Broncos’ blunder that could haunt Madge; Roosters’ fresh firebrand headache emerges

The Roosters have a fresh headache on their hands, with a key firebrand’s actions coming under the microscope.

Meanwhile, a big Broncos blunder when it comes to their retention and recruitment could come back to haunt them.

Watch every game of every round of the NRL Premiership LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

Read on for the Round 27 Talking Points!

THE ‘LIABILITY’ THAT COULD COST ROOSTERS

Spencer Leniu has been warned he could become a “liability” for the Roosters in the finals if he is unable to control his emotions on the field.

Since his debut, Leniu has built his reputation on being an intimidator, with his aggression being a key part of his game in both attack and defence

However, he has been urged to find the right balance between using his aggression to unsettle opponents and keeping his emotions in check.

The warning comes after the firebrand front-rower was involved in a heated altercation with Keaon Kolomatangi, giving away a cheap penalty in the process, which Cooper Cronk labelled a “stupid” decision in commentary.

“The gams thrived on those battles. Those personal battles have lit up highlights for years, but he lost control and just couldn’t reel it back in,” Michael Ennis said on Fox League’s Friday Night Football.

“The fact that Keaon stood toe-to-toe with him and continued to bait him.

“There’s a difference between being intimidating and becoming a liability. Trent Robinson can’t have that next week. You can’t have that.

“You can’t afford to do that. C’mon Spence!”

Fellow Fox League analyst Greg Alexander agreed there needed to be a clear line Leniu could not cross, while Braith Anasta warned Leniu’s actions and lack of discipline could have major ramifications come finals time.

Alexander said, “There’s a cut-off point and line in the sand that Spencer should know.”

“That could cost them the finals. He’s a senior player,” Anasta continued.

Despite the comments from the three former NRL and Origin representatives, Roosters coach Trent Robinson backed him to continue to play with his trademark aggression going forward into the opening week of the finals.

“(He flirted with the line) and he went over it, and I want him to play with his natural spirit and just stay under the line,” Robinson said post-match.

“We spoke about that, and I’ll encourage him to be himself and take on the opposition, and then he’s got enough experience that he just should have regulated that and played the ball.

“But after that, what did he do wrong?

“He creates an atmosphere when he’s in that mode. Other than that, I would have liked it to be beneficial for us.”

BULLDOGS’ BIG HALVES CALL SPLITS NRL GREATS

Entering the 2026 season with enormous expectations, the Bulldogs’ disappointing campaign finally came to an end on Thursday night.

While they failed to make the finals - after finishing inside the top four last year - their misfortunes have exposed a glaring issue they must solve before they can return to premiership contention.

That is finding the right No.7 to partner Lachlan Galvin in the halves.

Speaking on Fox League’s Thursday Night Football, former club captain Michael Ennis believes the Stephen Crichton experiment has come to an end and should be abandoned heading into 2027

“It’s been such a strange year for the Bulldogs. There were so many expectations on them. It looked like they were set for a massive year,” Michael Ennis said.

“I think the biggest thing to answer is they need to get some stability in the spine and work out who’s going to partner Lachie Galvin in what’s been an inconsistent and disappointing season for them.

“The fact they’re not playing finals is disappointing (and) we all expected a side that finished in the top four last year to be playing finals at least at a bare minimum.

“The Crichton experiment’s over tonight. I think he’s done a good job filling in that position and reigniting them at the back end of the season because of his communication and the energy he brings.

“But we saw last week against the Panthers that it’s not the position for him and I think if they can stabilise it and get a genuine seven and free up Galvin at the five-eighth, then that centre pairing of Burton and Crichton can take them to a premiership.”

The problem facing the Bulldogs is that finding a halves partner for Galvin may be easier said than done.

After a season of instability in the spine, Luke Keary believes the club need to find an experienced No.7 on the open market who is capable of taking control of the side.

“Toby Sexton was not taking them to the Grand Final,” Keary added.

“That’s why they made the decision to get Lachlan from the Wests Tigers. I think it’s the right call.

“He’s going to be a very good player in our competition for a very long time.

“(But) you need an experienced seven. A Nathan Cleary, a Daly Cherry-Evans.

“You’ve got a kid in here who I think is a number six and is trying to learn his game. It’s very difficult.”

While Keary believes the club needs to recruit an experienced halfback, Ennis floated the prospect of handing the keys to one of the many talented halves in their pathways system, such as Alex Conti or Mitchell Woods.

“The market is incredibly tough,” Ennis said.

“They even need to find a seven or give one the keys and trust them like we saw Kristian Woolf and Wayne Bennet do with Isaiya Katoa, and just back them.”

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

BIG QUESTION MARKS OVER SOUTHS AND THEIR FULLBACK

South Sydney will enter this first week of the finals having won four of their final five games, but there premiership credentials have come into question.

They will host the Knights at home next week after smashing a depleted Roosters side 50-20 on Friday night but Fox League’s Mick Ennis has questioned if their game will hold up in finals conditions.

Souths can score points, but are conceding a tick over 24 points a game.

“I question whether Souths have the athleticism and the fitness to go with the top couple of sides,” Ennis said.

“The thing I learned tonight is South Sydney have got a hell of a lot of work to do in a short period of time to get their defence right through the middle of the field.”

The win over the Roosters was expected given they rested $5 million of playing talent and the 42-22 win the week before was against the Titans.

They’re hardly looking like a side that’s prepared to win a tight, low-scoring finals match.

And it had Premiership winning half Braith Anasta doubting the form of Souths heading into the finals.

“You watch this game tonight and my concern is that the wins could be deceiving, but we’re only going to find that out over the next few weeks,” Anasta said.

“I’ve been a big rap on them. Of any teams from five to eight, they’re the most likely to cause upsets and be a threat throughout the final series, but you can’t help but watch certain periods of this game and even last week and think when they come up against the Warriors and Panthers, how’ll they go when it’s in the trenches going toe-to-toe against teams that have performed all year.”

At their best, Souths are as lethal as any team in the competition, particularly down the left side.

Cody Walker linking up with Latrell Mitchell and Alex Johnston will keep rival teams awake at night.

But it’s their off periods in games which still lets them down.

Go back to the win over Parramatta in August where they shot out to a 28-0 lead and almost got run down.

It was typical of the type of team they are.

“If Souths are to mix it with those sides that have finished above them, and that’s the top four teams, at their absolute best, they can certainly put a game together without a doubt,” Fox League’s Greg Alexander said.

“Latrell, with the 80 minutes under his belt tonight, will be an enormous help for them. It’s just whether they can do it week in, week out for the rest of the season.”

“There’s periods of their game where I look at them and I really believe that they’re the side that opposition sides will fear to play because of the personnel in their team and those periods that they put together,” Ennis added.

“There’s just these 10 or 15 minute periods of lapses of concentration or fatigue. I think the jury’s still out.”

Mitchell is without doubt their best player and he’s now had two games back from a nerve injury and his big hit on Toby Rodwell was an example of how he can threaten without the ball.

He has an aura few other players can match and if Souths can take a team deep into a match, a guy like Latrell could be the difference with a big play that only can come up with.

“That’s what makes Souths a different side because he intimidates people. That’s what makes him a force in origin,” Ennis said.

“There’s very few players in the competition that can have those moments. I thought he played in third gear.

“There was a play he came up with early in the second half before their first try. Latrell’s ball to Alex Johnston was all class. That’s what he can do,” Alexander added.

Wayne Bennett will also have something to think about when it comes to his fullback.

Jye Gray and Matt Dufty have had stints at the back at various points in the season with Dufty surprising many with his form after a stint in the Super League.

Ennis knows who he’d have in the No. 1 jumper next week.

“I don’t think Jye Gray did enough to seal that number one jersey. I thought at times Cody Walker, Cameron Murray and Jaden Sullivan really did a good job through the middle part of the field, but they could have cashed in more had they have had the creativity of Dufty,” Ennis said.

WARRIORS’ OMINOUS WARNING... BUT DID RIVAL JUST PROVIDE ‘BLUEPRINT’?

Warriors coach Andrew Webster has sent an ominous warning ahead of the finals, declaring his side has plenty more improvement in them to go to another level in September.

The Warriors fell just short of claiming their first minor premiership since 2002 after leaving the door open for Penrith to claim a fourth J.J. Giltinan Shield in seven seasons.

Webster said his side had struggled through an injury-disrupted end to the season, but was confident a few tweaks would bring the best out of the Warriors regardless of who they played in the finals.

“I think we know exactly what we’re going to do, which is the best part,” Webster said.

“I was just saying to the boys, the formula to finals is make sure you’ve got a team that has got line speed, aggressive tackles, creates momentum with the ball.

“But there’s clearly some things we’ve just got iron out, which is fine.

“But we created history tonight, most wins of a season as a Warriors team, and there’s just a couple of things to iron out that will have a big impact on our game, not just a little bit of impact, like a big impact, so we can sort those out as well.

“So, Penrith beat Tigers by more than two we’re playing Dolphins and if they get rolled or less than that, we’re playing Roosters.

“So, either or, they’re good teams, and we’ll be ready.”

In the end it will be the Dolphins, who have already toppled the Warriors after winning a Suncorp Stadium thriller earlier this year.

The Dolphins have the kind of speed and strike out wide to worry the Warriors and they could lean into the “blueprint” the Sea Eagles laid out in Saturday’s game.

“Manly shocked them a bit with how they shifted the ball so that may be a blueprint for opposition teams,” Kevin Walters said on Fox League’s Super Saturday.

“But they’re (the Warriors) still a good side and deserve to be where they are... I can see (them making the grand final).”

The Warriors aren’t exactly entering the finals in great form despite being on a six-game winning streak given the unconvincing nature of their victories in the past two weeks.

Premiership-winning halfback Cooper Cronk, however, is not overly concerned.

“I think he (Webster) knows his team,” Cronk said.

“Yes, they weren’t at their best. I think there was subconsciously one eye on next week and what could be possible through September. I think the momentum of New Zealand and a home final will have them dialled in week one.”

BLUNDER BRONCOS MAY COME TO REGRET AS STAR OF FUTURE IS BORN

Brisbane Broncos, were you watching?

Coby Black was once earmarked as Adam Reynolds’ successor and the long-term halfback of the Broncos.

But after long being tipped as one of the club’s brightest prospects, his future at Red Hill came to a sudden close.

Discovered by Brisbane at the age of 12, the two-time Under-19s Queensland Maroons representative had spent years developing through the club’s pathways system and was coming extremely close to making his debut.

But, out of nowhere, Brisbane opted to move on from the highly-rated playmaker after signing Thomas Duffy and Jonah Pezet.

This left Black on the search for a new home and another pathway into the NRL.

Now, after landing at Canberra, the young half is threatening to make the Broncos regret letting him go.

And he wasted little time making an impression.

In his first career match, Black broke the all-time record for most points (26 - two tries, nine goals) by a player on debut, provided two try assists and produced a clinical kicking display in an unforgettable outing.

“This is unbelievable. One of the greatest debuts we have ever seen in the NRL,” Dan Ginnane said on Fox League in commentary.

“A star is born in Townsville. This kid is playing some unbelievable football. Where has he been!”

Having worked with Black during his time at Brisbane, former Broncos coach Kevin Walters was delighted to see the youngster finally get his opportunity.

“(It’s) very exciting for Coby and his family,” Walters said on Fox League’s Super Saturday.

“I was very fortunate to have a little to do with Coby at my time at the Broncos and you could see he had that talent hidden in there.

“(He has) a great kicking game, great passing game and got a touch background as well, which tells me he has a lot of speed and turn of speed for a young half.

“He’s one for the future and good to see him get his opportunity.

“It’s a good message for a lot of young players out there that if it’s not working out in one situation, there are other options at other clubs, so really happy for him.

“He and Ethan Strange formed a really good combo. They set up a couple of tries for each other and a bit of a masterstroke from Ricky Stuart.”

The performance has also seen Black emerge as a genuine bolter to become the Raiders’ long-term halfback and wear the No.7 jersey again as early as Round 1 next year.

Speaking on Fox League’s Super Saturday, one of the greatest halves of all time, Cooper Cronk, believes Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has gotten exactly what he wanted.

Two young playmakers battling it out for the same jersey.

“I think Ricky’s got exactly what he wanted out of this game because Ethan Sanders is a very solid halfback, didn’t play the final (round) and has given Coby Black an opportunity,” Cronk said.

“Now he’s going to have a whole off-season with two guys fighting for the No.7 jersey.

“Ethan Strange is not going anyway. Kaeo Weeks is not going anywhere so Ricky Stuart got exactly what he wanted today.

“He’s going to have two players fight for that No.7 jersey for Round 1 next year.”

JENKINS RISE ENDS WITH PRESTIGIOUS MEDAL

Who would have thought Tom Jenkins would have claimed one of the more prized awards in the game when he was languishing in reserve grade at the Newcastle Knights in 2024?

Jenkins couldn’t get a game in Newcastle and only made five appearances in the top grade and scored no tries.

He decided to come back to Penrith but didn’t think he’d be a first grader.

He was just happy to go around in a third-tier competition to see if he could reignite his career.

Well, he’s gone from park footy to winning the prestigious Ken Irvine Medal for the competition’s leading try scorer, shared with Alex Johnston.

“He was playing reserve grade at the Knights, then he went back to the Penrith area,” Matty Johns told James Maloney on Sunday Night with Matty Johns.

Maloney said the rise of Jenkins has been remarkable.

“He was at St Mary’s, I believe, in the Ron Massey Cup, and then I think went through reserve grade at Penrith there and then came back. So it’s an awesome story,” Maloney said.

What’s made his 2027 even better is the way the 2026 season ended.

Jenkins scored 13 tries from 21 games on return to Penrith but was surprisingly dropped on the eve of the finals by Ivan Cleary.

It easily could have dented his confidence and left him a frustrated footballer once again, but he rose to become one of the game’s most lethal wingers.

Cleary paid tribute to Jenkins after Sunday’s win and said he’s admired the way he’s bounced back.

“He’s had an unbelievable season,” Cleary said.

“It’s a good lesson for lots of people. He’s worked hard and is happy. He missed out in the finals series last year and copped that, worked on a few things and came back bigger and better.”

Cleary said Jenkins has turned himself into a more complete winger in his second stint at the club.

“The two tries he scored tonight were special finishes. Left hand, right hand, he’s just a finisher and he’s even more than that, he’s really improved his yardage game this year,” Cleary said.

“He’s just so consistent so I’m really happy for him.”

Jenkins finished second of all wingers in the Red Bull High Flyer Player Rankings after a breakout 2026 season which has seen him become of the best aerial threats in the competition.

If Jenkins continues his try-scoring form, and Penrith goes deep in the finals series, he might even end the year with an Australian jersey.

Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters has said that finals form will be a huge factor in World Cup selections later in the year.

Click here to read article