Round 23 Talking Points, why Panthers premiership hopes are over after Isaah Yeo injury, Corey Horsburgh sin bin could spark Brisbane Broncos switch, who will replace him, Johnathan Thurston, Luke Metcalf, opinion, analysis, news

The Panthers sit atop the ladder and in the box seat for the minor premiership, but their title hopes have taken a massive hit, with two NRL greats believing the latest blow will dash their chances of lifting the trophy.

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Penrith’s opponents for next week, the Roosters, have a shocking recent record against the Panthers, but does recent form suggest the tide is about to turn?

Meanwhile, an unlikely hero has emerged for the Warriors just weeks out before the finals begin.

HAS HORSBURGH PLAYED HIMSELF OUT OF CANBERRA?

Three weeks ago, Canberra Raiders CEO Don Furner confirmed that the club was keen to keep Corey Horsburgh on their books

“Corey has not asked for permission to negotiate. Definitely not,” Furner told The Canberra Times.

Fast-forward to the present and the situation has taken a dramatic turn.

Horsburgh’s costly late-game brain explosion against the Newcastle Knights could prove significant, with coach Ricky Stuart publicly blasting the forward in front of reporters.

“It was a fuc**** brain explosion and (we) lost the opportunity,” Stuart said.

“We lost the start of the season because we were self-entitled and undisciplined and we lost the opportunity to still then continue and try to make the semis.

“That’s exactly what I said to him after the game.

“It wasn’t everybody’s fault. There’s 16 other blokes there that made a lot of massive effort.

“There’s one shi* bloody decision choice (that) has cost us.”

With the Raiders virtually unable to make the 2026 finals series, the firebrand forward’s future in the nation’s capital has suddenly become a bigger talking point.

Although he remains contracted through to the end of 2027 with the Green Machine, there have been whispers that he is considering a move back to Queensland.

It is understood that the Brisbane Broncos are among the teams that have expressed interest in recruiting him.

This comes after their coach Michael Maguire previously confirmed that the club would look to explore the market for a middle forward following the shock medical retirement of Corey Jensen.

“It’s something we have to look at,” Maguire told CODE Sports last month.

“We will look to the market but to be honest, there’s not too much out there at this time of the season. You can’t really plan for this sort of situation (Jensen’s medical retirement).

“It really affects your roster and you can’t plan for it.

“We’ve only just got the news with Corey so we’ll look at our cap situation. “We have an opportunity to look at what’s available and go from there.”

‘PUTTING A LINE THROUGH THEM’: LEGENDS’ SHOCK PANTHERS CALL

Up until Friday night, the Panthers had enjoyed a pretty good run on the injury-front for the majority of this season.

Sure, Mitch Kenny had been sidelined for an extended period of time but the Panthers had a clear back-up in Freddy Lussick while Izack Tago is also a ready-made replacement for Casey McLean.

While it hasn’t been confirmed as yet, there’s a good chance that skipper Isaah Yeo will miss the rest of the season with a pectoral injury. It’s led to a number of NRL greats suggesting the unthinkable.

Could the four-time premiers, who were easily the team to beat up until this week, suddenly be out of the title picture entirely if they’re without their superstar lock forward?

Legendary Cowboys halfback Johnathan Thurston believes so, going as far as to declare he is “putting a line” through the Panthers.

“I know that’s tough to say, their dynasty is still there, but he’s so integral to everything that they do,” Thurston added on Channel 9.

“Not only with the ball, but defensively as well. Their structure defensively is so great and he’s a big part of that.”

Lindsay Smith will shift to lock with Yeo unavailable and he will be more than capable of offering a similar ball-playing presence through the middle of the field.

Smith isn’t quite the workhorse Yeo is, especially in defence, and usually Mitch Kenny would shift from hooker to the middle to cover for him when he started to get tired.

There is no guarantee Kenny will return this season though, with reports he has ran into complications with his recovery from a serious leg injury.

That means Penrith’s forward depth will be tested, with impressive young gun Billy Phillips a candidate to spend some time at lock while Perth Bears recruit Liam Henry will also need to step up and fill Smith’s void in the front row.

Of course, there is still plenty of quality across Penrith’s line-up and as long as Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards are healthy the Panthers will be right there at the back-end of the year.

But Thurston isn’t the only one doubting Penrith’s title credentials without Yeo.

“It’s a terrible time to get injured, at this time of the year, I just can’t see them winning if they don’t have (Yeo) on the field in big games,” Shane Flanagan said on Triple M.

“They’ve done it during the competition games, they’ve won football games without Isaah. But I just don’t think in big semi-final football and grand finals, if they haven’t got their best forward and their captain on the park, it’s going to be very hard.”

“I think it’s going to be very difficult,” added Nathan Hindmarsh.

“Lindsay Smith may slot into that role of the ball-playing forward. He does an outstanding job at it, but I would say they can’t win the grand final without him.”

This week’s top-of-the-table clash against the Roosters will be a good indicator of just how Penrith will fare without Yeo, with Edwards and Jack Cogger expected to return.

Roosters stars Connor Watson and Spencer Leniu, while acknowledging Yeo is a big loss, said they believe the Panthers are such a “well-oiled machine” that one season-ending injury won’t be the end of the competition favourites.

“To lose someone like him – he has so much experience,” Watson said on ABC Sport.

“He is a winner.” He has done it at the top for a long-time but they’ve always done it when they lose someone. They just have that next man up mentality.

“It does hurt losing a guy like him but they have a stacked football side with arguably the best player in the game at halfback.”

“I think it’s a massive loss. He’s the heartbeat of their team,” Leniu told Newswire.

“Knowing Penrith, they’re a world-class team and they’ll just have that next man up mentality. They’ve been doing it for the last couple of years, they’ve filled those voids when it’s come around, and it’ll be no different next week if he’s out.”

BIG PREMIERSHIP CALL AS UNLIKELY WARRIORS HERO EMERGES

In his pre-game interview with Fox League on Friday night, Andrew Webster said the Warriors had to “throw punches to the end”.

Now, they didn’t literally take on their coach’s advice but the Warriors came out swinging against the ladder-leading Panthers to produce the kind of performance which will have them believing they can win it all, according to Cooper Cronk.

The Warriors played with a relentless line speed and physicality in defence that caught the high-flying Panthers completely off-guard, and even Fox League commentator Michael Ennis could hardly believed what he was seeing.

“I have not seen anything like this. It has been relentless. It is not deteriorating at all,” Ennis said, as the Warriors bullied and dismantled the Panthers.

Penrith trailed 18-0 at halftime, marking the first time this season the premiership favourites had been held scoreless and while there was a nervy 15-minute period at the end, it was otherwise complete and utter dominance from the Warriors.

Stand-in halfback Luke Metcalf led the way with a statement performance that left Webster with plenty to think about, although the Warriors coach didn’t want to get drawn into that conversation post-game.

“I’ve got no opinion on that at all. I just thought he (Metcalf) was good and I want to celebrate Luke,” Webster said when asked if Metcalf will retain his spot when Te Maire Martin returns from a hamstring injury.

“He deserves praise tonight. But yeah, I’m not thinking future, certainly on game day, and it’s too many twists and turns to worry about that right now.”

So, if Webster isn’t willing to weigh into the debate, what about Cronk?

“I think Te Maire Martin (when) fit is the halfback and Luke Metcalf is on the bench,” the premiership-winning halfback said.

“It’s just great to know you can move a jigsaw piece around and Metcalf can have an impact. They’ve got depth and good players playing well. One good game doesn’t give you the seven jersey. Te Maire Martin has done a good job this year.”

While Metcalf looked confident and in control, steering the Warriors around and bringing a spark that has perhaps been lacking in attack at times this season, Cronk said if there is one word to describe the Martin-Chanel Harris-Tavita combination it is “selfless”.

“They’re a halves combination that will help each other,” he added.

“They’ll help create space for others. They seem to execute the plan that Webster wants most time. They probably don’t have all the skills that some of the other halves combinations have, but they’re consistent, do all the little things well and they’re probably playing the best football individually that they’ve played in a long time.”

It sounds like Martin will miss at least another fortnight if not longer, which gives Metcalf an extended period to convince Webster that he deserves the jersey come finals time.

It would mark quite the redemption arc for Metcalf, who enjoyed a breakout 2025 season before it was cut short by an ACL injury.

Metcalf then suffered a hamstring injury in his second game back from that ACL tear this year, and with Tanah Boyd excelling in his absence, it looked like a long road back to the NRL for the standout halfback.

Boyd then went down with a season-ending injury of his own but it was Martin who got the first crack at the vacant halfback jumper and until his own setback, he has not given Webster a reason to recall Metcalf.

That left Metcalf on the outer and the 27-year-old eventually decided to push for an early release, later signing with the Dragons for next season.

It looked like it was going to be a meek ending to Metcalf’s Warriors career, but now he could emerge as an unlikely hero in their premiership push.

“(He looked) very comfortable,” Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters said on Fox League.

“He’s been playing a little bit of NSW Cup the last few weeks but travelling with the team when they go to Australia.

“Tonight would have been a very special time privately for him to get back on the field and back in the NRL.

“We all know his abilities. He kicks the ball well, his running game is very good and we saw that tonight … he’s had a tough year with injuries.

“It’s good to see him get game time but this could lead to anything in terms of how far he could take them … it’s a pretty handy replacement.”

‘BIGGEST GAME FOR ROOSTERS IN A LONG TIME’

There’s no doubt about it. This Thursday’s blockbuster between the Panthers and Roosters will be the biggest regular season game in 2026.

1st v 2nd. The winner will firm into favourite for not only the JJ Giltinan Shield, but the premiership as well.

The race for top spot turned on its head over the weekend when the Panthers were thrashed by the Warriors and two hours later, the Roosters escaped from jail against the Bulldogs at home.

It wasn’t pretty, but elite teams find a way to win even when the chips are stacked against, like they were with 20 minutes left at Allianz Stadium.

The Roosters have been outstanding this season. They’re so well rounded with threats and superstars all over the park.

Additionally, the club’s young talent is standing up as they carve out a more significant role.

Unfortunately, the Roosters have to take on a team they’ve struggled mightily against in recent seasons.

As former Roosters halfback Cooper Cronk noted on Fox League, Penrith have been the Roosters’ kryptonite.

Minor premiership race aside, the Hall-of-Famer also revealed why this Thursday’s game is so important for the Chooks.

“It’s the biggest club game for the Roosters in a long time,” Cronk said.

“They’re tied with the Panthers at the top. They haven’t been big in September for a while and the Panthers have been their kryptonite.

“If they get beaten by a score, they’re not as confident playing them in a prelim. If they get the victory, you can beat Penrith at any stage.

“It’s as big game for the context of their football club they’ve had for a couple of years.

“Put it this way. Penrith can lose to the Warriors and Roosters (in the regular season) and win in the finals. I don’t think the Warriors or Roosters could lose to Panthers then turnaround and beat them in the finals.”

The Roosters have won just one of the last 13 matches against Penrith dating back to the start of the 2020 season.

You could easily argue though that Trent Robinson has his troops in the best form they’ve been in during that entire span.

The Roosters did enough to beat a class side who were in form on Friday but players are striving for more.

The pursuit of perfection, knowing it’s what will likely be needed to lowrr the Panthers’ colours, will hold the team in good stead.

“We need to be a lot better,” Roosters outside back Billy Smith told foxsports.com.au.

“We’re not content with where we are at, we’re still chasing our best. We were a long way away tonight.

“It’s good that even though we’re not playing our best footy, we’re still winning games.”

ROOKIE COACH SERVED REALITY CHECK AS SHOCK SWITCH BACKFIRES

There have been some promising moments from the Titans this season in what is a new era under Josh Hannay, but the rookie coach was served with a heavy dose of reality on Thursday.

Gold Coast was thrashed by the Cowboys at home with their attack looking disjointed and out of sorts against a side who had conceded 82 points seven days earlier.

There’s no doubt that the Titans are a better team than what they were when Hannay replaced former coach Des Hasler, but the former Sharks assistant was given a reminder of how difficult the job can be.

Hannay’s puzzling decision to switch up his spine right before kick off was queried by Fox League’s Kevin Walters.

With promising halfback Zane Harrison out for the season with a hamstring injury, the Titans named Lachlan Ilias in the No. 7 jersey.

However, just before kick off, Hannay sent Ilias to the bench again and shifted AJ Brimson into five-eighth and Jayden Campbell to halfback.

The result was a discombobulated attack that failed to threaten the Cowboys.

“We’re out of sorts at the moment” | 04:46

Walters labelled Hannay’s call a “strange” one.

”I thought it was a bit strange from the coach to make the changes that he did when they probably would have only trained just the once,” Walters said on the NRL Debrief.

“Their attack has been ok the Titans. They’ve scored enough points (this season) but they just didn’t seem to be working together.

“Fullback Keano Kini didn’t get the ball in the right situations and that’s up to the spine

Jayden Campbell was a little bit off as well.

“It’s hard when you have two new players in your spine as they made two changes to the spine and to get it flowing, it didn’t happen for them all night.”

The Titans were given a golden opportunity in the second half to turn momentum in their favour when Jaxon Purdue was binned for a professional foul.

They quickly exploited the advantage when Phil Sami scored his second but as Walters noted, their halves committed a “cardinal sin” the rest of the period Purdue was sidelined.

“They tried to set it up but they couldn’t. When someone is sin binned, you have to attack the side where the person sin binned was defending.” Walters said.

“You do it religiously but they didn’t.”

Hannay explained the decision in his post-match press conference, seemingly indicating that Ilias will be given his chance in Round 24.

“It was more of a gut thing. We weighed up both options,” Hannay said.

“I thought Jaylan de Groot at centre was nearly our best against the Dragons so I had a level of comfort pushing Brimson into the halves and bringing de Groot back in.

“It doesn’t mean that’s what it’s going to be going forward but Lachie is there if we feel like that’s the best direction.

“The cohesion was off.

“No surprise being a significant change to the spine but I don’t think that was the problem. We’re a little bit out of sorts at the moment and the physicality of the game.”

Cowboys charge back into top eight | 03:00

‘HE’S GOT TO PLAY AGAIN NEXT YEAR’: VETERAN WALKER DOMINATES

Three-time premiership winner Luke Keary saw enough on Saturday night to be convinced Souths five-eighth Cody Walker should play on in 2027.

Walker had three first-half try assists to set up the South Sydney win over Parramatta, who came back from 28-0 down to get within four.

Walker ensured Alex Johnston scored a hat-trick with beautiful ball-playing which left the Eels grasping at thin air most of the time.

Walker is unsigned next season and despite turning 37 in the off-season, Keary said he has to ignore his age and look at his form.

“He’s got to play again next year,” Keary said.

“He’s the senior half at the club and he’s still got a lot of footy in him and a lot of spark.

“He was unbelievable in that first 40 minutes. He basically laid on the first three tries for Souths and was absolutely everywhere.”

Souths tabled a one-year extension for Walker in July but he’s yet to sign on the dotted line.

“I’m enjoying being out there and playing footy … I’m in no real rush to make a decision. I’ve got plenty of time to go,” Walker said in June.

In most cases, it would be seen as a risk to extend the contract of someone Walker’s age.

But he doesn’t rely on speed and is often compared to Cliff Lyons who played to just shy of his 38th birthday.

Walker still has all his craft and awareness and no doubt Johnston would love him to keep playing given the amount of tries he’s laid on for the winger over the years.

Teammate Cameron Murray praised Walker for setting up Saturday night’s victory.

“I love playing with Cody, he’s such an exceptional player and players like him probably don’t need any extra motivation but Indigenous Round comes up and he’s always ready to step up into the best player on the field,” Murray said.

Souths survive huge comeback effort | 03:46

‘IT MIGHT BE AN OLD FASHIONED SHOOT-OUT’: IS DEFENCE STILL KING?

Generally one of the top few defensive teams wins the NRL premiership each season, but Fox League’s Gorden Tallis has suggested that 2026 might be an anomaly.

It was said in response to the Dolphins coming from 24-0 down to defeat the Broncos on Saturday night.

The win confirmed the Dolphins would play in their first finals series in their fourth year in the NRL.

Post-match, Fox League’s Cooper Cronk was happy for the club, but warned they would need to tighten up their defence if they want to win finals games.

“Pumped to see the Dolphins make it. They can beat any team with their attack. I don’t know if you want to be conceding the points that they have at different stages if you want to beat those teams in the top four,” Cronk said.

“That’s the big thing for Kristian Woolf to get right in the next couple of weeks. Fix the defence, and this team will be hard to beat.”

The Dolphins have had 66 and 52 points put on them this season, which means they can’t win the competition, given no team has ever won it after conceding 50 or more points in a regular season game.

Phins come back to clinch finals debut | 05:11

Tallis suggested, with favourites Penrith starting to face injury and form troubles, that a team like the Dolphins could come from the clouds and win with an all-out attack strategy.

“It might be a 2005 grand final. Defence might not dominate. It might not be the case this time. It might be an old-fashioned shootout,” Tallis said.

He was referring to the 2005 Wests Tigers, who simply had the attitude of ‘no matter what you score, we’ll score more’.

And it took them to the grand final where they defeated the Cowboys 30-16.

That year, the Tigers conceded 24 points per game, a far cry from the dominant Panthers sides in recent times who averaged about 15 points against per game on their way to four-straight titles.

Last season, the Dolphins were the only team to average more than 30 points a game, but still missed the finals.

Multiple premiership winner Jared Waerea-Hargreaves still felt the Dolphins defensive issues could cost them in big games.

“At this time of the year, you don’t want to be leaking that many points. That’s two games in the last three weeks where they’ve conceded a fair few points,” he said.

“It’s a bit of a disappointment, but I definitely think that they’ve got the caliber of players to do it.”