After starting at halfback against the Dolphins in round one, Ashton Ward suffered a syndesmosis injury that required surgery and sidelined him for up to eight weeks.
He returned in round 10 against Cronulla-Sutherland, helping South Sydney secure a hard-fought win against the odds at Accor Stadium.
Across 13 NRL appearances in 2026, following a six-game rookie introduction, Ward took on greater responsibility.
He scored one try and eight goals for 20 points, and provided 10 try assists and 12 line-break assists.
Ward made 186 tackles at 82% efficiency, forced four drop-outs and kicked 4,899 metres, averaging 377 metres per game.
He also recorded 854 receipts and four offloads.