2026 Finals

[Liverbird with Phins up]

Hynes is fucking useless

 

[Liverbird with Phins up]

If i'm a cronulla fan, i'm pissed at him.

Highly paid, and about as influential as a mute politician.

 

[Red]

The Dolphins are 43 mins away from clinching a top 4 spot. Cronulla looking horrid today.

Warriors and Penrith are going to be clamoring to play Roosters or Sharks in tbe first week.

TBH, they all look wobbly without a couple of good players except us and Penrith. Given Yeo will be back for the finals.

 

[midlands hobo]

Top 4 locked in woop

 

[Red]

Looks like 5~8 is decided for sudden death in week 1.

1. Souths vs Newcastle
2. Cronulla vs NQ

I think it'll be NQ and Souths to go to week 2. Don't really care. Been saying NQ has a team that can worry anyone but I'm still mentally scarred by our game against the Sharks a few weeks ago so will be happy to see the back of them.

As for Souths vs Newcastle, Newcastle's prop will be suspended for a couple of weeks and they have the bye next week. While Souths are getting back to full strength.

 

[Red]

I feel it would be a mistake to underestimate the Roosters. DCE might be able to roll back the clock one last tIme and Tupou back as well. I think Angus Crighton is back soon as well. I prefer we play the Warriors in week 1.

 

[257Matt]

Warriors and Penrith are going to be clamoring to play Roosters or Sharks in tbe first week.

TBH, they all look wobbly without a couple of good players except us and Penrith. Given Yeo will be back for the finals.

Be interesting to see how Panthers, Warriors, Dolphins and Roosters go about things next week.

In 2022 Roosters came through a very intense stretch of games to get into the finals and with 6-7 game locked in Politis insisted they go all out to win whereas Souths didn't put as much into it. The following week Souths won against Roosters. So Rooters will go flat out against Souths.

I don't think Penrith really care if they finish 1st or 2nd.

I think with Dolphins the only players I can see not playing are those who are being needled up it won't be a rest for a rest sakes.

Dolphins sent Naufahu and Schneider who were both in Sydney last night back to play Cup today but they didn't send Pouniu back.

 

[Blockade]

Looks like 5~8 is decided for sudden death in week 1.

1. Souths vs Newcastle
2. Cronulla vs NQ

I think it'll be NQ and Souths to go to week 2. Don't really care. Been saying NQ has a team that can worry anyone but I'm still mentally scarred by our game against the Sharks a few weeks ago so will be happy to see the back of them.

As for Souths vs Newcastle, Newcastle's prop will be suspended for a couple of weeks and they have the bye next week. While Souths are getting back to full strength.

I'm the exact opposite. Cronulla will easily dispose of the shitty Cowboys. Newcastle have a bit about them, they can score from anywhere. Souths haven't impressed me all year. Their defense is awful. But they have the WB factor which is capable of anything.

The top 2 and top 4 is set now except for the order of where they finish. It will be interesting to see if any (or all) of the clubs decide to rest players. I doubt if the likes of Herbie, Hammer, Katoa and Plath will be playing next week.

Who would've thought the Dolphins were going to finish top 4 this year? I know we all had our expectations and had high hopes for season '26, I wouldn't have thought top 4 was possible in only their fourth year of existence. But here we are in the thick of it. This team could go all the way.

 

[Red]

Be interesting to see how Panthers, Warriors, Dolphins and Roosters go about things next week.

In 2022 Roosters came through a very intense stretch of games to get into the finals and with 6-7 game locked in Politis insisted they go all out to win whereas Souths didn't put as much into it. The following week Souths won against Roosters. So Rooters will go flat out against Souths.

I don't think Penrith really care if they finish 1st or 2nd.

I think with Dolphins the only players I can see not playing are those who are being needled up it won't be a rest for a rest sakes.

Dolphins sent Naufahu and Schneider who were both in Sydney last night back to play Cup today but they didn't send Pouniu back.

I'm backing Penrith to win the minor premirship. They play the last game of the round and will know exactly how much they have to win by.

Roosters will want to beat Souths easily and hope we just beat the Titans. They play right after us on Friday. It's a bit of a worry. Titans can play well from time to time but the Southd game will be very hard for the Roosters.

 

[Red]

I'm the exact opposite. Cronulla will easily dispose of the shitty Cowboys. Newcastle have a bit about them, they can score from anywhere. Souths haven't impressed me all year. Their defense is awful. But they have the WB factor which is capable of anything.

The top 2 and top 4 is set now except for the order of where they finish. It will be interesting to see if any (or all) of the clubs decide to rest players. I doubt if the likes of Herbie, Katoa and Plath will be playing next week.

Who would've thought the Dolphins were going to finish top 4 this year? I know we all had our expectations and had high hopes for season '26, I wouldn't have thought top 4 was possible in only their fourth year of existence. But here we are in the thick of it. This team could go all the way.

Maybe but Cowboys have a team good enough. Souths with Mitchell back to full fitness are a different beast.

 

[SwoopAE]

There is a case to rest everyone for all of the top 4 teams to some degree although agree we'd rather play the Warriors with their injury woes they were horrendous today

Everyone very much wants to play the Roosters (or 5-8 side that make it) in week 3 I think with Walker out

Fwiw Cowboys can still finish above Souths if Souths lose to the Roosters and Cowboys beat Raiders, Knights get a home final for 6th and Cowboys can still overtake Souths

Souths the only highly motivated top 8 side next week in terms of needing to win for a home final, I assume Panthers and Warriors want the minor prem but I wouldn't be shocked to see Ivan rest the entire team and choose rest over the minor premiership IF they don't care who they play.

That said I expect both the Wahs and the Panthers to want to play the Roosters with Walker out, which in theory means that even if we lose, Panthers could specifically rest after the Warriors game to try and tank to play the Roosters if they prefer to play them to us

Some interesting things in general. I assume we go full steam ahead and blitz the Titans and finish 3rd and expect Penrith to do what they need to do for the minor prem as they play last, but there is a case for us at full strength in elite form to rest the entire squad and trust that Penrith will want to play the Roosters without Walker instead of us even if that means resting too

Cows and Sharks could rest too, Cows can't get a home final and can only finish 7th and Sharks can't finish worse than 6th and get a home final too unless they lose by more than 110

Pretty crazy that any of six of the seven top 8 teams could realistically choose to rest players in the final round and it wouldn't affect anything beyond their potential opponent or minor prem, only Souths can realistically get a home final and no one who has a home final now can realistically lose it except the Knights who aren't playing

The way the Warriors are playing right now I like the idea of playing them despite the scary trip to NZ and the refs; if our pack can hang our 1-7 destroys theirs and a win there would likely give us a 5-8 side or Walkerless Roosters in week 3 assuming Penrith win too in week 1 and likely sets up a Panthers/Warriors prelim on the other side

On the downside if we lose to the Wahs in week 1 and win in week 2, we likely face Penrith away in Week 3 so there is somewhat of a case to prefer Penrith in week 1 so if we lose to them we don't draw them in the prelim in week 3 but it makes more sense we back ourselves to win in week 1 and get the bye and home prelim

We can beat anyone this year, although Penrith might be a harder game than the Wahs both are winnable

 

[257Matt]

I'm backing Penrith to win the minor premirship. They play the last game of the round and will know exactly how much they have to win by.

Roosters will want to beat Souths easily and hope we just beat the Titans. They play right after us on Friday. It's a bit of a worry. Titans can play well from time to time but the Southd game will be very hard for the Roosters.

Souths have to go all out otherwise they can get 8th but Roosters can decide if there are injured players just to rest them up.

I suspect only Lemuelu, Donoghoe and Stone will be the ones possibly rested.

 

[SwoopAE]

I think we don't rest anyone other than them as well IF we're trying to win by enough to finish third (Souths have to try against the Roosters)

If the Roosters do choose to rest everyone (I would in their spot, but it is a Souths rivalry and they have to get a new halves combo in form) then we can presumably partially rest and still finish third easily given we'd only have to lose by less than them and the Titans are bad

Going to be a VERY interesting teams Tuesday

For all we know Ivan pulls everyone and doesn't care about the minor premiership and that locks the Warriors into first if the Panthers lose minus all starters, in which case we'd kind of prefer to finish 4th to 3rd and should maybe react by resting the maximum number of key players ourselves

I might go down to Cbus for the game but want it to be a game we're trying in if i'm going to make the trip and we won't know if that's the case until after Tuesday. I don't think Penrith pull everyone but they very well could.

Wahs will definitely want the minor prem though

 

[257Matt]

I think we don't rest anyone other than them as well IF we're trying to win by enough to finish third (Souths have to try against the Roosters)

If the Roosters do choose to rest everyone (I would in their spot, but it is a Souths rivalry and they have to get a new halves combo in form) then we can presumably partially rest and still finish third easily given we'd only have to lose by less than them and the Titans are bad

Going to be a VERY interesting teams Tuesday

For all we know Ivan pulls everyone and doesn't care about the minor premiership and that locks the Warriors into first if the Panthers lose minus all starters, in which case we'd kind of prefer to finish 4th to 3rd and should maybe react by resting the maximum number of key players ourselves

I might go down to Cbus for the game but want it to be a game we're trying in if i'm going to make the trip and we won't know if that's the case until after Tuesday. I don't think Penrith pull everyone but they very well could.

Wahs will definitely want the minor prem though

I suspect Lemuelu gets another week to be fully right and maybe one of Stone or Donga get a breather depends how Donga recovered after the bump late in the game. All the other likely players all played Cup today in Fuller, Naufahu, Averillo, Schneider and Su'a whilst Symonds played last night and Fineanganofo had a week off due to an eye injury.

 

[Josh]

I suspect Lemuelu gets another week to be fully right and maybe one of Stone or Donga get a breather depends how Donga recovered after the bump late in the game. All the other likely players all played Cup today in Fuller, Naufahu, Averillo, Schneider and Su'a whilst Symonds played last night and Fineanganofo had a week off due to an eye injury.

Given his injury history and his importance to the team and the lack of options to replace him, I think JMK will be the first rested if that is the way Woolf is going to go.

 

[Blockade]

I suspect Lemuelu gets another week to be fully right and maybe one of Stone or Donga get a breather depends how Donga recovered after the bump late in the game. All the other likely players all played Cup today in Fuller, Naufahu, Averillo, Schneider and Su'a whilst Symonds played last night and Fineanganofo had a week off due to an eye injury.

Those players featured today because Redcliffe's game started two hours before the Cron v Parra match. I think most people assumed Cronulla would win, keeping the race for the top 4 alive for the next round. That didn't happen thus making the GC game almost meaningless. I suspect the five players you named will all be running onto CBus on Friday night.