What an incredible opening round of the 2026 NRL season, with two golden point thrillers, plenty of tries scored, several blow-outs and a couple of upsets.
Here's whose stocks are up and down after Round 1.
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: Brisbane Broncos won a premiership in 2025, so their stocks were naturally high heading into 2026. There isn't too much to be excited about after their Round 1 showing, though, other than the star names across their roster. Despite his side not scoring a single point against the Panthers, Payne Haas was still at his rampaging best through the middle, as was fellow pack leader Patrick Carrigan. The Broncos are still an elite side, but there's clearly work to be done for them to reach the level of dominance they enjoyed toward the backend of last season.
Stocks down: The reigning NRL premiers are the only team yet to score a point in 2026 (other than the Tigers, who had the bye to start the season). Whether you're facing arguably the greatest defensive team of all time in the Penrith Panthers or the struggling Gold Coast Titans, a side that features Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds should not find themselves scoreless for 80 minutes. The Broncos looked confused and rattled throughout the entirety of their 26-0 free-fall over the weekend, displaying none of the confidence that earned them a premiership just six months ago.
-- Isaac Issa
Canberra Raiders
Stocks up: Noah Martin -- another young and hungry forward that anyone with a lime green persuasion has been quite excited about for a little while now, got his chance in Round 1 for the Raiders and doesn't look like he's going to give it up anytime soon. With two tries and a boatload of tackles, he filled up the stat sheet nicely on both sides of the ball.
Stocks down: Game management - I don't know how Raiders' fans do this every week! Another game which they should have cruised to victory in, but instead they threw away a 14-point lead and gave their entire fanbase PTSD from last year's finals in the dying stages, when they conceded a penalty from a field goal attempt while leading by two. They ended up winning, but it shouldn't have been so difficult.
-- Matt Bungard
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Stocks up: As ugly and as unimpressive as it might have been, the Bulldogs fought through the grind and when it mattered most found the field goal to grab the two competition points. Lachlan Galvin was serviceable at halfback, and might look even better with an attacking plan tailored to his strengths. Hooker Bailey Hayward made a mountain of tackles and was solid at dummy-half, including a perfect long ball to Stephen Crichton for the match-winner.
Stocks down: The Bulldogs were once again pedestrian in attack for most of the game. They appeared to have no real attacking plays and were horribly one-out for most of the game. Former Newcastle head coach Adam O'Brien has joined the club as attack coach, and on that first-up effort it is easy to see why the Knights collected the spoon last year.
-- Darren Arthur
Cronulla Sharks
Stocks up: Sharks are usually known to circle their prey before striking; however, Cronulla followed no such formality. The Sharks put 50 on the struggling Titans over the weekend, rolling down Gold Coast's defensive line on nearly every attacking set. Braydon Trindall, who said he "came back in the best shape" of his career over the preseason after the match, was electric. His two tries, four try-assists, and two tackle breaks were just a few highlights from arguably his greatest game as a Shark, while his halves partner Nicho Hynes reminded the NRL world once again why he is one of the game's brightest stars.
Stocks down: It's hard to find faults in a near-perfect performance; however, some areas certainly could be tweaked ahead of the Sharks' Round 2 clash against the Penrith Panthers. Cronulla, while dominant throughout most of the match, did take their foot off the pedal at times, which led to some ordinary tries from the Titans. They'll need to maintain energy levels for the full 80 minutes against tougher opponents, lest they become complacent.
-- Isaac Issa
Dolphins
Stocks up: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow - the Dolphins' most exciting player still had a few moments in the game to give the home fans something to cheer about. His solo try off a scrum and a defensive effort on Campbell Graham in the first half were highlights in what was a tough afternoon for the expansion franchise.
Stocks down: Defence - the biggest knock on the Dolphins since their inception is the inability to contain their opponents. There was no doubting their attack last year, or today, but their sheer lack of effort on the defensive side will be the thing that keeps them out of the finals.
-- Matt Bungard
Gold Coast Titans
Stocks up: The Titans have very little to be excited about after their Round 1 implosion against the Sharks, but there were a couple of shining lights. Cooper Bai, who currently sits at No. 2 on ESPN's NRL Big Board, looked the goods in limited game time. Club debutant Lachlan Ilias also played with a chip on his shoulder, playing with energy in a match that had very little doing in the way of success for the visitors. Sialetili Faeamani also nabbed a try in his first NRL match, which is a solid win considering very few Titans were able to do the same.
Stocks down: Gold Coast gave up 50 points in their first game of the season and looked lost for the majority of the clash. Firecrackers in Keano Kini and AJ Brimson were poorly utilised when in attacking position; however, those moments rarely came anyway. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui tried, but the effort and motivation shown by the rest of the playing group lacked in comparison. The Titans will need a hard reset over the next few days, as the side lacks any real identity or direction to start the season.
-- Isaac Issa
Manly Sea Eagles
Stocks up: Tolutau Koula - just build the team around Koula at this point. Despite a gut-wrenching home loss to start the season, their star outside back did his best to drag them back into the contest and every fan is delighted that he has signed a new contract.
Stocks down: Halves situation - The post-DCE era got off to an inauspicious start and despite that late flurry of points, the lack of organsation and poor options at the end of sets was clear for all to see. Many fans are extremely excited about Joey Walsh and perhaps he'll get a proper chance in the halves sooner than you think.
-- Matt Bungard
Melbourne Storm
Stocks up: I'm not the only person who considers Cameron Smith to be one of the greatest rugby league players ever, but in Harry Grant the Storm just might just have another. He completely controls the middle of the park, the tempo of the game and can open up any defence with his guile and speed off the mark. He rarely misses in defence and has matured into being a great leader. He left the field with a hamstring concern, which the Storm hope was just a severe cramp.
Stocks down: The Storm are usually one of the most professional teams in the NRL, with coach Craig Bellamy not allowing any nonsense in their game. Against the Eels, they found themselves involved in too much niggle at times. Happy enough to pour the rubbish on a Jonah Pezet error, it was all-in pushing and shoving when Eels replacement Tallyn Da Silva had the audacity to nudge one of their players after an error.
-- Darren Arthur
Newcastle Knights
Stocks up: What will potentially go down as one of the best spines in the competition proved its worth against the Cowboys. Phoenix Crossland was very sharp around the ruck, Fletcher Sharpe was most dangerous until injuring his knee, Dylan Brown slotted in well and Kalyn Ponga was back to his scheming best. All of them dangerous with the ball in hand and equally when they tucked it under their arms to run. Sharpe went off and Sandon Smith stepped in. Promising times for Newcastle.
Stocks down: Early days for the Knights, but they still have errors in them as well as missed tackles at vital times. They will need to improve their completion rate and tighten up their defence if they want to compete with the better sides in the league. As the spine spends more game time together, there should be less of them seemingly getting in each other's way as well.
-- Darren Arthur
New Zealand Warriors
Stocks up: With a mountain of possession the Warriors were at their attacking best against the Roosters. Their 2025 season took a dive when Luke Metcalf injured his knee, but replacement Tanah Boyd has slowly found his place in the lineup. Boyd was everywhere against the Roosters and key to the victory. Metcalf will return eventually, but the Warriors appear to be in good hands for now.
Stocks down: As good as they were in attack, the Warriors coaching staff would have been concerned about two second-half tries conceded to the Roosters. The Warriors have a knack for coasting when in the lead and it can come back to bite them. They need to work on their ruthlessness in defence for the full 80 minutes, regardless of the score.
-- Darren Arthur
North Queensland Cowboys
Stocks up: Murray Taulagi continues to build a reputation as one of the league's premier finishers. His two tries on either side of the break kept the Cowboys in the game. The halves; Jake Clifford and Tom Dearden need to make sure their outside backs receive more quality ball. There are plenty of tries out there for the Cowboys.
Stocks down: It was all too familiar for the Cowboys that whenever they looked to be in their clash with the Knights, their defence let them down. That period after the break where Newcastle ran in two tries in two minutes was a back breaker for the morale and the coach. They really need to toughen up that defensive line or it will be a long, hard season.
-- Darren Arthur
Parramatta Eels
Stocks up: The Eels looked very sharp across the backline with Mitchell Moses and Jonah Pezet orchestrating some dangerous attacking play early on against the Storm. The Eels have plenty of speed out wide and a young and improving fullback in Isaiah Iongi. They just need to find some forward dominance to give those halves and backs more room to operate.
Stocks down: Parramatta were found out both up the middle and with their handling. Soft defence at times allowed the Storm way too much freedom and the Eels' completion rate just wasn't up to the standard needed to win at this level. Once the Storm established dominance up the middle of the park, the Eels completely capitulated.
-- Darren Arthur
Penrith Panthers
Stocks up: Penrith dominated the Brisbane Broncos over the weekend, keeping the reigning premiers' points total to a whopping zero. Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards were instrumental in their side's attack, as both had their hands in most of Penrith's 26 points. Late inclusion, Thomas Jenkins, had one of his best games as a Panther, with two tries and a try assist to go alongside nearly 200 metres gained. The four-time premiers look rested and connected, coming off the club's longest offseason since 2019. This side is hungry, and they just devoured their first meal of the year.
Stocks down: While dominant against Brisbane in their 26-0 thumping on Friday night, it's clear Penrith have another gear in them. Fourteen errors for a title-contending side is simply not good enough, a stat that has been overlooked due to their opponents somehow tallying five more. Regardless, the Panthers will need to clean up those sloppy plays sooner rather than later. Laziness isn't in their DNA, so there's no doubt Ivan Cleary will want to nip that in the bud before their next hit out.
-- Isaac Issa
St George Illawarra Dragons
Stocks up: The Dragons were not expected to challenge the stacked Bulldogs side in Las Vegas, but managed to take the game into golden point extra time. With several dubious calls going against them, it is easy to say that with a bit more luck they could have caused a massive upset. Their scrambling defence frustrated the Bulldogs all night, and made a real contest of a game many expected them to lose comfortably.
Stocks down: Halves pairing Kyle Flanagan and Daniel Atkinson really need to work on their creativity, particularly around their kicking games. Although no doubt under instructions from the coach to play conservative and get into the grind with the Bulldogs, the Dragons will need to show much more in their sixth-tackle options if they are to prove the doubters wrong this season.
-- Darren Arthur
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Stocks up: David Fifita - any doubts about Souths' marquee offseason signing should be cast aside after his first game. There wasn't any game-wrecking plays, like we were accustomed to with Fifita at the Titans, but he was a constant threat with his carries and chipped in with yardage runs as well.
Stocks down: Ashton Ward - the young halfback won first crack at the jersey for 2026 and after a very impressive Charity Shield, looked set for a big year. But an ankle injury will put him in the stands for the next few weeks, paving the way for Bud Sullivan to make the No.7 his own, if the Bunnies can maintain the good form from their season opener.
-- Matt Bungard
Sydney Roosters
Stocks up: Despite the heavy loss, there were several mitigating factors. The Roosters lost their main metre man, Spencer Leniu, to a hamstring twinge in warm-up. The halves partnership between Daly Cherry-Evans and Sam Walker is very new and will only get better behind a full and dominating pack. Without Lenui they had little chance to dominate the Warriors forwards. I also doubt they will ever come under such meticulous scrutiny from a referee again. Their every indiscretion was either penalised or met with a six again call.
Stocks down: Discipline, discipline, discipline. Roosters coach Trent Robinson was publicly dismayed by the treatment dished out by the referee, but privately, away from the cameras, he would have been absolutely fuming at his own players. They may have been under the referee's microscope all night, but the solution to that is to back off on your fine line crossing antics. Seriously, just stop doing the little things the referee is pinging you for. Doubling down and remonstrating over every penalty didn't work for the Roosters, and that was what they call in the business, "dumb football".
-- Darren Arthur
Wests Tigers
BYE
