From Las Vegas to Brisbane the extended opening round had it all.
Golden point thrillers, upsets, blowouts and controversy.
If it felt like a long round? It was.
It was eight days in the making.
Las Vegas
The seasoned kick off in Las Vegas and what a fantastic showcase on display.
Third time’s the charm as the NRL continues to grow from strength to strength producing their finest event in Las Vegas so far with fans both sides of the Pacific and Atlantic joining forces in a rugby league invasion.
American supporters, and those curious, would have been amazed by the skills on display and the speed of the game.
The opening Super League game may have been a blowout with Leeds defeating the World Champions Hull KR 58-6 but the NRL games were a step above in entertainment.
The Cowboys and Knights kicked off the 2026 NRL Competition with an entertaining match while the Bulldogs v Dragons game was a grinding golden point thriller.
The Knights were the surprise packet on the day looking very sharp against a disappointing Cowboys team that had all the trial form. I know trials are only trials, but the loss places a lot of pressure on the Cows coach Todd Payten from the outset.
The Dogs v Drags game was a grinding and at times spiteful match that almost saw our 1st draw of the season before that controversy.
A lot of experts and commentators believed the stripping penalty that set-up the Bulldogs win was incorrect. The NRL has since confirmed this.
From my point of view, being an unbiased Dragons supporter, I also want to add it’s good to see a referee make a call. Albeit, incorrect.
Had he called it a loose carry, the Dragons would have had the last say, might have won, and the Bulldogs camp would be questioning the decision.
But in all honesty, the Bulldogs should have iced the game with only a few minutes left in regulation time. There was a gift field goal waiting.
The Heavy Hitters
The Storm and Panthers look the goods again this year.
The Storm just don’t lose their opening match, and it was no different with a 52-4 drubbing of the Eels. While the Panthers were at their defensive best against an error ridden and clunky Broncos team to hold the home team scoreless.
The Sharks, Warriors and Rabbitohs also had very impressive starts to the year with big wins against quality teams.
But it is only round 1 and you don’t win or lose premierships in the 1st week.
Unless you are one of these teams…
The Red Pen
Eels and Titans fans have started the year knowing their season is over. And it took just 80 minutes to end it.
No team has ever won the competition having conceded 50 or more points.
For the Eels, it is the 2nd consecutive year they have been wiped out in the opening round having conceding 50+ in the same game, against the same club last year. The Eels showed so much promise taking out the pre-season challenge (I know, trials are only trials) and scoring the opening try.
The Titans didn’t fare much better against a rampant Sharks team. New owners, new coach, same results.
Both teams can still play finals football. It is only round 1.
Raiders Field Goal Victory
Raiders players and fans will be breathing a collective sigh of relief after almost reliving their Final’s nightmare again.
Last year’s final against the Broncos had the Raiders comfortable winners before the Broncs came back with tries and a penalty goal at fulltime to take the game to extra time, and then, golden point.
We all know what happened. The rest is history.
In this game, the Raiders came back from 14-nil behind to score 28 unanswered points with only six minutes left on the clock. Sea Eagles fans (as usual) had given up and were already streaming out of Brookie.
Two tries later and a penalty goal on fulltime and the game was in golden point.
Thank the Raiders’ gods for Ethan Sanders who calmly booted the winning field goal.
It may go some way in taking last year’s capitulation off their back, but you must wonder where this team goes in the final 10 minutes.
This Round’s Results
This Round’s Stats
Firstly, congratulations to all Tipsters for submitting their tips on time for round 1. The bar has been set as high as it comes.
| Standouts Correct | 44 |
| Standouts Wrong | 6 |
| Round High Score | 8 – Nine clever Tipsters with Runner leading on Differential score. |
| Round Low Score | 0 – MLC (there is only one way to go from here) |
| Average Score | 3.2 |
| Biggest Mover | Runner straight into 1st place |
| Biggest Drop | MLC starting 50th |
The Standout
88% correct this week.
Three Tipsters put their trust in the Cows with one rusted-on fan each picking the Dragons, Roosters or Broncos.
Main Competition
It’s early days and Runner has done the bolt straight to the top of the ladder by a mere 14 points differential score.
I give Runner’s reign one week.
Bart Simpson Weekly Jackpot
Bart Simpson is back for Season 2 and looking very suave indeed. If you missed the announcement, you can check out the article here.
There were no perfect rounds to start 2026 so the Bart Simpson Weekly Jackpot now stands at a season high of B$20.
As always, good luck with your team and tipping this week.
Rob
The Creator
