NRL Talking Points, analysis, biggest headlines, Jacob Preston contract situation, news, videos, Eels set to make shock call on playmaker

The Bulldogs had a big win to highlight Round 25 action and it only further proved why they need to keep star second rower Jacob Preston.

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Elsewhere, one of the top premiership contenders faces what could be a season-defining call at the selection table.

Plus, the X-factor player who should have rival clubs “nervous” entering the finals.

Read on for the Round 25 Talking Points!

THE ‘DISGUSTING JOKE’ WHICH COULD RUIN DOGS FUTURE

Canterbury Bulldogs premiership-winner Reni Maitua has launched a furious spray at his former club over its reported contract offer to Jacob Preston, declaring the proposal “disrespectful” and “disgusting”.

Late last week, reports emerged that Preston and his management were understood to have rejected the latest contract offer put forward by the Bulldogs, which would have seen him earn $1.9 million across three years.

This led many former players and pundits, such as Maitua, to accuse the Bulldogs of lowballing the back-rower, with the reported $633,000-per-season offer falling well short of what he would be worth on the open market.

Maitua was adamant Preston should be commanding significantly more, claiming he has already established himself as one of the elite forwards in the NRL competition.

“This is so disrespectful the offer. It’s a joke. It’s disgusting,” Maitua said on Triple M radio.

“He has to stay. He’s a future captain of that club. That’s disgusting, that offer. They’ll lose him.

“There’s too much money in the game for him to sign for that. 800K minimum. $750,000 to 800,000 plus ratchets (is what he should be tabled by the club).

“He’s one of the premium back-rowers of our game.”

Nathan Hindmarsh agreed with Maitua’s comments after he produced a scintillating performance over the weekend against the Dragons.

Speaking on Sunday Night with Matty Johns, the Eels club legend stated he would pay Preston at least $800,000 a season.

Meanwhile, former Bulldogs captain Josh Reynolds also admitted he was concerned rival teams could make a play for Preston, despite his strong connection to Canterbury.

“The thing is, I’m actually scared as well now because clubs are circling, but you’ve got to understand that it’s a business,” Reynolds said on Triple M radio.

“The Dogs will have something in their head that they can get to but of course they’re going to try and get someone that little bit cheaper.

“ I know for a fact Presto is really appreciative of what the Dogs have done for him. They’ve given him his opportunity and he loves the club.

“When you speak to him, he really loves the place so clubs are going to leverage off that.”

THE DOLPHINS X-FACTOR WHO SHOULD HAVE TITLE RIVALS ‘NERVOUS’

Dolphins bosses are adamant Herbie Farnworth is staying put beyond next year and for the time being, he could be the X-factor that the competition smokies need to go all the way.

Farnworth has been in headlines in the past month with rumours the Sydney Roosters are prepared to throw big money at the English international, who is off-contract at the end of 2027.

The Dolphins have insisted Farnworth is going nowhere, but his asking price may be continuing to go up if he puts up more performances like the one against Parramatta.

It wasn’t all perfect, with Farnworth making five errors in the win.

But otherwise the explosive centre was virtually unstoppable as he rampaged his way to 248 run metres, two tries and nine tackle busts.

It had Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards declaring Farnworth “one to watch” as the competition heats up in the race to the premiership.

“It’s the second-phase footy he creates as well that brings the likes of the Hammer and Kodi and those sort of guys into the attacking football as well,” Edwards added on Fox League’s Friday Night Footy.

The Dolphins currently sit in the top four, with next week’s clash against the Roosters likely to decide whether they stay there or drop to fourth place.

The Dolphins could well come up against the Tricolours in the first week of the finals should they finish inside the top four.

The Roosters have plenty of attacking firepower, but fortunately for the Dolphins they aren’t short of options there either and Farnworth’s current form will have the heavyweight teams nervous according to Michael Ennis.

“The way that he starts the game carrying the ball, that still remains in the 70th and 80th minute — it’s ridiculous,” Ennis said on Fox League’s Friday Night Footy.

“His ability to fight and scrap through the contest and show the brilliance of the footwork and the physicality and just imposing himself on the game… he’s an absolute weapon and a big reason why sides like Penrith who are so good defensively, they are nervous coming up against him because he can do things that others just can’t.”

“He’s always in the game,” added Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters.

“Rarely a set goes by without him being involved in some capacity. He’s a bit like the Hammer where if you’re defending in the middle you expect he is going to come back into your space… he’s a big centre.

“Strong, very hard to handle. He’s a big asset.”

EELS OPEN THE DOOR TO SURPRISE CONTRACT CALL ON ‘SHINING LIGHT’

The Eels have already made their choice for next year, with Jarome Luai locked in as Mitchell Moses’ halves partner for 2026.

But the door isn’t closed on Ronald Volkman being a surprise factor in their plans and after showing more flashes against the Dolphins, the Eels would be crazy not to at least try convince him to stick around another year.

Volkman had his moments in the 34-16 loss, throwing a nice short ball to Kitione Kautoga early in the game and then scoring immediately after as he took the line on.

It was a glimpse of the instinctive brilliance that could make Volkman a clear, first-choice five-eighth one day. It won’t be next year though and when Luai signed on with the Eels on a one-year deal, it seemingly shut the door on Volkman returning to Parramatta.

His coach Jason Ryles suggested that isn’t the case, however, when speaking to media on Thursday.

“We’re very happy with Ronny,” Ryles said, confirming the club was speaking with Volkman’s management.

“We haven’t shut the door on that as well. We’re hopeful we can potentially do something there for next year and possibly the year after.”

Braith Anasta described Volkman as a “shining light” in an otherwise dismal year for the Eels, while Michael Ennis questioned why other clubs aren’t lining up to sign Volkman.

“Surely there would be some sides that would love to have him with the way that he’s playing,” he said on Fox League’s Friday Night Footy.

Realistically, there aren’t too many teams that could offer Volkman a serious shot at starting in the halves next year.

The Perth Bears are one obvious option while Parramatta’s opposition on Friday, the Dolphins, could also use a back-up if George Williams struggles in his return to the NRL.

The Rabbitohs would also make sense if they don’t extend Cody Walker, while the Bulldogs are another option if they don’t think the Stephen Crichton experiment is the long-term answer.

The Super League could be a lucrative alternative for Volkman.

KNIGHTS NEED TO TOUGHEN UP AS FINALS SERIES APPROACHES

The Knights have had a wonderful season in the first year of the Justin Holbrook era.

After collecting the wooden spoon in 2025, they’ll play finals 12 months later.

It is a terrific feat.

However, there’s one big flaw that reared it’s ugly head during a shock 44-24 loss to Manly.

Not only did their hopes of a home final take a hit with the loss, questions have arisen over Newcastle’s lack of physicality.

They were simply dominated in the middle third by the Sea Eagles.

With respect to Manly, their pack aren’t world beaters either.

Holbrook noted it in his press conference, believing his side missed the mark in that area.

“We lacked urgency. We lacked a bit of everything, It was disappointing,” he said.

“As the game was unfolding, we probably weren’t up to it physically… We weren’t there in that area which filtered into other parts of the game.

Holbrook doesn’t believe it’s a big concern though. Instead, he thinks it’s the kick in the butt his side perhaps needed right before the finals.

“We’ve been up for a long time and it’s hard when you don’t see it coming and when it does, it hurts a lot,” Holbrook said.

“It’s a good little wakeup call.”

In the opinion of Fox League’s Luke Keary though, the Knights should be wary following a performance like that.

Following post-match comments from skipper Kalyn Ponga who said the Knights’ priority this week will be about “the tough stuff”, Keary urged Newcastle to improve their physicality, otherwise, they’ll be found out in the finals.

“It’s a real somber mood here. You can see how much it means and the position they’re in. They would have jumped up the ladder and almost lock themselves into a home final given they have a bye in the last round,” Keary said.

“Incredibly difficult. They missed the physical game. We know what they’re capable of doing with ball in hand but they just weren’t prepared to match it with Manly through the middle.

“They’re going to come up against really good teams soon and they can’t finesse your way around those sides.”

PANTHERS FACE PREMIERSHIP-DEFINING SELECTION HEADACHE

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary is facing what could be a premiership-deciding selection headache as Penrith continues its push for a top-two spot and home final.

Five-eighth Jack Cogger is looking at a three-match ban from the match review committee after he was hit with a grade 2 careless high tackle charge for a shot on Melbourne’s Tyran Wishart.

That that would rule him out of the opening week of the finals series.

Cogger has emerged as Penrith’s first choice option at five-eighth, but he faces a lengthy stint on the sidelines after a tackle that went wrong.

The experienced playmaker rushed out of the line and knew he was in trouble, with referee Grant Atkins sending him straight to the sin bin midway through the second half.

“It’s a big loss having someone like Cogs sit out for an extended period of time,” teammate Dylan Edwards said on Fox League’s Friday Night Footy.

“It’s one of those ones where he’s coming out and trying to put on a defensive play but slightly gets it wrong. It’s unfortunate.”

The Panthers can seek a downgrade but would risk a four-match ban if they fight the charge and lose at the judiciary on Tuesday night, with Cogger also banned for two games earlier in the year for a high tackle on Ashton Ward.

Cogger was instrumental off the bench for Penrith in the 2023 grand final and has made the No.6 jersey his own after Blaize Talagi was dropped after round 21 due to his defence.

Now Panthers coach Cleary faces an interesting dilemma.

Talagi is an option to replace him in the halves for next week’s game against the Bulldogs, but there are no guarantees that he’ll play given Jack Cole started in round 23 when Cogger was a late withdrawal.

Cole is the safer option to partner Nathan Cleary, but Talagi is the X-factor who can provide points on the left edge.

It’s a huge call for the coaching staff with Penrith fighting for the minor premiership but also a chance of slipping out of the top two if they trip up in the coming weeks.

— with Martin Gabor, Newswire

Emotional Papa speaks on final home game | 01:58

WHY THE ONLY TEAM THAT CAN STOP THE RABBITOHS… ARE THEMSELVES

A South Sydney win over the Warriors at home would have gone a long way to securing a finals’ spot for the Rabbitohs, but as has been the case all season according to Wayne Bennett, they once again beat themselves.

“I haven’t walked into a change room all year (when) we haven’t beaten ourselves,” Bennett said following his side’s 45-26 loss.

South Sydney trailed by 18 at half-time but with 20 minutes to go, a Cody Walker try under the posts had made it 32-26 and the Rabbitohs looked like they were on the charge, causing havoc for the Warriors’ right side defence.

Following Manly’s upset win over the Knights in Newcastle earlier on Saturday, the Warriors clash presented an opportunity to all-but seal a top eight berth, strengthen the likelihood of a home final, week one, and move ahead of the Knights with a superior differential into sixth.

But errors by Matt Dufty and Walker within the first five minutes of the match followed by a simple catch and pass spilt by Campbell Graham, both inside their own half, each led to tries and significantly contributed to the half-time deficit.

The final tally of nine errors to five possibly hinting at why Bennett was so disappointed they had let a chance slip on Saturday night.

“No team’s, in my mind, beaten us,” Bennett said. “We we’ve beaten ourselves, we did again tonight.”

Warriors sink Souths to move into first | 02:34

No lack of effort. No lack of talent. Just execution.

Although the left side was quite potent without Latrell Mitchell – with four of their five tries coming courtesy of attack down that edge and Tallis Duncan again deputising admirably with five tackle busts and a try – the long-awaited return of their super star from a back injury against the Titans next week is timely.

“We think he’ll be right to play next week,” Bennett reiterated post-match. Mitchell has played once since round 10.

Timely because after the loss to the Warriors, the Bulldogs win over the Dragons leaves Souths equal on 30 points with North Queensland in ninth, and Canterbury, eighth.

The Rabbitohs hold seventh on for and against and finish the season against the Titans and Roosters.

Two games they would need to win to be completely sure of securing Wayne Bennett’s record breaking 75th finals’ appearance and Souths’ fans September action.

— David Gavin, Newswire

Bennetts response after Warriors loss | 03:02