NRL Round 1 for the 2026 season has wrapped up, bringing with it a mix of excitement and controversy.
It's customary for teams to struggle initially, with early rounds plagued by errors and fatigue.
This year's split-round, however, proved to be a significant source of discussion points.
Fans were treated to two thrilling golden point matches, a Super Saturday filled with dynamic gameplay, controversial sin bins, and plenty of referee blunders!
Let's dive into 20 varied thoughts stemming from NRL Round One (part two):
1. Trent Robinson is increasingly resembling a one trick pony. Each time his team falters, he finds a way to blame the referees. This repetitive narrative is growing tiresome, and it's a sentiment shared by Roosters fans. His side performed poorly on Friday night, almost appearing to intentionally concede set restarts. There's no way he genuinely thinks they weren't their own worst enemies across the Tasman.
2. I'd love to see a rule-whether formal or implied-that insists on even penalty counts and six again counts. Naturally, minor errors will always occur, but moments of high pressure often lead to infractions.
3. I'm conflicted regarding the updated six-again rule. Referees seem less reluctant to signal this compared to traditional penalties. However, six-again calls don't always equate to generating momentum or scoring tries. The Titans found themselves down 34-0 at halftime, despite having nearly double the tackles inside their opponent's 20. Sometimes, the disparity in performance simply comes down to team quality.
4. On that note, the David Fifita sin bin was both absurd and infuriating. It exemplified a situation where the referee penalized one player from each side after a confrontation. The irony? Fifita did nothing wrong and was penalized simply for being in the tackle involving Tom Gilbert, who was the actual offender. It was truly a dismal decision.