattress and others including Banksy (who clearly is not tipping his Dragons), and Timmoie(28).

Well done, Gerry – you are back in the front with an outstanding 6 (which may mean you actually have no idea!). The top ESPN score at the end of Rd 6 is 39.

 

My Pre Season Top Eight

1 Penrith 4 Cowboys 5 Souths 7 Bulldogs 8 Roosters 9 Cronulla 11 Brisbane 13 Melbourne

 

Odd Fact

Benji Marshall has a strange connection to the competition. He played with Cowboys coach Todd Payton and against Josh Hannay (in a Grand Final). He has been coached by Michael Maguire, Ivan Cleary and Wayne Bennett, and he has played against Keiran Foran, Craig Fitzgibbon, Jason Ryles and Cameron Ciraldo. He has also played with 3 of his current players – Alex Twal, Adam Doueihi and Jock Madden at the Wests Tigers.

 

Rugby League is no longer on Vacation- It is a Quest!

 

You gotta love footy.

 

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