Both Origin coaches have picked their squads with speed and mobility in mind, so at the very least the spectacle will have a fresh look this year.
, the first Origin match of this year’s series will have a fresh look. Both coaches have also gone for speed and mobility, so at the very least, as a spectacle, it won’t feel same-old, same-old.
Haumole Olakau’atu is being called the NRL’s outstanding forward this year, but he’s been playing this way for the past three seasons, when Manly’s offensive plan has often boiled down to “Give it to Haumole”. Getty Images Tolu Koula was Manly’s best player in 2025, and is in the Stephen Crichton-Herbie Farnworth echelon of star centres in the game.
In saying that, playing him out of position on the wing, when wing is becoming such a critical and specialised spot rather than just the guy who hangs out with footballers, is brave. The new Origin eligibility rules are confusing enough without Daley naming “Casey McGuire” in the Blues team. What, you can now play for Queensland, and retire for 14 years and then be eligible for New South Wales?
Fortunately, it was just a brain-fade from Daley, but it doesn’t help those of us who are still confused about Origin eligibility. Victor Radley was selected in the Blues’ extended squad in 2022, but is set to make his first NSW appearance this year. Okay, here it is. Nothing has changed, except that it doesn’t matter who a player chooses to represent internationally if he meets the other eligibility rules.
So we can stop pretending Victor Radley is a Pom. He’s Eastern Suburbs. Daley wants “Victor to be Victor”, which could lead to anything of an Eastern Suburbs nature. Loading.
In bad news for NSW, Walsh will play in games two and three with a point to prove. While there was a lot of high-quality football played in the Magic Round matches, most of it was played by one team per game. A good gauge of NRL entertainment value is how soon you can put down the glasses.
At half-time in the Magic Round games, Cronulla led Canterbury 28-6, the Dolphins led Souths 20-0, Manly led the Tigers 24-6, the Warriors led Brisbane 22-0, and Penrith led the Dragons 12-0, while Melbourne-Parramatta and Newcastle-Gold Coast had one-sided second halves with final margins of 26 and 24 points. The average winning margin for all eight games was 22.5 points, with only the Cowboys and Roosters providing a live contest.
The referees and rules are usually blamed, but there might be something else going on. The AFL, in recent years, has become increasingly bifurcated with the bottom division drifting off into oblivion, presenting “free” games for the top. The NRL’s 2026 season is trending towards the same split.
It could be worth looking at psychological preparation, the focus on greater ruthlessness from the high achievers, combining with a tendency among the also-rans to put losses behind them and move on – sometimes even before the loss has taken place. From the number of smiling faces among losing players chatting with their rivals post-match in Brisbane, it looks like the “moving on” side of sports psychology has too healthy a hold.
The Lang Park turf gets a grave-digger’s look about it by Saturday in every Magic Round, and Tanah Boyd’s season was the major fatality. The journeyman has been a star behind the Warriors’ pack. Given the form he was in, Boyd’s disappointment was piercing.
On the bright side for the Warriors, the question mark over their premiership prospects was alwaysAs shown by how easily they crushed the Broncos after losing Boyd, if you have James Fisher-Harris, Jackson Ford, Erin Clark and Leka Halasima up front, with Wayde Egan scheming at dummy-half, maybe you don’t need a halfback at all. No disrespect to Te Maire Martin, but this could be the year to test Bill Hayden’s summary of the 1983 federal election: with so many other strengths, even a drover’s dog could lead the team to victory.
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