GET READY FOR ROUND 14 - All You Need to Know Before Kick-off

We’re back to the full slate of eight games in Round 14. Plus, it’s the long weekend, so we’re treated to five days’ worth of footy action, kicking things off with the fifth-placed Sea Eagles taking on the sixth-placed Rabbitohs. Get your fill of the latest NRL news from the BettingTop10 team right here.

Even without their Origin stars, the Penrith Panthers put on an epic performance to just edge out the New Zealand Warriors in the last game of Round 13. As the Warriors were sitting one spot below the Panthers on the ladder, it was effectively a two-point swing.

Now, the Panthers are sitting on 24 points at the top of the ladder, with the Warriors still in second place, on 20 points. Unsurprisingly, the Panthers are still the favourites in the NRL betting odds for the Premiership.

Other than the Panthers and Warriors, another team we have to talk about are the Newcastle Knights! The Knights are flying at the moment, winning their last four games in a row, and are currently sitting on 18 points in fourth spot on the ladder. 

Sandon Smith picked up an injury for the Knights last time out, and Bradman Best is still out, but other than that, they have all their key players in the starting lineup. Could this be the year the Newcastle team makes a deep run in the Finals?

It looks like 16 points is the place to be! Right now, there are six teams on 16 points, from the Manly Sea Eagles in fifth down to the Wests Tigers in 10th. One team to really keep your eye on, though, is the Dolphins.

They had their bye last round, but have won four games in a row. They take on the North Queensland Cowboys this round in Townsville. Their Origin stars look set to return, plus Herbie Farnworth should be back from his hamstring injury as well.

The Cronulla Sharks are another team in the log jam, and are currently in eighth spot on the ladder. They take on the bottom-of-the-table St. George Illawarra Dragons this round at home in Cronulla. 

However, the Sharks have to do it without their captain, Blayke Brailey, who broke his arm in his last game and is set for surgery this week. He’ll likely be out for at least three weeks. This injury also puts Brailey in doubt for the Blues in Origin.

Major signing news out of the Tigers camp this week, as they may have found Jarome Luai’s replacement. Luai is set to leave the Tigers in 2028, and it looks like the Dolphins’ Jake Averillo is the favourite to take over.

It’s not a done deal, though, and several other teams have thrown their hat into the ring as well. The Tigers seem to be the front-runners, reportedly offering a deal too good to pass up (a three-year deal with good money to boot).

It’s done, it’s over! The Dragons finally have their first win of the 2026 season, bringing to an end what was a 15-game losing streak (and the second-longest losing streak in NRL history). They beat the Brisbane Broncos, 30-26, last time out.

So, can we expect a turnaround from the Dragons? They’re up against the Sharks this round in Cronulla, which is a tough ask. Clint Gutherson also came from the field in the game against the Broncos with a calf injury, so we’re not sure if he’ll be playing this round.

Moving on to another team that really needs to get its act together - the Canterbury Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have won just one of their last five games, and are sitting in 14th spot on the ladder.

Most notably, there seems to be a lot of friction within the team, and it all boiled over on-field in Round 13 against the Tigers. Captain Stephen Crichton and Lachlan Galvin seemingly had a bit of a blue.

Galvin was pleading with Crichton to challenge a call that went against him, but it fell on deaf ears. And this is not the first time that Crichton has had issues with the young number seven. In Round 10, a poor defensive play by Galvin, which let in a try, resulted in a frustrated spray from the captain.