Rugby League News

With six weeks left, teams focus on final preparations and strategies for NRL finals, needing 32 points to qualify.

LeagueNews.co

The countdown to the NRL finals is well and truly on, with only six weeks left in the 2026 NRL season.

While some teams delve into calculations, others will be consulting their schedules as they consider resting players, there's still much to unfold before the knockout stage begins.

For this discussion, we will assume, based on the projected top eight, that the threshold for finals qualification will be a straight 32 points in 2026-equating to 13 wins and 3 byes.

Here's a breakdown of what each team needs to achieve to realistically secure a finals spot, moving beyond mere mathematical scenarios that have some teams still competing.

See more...

The Wests Tigers' decline raises doubts about Benji Marshall's leadership and commitment to team standards.

LeagueNews.co

The Wests Tigers experienced a downturn after a promising start, raising questions about Benji Marshall's leadership.

In the preseason, Marshall had candidly stated to his players that the team's professional standards and integrity would be paramount in 2026.

"At the Wests Tigers now, we f***ing stand for something, and if you're not prepared to follow what we stand for, guess what, there's the f***ing door," he proclaimed in a club docuseries.

Fast forward to July, and one might ponder whether that door was more of a revolving kind.

See more...

Benji Marshall denies vaping allegations, acknowledges need to address Wests Tigers' declining standards.

ABC Sport

Benji Marshall admits Wests Tigers need to address slipping club standards, but has refuted reports of players vaping in the NRL club's gymnasium.

The Tigers coach on Wednesday fronted the media to affirm his "love" for Adam Doueihi, almost a week after the 27-year-old disagreed with a move out of halfback and walked out on the club.

Media suggestions had been that aside from the positional switch, Doueihi was dismayed by a lack of professionalism and accountability at the struggling joint venture, which has not played finals since 2011.

The Tigers enter round 22 in 16th place on the ladder, despite sitting third earlier in the year and most recently suffering a 46-point loss to Canberra with their season on the line.

See more...