The numbers that matter
The big winners of Round 7
Sydney Roosters are enjoying their highest position on the ladder (fifth) this year after winning four of their last five matches, and whilst none of those victories have been cruisy, it's always encouraging for a team to continue winning without playing their best rugby.
Since being thrashed 40-4 by the Panthers in what turned out to say more about Penrith than them, Sydney have had to overcome half-time deficits of two, ten and 12 points to win three successive matches.
None of the three sides that they defeated are genuine Premiership contenders, but the manner in which they bulldozed all three sides in the second half is particularly encouraging in terms of their character and work rate in the face of adversity.
Fullback James Tedesco put on a second half show worthy of Origin consideration against the Knights, whilst there is still plenty more to come from Hugo Savala and Daly Cherry-Evans when they face a potentially galvanised St George Illawarra Dragons on Anzac Day.
A soft run leading into the end of May could see them into the top-four sooner rather than later if they can sharpen up their first-half discipline.
The big losers of Round 7
It's almost impossible to put a finger on the Canterbury Bulldogs at the moment, whose Round 6 win over Penrith appears to be more of an anomaly than a turning point in their season.
Their own head coach, Cameron Ciraldo, told reporters after their 38-20 loss to an undermanned Parramatta that he would need a psychology degree to figure out why they are playing some of the league's best and worst rugby across 2026.
Ciraldo suggested "it certainly looked like" the Bulldogs were guilty of complacency at the weekend, but couldn't immediately figure out just why they struggled so badly to defend off the back of the six penalties that they gave away.
Despite having similar key stats to Parramatta such as set completion rates, missed tackles and possession time, they let through three tries in each half.
"If we turn up with that crap (again), we'll get what we deserve," Ciraldo said bluntly of their upcoming trip to Brisbane.
Who scored braces this weekend?
Latrell Mitchell soared to second in the try scoring leaderboard for 2026 with four in the Rabbitohs' 30-12 win over the beleaguered Dragons.
Elsewhere, we saw two each for Lehi Hopoate (Sea Eagles), Nick Meaney (Storm), Alofiana Khan-Pereira (Warriors) and leading try scorer Tom Jenkins (Panthers). Roosters' teammates Mark Nawaqanitawase and Hugo Savala also chimed in with two each in their win over the Newcastle Knights, where young Fletcher Hunt registered his maiden NRL hat-trick.
The naughty boys
Three players have been suspended after submitting guilty pleas for grade 2 or 3 charges. Jaydn Su'A was the first player sent off since Justin Olam in Round 22 of 2024.
Jaydn Su'A (Dragons) - Grade 3 Shoulder Charge - 3 matches
Hudson Young (Raiders) - Grade 2 Careless High Tackle - 2 matches
Kodi Nikorima (Dolphins) - Grade 2 Dangerous Contact - 2 matches
Brendan Piakura (Broncos) - Grade 1 Crusher Tackle - $3000 fine
Emre Guler (Dragons) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1800 fine
Emre Guler (Dragons) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1800 fine
Coen Hess (Cowboys) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1800 fine
Manaia Waitere (Storm) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1800 fine
Clayton Faulalo (Sea Eagles) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 fine
Wayde Egan (Warriors) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000 fine
Tom Gilbert (Dolphins) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 fine
Morgan Knowles (Dolphins) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 fine
Patrick Herbert (Wests Tigers) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 fine
Matt Burton (Bulldogs) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine depending on plea
Toni Mataele (Eels) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine depending on plea
Sitili Tupouniua (Bulldogs) - Grade 1 Shoulder Charge - $1000 or $1500 fine depending on plea
Peter Mamouzelos (Rabbitohs) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $750 fine
Peter Mamouzelos (Rabbitohs) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $750 fine
Try of the Week
Next weekend's fixtures
