Would hate to be either an Eels or Carlton fan right about now!
What a world we live in to finally see the return of footy to 2026. After months of surviving on whatever sport I could find on the dark web (When the cricket wrapped up I got real into Hurling and highly recommend it). This weekend just gone saw the completion of the NRL round 1 and the AFL opening round.
NRL
After starting in the Nevada Desert the week before, NRL completed its first round back on Australian and New Zealand soil with what was mostly a series of wash outs with one or two closer nail biters. The Warriors rolled the Roosters in Auckland with a 42-18 victory. The Panthers utterly embarrassed the current reigning premiers with a 0-26 win. Sharks bent over the Titans in Sydney with 50-10, and in a closer match we watched the Rabbitohs defeat the Dolphins with a 30-40 score. But thankfully there was at least one classic round one nail biter with Manly vs Canberra.
The game took place on Saturday night in Sydney, and it didn’t take long for Manly to lock down an early lead against last years minor premiers. Tom Trbojevic managed to sneak over the try line for Fogarty to then sink in the conversion for 6-0 lead at the 4-minute mark. After a dangerous tackle from Tapine from the Raiders, Fogarty was able to land a penalty shot, bringing the score to 8-0 in less than 10-miuntes. To make matters worse for the Raiders, Haumole Olakau’atu from Manly furthered their lead with a try at the 16-minute mark. Now a 14-0 lead at the 18-minute mark, things looked grim for the Raiders. But after this, Noah Martin turned on the gas and landed a try to keep the raiders fighting spirit alive. At half time the score was 14-6 with Manly ahead. But shortly after the 2nd half commenced it was Noah Martin again to score for the Raiders bringing the score to a tighter 14-12. This early try gave the Raiders some much needed momentum as Xavier Savage was able to score two try for the raiders in less than 5-minutes. With the score now being 14-22 at the 52-minute mark. Then, in what many assumed would be the final try required to secure victory, Ethan Sanders managed to get one more for the Raiders to bring the score to 14-28 by the 70-minute mark. With ten minutes left in the game what could possible happen? Well. Manly happened. Tolutau Koula managed to break through the Raiders defence and keep the Manly’s chances alive 20-28. Less than 40-seconds later Fogarty was able to seal another try as well for Manly and a successful conversion from Garrick bringing this game to a 26-28 score. But it was at the 80-minute mark that and offside rule was called against Canberra and Fogarty was able to make a penalty shot that brought the score to an even 28-28 meaning we would see a golden point overtime play out in the first round of 2026. Ethan Sanders of the Raiders was able to win it for the Raiders with a field goal.
AFL
In the AFL opening round we saw some epic upsets and interesting clashes. The Gold Coast Suns look to be a force to be reckoned with this year with a refined and strong mid-field with the former Demon, Christian Petracca leading the charge in defeating the Cats in the Gold Coast 125-69. The Giants managed to hold their own and take down the Hawks at ENGIE stadium 122-95. But there were two upsets this weekend I don’t think many people predicted. Firstly, after emptying their wallet for new players, St Kilda managed to not find the spark we all expected them to have and lost at the MCG against an aging Collingwood. But the real game of the week easily goes to the Brisbane Lions vs the Western Bulldogs.
The reigning premiers, Brisbane Lions, hosted the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Saturday night. The Bulldogs were known to struggle with away games last year, and Brisbane at home is essentially a fortress. But for the most part it was an incredibly tight and close game, and also very scrappy. Quarter time saw an even 19-19 all score, but Brisbane seemed more calculated with the ball. By halftime the score was 43-40 with Brisbane starting to pull away, emotions seemed to start growing after some unfortunate hits happening amongst players. But by three-quarter time Brisbane was away now leading the game wth 81-68. But don’t count the dogs out, Ed Richards and Marcus Bontempelli still have plenty to say. Managing to claw their way back, the Bulldogs were able to secure victory over the 2024/2025 premiers with a 106-111 final score. To make things worse, the Lions have also now seen three players (Harris Andrews, Darcy Gardiner, and Zac Bailey) receive suspensions for dangerous play, but will challenge the calls for Andrews and Gardiner.
