Talking Points, Trials week three, analysis, opinion, Nathan Cleary suspension, Daly Cherry-Evans Roosters debut, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sharks, rugby league news

There was much more drama in the third week of the Pre-Season Challenge than anticipated, led by Nathan Cleary’s two-game ban for a high tackle.

The Panthers will challenge the grading at the judiciary but if that fails, who will Penrith turn to when they open their season against some very tough opponents.

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Daly Cherry-Evans was a little quiet in his first game in Roosters colours but the same can’t be said for his halves partner, who could play his way into an Origin contention this season.

Meanwhile, the Sharks and Rabbitohs answered questions over their halves combinations.

Read on for the Talking Points from trials week three.

NEXT MAN UP FOR PENRITH AFTER CRUSHING EARLY SEASON BLOW

The Panthers were dealt a mammoth blow as they kick off what shapes as a season of redemption of sorts in 2026.

Ivan Cleary’s men were dumped out of the finals at the hands of the eventual premiers, the Broncos, in the 2025 preliminary finals, ending their quest for a fifth-straight title.

It’s a scary prospect for rival teams that Penrith have added motivation this season, hoping to once again find their way to the peak of the NRL.

But they might have to begin their quest for premiership glory without Nathan Cleary, if the Panthers are unsuccesful at the NRL judiciary.

The superstar halfback was handed a two-game ban with an early guilty plea for a high shot on rising Tigers star Heamasi Makasini, which rises to three if he fails to secure a downgrade on Monday night.

Should he spent a period on the sidelines, Jack Cogger will slot into the No.7 jersey in his absence after overcoming a host of pre-season niggles.

“It would have been good to have had a run, but I had a few niggles. It was more precautionary to get the right preparation heading into round one,” Cogger told Newswire.

And while Cleary is sidelined, Cogger once again plugs a hole and solves a big issue that plagued the Panthers throughout the 2025 season.

When Cleary was sidelined, Brad Schneider failed to find his feet in the halves and Penrith’s attack looked rudderless without their star man.

Think back to the 2023 season and Cogger played a starring role throughout the year when both Cleary and Jarome Luai were unavailable.

The 28-year-old was also a crucial figure in their grand final win over the Broncos, replacing Luai who was forced off with a shoulder injury late in the contest.

Cogger was pivotal in sparking the late surge which saw Penrith win their third of four straight titles, before he departed for the Knights and eventually found his way back to the foot of the mountain.

“I think Penrith fans understand how important he was (in the 2023 grand final), but I still think his role is so underrated because he was able to create so much space for me and for everyone around us,” Cleary told Newswire.

“He also brought a different calm energy onto the field when everything was a bit hectic and it felt like everything was going wrong. He came on and was really positive and clicked me into gear to think the right things.

“He’s naturally a quiet guy, but he’s a leader and he showed it that night on the biggest stage. He’s still the great man and I’m really pleased to have him back.

“We both see the game really similarly, so we can bounce ideas off each other. We’re also the same age. We’ve had a bit of a different experience throughout our first-grade careers, but we both understand the game.”

It’s fair to say the impact of losing Cleary this year has been lessened by Cogger’s return.

MAKASINI SHINES WITH LOMU-LIKE TRY

Tigers’ teenage sensation Heamasi Makasini backed up his hat-trick in the first trial with one of the best solo tries you will ever see in the 26-12 win over the Panthers.

Makasini beat multiple defenders before trampling over the top of Blues fullback Dylan Edwards in a stunning 40-metre run to the line that was remeniscnet of Jonah Lomu in the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Makasini finished with 140 run metres, six tackle busts, three linebreaks and a try to stamp himself as a near certainty for Round 1 either on the wing.

“Heamasi Makasini with this bulldozing, fast, furious try,” Braith Anasta said.

“How good was seeing this at Leichhardt Oval.”

Tigers great Steve Roach believes Makasini will be a household name before long if he isn’t there already.

“I reckon everyone in the league will be talking about this kid,” Roach said.

“He scored three tries last week and look at that for power. That is Edwards the Australian fullback coming across trying to make a tackle and he has just steamrolled him.

“He walked past us and their was an eclipse. He is about six foot five. He is a big man. Imagine when he fills out.”

Kevvie Walters was impressed by the young gun’s confidence and ability to back himself against the best.

“I like how he backed himself down the line against the best defensive fullback in the game and he just took him on,” Walters said.

“It was a terrific moment in his career. I am sure we are going to see a lot more.”

Tigers skipper Jarome Luai was full of praise for Makasini after the match.

“I will give him his wraps, I am probably a guy not to give him too many wraps in the pre-season,” Luai said of Makasini.

“I try to say it is not the big plays that matter, but the little plays, so that when the big moment comes you are good enough to own it.

“Seeing him in full flight back there, bumping off some of my old teammates, I was in awe, so it was a great try for the young’un.”

Tigers coach Benji Marshall was equally happy for Makasini and praised his maturity for an 18-year-old.

“I loved it,” Marshall said of Makasini’s try.

“He has put in the hard work this pre-season. He has stayed really mature. It is hard being really young and getting all the headlines and trying not to read into it too much.

“But he has done a really good job with the group that he has got around him to stay humble.

“He is a really good kid and I love coaching him, but we have got some really hard work to do in the next few weeks as well.”

Unfortunately the Tigers will have to wait until Round 2 to play their next game, but Luai is excited by the combinations that are developing.

“I take a lot of pride in my edge and my combinations and just want to make sure that I get the best out of those boys, they are really young,” Luai said.

“We have got some pretty good weapons out there, so I think it is my responsibility to let them shine and do their thing and they did a pretty good job tonight.

“The way the boys have been training they are really ramping it up.

“We have some good competition from the young guys in the club, so that will keep us on our toes.

“We will get our reps in the bank and watch the boys in Vegas and then Round 1, but we will be ready in Round 2.”

Marshall was quick to not get too excited about a trial, but remains optimistic for the season ahead.

“I was just happy they got through the game unscathed, we didn’t have any major injuries, but this is pre-season, so to see some of the guys go out there and have a go, pretty happy with it.

“They have done a lot of hard work on the left, but the right side looked pretty good too I thought.

“But at the same time it is a trial and I think some people take the trials a little more serious than they are.

“You want to get your systems in place and build some foundations, which I thought we did a good job.

“But at the same time they took their best team off at half-time, so we won’t read too much into it.”

Marshall was most impressed with the Tigers’ ability to compete and work hard for each other both at training and on the field.

“One thing we have talked about is every time we wear the jersey we take pride in it,” Marshall said.

“That is one thing you can’t take for granted. Playing NRL is a privilege and playing at this club is a privilege, so we want to make sure we represent that every time and I thought in particular those young blokes in the second half did that.”

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HOW DCE/WALKER HALVES COMBINATION WILL WORK

Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has outlined how the halves combination of Daly Cherry-Evans and Sam Walker will work heading into the 2026 season, despite both players being traditional halfbacks.

As shown in the trial match against the Eels, Cherry-Evans will don the No.6 jersey and Walker will remain in the No.7 jumper, but they won’t play the roles of a traditional five-eighth and traditional halfback.

Instead, they will complement each other and play on both sides of the field.

“The first thing is they’re going to be themselves. The first thing is to ask them to play their game. They will complement each other,” Robinson told Fox League.

“At different times, the way that we’ve played over a long period of time is with halves and five-eighths, but allowing them to run and move both sides of the ball, that’ll be no different.

“Sam’s in the middle of growing into a really dominant half of the game, but he’s also got some creativity that we want him to express. He’s still 23, so play like a 23-year-old and I think Daly will allow that.”

The way they complemented each other was on full show during the opening half against the Parramatta Eels and while it will take more time to get used to each other and adjust to the new combination, they had some good moments throughout the contest in attack.

Cherry-Evans’ presence also freed Walker to play with less pressure and this was evident when he scored ten points (one try and three goals), made four tackle busts, one line-break and provided one line-break assist and two try assists in the opening half alone.

“The word out of the Roosters is that he and Sam Walker (are) contributing and complementing each other in attack,” former Roosters premiership-winner turned Fox League commentator Cooper Cronk added.

Australian Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters said, “He’s got Sam Walker beside him. One of the most gifted young players in our game, he’s going to bring some knowledge and wisdom, but the energy that Sam Walker plays with will rub off on Daly Cherry-Evans.

Looking to follow in the footsteps of Cronk by joining the Roosters in the hope of claiming a premiership, Cherry-Evans’ arrival was marred by controversy, but he has put that all behind him as he shifts his focus to their opening match against the Warriors next week.

“It’s been great. A few things have changed, the colour of the jersey, but pre-season’s still the same old, they’re bloody hard,” Cherry-Evans said on Fox League.

“I’ve got a good pre-season under my belt which is pretty good. A lot of time with new teammates and getting used to the Roosters way.”

He is also looking forward to furthering his combination with Walker. “He’s a very, very talented player and I think everyone knows that but I think it’s the person that Sammy is that’s really striking me.

“He’s such a down-to-earth, humble person. He’s willing to learn and I’m still learning off him. He’s got some real ability and love playing alongside him.”

CAN TRINDALL AND HYNES LEAD SHARKS TO A TITLE?

It is no secret that 2026 is the last hurrah for the Cronulla Sharks to win a premiership with their current squad.

Failing to add another trophy to their cabinet since 2016, the Sharks enter this year’s campaign after back-to-back losses in the preliminary final and under a ton of pressure and expectations.

While coach Craig Fitzgibbon has turned them into one of the best teams in the competition, there have been many calls that they don’t have the halves pairing to lead them to premiership success.

“They’ve always been a good defensive side (but) scoring the points and just being that consistent team throughout the year will be really big for them,” Kevin Walters said on Fox League.

With multiple players off-contract at the end of the season and with many critics believing that they don’t have what it takes to contend with the likes of the Broncos, Panthers and Storm, the Sharks will need to rely heavily on the halves pairing of Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes.

“They are an above-average good team. They do a lot of things really well. When it comes to a prelim final, the last couple of years they just haven’t taken that next step,” Cooper Cronk said.

“The signs are always around the spine to take that next step and Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall did last week against the All Stars I think that’s an improvement.

“Because let’s be honest, if they’re going to walk into a prelim final, dominate that and then lift the trophy this man (Hynes), along with Trindall, needs to own the moments and come up with big plays when it counts.”

Coming off strong showings in the All Stars match last week, they once again dominated on the field together on Saturday afternoon against the Canberra Raiders.

While the Raiders were missing most of their regulars, the halves pairing had a combined 70 running metres, four tackle busts, four line-break assists, one line-break and three try assists in limited minutes on the field.

Now, they need to do it on a regular basis during the 2026 NRL season – something they have lacked over the past couple of years.

“I thought the initial exchanges where they got the ball they were definitely in command and we worked hard on their combination,” coach Craig Fitzgibbon said on Fox League.

“I like the mix and match sometimes Nicho’s on the ball and Tricky off it, and I thought they took the line on quite well and asked plenty of questions, and I think that’s important for any halves combination…we’re looking to develop that over the coming weeks.”

Speaking to Fox League during the match, Hynes acknowledged that this season will essentially be the final straw for the club to win a premiership with the current squad, as more than ten players are yet to ink contract extensions and are likely to depart.

Ready for the challenge it presents, the NSW Blues representative wants to embrace it and stand up when it matters the most.

“We’ve been to two prelims in a row, and it’s pretty well documented that there could be a lot of players leaving,” Hynes said on Fox League.

“We’ve built over the last few years and we’re looking to build again this year and we’ve had a really good pre-season like everyone says they’ve had.

“Just looking forward to a really tough challenge, every season brings new challenges and I’m looking forward to the journey.”

Hynes continued to speak on his combination with Trindall, “We’re going into our third full year together so it can only get stronger and get better. As long as we stay on the field fit and healthy. We love getting to training every day and making everyone fit and better so looking forward to the big year.”

RABBITOHS’ HALVES HEADACHE SOLVED

The Rabbitohs halves were on fire on Sunday afternoon, with Cody Walker winding back the clock and young gun Ashton Ward delivering to down the Sea Eagles.

Walker, 36, battled with injuries last season and was limited to just 11 games — but legendary playmaker Cooper Cronk had “already seen enough” of him by halftime.

The talented five-eighth skipped through a hole with a dynamic step to score a try and consistently schemed on his left-edge, using his football intelligence and crafty playmaking skills to puzzle the Sea Eagles defence.

Question marks hovered over Walker heading into the 2026 season, considering his age and injury issues, but Cronk believes he will find the form that has him among the game’s best attacking playmakers.

“I’ve already seen enough from Cody Walker, his speed and acceleration,” Cronk said on Fox League.

“That combination with David Fifita and Latrell Mitchell on that left edge, there is a lot to like.”

Greg Alexander also added: “He missed plenty of action last year and you can tell he’s excited to be back on the field… acceleration, that’s a good sign, the fact he’s able to accelerate.

“His body held together, the support play he’s shown… he’s been on the ball and looking like he wants to be involved.”

Walker’s injury woes was just one part of Wayne Bennett’s halves headache, but the fact the veteran looks healthy ahead of the 2026 puts out on fire.

The next is who will wear the No.7 jersey, with Jamie Humphreys suspended to start the year, leaving Jayden Sullivan and Ashton Ward to fight it out for the starting spot.

Sullivan has had a disrupted pre-season and went under the knife to treat an infection according to News Corp, but could still be available for Round 1.

Regardless, Ward did no harm to his selection chances on Sunday afternoon with a solid performance alongside Walker, playing a hand in Souths’ first try.

“I like what Ashton Ward and Jack Wighton have done on the right side,” Cronk said.

“I‘m not sure what Wayne Bennett is thinking for the halfback spoke, but after 40 minutes Ashton Ward is my halfback for Round 1.”

Braith Anasta also added: “I think he gets that No.7 jersey”.

Meanwhile, Greg Alexander explained Ward’s performance could unlock another dimension to Souths’ attack.

“We’ve often spoken about Souths and their left-side dominance, we’ve always thought Cody needs to get around to the right side and create,” he said.

“But Wighton and Ward, the way they have looked, Souths would be a far more dangerous team if they have strike on both sides.”

Elsewhere, Rabbitohs skipper Cam Murray also spoke glowingly of the 22-year-old.

“I thought he was one of our best tonight, he had the ball on a string. His kicking game was really good and for a rookie half he controlled the game really well,” he said post-match.

“Again, it probably comes down to our pre-season, fighting for positions…. he has done a really good job.”

ARE THE DOLPHINS CONTENDERS OR PRETENDERS?

After a dominant performance against the New Zealand Warriors on Friday night, the Dolphins cemented themselves as a serious threat to win the NRL premiership.

While they are arguably the most entertaining and best attacking team in the competition, one main question looms. Can their defence improve?

If so, they will enter the 2026 season as one of the contenders to win the premiership alongside the Broncos, Storm and Penrith Panthers.

“We’ve worked hard on it (defence) through the pre-season. Everyone’s told us that a number of times, so we know it’s an area we need to improve,” coach Kristian Woolf told Fox League.

“If you look at last year, we had some games in particular around the middle of the year when we were playing well, our defence was a real strong point.

“But we weren’t consistent enough and we fell away and that’s something we worked hard at in the pre-season.”

Always being able to find the tryline with their incredible back-line, there were several performances in 2025 where they gave up to many easy tries and thus the two premiership points in the process.

2026 SEASON PREVIEWS

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“I’ve liked the effort as a group we’ve put in. We’ve gone into pre-season with a big focus on defence and it’s something that we’re going to continue to improve,” Isaiah Katoa said on Fox League.

“I know that if we keep buying into it and being our worse critics in terms of what we’re doing defensively.

“We know what we can do with the footy, we just need to back it up with our defensive efforts”

Braith Anasta added, “The Dolphins looking fit and ready for a big season this year. We’ve spoken about their stars and looking at the squad we think they’re going to do pretty well.”

Not only have the Dolphins received back Tom Gilbert and Thomas Flegler from injuries which will further improve their defence around the ruck but they also recruited Selwyn Cobbo from the Broncos, adding to their outside back stocks.

“I had the pleasure of coaching Selwyn for several years at the Broncos,” Kevin Walter said on Fox League.

“He’s a real excitement machine and if he’s happy and healthy the Dolphins have a genuine match-winner on their hands.

“He’s already played State of Origin and one of those players that can pull something out of nothing, whether it’s a defensive move like an intercept or an attacking move (like) a little chip over.

“He’s a real talent and he looks happy and fit…I know he’s in for a big season.”

TITANS (quotes)

They fell just short of winning the Pre-Season Challenge, but

“Yeah definitely. If you look at their squad compared to others heading into this year, you’d probably be concerned and no chance of making the eight, but after those two wins and looking at the immediate impact Josh Hannay has had on the club,

“They kept the Storm to 12. Yeah they didn’t have their best team the Storm but the Titans’ effort areas were impressive.

“It’s something to build on for the season. They haven’t had too much to cheer about the last couple of seasons.

I was impressed with their committment to defence. We don’t talk about the Titans when it comes to defence or their concentration in defence.

“They were up against a Storm side who were starting to get on the front foot and they stopped them. They stooped them without any ball.

Their techqnique in defence was very impressive.

They had less than 50% possession and to win by 30 points is impressive.

“It’s only trials but you can tell they’ve come a long way. The style in which they’ve won these games has been impressive.

“I loved the aggression in our tackling, the urgency in marker

It’s only just the start but every week we strive to be a better team.