2026 NRL Round 8 – A new logo for the Almanac Rugby League Crew

 

 

A mini rave

(Cue ‘Meet the Gang’ from It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum.) What’s not to like about the illustration above? With a little help from an AI friend, Mark (The Prospector) Shannon created this caricature of the Almanac’s version of The Four Musketeers, namely our trusty crew of regular columnists. The use of generic faces allows us each of us to retain a certain anonymity when we appear in public, free from the glare of publicity fair and foul! So here we are, from the left: RITV (resplendent in his Souths jersey while he promotes the virtues of good Barossa red wine), the author (at his computer, as an editor should be, fuelled by coffee and cake), Prop by the Sea (in his budgie smugglers and replete with his Parramatta Eels beach towel), and The Prospector (dressed in full mining kit).

 

Round 7

The Sea Eagles showed a lot of grit to overcome the loss of Turbo early on (to yet another hammy problem) to down a very disappointing Cowboys outfit in Townsville. Koula was enormous while the surge in general energy at Manly since Foran took over has been incredible! The Cowboys were dreadful and needed that kick in the pants to reset their minds after a good run. The Dolphins looked to have run down the fast-starting Panthers but one poor set in defence as well as better game management by Penrith saw Cleary seal yet another win with a calmly potted field goal. The Wahs looked good again for most of the game before a belated revival by the Titans. But you can’t give the good sides (or any side for that matter) a head start and hope to run them down. Only really good sides are capable of that, eg the Roosters later in the round. The Rabbitohs gave the Dragons their weekly thumping and so it’s goodbye to coach Flanagan. Hardly surprising, but he’s got a limited squad to work with. Good luck to Dean Young as he takes the reins. Souths looked good for most of the game but it was only the Dragons. They can’t get ahead of themselves. BLM was imperious at times but balanced it with some of the usual unnecessary rubbish. Even RITV questioned his seemingly ‘protected species’ status. The Broncos scored a gritty win against the Tigers, gladly taking the two points on offer. They may come in handy as the coming weeks sees the Brisbane lads way, way down on troops and needing any and every break they can get. Kudos to Adam Reynolds who managed the side well on the field and took his field goal chance when it became available, even if it was with 10 minutes still on the clock. Benji’s boys should have won that one and will be rueing the loss at home. The Knights looked good for a while but the Roosters gradually got into the game and then ran away with it. Teddy was timeless! The shock of the round was the ease with which the Eels not only won but won so convincingly over the more favoured Bulldogs. But one good win does not a season make, so get back in there again this weekend, Parra, and prove this was no fluke. It must be a tough week on the training paddock for the Doggies this week as they learn the same lesson as the Cowboys.

 

Round 8

The Wests Tigers will be looking to return to the winning list when they confront the erratic Raiders tomorrow night. Hurting from a loss that should have been a win last time out, Benji’s Boys just need to manage the big moments better than last week and they’ll be right in it. Canberra have been all over the shop and just need to get back to that better structured style and positive mindset which they displayed so consistently last year. This is a tough one to pick but I’ll go with the Wests Tigers.

Come Friday evening and we have a similar situation – the chastened Cowboys take on the Sharks who continue to flatter to deceive. Who knows which version of both sides will turn up for the kick off? Surely the Cowboys can’t play so poorly again this week! Surely the Sharks have to find their mojo against another team they should beat! But I don’t think they will – Cowboys. The late game has the battered Broncos at home to the ‘tails between their legs’ Bulldogs. Just how deep can Brisbane go to find the depth of talent to be competitive. Again, Reynolds is their big hope. The Bulldogs have lots of points in them and with a bollocking following their inexcusable effort last week, I think they’ll be let loose and become once again the Bulldogs we know they are capable of being.

Saturday afternoon footy features the traditional Anzac Day clash between the Dragons and the Roosters. Once they got going last week the Roosters were unstoppable; the Dragons just can get going. I can’t see Dean Young doing a Kieran Foran and turning an out of form, out of talent outfit into a winning machine. The Roosters by how far? The twilight game (Aussie time slot) has the energetic Warriors at home to the struggling Dolphins. Woolf’s whelps don’t seem to be able to take a trick lately – getting into winning positions but unable to finish things off. For all of his obvious talents, Katoa is still on a learning curve. Herbie is their main trick with Hammer flashing in and out. By contrast, the Wahs seem capable of a big score with their athletic and upbeat style. I’ll go with the Warriors. The late game has the bedraggled Storm hosting the ‘could be’ Rabbitohs. Can Melbourne lose 6 in a row, including a couple on the trot at AAMI Park? Can the Rabbitohs realise that a full 80 minutes of graft and grit by 1-19 is needed to beat a team like this? Forget the showmanship and the bravado; just get in and play good, solid rugby league. Then we’ll see what you’re really like. Against my better instincts I’ll tip Melbourne.

Come Sunday and the Knights take on the Panthers. Newcastle’s credibility is on the line after a great start to the season followed by recent disappointment. The Panthers know how to win; it’s as simple as that; even if they have to go to extra time. The Knights have some good footy in them, just look at their first half last week. But the complete game eludes them at the moment and for that reason I’ll be on the Panthers. We’ll have the answer to several questions when we see what plays out in the final game of the round, and possibly the game of the weekend, the Sea Eagles at Brookie taking on the last time surprises, the Eels. Can Foran keep Manly on such a high, especially now that he’s without Turbo for an extended period? Does that give the rest of his squad the opportunity to show that they’re not a ‘no DCE, no Turbo, no Manly’ outfit? Equally, do the Eels have consecutive good games in them, or did they just have a good day out last weekend when the Doggies stayed in their kennel? Let’s see what transpires. My money is on the Manly momentum to continue.

The Knights have the bye.

 

Tipping

A better effort at 5/8 but everyone else did at least just as well, so no progress up the ladder. Sigh!

 

The Round

To see the who, where and when of Round 8 click here.

 

State of Origin

Advance notice: Just in case it had slipped your attention, the first game of the 2026 Women’s State of Origin series will be played on Thursday night of next week in Newcastle. We’ll have a preview next week.

 

Competition

Our search for a generic Almanac rugby league logo continues. Forward entries to  [email protected] 

 

 

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Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

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