2026 Season

Tigers imploding already. Definitely read their own press after their win last week.

Also badly missing Api, Bula and KPP.

Now as I type this they can't win the comp.
 
If AI has done this correctly*, this is the real NRL Ladder now.

Rank [1, 2, 3, 4]TeamWinsLosses+/-Points ForPoints Against
1Penrith Panthers71+167273106
2New Zealand Warriors72+108278170
3Sydney Roosters62+51253202
4North Queensland Cowboys63+12239227
5South Sydney Rabbitohs53+68260192
6Wests Tigers53+40219179
7Brisbane Broncos54+1210209
8Newcastle Knights54-30232262
9Manly Sea Eagles43+53211158
10Cronulla Sharks44+36244208
11Canberra Raiders45-66183249
12Dolphins35-11184195
13Canterbury Bulldogs35-49145194
14Parramatta Eels36-121194315
15Gold Coast Titans26-46158204
16Melbourne Storm27-62198260
17St. George Illawarra Dragons08-151114265


* excluded byes, sort on wins, then losses, then points +/-
 
I have been interested in the psychology of what your team scoring means to supporters. It came about years ago when I saw a psychologist suggesting that the low scores in football could play its part in the violence that was around ths game at the time. For the record, I disagree with that assessment on the violence, but it did lead me to think about supporter reactions in several sports:

FOOTBALL - a low scoring sport. Teams can regularly go through games without scoring at all. An early goal can mean victory. Generally more close calls then actual scoring movements. Supporter emotional outpouring is massive when their team scores.

BASKETBALL - a high scoring sport. Even so, every time your team heads down the court you are on the edge of your seat. If you miss, the opposition has a chance to score straight away, so every goal or defensive win is met by some instant but short-lived exhilaration from the fans. Runs of points can set you up for victory and games can often come down to clutch moments.

AFL - a mid to high scoring game. A goal for or against your team gives an emotional reaction similar to basketball but you can also relax for large amounts of the game as the teams go back and forth with no real scoring opportunities. The game scoring trends towards the eventual winner and it is often a slow build towards that win. Some games do see-saw or a comeback can happen where supporter emotion is higher.

NRL (historically) - a low to mid scoring game where tries have led to a big outpouring of emotion and any one score can be important to the overall result.

I say all this because I feel my emotional reaction to the Knights scoring is different this year. It is closer to watching an AFL game to a NRL match. When they scored early and often early on the weekend, my reaction was less then a try has illicited in the past. The first half it felt like we were trending towards a win rather than really burying a team under an avalanche. At half time there was no talk in the supporters around us that the job was done. It's like in today's game a try isn't worth what it used to be and the emtional response is lower. Is anyone else having similar reactions? Is it the new rule interpretations causing this? Is it a carry over from some mentally weak performances from us in the past?
 
Phil Gould is at it again; now he wants to get rid of scrums. He's the Donald Trump of the NRL. Just says stupid sh!tte to attract attention elsewhere from his dramas. The problem is, like Frump he has the ear of people who rush to make his ramblings law, no matter how stupid they are.

www.zerotackle.com

Phil Gould unloads on "embarrassment to our code"

The Bulldogs head honcho has publicly called for its removal.
www.zerotackle.com www.zerotackle.com

We all know scrums have not been contested for donkey's years, but the Rugby League decided not to go down the overly technical and boring route of union and make them contested, but instead use the opportunity to take 14 players out of the line for a play or two. Allowing teams to run all sorts of attacking options.

What's worse is that even Gould has talked about this. But now, with the Dogs in chaos, he wants to talk about getting rid of scrums. Which I'm sure he will complain about relentlessly in commentary once they do it, having forgotten it was his bright spark idea, like so many of the untested rules and officiating changes in recent seasons.
 
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Would people like a dedicated Phil Gould thread where you can post about him and every word he utters to your heart's content? Feel like he takes up a looot of airtime in other threads.
 
It's a discussion thread about the 2026 season. The NRL have implemented a number of untested intra-season changes over recent years. Gould's position in the game seems to give him unique access to the powers that be, so it seems relevant to this thread.
 
Seano said:
It's a discussion thread about the 2026 season. The NRL have implemented a number of untested intra-season changes over recent years. Gould's position in the game seems to give him unique access to the powers that be, so it seems relevant to this thread.
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I just thought it might be a good idea. I don't think they're going to be removing scrums in 2026.
 
I think they can still do it within limits, but it doesn't happen often because it's hard to both push on cue and break from the scrum quickly enough if the ball gets out.
 
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