The fourth round of the 2026 NRL season had plenty of highlights and lowlights, headlined by the termination of Manly Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold.
Manly sack Seibold after loss to Roosters
Three matches after agreeing to a two-year contract extension with the Manly Sea Eagles, Anthony Seibold has found himself on the lookout for a new job after he was sacked by the Northern Beaches side following their Thursday night loss to the Sydney Roosters.
Losing by 17 points at 4 Pines Park in the return game of club legend and former skipper Daly Cherry-Evans, chants of ‘Seibold Out’ were heard around the venue and less than 24 hours later, he was given his marching orders.
In the meantime, assistant Kieran Foran has been named the interim head coach with Brad Arthur, Michael Ennis, Dean Young, Jason Demetriou and Matt Balin among the contenders for the permanent head coaching role in 2027.
“The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles have today confirmed that Head Coach Anthony Seibold will depart the Club effective immediately,” a statement from the club read on Friday night.
“The Sea Eagles thank Anthony for his service and contribution to the Club and wish him and his family all the best for the future.
“The Club is disappointed with its start to the season but remains focused on making the 2026 season a success.”
Anthony Seibold's sacking has certainly caught many off guard.
That included Manly Sea-Eagles assistant coach Brett Kimmorley who learnt about the news…ON AIR! 🤯 #NRL pic.twitter.com/zSP6uVofck
— SEN League (@SENLeague) March 27, 2026
Broncos emerge victorious in ‘Battle for Brisbane’
After losing back-to-back matches to begin the 2026 season, the Brisbane Broncos have made it two consecutive victories after defeating inner-state rivals the Dolphins in the annual ‘Battle for Brisbane’ clash between the two sides.
Delivering a statement to the rest of the NRL, the Broncos were able to win the Suncorp Stadium thriller by 14 points with captain and veteran halfback Adam Reynolds leading his troops in attack with a great solo try and one try assist.
Meanwhile, Gehamat Shibasaki and Reece Walsh added their names to the scoresheet, whilst centre Kotoni Staggs bagged a double. His second try – which came in the 79th minute – cemented the victory and handed them bragging rights yet again.
“I’m proud of them … they had to dig pretty deep today. The Dolphins were coming pretty hard and pretty fast,” Broncos coach Michael Maguire said.
“It was a special performance.”
Kotoni Staggs is unstoppable! 😤 pic.twitter.com/yhGnxv6s2P
— NRL (@NRL) March 27, 2026
Panthers domination continues
A sensational 40 minutes from the Penrith Panthers has allowed them to continue their dominance and reaffirm their position as the primary favourite and number one threat for the 2026 NRL Premiership.
The only undefeated team left in the NRL, the Panthers were outstanding in attack with superstar halfback Nathan Cleary leading the plays with his passing and elite kicking game, which led to multiple tries.
Meanwhile, the Parramatta Eels were dealt a double injury blow with Isaiah Iongi (ankle) and Matt Doorey (knee) facing several weeks on the sidelines which is bound to test the club’s depth in the coming weeks.
“There’s not much to say about it. It’s a suspected ACL, and ‘Issy’ is a suspected syndesmosis (injury),” Eels coach Jason Ryles said.
“Someone else gets an opportunity at their misfortune.”
Nathan Cleary does it again! 👏 pic.twitter.com/SfYhiAuPgn
— NRL (@NRL) March 28, 2026