Round 14 talking points, opinion, analysis, Wests Tigers, Brisbane Broncos, can they make the finals, Origin teams, Blues, Maroons, news, reaction

The Broncos’ premiership defence is on tilt, but a champion halfback sees something in the struggling club that suggests they will “catch fire” in the second half of the season.

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Meanwhile, the Raiders have regressed after last year’s surprise season. How can they right the ship?

LEGEND KEEPING THE FAITH IN BRONCOS’ PREMIERSHIP DEFENCE

Is the Broncos’ premiership defence over?

It’s hard to argue otherwise, considering they have lost five in a row, with catastrophic defeats coming against the Dragons and Titans in recent weeks.

Many were expecting Brisbane to bounce back after their Red V loss, with a staggering spray from Michael Maguire following that defeat.

But instead, albeit in a tight clash that was decided by a Keano Kini moment of magic, the Broncos were disappointing — again.

That led Fox League’s Yvonne Sampson to ask the pressing question aforementioned — are the Broncos out of the title race?

Surprisingly, premiership winning halfback Cooper Cronk is keeping the faith.

Despite the fact Brisbane need to win eight from their last 11 to make the top eight, Cronk says he saw enough in the loss to the Titans to suggest they can make another run, remembering last season, the club won 9 of their last 11 games.

“Five losses in a row, well it’s hard to say it’s not on tilt, but I saw enough from the Broncos tonight. That was a pretty good performance,” Cronk said.

“Take the scoreboard out of this, the Broncos were much, much improved on the four losses in a row.

“There’s green shoots out of this for the Broncos but they need to hold their nerve.

“There is something there that can suggest the Broncos can catch fire, but they need to catch fire pretty soon.

“They completed high, didn’t miss many tackles and had seven line breaks. That would be enough to beat most teams tonight.

“That game was in the balance and they played well. They just didn’t win the big moment at the end.

“It’s a key coaching week for Michael Maguire to make sure he picks out the good things of that game.”

Ex-Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves agreed with his former teammate, tipping Brisbane to go on another stirring run.

“If there’s any team that can do it, the Broncos can. They have the players and I think they can still go all the way as well.”

The likelihood the Broncos are able to pull off such a string of games at the back end of the season two years in a row isn’t high.

Of course, there aren’t many teams that are as well-equipped than Maguire’s men to do so.

In his post-game presser, you could sense Maguire believes his team are “trying hard” and right around the corner from a breakthrough, but admitted there are “concerns”.

“We obviously want to turn up and win. That’s why we’re here. We’ve got a club that’s got an expectation around that,” Maguire said.

“At the moment we’re just not being able to dig those out. I thought tonight with the way they went around their game, compared to where we were last week.

“Last week was disappointing. This week, we had a red-hot crack. It went right to the death and that’s what the NRL is, every team can win.

“I know you’re talking about teams that are down the bottom of the ladder but it’s about being able to turn up and make sure that you’ve got to be at your best. That’s what the game demands.”

Brisbane won’t have to wait long to attempt to right the ship. Without several Origin stars, they will take on another struggling side in Souths on Friday night.

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NRL CHAMP URGES MILLION DOLLAR TIGERS STAR TO ‘STAND UP’

Former NRL playmaker Luke Keary has urged Wests Tigers star Jarome Luai to “stand up” and deliver after the side suffered the equal-fifth-worst defeat in the competition’s history

In front of their home fans on Sunday afternoon, the Tigers were humiliated by the Penrith Panthers as they conceded 12 tries and a total of 68 points in a one-sided demolition.

Despite having several star players sidelined, including Adam Doueihi, Alex Twal, Samuela Fainu and Taylan May, there were no excuses for their performance.

Finishing the contest with 34% possession, they made ten errors, made over 150 more tackles than their opponents and were only tackled inside Penrith’s 20-metre on five occasions.

Struggling to do the basics, this saw Luke Keary take aim at chief playmaker Jarome Luai to “stand up” and deliver in the absence of Doueihi.

Although he won four premierships with the Panthers (2021-24), Keary stated that he has yet to bring the same success to the Tigers.

“Jarome has to stand up. He hasn’t brought them any success,” Keary, a former premiership winner, said on Fox League’s Sunday Ticket.

“They haven’t done anything with him there and this is what they’re dishing up.”

After an abysmal performance that Luai and the Tigers would like to have back, the match was summed up with the five-eighth throwing a failed offload inside his own 20-metres, which led to a Panthers try in the 34th minute.

“This offload here, that is one of the worst you will ever see. Honestly, he’s just thrown that,” Keary added.

The simple error was one of several costly moments for the Tigers through the 80-minute match.

And it showed that they really needed halfback Adam Doueihi back due to his ability to organise the attack and keep the team composed during the difficult times in a game.

“The Tigers are in serious, serious trouble. They’re a different side without Adam Doueihi in there,” Michael Ennis added.

“He seems to be a big barometer for them..they were trying to find shortcuts through this Penrith side rather than earning it.”

With the result leaving the Tigers searching for answers, they will take on the Gold Coast Titans on the weekend at Leichhardt Oval.

“Yeah, it’s embarrassing … their performance was unacceptable,” coach Benji Marshall said.

“Everything in our game that we could possibly get wrong, we got wrong.

“It looks like with the scoreline that we’re not trying … we were so dumb with the ball, and we can’t defend our areas.

“We’re tackling so much, then we get brain dead.”

TWO MINOR CHANGES THAT COULD FIX RAIDERS’ SEASON

The Raiders fall from grace has been one of the major talking points this season, with the club sitting way outside the top- eight just nine months after claiming the minor premiership.

This time last year, the Raiders were on second place on the ladder – only behind the Bulldogs – and viewed as a genuine title contender.

Fast forward 12 months, and they now find themselves in 13th place after an abysmal showing against the Sydney Roosters, where they let in 26 points and couldn’t register a single try.

Far from their best and searching for answers, the club has been suggested to make two minor changes by Fox League analyst Cooper Cronk.

The first fix is to shift NSW Blues five-eighth Ethan Strange back to the left-edge where he had a breakout campaign last season, rather than making a change to the halves combination.

“I think there would be a conversation from Ricky (about whether) you move Strange back to the left. He is way more effective, way more comfortable,” Cooper Cronk said on Fox League after their loss on Friday night, which saw them humiliated by the Sydney Roosters.

“Maybe it’s more around getting him to move to the left-hand side. You don’t necessarily have to put him there permanently, but the kicking game comes into play.”

Former NRL playmaker Greg Alexander agreed, and pointed out that the club are struggling to find points and break through the defensive line of their opponents.

“Ethan Strange hasn’t been as dangerous as he was last year and he’s not on that left side with Hudson Young,” Alexander said on Fox League.

“They only got through eleven sets in the first half and that’s where they lost the game. They are sitting 14th for points scored. That wasn’t the Raiders last year.

“Eleventh in line-breaks, that wasn’t the Raiders last year.”

The second fix Cronk suggested was to move Jayden Brailey out of the lock forward position.

“Jayden Brailey has been at dummy-half for a long time, and Starling’s their number nine, but Jayden Brailey starts in the middle,” Cronk added.

“It might be a defensive decision to start the game more solid through the middle, but there’s a little bit of a lack of ball-playing ability, so maybe there’s a little tweak there they can do.”

While Cronk’s suggested positional tweaks for Brailey and Strange may help reignite the Raiders’ attack, there are still concerns surrounding the Green Machine’s ability to play finals football.

Especially when they will lose Strange and Hudson Young during this State of Origin period.

“I think they will be under immense pressure, especially once this Origin season passes and they set sail towards the end,” Cronk continued.

“That’s when the blow torch comes to teams that should be higher on the ladder.”

Braith Anasta added, “It seems like those young guys aren’t performing at the same level this year.

“They’ve had a change in the halves with Strange and Sanders. They’ve not been where they were and a lot of that has contributed to it.”

Despite the Raiders struggles which currently see them in 13th place on the NRL ladder, South Sydney Rabbitohs skipper Cameron Murray believes that their problems are in their confidence rather than their ability on the field.

“It’s really to rely on your depth and try and drag a win or two during that period,” Murray said on Fox League.

“The Raiders in the position that they are in they need to start winning some footy and it’s hard to put your finger and what’s going wrong. Something’s not clicking down there.

“Their rhythms a little bit off. Maybe they’re a bit down on confidence and the way the Raiders play their footy, they’re a confident team and they play their footy on the front foot.

“They play their best footy when they’re all backing each other. Their best footy isn’t too far off.”

ROOSTERS HALVES STRIKE PERFECT ‘BALANCE’ IN WARNING TO COMP

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the Roosters’ new halves pairing of Sam Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans in 2026, but their cohesion during Friday night’s dominant win over Canberra would’ve excited all Roosters fans.

It certainly impressed Trent Robinson, who was effusive in his praise for the duo.

Both players have had stronger outings individually this season, but Robinson believed the way the pair worked in harmony and how it in turn, “controlled the game” was second-to-none.

“The kicking game from the halves were outstanding,” Robinson said post-game.

“I thought it was obviously the best combination those two have had this year and it complemented the kicking game with the defensive effort and the big part of the yardage attack. That’s what controlled the game.

“The balance between the two was exceptional.”

Walker, who a week-and-a-half ago debuted for the Maroons, is putting together his best season to date.

The presence of Cherry-Evans has relieved some pressure of Walker’s shoulders. In addition, Walker’s ability to create chances close to the line has meant that Cherry-Evans doesn’t have to be relied upon every attacking set.

Champion halfback Cooper Cronk noted this when breaking down the performance of the two halves, agreeing with his former coach Robinson.

“It was probably the best that Daly Cherry-Evans and Sam Walker have combined,” Cronk said on Fox League.

“Cherry-Evans running the ball and dominated the long kicking but Sam Walker just put on a clinic. He was a threat everytime he had the ball, breaking tackles and his ability to set up tries with his short kicking game was impressive. He was tremendous tonight.”

Friday night’s victory was theRoosters’ first in nearly a month.

After a brief dry patch, the win puts them back in the top four.

Given the amount of talent they possess, this team has yet to reach their ceiling .

Robinson doesn’t doubt this but admits the inconsistency over the past few seasons has hurt and needs to be rectified.

“We need to repeat what we did tonight more often. We’ve spoken about it, we’ve worked really hard, you know, you can see what the halves did tonight. That’s not just through crossing your fingers, that’s through discussion and practice,” he said.

“Someone asked me about halfway through the year, and I feel like we’re in a good position, but the best is yet to come from us and I think we’ve just got to keep nailing performances in that style and, yeah, keep heading towards being better. “

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HAVE TITANS FOUND THEIR LONG-TERM HALFBACK?

A starting performance from Zane Harrison has convinced two-time Dally M Medallist Cooper Cronk that the Gold Coast Titans may have finally found their long-term halfback.

In only his fourth NRL match, Harrison produced the best showing of his career to date as he guided the Titans to an upset victory against the reigning premiers, the Brisbane Broncos, away from home.

Although he finished the match with a line-break assist and a try assist, his stats don’t do justice to how composed he was and how influential he was in leading the side’s attack throughout the 80 minutes.

“There are some signs that this young kid can play halfback for a long period of time,” NRL legend Cooper Cronk said on Fox League’s Super Saturday.

“You can never predict the future, but I think the Gold Coast Titans have found their halfback.

“There are some things that this young kid has done in his short career that says there are a lot of good building blocks they can develop on.”

While Harrison was strong in attack, it was a single moment in defence from him that saw him earn praise from multi-time premiership winner Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.

With nearly 20 minutes to go in the clash, the young playmaker pulled off a remarkable chase-down tackle on opposing winger Josiah Karapani to prevent a try.

“That tackle he made with about 19 minutes to go on Karapani, that won them the game,” Waerea-Hargreaves said on Fox League.

“He turns up, saves them the game and they go on to win.”

Cooper Cronk continued, “Decent defender, good kicking game, tries hard on every play, but he’s also providing space for [Keano] Kini and [Jayden] Campbell to do their thing.

“The Titans have found a really good combination with Kini, Campbell in the six and Harrison at seven.”

A former two-time Under-19s NSW Blues representative, Harrison will only get better and better over time as he gets more development and experience under his belt.

“For his age, the head that he has on him is ridiculous. It makes my job so much easier,” Harrison’s halves partner Jayden Campbell said on Fox League.

“He leads the team around really well and I can’t wait to keep playing with him and keep building the combination.”

DOLPHINS’ ‘SCARY’ WARNING SHOT

The Dolphins have got themselves a bargain in Selwyn Cobbo.

After a disappointing year at the Broncos last season, the Dolphins were able to sign Cobbo to a cut-price, one-year ‘prove it’ contract for 2026.

While it was somewhat of a gamble, it was a low-risk one, but now it’s reaping rewards.

In his first season at the club, Cobbo has been one of the best wingers in the comp, playing on the end of arguably the competition’s in-form backlines.

He earned a Origin recall and played super for the Maroons in Game I.

However, it was his performance against the Cowboys that have tongues wagging.

Highlighted by a spectacular full-field try against the run of play which included two fends on Cowboys gun Tom Chester, Cobbo was spectacular up in Townsville, recording an eye-watering 305 metres, seven tackle busts and two tries.

“There’s not many players in the history of our game that can do that. Greg Inglis comes to mind, but that moment from Cobbo, it’s almost like his performance in Origin has given him a lot of confidence and that is a scary prospect for anyone that comes up against the Dolphins. He’s been tremendous,” Cooper Cronk said, referring to Cobbo’s first half try.

The winger’s career was at a crossroads last year.

Cobbo’s former coach at Brisbane, Kevin Walters, says it’s a delight to see Cobbo enjoy his football following a rough season at the Broncos in 2025 which saw the winger dropped to Queensland Cup amid reports he was considering walking away from the game.

“He’s been in great touch. Not just this week but this season and Origin form comes into it,” Walters said.

“He’s got the big, long fend which makes him even harder to tackle.

“It’s great to see him, as much as anything else, with a big smile on his face.

“He had his troubles at the Broncos but it’s good to see him playing good football and happy.

“He had a strong game in Game I and he continued that into this weekend.”