The numbers that matter
The big winners of Round 23
Following their seventh consecutive win, the Sydney Roosters are now level with Penrith at the top of the ladder and have the opportunity to take top spot outright this Thursday night when the top-two meet.
Some of their most impressive footy has come in the final 20 minutes of the match, particularly in recent weeks when they held their nerve to overcome the likes of Newcastle, Melbourne; overcoming their half-time deficit away to the Broncos and bulldozing Parramatta after the break are two more recent examples of how Trent Robinson and his players have been able to wear down and outsmart their opponents as the match goes on.
Last Friday night was one of their best such performances of 2026 when, against an in-form Bulldogs side having won six of their last eight including against top-four New Zealand, they found themselves down 18-8 with 15 minutes to play against arguably the best defensive team outside of the top-four.
“They’re pretty calm in the last 20 minutes,” Robinson said after the game.
“They work out: ‘Are we up by ten? Down by ten? What do we need to do?’ rather than playing the end of the game going, ‘Oh God, if we lose?’
“A lot of teams get into playing into the future, where these guys strategise quite well. They’ve been able to change the game to suit the last 20 minutes on many occasions. So that’s a big strength."
Sydney go into this epic Thursday night showdown with the momentum followed by a pair of home games against the Tigers and Dolphins that could seal their first minor premiership since 2018.
Not bad for a side that faced early questions when routed by both the Panthers (40-4) and the Warriors (42-18) in their opening three weeks. Now they arguably look just as good - if not better - than the two of them!
The big losers of Round 23
It's that time of year where finals contenders begin dropping off rapidly, and last year's minor premiers are the next cab off the rank to farewell 2026.
It was widely suspected that the overachieving Canberra Raiders of 2025 had a one-year Premiership window, particularly with halfback Jamal Fogarty moving to Manly this year, and that has proven to be the case with an injury-riddled Raiders all but falling away from finals contention with an error-riddled loss to Newcastle Knights on home turf on Sunday.
Whether it was the 42 missed tackles, the ten errors, the 12-0 deficit conceded inside 11 minutes, or yet another costly act of ill-discipline from Corey Horsburgh, it was another terrible day for Ricky Stuart - and this time, he couldn't put it down to absences.
What an irate Stuart described as a "f***ing brain explosion" from Horsburgh after a series of "s**t bloody decisions" from his teammates came at the worst possible time when, during the 73rd minute of the match and the Raiders in front 26-24, they appeared to be on the right end of a penalty committed by Newcastle's Dane Gagai.
The Knights challenged the penalty, with the review uncovering Horsburgh's infringement and leading to the Knights scoring a game-winning try with an extra man on the field.
It means the Raiders can't finish with more than 28 points, which the Rabbitohs (seventh) and Cowboys (eighth) already have with four and three games respectively to go in their seasons.
Team of the Week
Knights winger Dominic Young is our Player of the Week for a match-winning performance in Canberra that saw him not only score two tries, but also bust nine tackles, gain 203 metres and make five line breaks (the next-best was just two).
Who scored a brace this week?
The race to be the top tryscorer for the NRL this year was brought back to life when Alex Johnston scored a first-half hat-trick to cut Tom Jenkins' lead from six tries down to three.
Ezra Mam's heroics came up short as he recorded a hat-trick in the Broncos' dramatic loss to Dolphins, taking his 2026 tally to seven.
Phil Sami equalled Anthony Don's club record of 85 tries for the Titans when he scored two against the Cowboys in a game where North Queensland forward Heilum Luki also dotted down twice.
Luke Metcalf ran rampant with two of his own, including the Try of the Week below, whilst Billy Smith (Roosters), Jacob Kiraz (Bulldogs), Dolphins pair Connelly Lemuelu and Hami Tabuai-Fidow.
In Canberra on Sunday, Simi Sasagi reaffirmed his status as the Raiders' best player this year with two tries, whilst Dom Young's double saw him overtake DWZ to fourth on the leaderboard.
Try of the Week
The naughty boys
Perhaps the most dramatic judiciary-related news of the weekend came out of Perth, when Cameron Munster's charge for dangerous conduct was downgraded from a Grade 2 one-game ban to a Grade 1 fine when it was revealed that victim Taniela Paseka had suffered less damage than initially suspected.
That led some to question whether the same dangerous action should be treated differently simply because the outcome was more fortunate than it could have been on another day.
Cronulla key forward Addin Fonua-Blake is the only player to face a week off, unless he can successfully get away with his high tackle on Dragons second rower Hamish Stewart.
Potential suspensions:
Addin Fonua-Blake (Sharks) - Grade 2 Careless High Tackle - 1 match (guilty plea) or 2 matches (found guilty at hearing)
Fines:
Jason Saab (Sea Eagles) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1800-$2500 fine
Pat Carrigan (Broncos) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1800-$2500 fine
Morgan Knowles (Dolphins) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1800-$2500 fine
Harry Hayes (Bulldogs) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1800-$2500 fine
Victor Radley (Roosters) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1800-$2500 fine
Kotoni Staggs (Broncos) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1800-$2500 fine
Corey Horsburgh (Raiders) - Grade 1 Contrary Conduct - $1800-$2500 fine
Ethan Strange (Raiders) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1800-$2500 fine
Dane Gagai (Knights) - Grade 1 Dangerous Throw - $1000-$1500 fine
Ata Mariota (Raiders) - Grade 1 Crusher Tackle - $1000-$1500 fine
Sean Keppie (Rabbitohs) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000-$1500 fine
Jack de Belin (Eels) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000-$1500 fine
Kurt Mann (Bulldogs) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000-$1500 fine
Kurt Mann (Bulldogs) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000-$1500 fine
Reuben Cotter (Cowboys) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000-$1500 fine
Paul Alamoti (Panthers) - Grade 1 Dangerous Throw - $1000-$1500 fine
Cameron Munster (Storm) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $750-$1000 fine
Next weekend's fixtures
The first three matches of Round 24 are going to be nothing short of massive, with a potential Grand Final prelude on Thursday night followed by two immensely vital games for both the Sea Eagles and the Bulldogs at home.
