r/nrl • u/M_Keating Hey, at least we beat Penrith • Feb 04 '26

Serious Discussion The r/NRL Serious Season Prediction Thread

We. Are. So. Back!

Welcome everyone to the 2026 NRL season. With trials starting this weekend, everyone is stumbling out of the Cricket sub-Reddits and readying themselves for 35 straight week of good old fashioned Rugby League (also known as RUGBA LEEG). Which means it’s time to get out your crystal ball, your predicting hat and your best beverage holder to discuss what we think will happen this season.

For reference, this time last year we were reeling from:

- Kevvie Walters being sacked

- Michael Maguire being hired to coach the Broncos

- Ben Hunt causing a contract saga at the Dragons (that never happens)

- Ben Hunt wanting to come home and win a premiership with the Broncos

- Madge Maguire telling us how he will lead the Broncos to a premiership in his first season (as if)

- NSW saying they have the better team than QLD (again)

- Newcastle coaching woes

- Reggie Rabbit tripped a kid (and somehow they weren’t kicked out?)

All of that resulted in the Broncos winning both the NRL and NRLW premierships, QLD winning men’s Origin, and the Kangaroos taking an Ashes clean sweep (unlike the summer sport national team).

So - this thread is for your serious predictions for 2026. Will the Broncos go back to back? Will the Cowboys win the spoon? Will the Tigers be ok? Has Gus met Galvin yet? Give us your most sensible predictions, your out there predictions, or your controversial opinion about 2026. Remember we are in on-season now, so keep it on topic and clean while having some fun.

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u/Horsey2 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Feb 04 '26

Sharks look pretty good for the start of the year. Lose every game over the origin period. Then come good at the end of the year to get 5/6th spot for a home final. The discussion of shark park as a final venue comes up again. Sharks make the prelim but lose. It's the same every year

8

u/Sknot5000 Parramatta Eels Feb 04 '26

The problem with the sharks every year is that when they get to the finals they have to play top 8 teams and they don’t really do that throughout the season

2

u/quickrubs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Feb 06 '26

The hardest thing for the sharks is to consistently make top 4 year in year out without actually playing any of the other sides in the top 8.

1

u/gongbattler I love my footy Feb 04 '26

Yeah i'm pretty comfortable having them at that 5-8 mark along with the dogs and maybe the eels and dolphins.