NRL Round 26 – Preview

An excellent ball-runner, Matt Burton has scored twice in his last five games against his former club and will do plenty of harm in the opponent’s 20-metre line.

The last two times the Penrith Panthers decided to rest the players, they won. First, was against the Manly Sea Eagles in the pre-season and most recently was against the New Zealand Warriors away from home, so don’t overlook them to cause an upset.

Since arriving at the Eels, winger Josh Addo-Carr has scored 15 tries from 20 matches including a man-of-the-match performance against the Sydney Roosters last week.

Just like Addo-Carr, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has easily been one of the Warriors’ best since returning to the NRL from the 15-man code and has scored 11 tries in 16 matches in 2025.

Scoring a double in his last match against the Roosters, it can be expected that Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen will stand up with several players out of action.

While the Storm are resting several players this round, the Sydney Roosters are in do-or-die territory and need to win if there are any chance of remaining in finals contention.

Returning to the field from injury, Canberra Raiders winger Savelio Tamale will look to find the try-line and scored six tries in 14 matches before going down with a wrist injury.

Having an amazing season leading his troops, Raiders captain Joseph Tapine has scored five tries in 20 matches including six in his last 14 against the Wests Tigers.

While his defence has been shocking, it is another story when it comes to attack for Tyrell Sloan. In 18 matches, the winger has crossed the line on at least 16 occasions.

The Manly Sea Eagles returned to fine form last week against the Dolphins, so another large victory can be expected of them as they try and remain in the finals hunt.

While he has only played on eight occasions this season, Broncos winger Josiah Karapani has already crossed the line eight times – averaging one try per game.

The return of Adam Reynolds this week is set to light a fire under the Broncos as they continue to rise up the ladder and continue their good form heading into September.

Returning from injury this weekend, KL Iro will look to cross the try-line and is a force to be reckoned with on the edge.

Following the sacking of Adam O’Brien, the Knights will look to produce a massive performance for their outgoing coach this weekend and may even pull off an upset.

The Dolphins may have lost the last three but it’s hard to see them being defeated by the Gold Coast Titans this weekend.

One of the youngest players on the Dolphins roster, Tevita Naufahu has shown that he has incredible skill in attack and is a strong contender to cross the line.