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The Warriors are without form halfback Luke Metcalf after he suffered an ACL injury. He’s out until mid-2026, and his absence showed in a poor loss to the lowly Titans at home on Saturday. Penrith are coming for their spot in the four.
Metcalf’s loss was a bitter blow as the Warriors looked like being real contenders this season after teasing everybody with a preliminary final appearance in 2023. They last made the grand final in 2011.
Noah Martin celebrates a try on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images
The Bulldogs are top-two bound but have taken the ultimate gamble with the mid-season signing of teenager Lachie Galvin, who has been tasked with steering them to the premiership after unseating Toby Sexton as halfback.
As good as he may be now, or one day, that is a massive ask of an inexperienced, 19-year-old No.7. It appears the Bulldogs think this year it might be all coming up a bit early for them, and with Galvin they are investing in sustained success in future years.
The thing about future years is that there are no certainties. Brisbane had the 2023 grand final won until Nathan Cleary’s quarter-hour of magic gave Penrith another title. Fast-forward a year and the Broncos missed the finals, and Kevin Walters was gone.
Parramatta made the grand final in 2022. Poor results since then meant coach Brad Arthur was axed midway through season 2024. And here’s a list of players from their 17 that night – less than three years ago – who have departed: Clint Gutherson; Maika Sivo; Waqa Blake; Reagan Campbell-Gillard; Reed Mahoney; Shaun Lane; Isaiah Papali’i; Marate Niukore; Ryan Matterson; Nathan Brown; Jake Arthur and Oregon Kaufusi.
The Panthers are gathering a head of steam and loom as a main danger to the Raiders.Credit: Getty Images
Add Dylan Brown, who is leaving at the end of the season and is currently being left out of the side.
They are now light years from the finals, let alone a grand final or a premiership.
Some windows of opportunity are tiny. Minuscule even. History is littered with teams which made the grand final only to fall away over following years.
Premierships are hard to win, and when you have even the slightest sniff, you have to take it – right here, right now.
Just below the top four is where the real danger lurks for Canberra.
That’s where you find the resurgent Panthers, just three premiership points adrift of the Warriors and with their old guard of Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Dylan Edwards and Brian To’o fit and in form. Look out. They’ve won seven games straight. Their premiership window has been open so long now it seems like an endless summer.
The Broncos are two wins behind fourth, but Friday night’s loss to the Eels exposed them.
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Their secret in a five-match winning streak before Friday was the re-emergence of Reece Walsh, who resembled his 2023-like self after a woeful start to the year in which he averaged about 70 run metres a match over the first half-dozen rounds and routinely sent passes flying over the sideline or into the dirt.
Against Parramatta, that early season Walsh made an unwelcome return, complete with passes over the sideline and the sideways running. He let a bomb bounce and conceded a try. There was one flash of brilliance for a Billy Walters try, but a team can’t win a title when their fullback is headless.
What coach Ricky Stuart and the front office led by Don Furner have done at Canberra is to be admired.
To build a team with a mix of hardheads like Joe Tapine and Josh Papali’i, mid-career weapons in Hudson Young, Tom Starling and Corey Horsburgh and exciting youngsters Kaeo Weekes, Ethan Strange and Xavier Savage is Moneyball-type stuff.
Stuart has been around a long time. He was in the thick of it as a player when the Raiders struck gold, and he took them agonisingly close in 2019 when they lost the grand final to the Roosters.
He knows better than most the window can close as quickly as it opens.
NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now
Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.
The Warriors are without form halfback Luke Metcalf after he suffered an ACL injury. He’s out until mid-2026, and his absence showed in a poor loss to the lowly Titans at home on Saturday. Penrith are coming for their spot in the four.
Metcalf’s loss was a bitter blow as the Warriors looked like being real contenders this season after teasing everybody with a preliminary final appearance in 2023. They last made the grand final in 2011.
Noah Martin celebrates a try on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images
The Bulldogs are top-two bound but have taken the ultimate gamble with the mid-season signing of teenager Lachie Galvin, who has been tasked with steering them to the premiership after unseating Toby Sexton as halfback.
As good as he may be now, or one day, that is a massive ask of an inexperienced, 19-year-old No.7. It appears the Bulldogs think this year it might be all coming up a bit early for them, and with Galvin they are investing in sustained success in future years.
The thing about future years is that there are no certainties. Brisbane had the 2023 grand final won until Nathan Cleary’s quarter-hour of magic gave Penrith another title. Fast-forward a year and the Broncos missed the finals, and Kevin Walters was gone.
Parramatta made the grand final in 2022. Poor results since then meant coach Brad Arthur was axed midway through season 2024. And here’s a list of players from their 17 that night – less than three years ago – who have departed: Clint Gutherson; Maika Sivo; Waqa Blake; Reagan Campbell-Gillard; Reed Mahoney; Shaun Lane; Isaiah Papali’i; Marate Niukore; Ryan Matterson; Nathan Brown; Jake Arthur and Oregon Kaufusi.
The Panthers are gathering a head of steam and loom as a main danger to the Raiders.Credit: Getty Images
Add Dylan Brown, who is leaving at the end of the season and is currently being left out of the side.
They are now light years from the finals, let alone a grand final or a premiership.
Some windows of opportunity are tiny. Minuscule even. History is littered with teams which made the grand final only to fall away over following years.
Premierships are hard to win, and when you have even the slightest sniff, you have to take it – right here, right now.
Just below the top four is where the real danger lurks for Canberra.
That’s where you find the resurgent Panthers, just three premiership points adrift of the Warriors and with their old guard of Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Dylan Edwards and Brian To’o fit and in form. Look out. They’ve won seven games straight. Their premiership window has been open so long now it seems like an endless summer.
The Broncos are two wins behind fourth, but Friday night’s loss to the Eels exposed them.
Loading
Their secret in a five-match winning streak before Friday was the re-emergence of Reece Walsh, who resembled his 2023-like self after a woeful start to the year in which he averaged about 70 run metres a match over the first half-dozen rounds and routinely sent passes flying over the sideline or into the dirt.
Against Parramatta, that early season Walsh made an unwelcome return, complete with passes over the sideline and the sideways running. He let a bomb bounce and conceded a try. There was one flash of brilliance for a Billy Walters try, but a team can’t win a title when their fullback is headless.
What coach Ricky Stuart and the front office led by Don Furner have done at Canberra is to be admired.
To build a team with a mix of hardheads like Joe Tapine and Josh Papali’i, mid-career weapons in Hudson Young, Tom Starling and Corey Horsburgh and exciting youngsters Kaeo Weekes, Ethan Strange and Xavier Savage is Moneyball-type stuff.
Stuart has been around a long time. He was in the thick of it as a player when the Raiders struck gold, and he took them agonisingly close in 2019 when they lost the grand final to the Roosters.
He knows better than most the window can close as quickly as it opens.
NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now
Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.
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