The Anzac weekend saw plenty of ceremony, customised jerseys and points scored as the NRL progressed through Round 8. The depleted Broncos continued to impress, dismissing the dismal Bulldogs, the Tigers were sensational in their Leichhardt Oval victory over the Raiders, and the Storm slumped to yet another heavy defeat, this time at the hands of the Rabbitohs.
Here’s whose stocks are up and down after Round 8.
Our footy experts cast their eye over the week’s action to find out whose stocks are up — whether it’s a coaching masterstroke or a player having a blinder — and whose are down.
Brisbane Broncos
Stocks up: The Broncos won this game for one clear reason, they had Adam Reynolds in the role of Napolean, leading the way and ensuring his attack was on song, despite being depleted by injuries. His kicking game and organisational skills ensured the Broncos were always on the front foot, and his passing game helped them take full advantage of the ensuing momentum. With Ezra Mam in support and causing havoc, the Broncos are proving that when they return to full strength they will be very difficult for any team to match.
Stocks down: How can you find a negative in that performance? The only downside for the Broncos were a knee injury to Brendan Piakura and a one-game ban to Preston Riki for a high shot on Bulldogs winger Johnathan Sua.
– Darren Arthur
Canberra Raiders
Stocks up: At least Ethan Strange isn’t seriously hurt? That’s something? Losing on a Thursday night heading into a long weekend is particularly brutal, compounded by a packed hill at Leichhardt doing the Viking Clap as the seconds ticked down at the end of the game. Whatever else happens to the Raiders this year, it can’t get worse than that.
Stocks down: The passive nature of their defensive line was very clear to see, especially on the second and third tries. Hudson Young’s aggression and line speed was sorely missed, but even when he was there this is a team that’s really really struggled without the ball this week. In the second half, they just couldn’t get anything going with the ball which compounded their defensive issues.
– Matt Bungard
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Stocks up: If the Bulldogs are looking for new stock in the wing position, they could do much worse than Johnathan Sua, who was clearly their best performer against the Broncos. Sua was heavily targetted by the Broncos’ kicking game and made plenty of metres out of trouble for the struggling visitors. In stark contrast, their other winger Marcelo Montoya had another shocker with the ball and particularly in defence.
Stocks down: Has there ever been a successful team in rugby league history that ran their game off as many first receivers as the Bulldogs use? Lachlan Galvin is not a halfback, but does that mean the first pass should go to just about anyone else in a blue and white jersey who has a pair of hands? You cannot run a rugby league team without a general and the Bulldogs currently do not have one.
– Darren Arthur
Cronulla Sharks
Stocks up: Cronulla never really went away. Even when they looked out of the contest, they kept finding points and showed enough attacking threat to stay within reach for long periods. They showed fight after falling behind, with KL Iro grabbing a hat-trick, Nicho Hynes creating points and Cameron McInnes making a solid return from an ACL injury.
Stocks down: Defensively, though, this was messy. The Sharks struggled to slow North Queensland once the game opened up, and when momentum swung against them, they looked vulnerable through the middle and on the edges.
Dolphins
Stocks up: Trai Fuller is a footballer every fan you talk to seems to like, and he has a few nice moments every time he gets a chance in first grade. I don’t know exactly where his future lies, the Dolphins are categorically not better when they move Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow into the centres, and Fuller is best at fullback – perhaps a big move is coming.
Stocks down: The thing about the last two games is that the Phins have, in large patches, looked pretty good against the two best teams in the comp. But as far as I know, this isn’t horseshoes or hand grenades, so almost isn’t good enough. That’s now five losses for the year and they need a really big game next week against the hapless Storm to get their season back online.
– Matt Bungard
Gold Coast Titans
BYE
Manly Sea Eagles
Stocks up: The Sea Eagles would be happy with their first half defence, holding back wave after wave of Eels attack. Into the second half they started to enjoy more possession and field position and started to take advantage of their scoring opportunities. Jamal Fogarty continues to look more comfortable in the maroon and white with each new game.
Stocks down: There were quite a few opportunities blown in the first half as they battled to hold out a fired-up and hard running Eels team. The Sea Eagles struggled with their final passes and last tackle kick options. If was lucky their defence was up to the task, because they missed out on plenty of points in the first 40 minutes.
– Darren Arthur
Melbourne Storm
Stocks up: Put that Sua Faalogo try down in the hall of fame for ‘awesome tries that we forget about because the team got smashed’. Other than the form of their young fullback, there’s really nothing to like. What an absolute disaster.
Stocks down: A couple of weeks ago I said that I was leaning against them not making the finals – that lean has become something I firmly believe now. They aren’t getting enough from their star players with the exception of Faalogo, the defence is abysmal (Souths had 14 line breaks!!) and there isn’t some cavalry of players coming to stop the rot any time soon. After two decades of being top dogs, it might finally be over.
Newcastle Knights
Stocks up: Newcastle still showed patches of fight, particularly when they managed to play with energy and shift the ball with purpose. Dylan Brown gave Newcastle something, running for 201 metres, breaking five tackles and scoring a long-range solo try in an otherwise tough 44-12 loss.
Stocks down: The Knights struggled to stay in the contest once momentum turned. The Panthers controlled the tempo, dominated possession, and exposed defensive gaps too easily, leaving the Knights chasing the game for long stretches.
– Isaac Issa
New Zealand Warriors
Stocks up: Up to second on the ladder, a massive crowd in Wellington, and a come-from-behind win. Can’t ask for much more, but I continue to be so impressed with their middle forwards who all had excellent games again this week. Being able to bring Mitch Barnett off the bench is quite a luxury, but that’s what you’ve got to do when Jackson Ford is playing this well.
Stocks down: Wins are wins, but you look at the way the likes of the other top teams have blown opponents off the park in the last couple of weeks, and instead the Warriors have had two close wins in home games they were expected to win easily. This is an extremely unfair criticism, of course, but I can’t think of much else that’s wrong at the minute.
– Isaac Issa
North Queensland Cowboys
Stocks up: North Queensland looked dangerous every time they got momentum, turning this into one of their most entertaining performances of the season. Their attack played with freedom, they shifted the ball confidently, and when Cronulla threatened to claw back into the contest, the Cowboys kept finding another answer.
Stocks down: The concern is still defence. Conceding 34 points after controlling large stretches of the game shows they can still get dragged into shootouts rather than shutting games down when they’re in front.
– Isaac Issa
Parramatta Eels
Stocks up: You could not fault the effort levels from the Eels, they came out hard with the ball and in defence against bitter rivals Manly. Despite being down 33-12 late in the game, five eighth Ronald Volkman chased the length of the field to spoil a Sea Eagles try. The understrength Eels kept at it right until the final whistle.
Stocks down: Errors cost the Eels any chance of winning this one at Brookvale. Enjoying the best of field position and possession in the first half, their handling errors kept them from building enough pressure to take advantage on the scoreboard. After the break the Eels ran out of steam and their defence began to crumble as the Sea Eagles enjoyed more of the ball.
– Darren Arthur
Penrith Panthers
Stocks up: Penrith looked like Penrith again – composed, clinical and completely in control once they found their rhythm. They didn’t force things, trusted their systems, and gradually overwhelmed Newcastle through patience and relentless pressure.
Stocks down: There’s very little to fault, although they’ll still want to tighten the occasional lapse that allows teams back into games after building a big lead.
– Isaac Issa
St George Illawarra Dragons
Stocks up: There were a few individuals who kept competing despite the scoreline, and at times they showed brief flashes with the ball when they played direct. On a brutal afternoon, Toby Couchman was one of the few standouts, producing 122 metres from 15 runs and 43 tackles, while Setu Tu and Tyrell Sloan were involved in rare attacking moments.
Stocks down: Overall, this was another difficult afternoon. Discipline hurt them early, errors piled up, and once the Roosters found rhythm the Dragons never looked capable of slowing the game down. The worrying part is how quickly games are getting away from them when momentum shifts.
– Isaac Issa
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Stocks up: This team is looking absolutely slick at the moment, scoring points at will and cutting teams open on both sides of the field. Latrell Mitchell has never been in better form since he first donned a Souths jersey, Cody Walker is playing his role to perfection and having Cam Murray back in that forward pack has made them look completely different to 2025. A first win in team history in Melbourne on Saturday night is a gigantic mental hurdle that they didn’t just climb over, but backflipped over with their eyes closed.
Stocks down: Thankfully Brandon Smith’s calf injury is apparently quite minor but they’re still right at the top in terms of injuries this season. Jye Gray, David Fifita, Jai Arrow, Smith, and Adam Elliott are among the top names still not playing, and even without them they’re in the top four.
– Matt Bungard
Sydney Roosters
Stocks up: This felt like a side full of confidence. The Roosters played fast, moved the ball well, and looked dangerous whenever they got into attacking territory. Their key players controlled the game, with Sam Walker claiming another Anzac Medal, James Tedesco again heavily involved, and Mark Nawaqanitawase continuing his absurd strike-rate with another double.
Stocks down: There’s not much to criticise from a performance like this, the challenge now is maintaining that level against stronger opposition and backing up dominant wins consistently.
– Isaac Issa
Wests Tigers
Stocks up: This Tigers team is for real, make no mistake about it. Their forward platform is immense and has been at least good, if not great, in every single game this year, Jarome Luai’s choices when to engage the line and when to go sideways were perfect, and the outside backs took care of the rest. What a brilliant night if you’re a Tigers fan, and it looks like good times are back for the long-suffering joint venture.
Stocks down: The only sour note from Thursday is the lengthy suspension Api Koroisau will have to serve after his hip drop tackle – but even that highlights just how dominant the Tigers were, with all but two of Canberra’s points coming in the period when it was 13 against 12.
– Matt Bungard
