Elsewhere, Michael Maguire wouldn\u2019t have been happy with some of what he saw from the Broncos and a premiership dark horse remains the most confusing side in the competition.<\/p>\n
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WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n
Plus, some big Origin debates are set to be decided this week.<\/p>\n
Read on for the key Talking Points from Round 10. <\/p>\n
\u2018THEY WERE SHOCKING\u2019: BRONCOS\u2019 \u2018DIABOLICAL\u2019 DISPLAY CALLED OUT<\/p>\n
The reigning premiers have been slammed for their \u201cdiabolical\u201d display against the Manly Sea Eagles, which saw them concede 32 points and only score a single try.<\/p>\n
Away from the actual scoreline, the Broncos committed 18 errors, with 15 of them in the second 40 minutes.<\/p>\n
Even though they were missing several players, including Adam Reynolds and Payne Haas, due to injury, there were no excuses to be had, as their team was still stacked with elite Origin and international stars such as Reece Walsh and Patrick Carrigan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a diabolical display by the Broncos,\u201d Nathan Hindmarsh said on The Matty Johns Show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were shocking. I know a lot of the good line speed from Manly forced a lot of those errors, but some of those passes were just lazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matty Johns added, \u201cSome of the defensive efforts, Madge will sit there and super slow-mo some of that stuff because as we know, defence is about attitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the defensive effort (and) tries early on (were bad).\u201d<\/p>\n
One particularly poor one from Ezra Mam was called out, with the Broncos five-eighth rushing out of the line \u2014 perhaps caught out by the height of the pass from dummy-half and thinking the ball was going wide \u2014 only for Joey Walsh to breeze past him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if it was the angle we saw it from on TV but all it looked like was he could have turned in and tackled him but didn\u2019t make the effort,\u201d Hindmarsh said.<\/p>\n
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n The Broncos were taught a lesson. (Photo by Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n Not only have they conceded 70 points and a combined margin of 42 points in the past two weeks, but the Broncos just don\u2019t look like a team that is a premiership threat – especially when it comes to comparing them to the Penrith Panthers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe boys unfortunately, didn\u2019t give themselves an opportunity with the lack of possession that we had,\u201d Michael Maguire said.<\/p>\n \u201cThen obviously off the back of errors you put fatigue into yourself and then you can\u2019t give yourselves a chance. So, that was the disappointing part.<\/p>\n \u201cSilly fundamental errors cost us \u2026 it was disappointing for us. <\/p>\n \u201cTonight was one of those nights we\u2019ll have to look pretty deep and make sure we fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n Facing the Warriors next weekend in Magic Round, they will need to change their attitude if they are to go on a different trajectory than what they are at now.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest with you that\u2019s not an excuse,\u201d Maguire quipped about the absence of multiple high-profile stars. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got full confidence in those players in that change room. I came down here with high expectations about how they go about things and we weren\u2019t able to do that tonight. We missed the mark tonight, it\u2019s as simple as that. <\/p>\n \u201cYou go back a couple of weeks ago and people talked about the people we didn\u2019t have. Well, we were able to perform in Campbelltown against the Tigers and then against Canterbury. That\u2019s the expectation that the players have. <\/p>\n \u201cI love how they expect that and tonight they\u2019re hurting because they know that\u2019s not the way the Broncos can play. <\/p>\n \u201cIf we give ourselves possession and complete high, which we did in those two wins, you can perform the way we know we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Madge offers zero excuses as Bronx fall | 04:25<\/p>\n \u2018SMOKEY\u2019 EMERGES FOR 2026 PREMIERSHIP<\/p>\n After a rocky start to the 2026 NRL season, the Dolphins have emerged as a \u201csmokey\u201d to win the competition following back-to-back victories against the Melbourne Storm and Canterbury Bulldogs.<\/p>\n Conceding two tries in the opening 25 minutes against the Bulldogs, it looked like it was going to be a long night for the Dolphins on Thursday, but they rocketed back with six tries en route to demolishing the Bulldogs, 44-12.<\/p>\n Having one of the most talented back-lines in the NRL, plus multiple representative stars in their forward pack, there is no telling how far they can go during this year\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cIf their forwards can do a job, we know what the backs can do and that\u2019s what happened tonight,\u201d Bryan Fletcher said on The Matty Johns Show.<\/p>\n Dolphins run rampant over Bulldogs | 02:28<\/p>\n \u201cBoth halves had so much time and when you\u2019ve got those blokes outside, it\u2019s inevitable that you\u2019re going to score. <\/p>\n \u201cThey had all the field position and no team can hold out a Dolphins side when they\u2019re all on. This is probably their best side. They\u2019re a smokey to win the comp.\u201d<\/p>\n With a bye coming up, they will face a real test over the next two weeks against the Rabbitohs and Raiders.<\/p>\n Matthew Johns singled out their halves in particular for an \u201coutstanding\u201d game, rating it \u201cone of the best games\u201d he has seen from the versatile Kodi Nikorima.<\/p>\n Nikorima had four linebreak assists and three try assists in the win, pulling the Bulldogs defence apart, while Isaiya Katoa was at his scheming best and was particularly impressive digging into the line and creating space for his outside men.<\/p>\n Katoa finished the night with 18 line engagements, while he also had two try assists and just as many linebreak assists.<\/p>\n Isaiya Katoa and the Dolphins are lethal when they get it right.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n Yet to reach a finals series since being established, the Dolphins have the talent to take them far into the competition, but much of their standing will depend on whether they can put together consistent performances on the field – especially away from Queensland.<\/p>\n Luke Keary said they have become a different outfit since the bye in Round 6, taking down both the Bulldogs and Storm by large margins as well as pushing the Warriors (two-point defeat) and Panthers (one-point defeat) to their limits which should\u2019ve seen them walk away as winners in both matches. <\/p>\n \u201cAll the pieces are there and a lot of people spoke about it in the pre-season and had them in their top-four,\u201d the ex-premiership winner added.<\/p>\n \u201cThey started really slow and then they had the bye. They\u2019ve come out of the bye and should\u2019ve beaten Penrith in that game and just been hot since then. <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re slowly getting better. They\u2019ve got the outside backs power, skill, speed and then I think that forward pack is their sneaky strength.\u201d<\/p>\n Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n Preston sin-bin questioned by Ennis | 00:41<\/p>\n WHY RULE CHANGES ARE HURTING DOGS… AND NOISE WON\u2019T STOP<\/p>\n Momentum is the buzzword in rugby league amid the changes to the six-again rule in 2026, and the Bulldogs are struggling to adapt amid their horror form slump. <\/p>\n The Bulldogs led 8-0 against the Dolphins after a fast start, but were mowed down by the enterprise and speed of their opponents, who are better placed than most to exploit the new rules. <\/p>\n The spotlight has been on the Bulldogs\u2019 halves, but the real issue is a lack of a running threat from dummy-half. <\/p>\n A week after he had zero runs and zero metres in the loss to the Cowboys, Bailey Hayward had just two runs for 14 metres in the 44-12 loss to the Dolphins and zero try or linebreak involvements. <\/p>\n Dummy-half is just about the most important position on the field with the changes to the rules this season, and the best teams have at least one and sometimes two running threats out of dummy-half. <\/p>\n However, Matty Johns explained the Bulldogs\u2019 forwards are not making it easy for Hayward to find opportunities to run, which is heaping pressure on Lachlan Galvin and Matt Burton, who was replaced by Sean O\u2019Sullivan against the Dolphins due to illness. <\/p>\n Lachlan Galvin and Stephen CrichtonSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we talk about hookers running from dummy half, there\u2019s got to be people doing work for them to scatter defenders to give them the opportunity to run out and at the moment and watching the Dogs this year, they\u2019re so obsessed with sequence-based football,\u201d Johns said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they can get back to the forwards running the ball forward, hit the line hard, even if you aren\u2019t a big bloke, hit the line hard and quickly play the ball and things start to happen. <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re now playing momentum-based football.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople will point to and say, \u2018well they don\u2019t have a big pack\u2019, but the way the modern game is, if you can get momentum, footwork, speed and a lack of size can be an advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n Eels legend Nathan Hindmarsh feels the Bulldogs need to follow the lead of Sitili Tupouniua if they want to arrest their horror slump, which has seen them lose seven of their last eight games. <\/p>\n \u201cThey (Bulldogs forwards) should be taking note from Sitili and watching him,\u201d Hindmarsh said. <\/p>\n Crichton visibly frustrated at Galvin | 00:27<\/p>\n \u201cYeah he gives away a few penalties here and there but he skittles the defensive line because he runs so hard, gets a quick play the ball and that\u2019s when your hookers can run. <\/p>\n \u201cHe seems to be the only one at the moment who is running hard with a bit of purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n Amid their horror run, the blowtorch is on the Bulldogs and in some ways they are a victim of their success last year, but Johns says it comes with the territory for arguably the biggest club in Sydney. <\/p>\n \u201cLast year it was so good because they\u2019re such a big club and an important club for the league,\u201d Johns said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re frustrated. I hear them say it\u2019s the outside noise, well that\u2019s just part and parcel of being a bigger club.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bulldogs take on a desperate Sharks team in Magic Round and they could find themselves going from the top four to the bottom four in the space of a season if they don\u2019t start adapting to the new game soon. <\/p>\n Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n Ciraldo questions Bulldogs intent | 06:08<\/p>\n BIG MISTAKE FROM \u2018ALL OVER THE SHOP\u2019 SHARKS<\/p>\n If there are two terms that go hand-in-hand with each other in the rugby league world now, it is \u2018inconsistency\u2019 and the \u2018Cronulla Sharks\u2019.<\/p>\n Less than seven days after putting on 50 points against the Wests Tigers and looking like a real threat to the NRL premiership, they were humiliated by a Rabbitohs outfit who were without Latrell Mitchell.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, for the Sharks fans, this sight is too familiar.<\/p>\n Throughout the course of the 10 rounds this season, they managed to completely annihilate an opposition team, and then seven days later, everything seems to go wrong and they fail to remember the basics of rugby league.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the Sharks team. They\u2019ve been doing this for the majority of the year. They have a good game and then they have a terrible game, an absolute stinker,\u201d Nathan Hindmarsh said on The Matty Johns Show.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what they were thinking about with their defence. There were spaces you could drive a semi-trailer through before you found the next bloke. <\/p>\n \u201cThey were all over the shop. I know Souths played well but I don\u2019t think the Sharkies were that bad. <\/p>\n \u201cThey were bad on the field but the Rabbits didn\u2019t make them look terrible. They made themselves look terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n One week after targeting the edges of the field, the Sharks surprisingly didn\u2019t stick to the same plan and did not target debutant Latrell Siegwalt in the centres who was playing his first match and was undersized compared to their centres.<\/p>\n It was a tough night for the Sharks. (Photo by Jason McCawley\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n Instead, it was Siegwalt who had the last laugh and embarrassed the Sharks defenders with his silky footwork and speed – despite his lack of size.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sharks played with zero energy. I don\u2019t know where that came from. They were so good the week before,\u201d Matthew Johns added.<\/p>\n \u201cCraig Fitzgibbon is a very cool man but I think he\u2019ll tear them a new one.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be surprised if they turn up against the Bulldogs in Magic Round and produce a masterclass before heading to Brookvale Oval and getting destroyed by the Sea Eagles in their next match.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are very inconsistent,\u201d Bryan Fletcher continued.<\/p>\n \u201cLast week they had their back-rower who were flying and this week there was none of that. That\u2019s the strength of their side.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘We didn’t play hard enough’ | 04:13<\/p>\n TEDESCO STAMPING IRRESISTIBLE CASE FOR BLUES RECALL<\/p>\n Somehow, James Tedesco is playing even better than his Dally M season last year.<\/p>\n That is the opinion of Bryan Fletcher, who said he hasn\u2019t seen the Roosters fullback in better form as he pushes for a State of Origin recall.<\/p>\n One of the toughest calls for Blues coach Laurie Daley is who will wear the NSW No.1 jersey between James Tedesco and Dylan Edwards.\u00a0<\/p>\n Edwards has been in scintillating form for the top of the table Panthers in 2026, but he was down on form last year and NSW lost the series.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tedesco has been equally on fire for the Roosters who moved to joint competition leaders with their win over the Titans.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the 28-12 win over the Titans, Tedesco was the difference with 227 run metres, five tackle busts, three offloads, a linebreak, a linebreak assist, a try assist and a classy double.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tedesco was in with a chance to earn a Kangaroos recall last year, before he pulled out of contention due to his brother\u2019s wedding and Edwards and Reece Walsh toured with the Kangaroos, with the latter winning the No.1 jersey.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, Tedesco won the Dally M Medal and is on track to win a third for his career in 2026, so a Blues jersey would be a deserved reward.\u00a0<\/p>\n Clear obstruction? Titans fans look away | 00:32<\/p>\n \u201cHe was great again for the Roosters,\u201d Braith Anasta said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Roosters halves were actually quiet tonight and Robson and Tedesco were the standouts by a long way and they got it done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters feels Tedesco is in equally hot form to last year and maybe even playing better than his Dally M Medal winning form in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe is a very good player and in great touch,\u201d Walters said. <\/p>\n \u201cHe looked very confident and knows his role and what he was trying to achieve at Gosford and he certainly did that. <\/p>\n \u201cHe has been so good for the Roosters and we said how good they were last year, but I think he is going there again into that space and the NSW selectors will be taking notice.\u201d <\/p>\n James TedescoSource: The Daily Telegraph<\/p>\n Former Blues hooker Michael Ennis said it would be a tough call to drop Edwards, but that Tedesco\u2019s career best form is putting pressure on Daley to recall him for the first time since game one 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt is hard to unseat Dylan Edwards because he hasn\u2019t done anything to get himself out of the team and he is playing great for Penrith,\u201d Ennis said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think Tedesco is playing as well as he ever has in his career. He is having an impact on every game and statistically he is the form player of the competition. There\u2019s no denying that.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLatrell Mitchell has been great and it\u2019s a shame he is out with that back injury, but Tedesco is the form player in the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n The Roosters play the Cowboys and the Panthers play the Dragons in Magic Round, with both Tedesco and Edwards having a chance to pile on the points against two of the worst defensive sides in the league.<\/p>\n Robbo praises Titans improvement | 05:13<\/p>\n BUT DON\u2019T FORGET ABOUT DYLAN EDWARDS SAYS IVAN CLEARY<\/p>\n Panthers\u2019 coach Ivan Cleary launched an impassioned plea to NSW State of Origin selectors to stick with fullback Dylan Edwards for the May 27 opener despite the growing chorus for Laurie Daley to bring back James Tedesco.<\/p>\n Edwards put in another typically strong performance in Penrith\u2019s impressive 30-18 win over Canberra on Sunday afternoon, leading both Ivan and Nathan Cleary to back their number one.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Dyl was outstanding today, the amount of times when the ball\u2019s in play, the fullback\u2019s under pressure a lot and he just never flinched once, come up with some huge plays, like just ran the ball all day,\u201d Ivan Cleary said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know what, if we\u2019re talking about taking Dylan Edwards out of the Origin team you must be going well, I\u2019ll just say that.<\/p>\n \u201cI might add, I said this a couple weeks ago, Teddy is playing incredible footy, but he always has, but there was a decision made for Dyl to come in, in place of him, and since then, he hasn\u2019t done much wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s part of the team that won the series in \u201924, had a great series last year.<\/p>\n Dylan Edwards impressed for the Panthers. (Photo by Mark Nolan\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cHe came off the back of shoulder surgery, and I probably pushed him too early, and he struggled a bit. Still, you wouldn\u2019t say that series was lost because of him and he still ended up playing in a prelim (final) as a huge part of our team and made the Australian team that year.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just prepared like he probably has years ago and he\u2019s been killing it. He\u2019s been one of our best three players every week where he\u2019s in a team that wins games.<\/p>\n \u201cHe presides over the best defensive team five of the last six years. Same again this year. So that\u2019s probably something you wouldn\u2019t notice.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a great leader Dyl, like it\u2019s a good problem, but, yeah, Dylan is in incredible form, and I\u2019ve seen him play at his best and he\u2019s pretty close to it, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Penrith co-captain Nathan Cleary agreed with his father.<\/p>\n \u201cDyl\u2019s just so super reliable and every week I get to take the field with him I\u2019ve got no doubt that he\u2019s going to put in a great performance,\u201d the star half said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, you know, just works so hard as well and he\u2019s always putting the team first and he\u2019s just a great teammate and a great player, so we\u2019re very lucky to have him in our team.\u201d<\/p>\n Cleary reflects on tight Panthers win | 07:49<\/p>\n THE \u2018LEFT-FIELD\u2019 OPTION SLATER COULD TURN TO AFTER BIG QLD BLOW<\/p>\n While the majority of the State of Origin selection conjecture has surrounded what the Blues do with their backline, suddenly Queensland coach Billy Slater has a big decision to make.<\/p>\n Halfback Tom Dearden would have been one of the first players picked for the team but will now miss at least the series opener after injuring his ankle in North Queensland\u2019s loss to Parramatta. <\/p>\n It leaves the Maroons needing to find a replacement and fortunately they aren\u2019t short of options, with foxsports.com.au providing a full breakdown of who Slater could turn to<\/a>.<\/p>\n While Daly Cherry-Evans or Roosters teammate Sam Walker would be a logical replacement, former Maroons coach Kevin Walters floated Kalyn Ponga as a \u201cleft-field\u201d option.<\/p>\n \u201cKalyn made his debut when I was coaching Queensland as a number 14. He came on and played through the middle and he did quite well,\u201d Walters said on Fox League. <\/p>\n \u201cHe nearly turned the game in Queensland\u2019s favour. I think he could handle playing in the halves. The only dilemma there would be defending in the line.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom Dearden went down injured. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n Slater, like Blues coach Laurie Daley, had been facing a headache as to who lines up at fullback with both Ponga and Brisbane\u2019s Reece Walsh in strong form to open 2026. <\/p>\n Moving Ponga to five-eighth would be one way to solve that problem and while it may leave the Maroons vulnerable in defence, Slater could be creative in the way he uses both fullbacks in attacking territory.<\/p>\n Of course, if Slater wanted a more like-for-like option it would make sense to select either Cherry-Evans, Walker or even Ben Hunt. <\/p>\n \u201cWalker is obviously in some fine form. I know he\u2019s been in and around camp for the last few years. There\u2019s also DCE who has played 26-odd games for Queensland,\u201d former Roosters front rower Jared Waerea-Hargreaves said.<\/p>\n Manly\u2019s Jamal Fogarty is another contender, albeit has been sidelined for the past fortnight with a groin injury while Braydon Trindall and Tanah Boyd have also enjoyed good stretches of football this year. <\/p>\n It would obviously be a dream scenario if Slater could partner Cameron Munster with Melbourne halfback Jahrome Hughes, even if the Storm have been in poor form to start 2026.<\/p>\n