The Broncos have relieved the pressure thanks to two straight wins but there is still a concerning flaw around a key playmaker that needs to be rectified.
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Meanwhile, fresh off arguably the best game of his career, Tigers star Adam Doueihi has reflected on the horror Easter Monday he endured three years ago.
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Read on for the key NRL Talking Points ahead of Round 5.
GUS’ STUNNING CLAIM AHEAD OF MANLY’S FORAN ERA
Dolphins vs. Sea Eagles Thursday 2nd of April @ 8pm
Following a tumultuous weekend which saw the Sea Eagles sack Anthony Seibold and promote rookie assistant coach Kieran Foran to interim, Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould has made a surprising claim regarding Foran.
The 35-year-old was just four and a half months post-retirement when Manly shocked the club great by asking him to take control of the Sea Eagles for the rest of the year.
However, it’s been revealed that Foran almost never got the chance to take the reins at Manly.
“I’m not talking out of school here – I actually interviewed Kieran Foran two or three times last year,” Gould said on his Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
“Cameron Ciraldo is always looking for talented coaches and we actually spoke to him (Foran) about coming to join the Bulldogs.
“We had a couple of conversations and secret meetings. Everything was going along OK and all of a sudden, we’d picked up the paper and he’d gone back to Manly.
“I don’t think back then going to Manly he foresaw what was to happen now, but it’s a sliding doors moment.
“All of a sudden after three rounds, he finds himself in charge with the big job.
“He was a tremendous, long-serving player and I’ve always been an admirer of Kieran Foran and the way he played the game.
“The way he played and the coaching he had sort of fuels the criteria of someone who will be a student of the game and could impart that knowledge. It’s why we made the approach to him.”
Regardless of what could’ve happened, the reality is that Foran is preparing for the most unique challenge of his career in rugby league.
A club legend, Foran’s promotion was obviously a shock, but he’s said numerous times in the past few days he believes he’s the man for the job in the time being.
However, if he impresses over the next couple of months, the Sea Eagles could be prepared to shed the interim tag and appoint Foran full time.
“You can understand why Foran was a popular player. They are going to play for him and you know they are going to start physical against the Dolphins,” CODE Sports’ Michael Carayannis said on NRL360.
“When you look at everyone available to him, he was the right choice for now.”
Carayannis explained that Manly held a board meeting this week to discuss the potential of Foran winning the full-time gig down the track instead of other serious contenders such as Brad Arthur, Matt Ballin and Michael Ennis.
“They’ve decided not to have an aggressive approach in the short-term but they aren’t rushing into a decision because genuinely, they want to see if Kieran Foran is the man that can lead them long term,” Carayannis said.
“I was a little surprised by that. Is he the right man to coach Manly long term, well that’s something they are considering.”
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Do Manly see Foran as long term choice? | 02:12
BULLDOGS HALVES SHAKE-UP
Rabbitohs vs. Bulldogs Friday 3rd of April @ 4.05pm
Has the Bulldogs’ halves experiment failed? Depends who you ask.
Cameron Ciraldo’s decision to shift Matt Burton to the centres, Stephen Crichton into the halves and bring on Sean O’Sullivan in Round 4 sparked the conversation.
But it was a conversation being had throughout 2025, when the Bulldogs made the controversial call to dump Toby Sexton and replace him with young gun Lachie Galvin.
There’s arguably not been a player more talked about in recent years than Galvin, who was handed Canterbury’s coveted No. 7 jersey without having experience as a chief playmaker.
Ciraldo’s switch marked a potential shift in his own attitudes towards his halves, with the Bulldogs having managed only 45 points across their first three games.
And for Braith Anasta, the simple fact their halves have looked lacklustre has them shuffling down the premiership rankings.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think they’re close. I thought they were and then the weekend, just, they went backwards,” Anasta said to foxsports.com.au.
“I actually thought they were. I was thinking they were going to kick on from the Knights game, and I actually thought they’d towel the Knights up. So I got that horribly wrong. A
“And unfortunately, that’s made me second guess my evaluation on them. I actually think they’re probably further away than what they were to start the year now.
“So it’s a worry for them and I thought they were going to get there, but now I’m highly doubtful.
“They’ve got the defence to win a comp, but that’s why they are tweaking their attack, because they haven’t got the attack to win a comp and they know that,”
“They haven’t evolved and their lack of creativity in the spine is a major concern … they just haven’t found their groove.”
The inclusion of O’Sullivan into the spine also was a peculiar decision.
His signing made perfect sense, with Ciraldo’s halves depth being tested following Sexton’s departure, with young gun Mitchell Woods the club’s only other recognised playmaker.
But if he is slotted into the No. 7 jersey in a full scale spine reshuffle, it’s not the greatest look for the Dogs.
‘Can’t win the comp!’ Braith blasts Dogs | 01:58
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“I think he’s a really good player, and I am not saying he’s not the answer but they’ve gone full circle if they go to Sean,” Anasta said.
“Sexton was a very similar player so the experiment hasn’t really worked if they go back to Sean, but that’s not to say they can’t be better with him.”
Flip the coin around, and you have Cooper Cronk’s opinion — he believes there’s zero cause for concern in Belmore.
“I wouldn’t be worried about the Dogs attack if I was Cameron Ciraldo, I’ve seen glimpses that says this team can put it together,” Cronk said on the Matty and Cronk podcast.
“I don’t think it says anything other than Matt Burton might have had an injury or something like that, it’s not something to look into.
“If the Bulldogs are going to play finals and have a chance, Burton is your five-eighth, Galvin is your halfback.”
Instead, he believes Ciraldo’s spine reshuffle simply came down to Matt Burton misfiring against the Knights.
Once he was moved, he then scored two tries, but that was only a temporary measure in an attempt to spark something, according to Cronk.
What’s more is the role of Crichton, who could act as a third playmaker of sorts moving forward — a role that was spot-tested against Newcastle.
As Tom Trbojevic has previously done for NSW, Latrell Mitchell does for the Rabbitohs and Joey Manu was renowned for doing with the Roosters, Crichton should be given a license to roam.
“Stephen Crichton is the best centre in the world, you start moving him around permanently, I think that throws him out,” Cronk said.
“But I think he can definitely be the kind of centre that Joey Manu was at the Roosters and roam around.”
Regardless of each pundit’s stance, Ciraldo has stuck solid with Galvin and Burton in the halves in Round 5 as his side prepare to take on the Rabbitohs.
It’s an interesting match-up considering Souths have in the past been leaky defensively, but can pile points on with potent attacking weapons across the park.
If Canterbury struggle for points again, it will only further highlight their issues — but Round 5 shapes as a huge opportunity to silence the critics.
SEVERAL STORM CONCERNS RAISED AS DATE WITH 4-0 PENRITH AWAITS
Panthers vs. Storm, Friday 3rd of April @ 8.00pm
If this game was held a fortnight ago, the build up for it would be unmatched for an early regular season fixture.
It would have been two unbeaten teams who have been the benchmark of the competition over the past decade coming together after two thumping wins in the opening two rounds.
However, the game has lost just that little bit of lustre since the Storm have dropped their past two matches after beginning 2026 hot.
Because the Panthers have maintained their outstanding start and are the only unbeaten team, they’ll enter the Good Friday blockbuster as clear favourites.
The Storm’s recent form does raise some alarm bells for club great Cooper Cronk.
He believes both losses – a 18-14 defeat to Brisbane and a 28-24 upset by the Cowboys – were completely unavoidable.
In both games, the Storm coughed up big leads and were run down.
Storm fans don’t have to be reminded of the 14 point lead they choked in last year’s grand final.
“They have the ability to rattle up scores so quick. They are capable of scoring 40 in a half but when you are looking to play that type of football, you’re going to get errors and it’s going to take a bit of gas out of your defensive tank,” Matty Johns said on Matty and Cronk.
“They aren’t that grafting, grinding side that Melbourne are famous side.”
“They should be though,” Cronk responded emphatically.
“The Storm have the best players arguably in their position, one of the best coaches and they should not give up leads, particularly in big games.
“I’m not saying it’s ok it’s drop a game against the Cowboys on a Saturday night but they’ve done it against the Broncos twice now.”
Cronk says it’s clear what the Storm fail to do well when they fall into a hole and let teams back into it.
Storm rally behind Tui after stroke | 01:57
“You can talk about the ability to soar high and rattle off a score but I can almost guarantee it’ll be ill-discipline in terms of penalties and set restarts and then the kicking game becomes under pressure and when you do that with a lead, the other team win the field position battle,” he said.
“It’s not the skill of Grant and Munster and that, it’s the discipline of their team, a little bit of complacency but then when they are defending their goaline, the inexperience of the Storm’s edges are being found out in big moments.”
So, can the Storm turn things around against Penrith?
History suggests they certainly can.
Melbourne have won their past four regular season matches against the Panthers.
Both teams have proven they have plenty of points in them, but are sides that in recent years, focus
When asked by Johns if the Storm can win an “arm-wrestle” against Penrith despite their suspect form defensively, Cronk said his former side can.
“Arm-wrestle is different because your talking about back-and-forth and grinding away. I think they have the firepower to beat Penrith in an arm-wrestle,” Cronk said.
“They have to play a high percentage game and fight Penrith with what they’re great at and I think Munster is the key for the Storm.”
Johns is electing to ride the hot hand.
“I’m still going Penrith. There is no team at the moment I have contemplated beating Penrith but if I’m a Storm fan thinking how can my team win this, well if it’s 16-16 with ten to go, that’s the way it has to be,” Johns opined.
CAN NEW DRAGONS HALVES LIFT AS PRESSURE HEATS UP ON FLANNO
Dragons vs. Cowboys, Saturday 4th of April @ 5.30pm
Step on up Lhykan King-Togia.
The Dragons young gun will have to be important this Saturday afternoon if the Red V are to end their season drought against North Queensland.
Selected at five-eighth following the nasty concussion to Kyle Flanagan, King-Togia will likely have two games to show his coach Shane Flanagan that he deserves a consistent first grade opportunity.
Like many Dragons last season, King-Togia mixed his form.
In attack, he’s a game-breaker, but defensively, he proved to be a bit of a turnstile.
To stay in Flanagan’s good graces, you have to be able to tackle.
With another pre-season under his belt, it’ll be interesting to see if the 20-year-old has improved that part of his game.
If this is the case, NRL360 host Braith Anasta says King-Togia can be the right option for the Dragons, who are in dire need of a spark after four losses to start the season.
“He brings a lot in attack. He came on against the Titans and didn’t do too much but didn’t get much of an opportunity there. He hasn’t had much of an opportunity if any at all this year, Anasta.
“He’s got really got footwork and speed. He’s the most creative half in the team I believe.
“The question mark has always been his defence. His defence was poor last year but they need points and if you are looking for points, King-Togia is their biggest threat so I think it’s good in that regard.
“It’s a great opportunity for him given the way they’re going and how poor they’ve started the year and their inability to create opportunities. He has some x-factor but he has a challenge.”
BRONCOS ‘BLUEPRINT’ EMERGES BUT SPOTLIGHT SHINED ON STAR’S FLAW
Titans vs. Broncos Saturday 4th of April @ 7.35pm
It was a tough start to the season, but the Broncos have been clicking on all cylinders since being down 14-0 against the Storm in Round 3.
In three halves of footy since, Brisbane have outscored two high quality opponents 44-12.
During that span, a common theme has emerged.
In the second forty against the Storm, Brisbane completed high (20/22). They did the same against the Dolphins last weekend, completing 34/38 sets.
As NRL legend Cooper Cronk noted, the Broncos are the league’s most dangerous team when they “get the fundamentals right”, labelling that style of play as “their blueprint”.
“That was one of the better and wholehearted performances I’ve seen from the Broncos in some time,” Cronk said, referring to the 26-12 win over the Dolphins.
“They have talent to burn but when they get the fundamentals right, they are a premiership team.
“They defended the goal line for a long period of time in that second half which got them the victory then their best players in Reece Walsh, Kotoni Staggs and Adam Reynolds hit the scoreboard.
“That is their blueprint moving forward. They’ve got their season back on track.”
Hunt frustration over positional change | 02:21
When the Broncos can put together sets, tackle well and be disciplined, rewards generally come.
Momentum builds, which means they can wear the opposition down before their star players come to the fore.
That’s exactly what happened against the Dolphins, with the Broncos scoring two late tries to put the game to bed after a gritty second half battle.
While two straight wins has led to the pressure valve releasing at Red Hill for now, there are a few kinks to work out.
Five-eighth Ezra Mam, who had a chequered season in 2025 before finishing in a blaze of glory, has been underwhelming so far this season.
Cooper Cronk says there’s one flaw of Mam’s game which has the potential to curtail a promising play or thwart Brisbane’s momentum.
Cronk noted a couple of instances against the Dolphins where a good-looking Broncos backline play was coughed up due to Mam’s passing.
“Ezra Mam is an athletic player. He’s got that running game, but there’s a bit of work to do with Ezra’s ball-playing because when he moves fast like a run, his hands aren’t soft,” Cronk said on Fox League.
“There were a couple of errors where he tries to run, but he then rushes the pass when the defence reacts.
“He needs a bit of an evolution.”
On the Matty and Cronk show, Cronk then highlighted examples of how much better a backline play resulted in when it was Reece Walsh making the key pass.
“When Reece Walsh was carving teams up last year, we spoke about him being two passes wide, a bit of space when the wingers and centres are detached,” Cronk said.
“Teams will start rushing him as they do at different stages, but he still has that pass to get away which he does.”
HOW STAR BOUNCED BACK FROM ‘DARK MOMENT’ FOR RESURGENT TIGERS
Eels vs. Tigers Sunday 6th of April @ 4.05pm
The NRL’s yearly Easter Monday fixture brings painful memories for Adam Doueihi.
In was in this clash three years ago when playing at five-eighth for the Tigers against the Eels when Doueihi suffered a catastrophic knee injury.
It was Doueihi’s third ACL injury – all on the same leg – but this one appeared to be the worst.
Speaking this week to Andrew Voss on SEN, Doueihi labelled the injury as the darkest moment of his career.
I was doing some research and no one had really done three on the same leg before,” Doueihi said.
“Just the thoughts afterwards and the recovery process I had to go through was tough but I got through it.”
Doueihi spent over 14 months on the sideline with the ruptured ACL before returning in June of 2024
Thankfully, despite three ACL ruptures in six years, the versatile Tigers star has been able to not only return to the field, but become a crucial cog to a burgeoning side.
Doueihi was terrific in patches last season but he’s lifted his game to a new level in 2026.
Being tasked with the main playmaker duties in the No. 7 jersey to allow Jarome Luai to play his natural game at five-eighth, Doueihi has been the Tigers’ best player through three games.
Without Luai last week against the Warriors, the 27-year-old ran for 222 metres (second most ever by a halfback), set up two tries and had two line breaks in an upset win across the ditch.
“His performance on the weekend, if that’s Nathan Cleary, you walk away thinking he’s a deadset immortal,” foxsports.com.au’s Paul Crawley said on NRL360 before host Braith Anasta added: “I’ve never seen him play better. He was Superman.”
Doueihi is just one of several impressive aspects of the Tigers this year, who are 2-1 heading into their Easter Monday clash against the Eels at CommBank Stadium.
The job Benji Marshall has done with his side’s defence is one of those.
As journalist David Riccio noted on NRL360, the Tigers
“It’s a coming of age season for the Tigers and Benji Marshall,” he said.
“They are conceding 16.7 points per game. That’s their best ever in Wests Tigers history.
“It’s a small sample size but very, very promising signs.”
Anasta added that in his opinion, a reason for the sharply improved defensive showing is due to the close bond the playing group has.
He pinpointed Marshall as the reason behind this.
“You know what I love the most, it’s the connection they have,” Anasta said.
“That’s what the coach provides. That’s what he tries to set up for his group is a bond that these players play for each other and loves each other.”