NRL Wrap: Coaching casualty imminent, Herbie brilliance, Broncos in crisis

Are you not entertained?

As a sometime Souths owner might have suggested, the NRL delivered big time over the weekend, with one of the best regular season rounds in years.

There was Saturday, a swinging mix of comebacks, and before that Friday, where much the same happened, capped by a Latrell Mitchell showing that reminds everyone (just in time for Origin) of just why Souths put up with the other stuff.

The final outcome was that the Dogs remain on top, the Warriors have snuck into second and Melbourne follow in third ahead, following a historical battering of the Tigers, who are back in their traditional hole.

That’s the top level – here’s the detail.

A good week for…

The punters, who got one of the best games of the season in Canberra – and one of the best Super Saturdays of all time.

It was first v second as Canterbury travelled down to the capital, and with the stadium sold out and the eyes of the footy world watching on, it delivered.

Canberra raced into a 20-0 lead, putting in a near-perfect half of footy as the Bulldogs forgot how to catch, gave away every penalty possible and, in the process, gifted a 64/36 possession split to their opponents.

Anyone watching from another year would have left, but in 2025, things don’t work like that. Canterbury roared out of the traps in the second half, led by a stunning Stephen Crichton performance, to turn around the deficit within 18 minutes.

They eventually won 32-20, underlining their place as frontrunners and landing a massive blow on the Raiders in the process. 

On a macro level, it was everything we have seen in 2025 turned up to eleven, with huge shifts in possession, long periods of attack v defence at one end and rapid changes in momentum.

Whether that’s good in the long term might be up for discussion, but for one afternoon, it was exceptional.

After that finished, we got a one point finish to follow, with the Warriors downing the Dragons after another stirring comeback, then the same again as Penrith raced ahead in North Queensland, were reeled in and eventually scrapped into the dirt for a 30-30 draw.

A bad week for…

The Broncos, who are now officially in crisis after chucking a major lead at South Sydney.

We should start with a love-in for Latrell Mitchell, the principal reason why the Bunnies were able to turn a 14-0 deficit into a 22-14 victory, thanks to a few try savers, the coldest drop goal of all time and a cheeky try to seal the deal.

Credits paid, we can move to the structural reasons why the turnaround was able to happen.

Brisbane were horrendous after halftime and, while it took a sterling effort from Trell Mit to make it happen, they left the door wide open through errors, a lack of composure and several defensive lapses.

Ben Hunt limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, ruling him out of their next six weeks (and Origin). Ezra Mam might well come back, but following four losses from five games, it’s unlikely that he can do much to salvage this season.

Michael Maguire is already facing the ire of the famed Broncos old boys, too, after an ill-timed Sydney Harbour cruise during their build-up to the game. As your columnist suggested when Madge was appointed: there’ll be tears before bedtime.

Standout…

Herbie Farnworth, who underlined his place as one of the most exciting players in the NRL with a sterling performance to defeat Parramatta on Thursday night.

The Englishman is the best centre in the world on form, as well as his side’s most important player, which isn’t something you can usually say about someone in his position.

Between Herbie and Isaiya Katoa – with an inconsistent sprinkling of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow – the Phins have turned their season around following an awful start, finally delivering on the promise that their roster suggested.

Moreover, they’ve done it by diverting strongly from the Wayne Bennett era. Back then, they were slow and steady, with a conservative style that let teams beat themselves. Now, they’re properly fun, with strike on both edges – led, of course, by Farnworth.

Washout…

Newcastle, again.

Losing to the Titans is pretty shameful at the best of times, but to lose at home after going 20-0 up is well beyond that.

In fact, of the current streak of 3 wins in 14 games for the Gold Coast, two have been against the Knights. It’s a shocking look for coach Adam O’Brien.

His team have defeated Souths, who were on the bones of their arse with injuries, a Dolphins side that couldn’t train because of a cyclone and the Tigers, in Round 1, in a game they should have lost.

Bear in mind that this is a team that actually made the finals last year, albeit with a 50% record and a minus points difference. Expectations should have been to improve, but by anyone’s standards, this side is going backwards and fast.

They couldn’t control the ball in the second half, making eight errors, and ended up on the wrong side of a 66/34 possession split as a result. To reiterate: this was a side that was winning comfortably, who didn’t need to chance their arm at all. 

This meeting with the Gold Coast was billed as a loser-gets-sacked match for the coaches. Des Hasler, against all odds, won. O’Brien is now on the thinnest of ice.

Everyone is talking about…

The Bears, who are finally back in the big time.

This has been discussed for a long time, but is now official. There’s a lot that we don’t know – the coach, for example – but for now, it’s just party time.

The scenes at Norths Leagues Club were spectacular, with tragics who have endured 30 years in the wilderness bursting into tears.

They were less enthusiastic in parts of Perth, where the team will actually play, as The West Australian newspaper ran a hit piece on the club on day one. 

Just so nobody thinks it’s just Sydney that has parochial sports media, that particular publication is owned by Seven West, who own Channel Seven, who own the rights to broadcast the AFL.

Peter V’Landys snapped back in typical style: “They don’t want us to be here because they realise we’re going to be competitive and going to take some of their lunch and we eat a lot so we’ll be talking a fair bit of their lunch.”

PVL, who famously described himself as “just a meat pie and chips person”, was loving it.

But nobody mentions…

The Pacific Championships, which we are told are happening but currently have no finality on at all. 

That was particularly telling in KL Iro’s decision that he might actually play for England, despite having been raised in the Cook Islands and expressed nothing but desire to represent the Kukis in the past.

You can’t blame him: currently England actually have scheduled matches, which is more than you can say for the Cook Islands, or indeed New Zealand, the other nation for which Iro is eligible. 

As ever, league fans in this part of the world are left guessing that, on the balance of probabilities, the games will be held on the same weekends as The Ashes, but with no certainty on where, it’s hard to plan anything.

Tonga and Samoa might top England v Australia as the game of the year, but nobody knows if it’ll be in Auckland, Apia, Nuku’alofa or any points in between.

Forward pass

There is a week of footy still to come, but realistically, we’re in Origin countdown mode, so let’s get to that.

NSW traditionally name their team on Sunday night with Queensland following on the Monday morning, and there are questions aplenty. 

Nathan Cleary will play halfback, but nobody knows if Mitch Moses or old mate Jarome Luai will accompany him. The front row rotation could be Payne Haas, Terrell May, Spencer Leniu and Mitch Barnett – but that doesn’t include Jake Trbojevic, the incumbent, series-winning captain.

If Jurbo is out, who comes in? Stephen Crichton is a great shout, but Isaah Yeo is incumbent Kangaroos skipper and the kid Cleary goes alright too.

For the Maroons, we’ll get a call on fullback first and foremost. Reece Walsh isn’t there, Kalyn Ponga might play (unless he decides he’s a Kiwi) and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is probably in the best form of the lot.

Should the Hammer get a run in his favoured position, does that open a spot for Cowboys teenager Jaxson Purdue? He’d be a real bolter, but is the form centre in Queensland.

Oh, and on the field: the Women are already on Game 2 of Origin, which could see NSW settle the series if they win in Newcastle on Thursday night.

For the blokes, Manly travel to North Queensland in a real test of both sides’ legitimacy, the Sharks get a chance to prove the same by hosting the Storm.