2026 NRL – Round 6: Ups and downs, snakes and ladders.

 

 

A mini rave (or two)

Instead of my usual ‘rant’, this week I want to rave about a couple of things. Firstly, the Penrith Panthers. Just how good are they? Their blistering start to 2026 has set new standards in club depth, teamwork, skills, execution, offence and defence. They’re the complete package at the moment. And all this after they’ve let go a dozen or so quality players over the past 3-4 years. Their latest dismissal of Melbourne Storm was a bravado performance that must have all of the other clubs trembling in their boots.

At individual player level, wasn’t it great to see two of Newcastle’s veterans, Dane Gagai (35) and Tyson Frizell (34), roll back the years in their side’s win over the Warriors? Gagai, as competitive as ever, played with all the speed, guile and dash of a decade ago; Frizell was all power, bustle and menace, recalling the days when he was an automatic choice for rep teams. Great stuff!

 

Round 5

I’m forever envious of Matt O’Hanlon for coining the phrase, ‘You gotta love footy!’ because, just about every week, there is a very good reason to use it. * This week I’d love to use it to describe the changing fortunes of clubs within a short space of time. Last year’s minor premiers, the Raiders, have gone from the penthouse to the outhouse as they now sit 1-4; last year’s wooden spooners, the Knights, currently sit equal 2nd on the ladder at 4-1; 12 months ago the Panthers had a horror start to the year before clawing back to play deep in September – this year they’re unbeaten, playing at a level head and shoulders above the rest; perennial finalists and regular grand finalists Melbourne Storm have lost three on the trot – when did that last happen? Ups and downs, snakes and ladders, yo-yos – and we’re not even a quarter of the way through the season.

* Thankfully, to the best of my knowledge, Matt hasn’t registered copyright, otherwise I’d owe him a motza.

The Storm and the Dolphins have joined the Eels and the Titans in the ‘can’t win the premiership because they’ve conceded a score of 50+ in the minor round’ list. So we’re now down to 13 possibilities. Who’s next to be culled?

Change of coach, change of fortunes – the Sea Eagles swooped on the Dolphins in a performance that few, if any, saw coming. Good signs for Brookie, worrying times at Redcliffe. The Rabbitohs and Bulldogs played an entertaining game on Good Friday before the injury to Crichton saw the Doggies lose their way badly, play the man instead of the ball for 15 minutes and, in that time, lose the game. BLM decided to be intensive BLM, aggressive but focussed, and Tallis Duncan showed us what he’s capable of. Looking good at Redfern. As much as the Panthers are currently unbeatable, the Storm look most unusually fragile. Can Supercoach Bellamy lead them out of this hole? The Dragons are odds on for the wooden spoon while the Cowboys remain an unknown quantity. Let’s see what happens when they play the Broncos in Brisbane this week. The Sharks finally showed the bite they have within them as they took down the more fancied Warriors – an impressive effort. Worries for the Warriors with Metcalf injured again. The Knights continue their roll – and looked good in the process. This week they meet their fellow ‘feel good’ outfit, Wests Tigers, for ‘flavour of the month’ honours. Speaking of which, the Eels v Tigers game had it all and a draw would probably have been a fair result. I’m not sure that Benji’s boys are equal second on the ladder material but it’s good to see them having a few weeks in the sun.

 

Round 6

Tomorrow night’s Round 6 opener has the battered Bulldogs at home to the all-conquering Panthers where one fears that the hosts will simply be the next course served up for consumption. The long term absence of Crichton is a major challenge in the coming weeks. Panthers.

On Friday evening the doldrums Dragons take on the resurgent Sea Eagles in what I expect to be another form finder for Manly as they seek to climb back into the season. Get your money on Manly. The late game is the Queensland derby between the Broncos and the Cowboys at Lang Park. What a history these two have, and I expect nothing less than a cracker of a game. Brisbane are severely weakened with the loss of Walsh, Reynolds and Hunt. Time for Mam to step up, as he did late in their win over the Titans. If Dearden and Drinkwater can take control, the Cowboys win; if the Brisbane pack exert their influence then the likes of Staggs and co out wide might make a game of it. I’ll go against what I think will be the trend by backing the Cowboys.

The first two games of footy on Saturday will come to us from Perth with the revived Rabbitohs up against the ragged Raiders. Form says the Rabbitohs, and they have shown some good signs of late, both up forward and out wide. Surely Canberra has to find some form soon, but I can’t see it happening this weekend. I’ll be on the Rabbitohs. The twilight game is possibly the match of the round between the Sharks and the Roosters. Both have so much talent, both have shown signs of brittleness, both simply want to find their groove and build on it through the middle of the season to lock in September footy. Toss off the coin – I’ll settle on the Sharks, but not with very much confidence. The late game, to be played back in Melbourne, has the stuttering Storm hosting the wobbly Warriors, both desperate for a win. The brain says that Melbourne cannot lose four in a row, that would be heresy; but the brain also says that Melbourne, at the moment, don’t have a winning score in them. What happens in the Warriors’ halves with Metcalf injured? They did alright without him earlier on, so can they do it again, or are they also unsettled after successive losses? The head rules – Melbourne.

On Sunday the enigmatic Eels take on the tottering Titans, another one of those games that could shape the rest of their respective campaigns. If we use their form, such as it has been to date, as our guide, then Parra win. The Titans tend to beat themselves a bit with errors or bad choices at critical moments – they don’t seem to know how to win. At home I’ll go with the Eels. The round concludes with the other contender for game of the round – Benji’s ‘feel good’ Tigers against Holbrook’s ‘feel good’ Knights. What potential this game has – energy, hype, attacking footy, confidence. You could argue this one until the cows come home but Newcastle have looked really good of late  while the Tigers struggled to get home on Monday, so I’ll go with the Knights.

 

Tipping

Another modest effort – 4/8. I’m not likely to challenge Prop by the Sea with form like that! It’s all snakes for me lately and I’m sorely in need of a ladder.

 

The Round

To see the who, where and when of Round 6 click here.

 

Competition

Don’t forget our design a Footy Almanac rugby league logo competition – click here for details.

 

 

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