Flanno’s dire reality as Storm changes loom; shock twist in Broncos’ succession plan
After starting the 2026 season with six consecutive losses, Shane Flanagan could be facing the final couple of days as head coach of the St George Illawarra Dragons with a board meeting set to determine his future on Tuesday evening.
The NRL’s most controversial rule is back in the spotlight after a series of decisions that caught the attention of coaches, players, media pundits and fans.
Elsewhere, the Canterbury Bulldogs have provided the perfect blueprint on how to defeat the Panthers after ruining their unbeaten winning streak.
BULLDOGS PROVIDE CLEARLY BLUEPRINT IN STATEMENT WIN
Bronson Xerri and Lachlan Galvin proved the old adage, a week is a long time in rugby league, true with starring displays in the Bulldogs’ win over the Panthers in the upset of the season.
Just as talk of the Panthers going through the season undefeated emerged, the Bulldogs shut it down with an emphatic 32-16 victory and Xerri and Galvin had their fingerprints all over it.
Xerri returned from a month out of the team after being axed to be one of the best players on the field and finished with 148 metres, four tackle busts, a linebreak, a linebreak assist and a try assist in a dominant display after replacing injured skipper Stephen Crichton.
And Galvin had his best game for the Bulldogs to finish with 46 run metres, four linebreak assists and a try assist, while his kicking game was on song.
Bryan Fletcher felt Galvin was the difference between the two teams.
“I thought Galvin didn’t overplay his hand. He wasn’t running as much and was just giving good service to his forwards,” Fletcher said on the Late Show with Matty Johns.
“It was a great team effort. Some people will say Penrith were off their game but I feel the Dogs forced that on them.
“They did the video tape because they were going to Blaize Talagi a lot and Jacob Preston got a lot of joy.
“I though Galvin was the difference. He wasn’t trying too much and wasn’t quite as erratic. He was just playing that general role.”
Speaking of the joy the Bulldogs had targeting Talagi, the Panthers five-eighth may have been found out but few halves would have much luck tackling Preston, who is one of the best line runners in the game.
Galvin’s combination with Preston has long been considered a clear strength for the Bulldogs, yet the fact the Panthers still weren’t able to stop it spoke volumes to how much the young halfback’s playmaking has developed.
“One of the things you see about Galvin now is he has found his man,” Matty Johns said.
“Every playmaker needs to form a combination with someone and he and Preston have formed a really good combination and it is good for both of them.”
As for Xerri, coach Cameron Ciraldo said after the win that his communication was the “most pleasing” part of his game.
Xerri called his demotion to NSW Cup the “kick up the a**e I needed” and Johns felt that the Bulldogs centre showed why he is so crucial, especially in the absence of Crichton.
“We have spoken a lot about Xerri, but I reckon tonight he showed his worth,” Johns said.
“Not just as far as setting up tries and finishing them and making breaks, it is his yardage work. He is an extra forward out there.”
Roosters legend Jared Waerea-Hargreaves agreed Xerri plays like another front-rower for the Bulldogs.
“He is so strong, every time he gets the ball he shows his power and he gets on the outside of his opposing centre and he has great hands,” Waerea-Hargreaves said.
“And he is super strong coming out of his own end.”
The forward pack also laid a strong platform, with the former Roosters enforced paying tribute to the Dogs’ pack, who beat the Panthers at their own game.
“Sitili Tupouniua I thought he was massive tonight and scored a good try,” Waerea-Hargreaves said.
“The way he finished the game he brought that energy. But the Bulldogs were physical through the middle and they took it to them.”
They also put Nathan Cleary under pressure for the entire 80 minutes in his 200th game, affording the Panthers halfback little time to operate in what Nathan Hindmarsh believes could be a blueprint for other teams.
“They pressured Cleary all night and the forwards for the Dogs were outstanding,” Hindmarsh said.
“From the kick-off they ran harder, faster and they looed like they had more energy than the Panthers.
“We all thought the Panthers were going to come and get them and they tried and had patches, but the Bulldogs’ defence just kept turning them away, so that’s a massive win for the Dogs.”
In the upset of the season so far, Johns feels it could be the catalyst for a Bulldogs premiership push.
“I don’t think any of us saw this coming,” Johns said.
“If you are going to beat Penrith you have got to beat them through the centre field and the Bulldogs did that.
“They had to win because there is so much going on at the club.
“I know it is early in the season, but sometimes a win is not about the two points. It is about what goes on through the group and trying to quieten the noise and they showed that desperation from the start of the game.”
FLANNO ‘WON’T LAST A WEEK’ AS ‘DRUMS ARE BEATING’ AT DRAGONS
St George Illawarra’s 28-18 loss to the Manly Sea-Eagles in Wollongong was a stark reminder of where the Dragons are as a club currently.
The chorus of booing ringing around WIN stadium was a damning assessment of the club’s start to the season by their own fans, but the worst thing was is it’s the second time in seven days it had happened.
Those boos could spell the end of coach Shane Flanagan’s tenure at the club.
Commentary around the Dragon’s squad has been around how it isn’t strong enough to compete regularly in the NRL, but it’s an argument lost on Fox League host Brath Anasta.
“What I can’t get my head around is how do you blame the players or the roster that you’ve got when you’ve formed those players and bought those players yourself? I just can’t get my head around that and I don’t see that as an excuse as a head coach,” Anasta said.
“The fans are now getting pretty frustrated… And you’re talking St George-Illawarra fans, which is a huge fan base who are very passionate, and the drums are beating and it’s not looking good for Shane.”
It was a sentiment echoed by four-time premiership winner Cooper Cronk, scathing of the lack of reaction from the Dragons’ players.
“You coach what you got, and it’s his job to get the best out of those players,” Cronk said.
“Look at the example of Manly. Manly moved on Anthony Seibold, and they’ve had a reaction through Kieran Foran with two wins in a row.
“Todd Payten was under pressure losing the two first games, those players have responded and won four in a row for Todd Payten because their coach was under pressure.
“This playing group… haven’t won anything, and you know Shane Flanagan has been under pressure and what’s that, 10 losses in a row now?
“Pressure is mounting, those decision makers will come at some stage, and it’s whether he coaches against South Sydney this week or not.”
It seems the pressure isn’t going away any time soon with reports Jayden Su’a is set for a remarkable switch, leaving the club early to join the Parramatta Eels.
Code Sports reported the second-rower informed team mates of his decision to leave the club through a WhatsApp group chat on Saturday morning.
One can only wonder if he sees the writing on the wall at the Dragons.
DRAGONS SIXTH LOSS 'NOT GOOD ENOUGH'
Since reports emerged linking him with an exit from the North Queensland Cowboys, Scott Drinkwater has taken his game to a new level and helped the side achieve five consecutive wins after opening the season with back-to-back losses.
This was further illustrated on Friday night after he produced a stellar performance in the Queensland derby against the Broncos, hours after being granted formal permission from the Cowboys to explore his options on the open market.
“This sort of game is built for a player like Scotty and anytime he got any sort of ruck speed he was on it and did not miss hit,” Shaun Johnson said on Fox League.
“I thought he recognised rucks really well. It’s obviously a strength of his game, where he need to get over that ad [advantage] line or find a pass.
“There were a couple of times in the middle part of the field where it almost looked like he’s just going to take a carry then he steps up and starts using the ball a bit and getting it to his edges to generate some ball speed.
Scoring one try, making three line-breaks, providing two try assists, running 148 metres and kicking a field-goal, the fullback could have done no wrong in Round 6.
Kevin Walters added, “I thought he was a bit more in control of his match tonight. Sometimes he tries too hard and tries things that are not really on.
“He played a good style of footy tonight and used his brain really well. The field-goal was excellent. It was a really tough fied-goal to convert and the way he injected himself into the game was really smart as well.
“He was heavily criticised only three weeks ago and he’s hit the go button and on the back of that the Cowboys have had four-in-a-row now.”
But this begs the question... have the Cowboys made a mistake by letting him go?
Although he is not seen as their long-term option in the No.1 jersey, Drinkwater remains one of the elite fullbacks in the NRL competition and is an X-factor in attack who can change the outcome of matches in an instant.
This has seen him heavily linked to the under-performing St George Illawarra Dragons who remain winless after the opening six rounds of the 2026 season.
Walters said Drinkwater would “certainly make a difference” to a Dragons team struggling for points, but the defensive concerns surrounding his game are warranted.
It is part of the reason why Drinkwater can be such a rocks-and-diamonds player, which makes his signing a “risk” for a Dragons team that isn’t providing its spine with much of a platform to play off.
“What brings Scott Drinkwater to life is ruck speed and a pack that can generate some go-forward. Watching the Dragons earlier, it is an area they are struggling with at the moment,” Johnson said.
“He would be a handy addition for most sides but nowadays, the modern-day fullback has to be equally as dominant on the defensive side. The role they play defensively, he is almost the anchor. He is the heartbeat of your defensive line.
“I’m sure he is going to want to make strides in that area and Scotty if he commits to that, you’ll probably see that filter through the rest of the side.”
If not, as Cooper Cronk warned, the move could end up backfiring for Drinkwater.
“He likes to play fast, front-foot, free-flowing and the Dragons are not playing well at the moment. They don’t have athletic forwards like Taumalolo or Luki to generate ruck speed, so that would be a risk,” Cronk said.
Drinkwater’s manager, Gavin Orr of Pacific Sports Management, has confirmed that the Perth Bears and PNG Chiefs are also in the mix to land his signature after he was granted formal permission by the Cowboys to explore his options elsewhere.
“First of all, I’d like to just acknowledge how well he’s handled the past 48 hours,” Cowboys coach Todd Payten said, providing the latest on the fullback.
“I was hopeful that it wasn’t going to break until after the game, just so it wasn’t a distraction for him - it was his 150th game.
“The way he handled that and the way he played is a credit to him. I haven’t spoken face-to-face with the kid so I’ll make this comment.
“His management asked us if it was okay for him to negotiate with other clubs on Wednesday and we gave him the green light. I don’t want to make any more comment on that til I speak to Scott face-to-face.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. Not pushing him out the door. Got to have a conversation with him and see where it lands but we value what he does for this club.”
DISRUPTOR RULE BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS COACHES DUMBFOUNDED
The NRL’s most controversial rule found itself back in the spotlight in Round 6, with multiple coaches dumbfounded by decisions that were either overturned or made under the disruptor rule.
Labelled “bizarre” by Brisbane Broncos coach Michael Maguire, Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson stated that the NRL needs to give a “clear statement” on the interpretation of the disruptor rule so everyone, from fans to players, can wrap their head around it and expect consistency week in, week out.
“I’ve got no idea, it’s bizarre,” Maguire said when asked if the rule had started to become confusing.
“They (the NRL referees) have either got to get consistency around it or don’t touch it..but if they are going to down that path, well make sure there is consistency.
“The outside backs, their job is to catch the ball. We practise that all day, every day.
“I just don’t quite understand what they are trying to do with the rule when the ball was already was through the arms, so I don’t get it.”
A day later, Trent Robinson admitted that it had “gone too far” since it was first introduced to protect players going up for catches against people who weren’t competing.
“Choosing my words carefully on that,” Robinson said.
“The direction that they (were) heading was right. There was too much disturbing of fullbacks, there’s people that weren’t competing, (but) that’s gone too far.
“That was a clear example of two guys in a contest. Both guys looking at the ball. I mean, that’s overcompensation. If someone tries to defend that, then we’re heading in the wrong direction. I think that’s the most extreme.
“I know there was a bit last night in the Brisbane game, but I don’t think anybody can argue that, that was a disrupter.
“That wasn’t the point of the rule. They’ve overcompensated. Hopefully there’s a clear statement within a couple of days saying that we went to far, we need to get it right.
“I think everyone will go, yeah cool, I can understand that.”
Cronulla Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon added, “I’m a bit lost now. I though theirs was a tough one in the first half and then I don’t know. I’ve got to look at him in isolation but I don’t know.”
“I think if it’s a fair play on the ball, it’s a fair play on the ball. I think they sort of had a two-handed rule, but I think they’ve adjusted it if he misses it, it’s a penalty.
“There’s rules around it but it still comes down to what happens on the call of the day.”
While the three NRL coaches remain puzzled by the ruling, Code Sports reports that the NRL are expected to remind match officials on how to police the disruptor rule and two controversial decisions are already under review.
These are Scott Drinkwater being penalised for taking out Josiah Karapani in the Queensland derby and the decision to deny Robert Toia a try in the contest between the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla Sharks on Saturday afternoon in Perth.
“I didn’t like this call at all,” former NRL player turned analyst Cooper Cronk said on the Super Saturday show on Fox League regarding the latter decision.
“I understand that there’s a lot of conjecture around the disruptor call. I understand when someone physically knocks the catcher out and doesn’t have eyes on the football but this is the NRL.
“This is the best rugby league players on the planet and we’re rewarding mediocrity when someone puts a fingertip.
“Rob Toia barely touches Stonestreet there and they say it disrupts an elite player catching the ball. Part of the outside backs’ job is to catch. I don’t like that one.
“Sometimes when they bump into them and disrupt them I get it but not that one. That is not a disruptor.”
HOW DOUBLE GRAND FINAL HEARTBREAK ARE LEAVING MASSIVE STORM SCARS
Storm legend Cooper Cronk recounts the period Melbourne lost five games in a row all the way back in 2012.
There were concerns at the time but ultimately, the Storm were able to turn it around and go on and win the comp.
While it gives the current Storm crop hope, unfortunately for them, Cronk doesn’t find many parallels between the five-game losing streak 14 years ago and the horror run Melbourne are in the midst of now.
After starting the year strong with two thumping wins, the Storm dropped their fourth straight on Saturday night, downed 38-14 by the Warriors.
They’ve now lost their past two games by a combined margin of 64. That’s simply unheard of in the Bellamy era
