NRL Round 8 Preview | Get Ready for Round 8 2026

The Mighty Panthers are Still up There

The Penrith Panthers haven’t necessarily been at their all-time best as of late. They lost to the Bulldogs, and last time out, it took Golden Point for them to get the win over the Dolphins. Despite their “wobble” (if you can even call it that), they are still two Premiership points clear of the rest of the pack.

Panthers’ hooker, Mitch Kenny, is set for an extended stint on the sidelines, though. He suffered a leg fracture in the last game and will likely miss between eight and 12 weeks. Kenny is a key player for the Panthers and will be missed, but Freddy Lussick is the likely replacement.

The Wests Tigers just missed out on making it four wins in a row for the first time in 14 years, as they went down 20-21 to the Broncos in Campbelltown. They are still sitting pretty in the top four and are in Leichhardt for their game against the Canberra Raiders this round.

The Tigers have a positive record at Leichhardt Oval, and we all know how rowdy the home crowd can get at the eighth wonder of the world! NRL betting odds have the Tigers as the favourites, which is easy to see why, especially when you consider that both Hudson Young and Josh Papalii are out for the Raiders.

The Pack: Tommy Turbo Goes Down (Again) + They’re Still Dropping Like Flies in Brisbane

The Manly Sea Eagles pulled off another great win under interim head coach, Kieran Foran. They are now 3-0 under Foran and are up against the Eels this round. While their win over the North Queensland Cowboys was impressive, it wasn’t without heartbreak.

Tom Trbojevic went down in the first half after a seemingly innocuous tackle. He instantly clutched his hamstring. The same hamstring that has caused him strife in the past. It was a particularly difficult watch after seeing Turbo come back from so many injuries and perform very well in the last few games.

Another team where the injuries and health issues are piling up is the Brisbane Broncos. They also managed to get the win in Round 7, but the game took a toll on the likes of Payne Haas, who will spend six to eight weeks on the sideline after suffering a Grade 3 MCL tear.

Corey Jensen is also another result casualty for the Broncos, after he was hospitalised with a pulmonary embolism after the win over the Tigers. This means that the Broncos’ stocks are getting very, very thin, and we’re likely to see a few new faces in the line-up this round.

Wooden Spoon Watch: Flanagan is Flana-gone

Apparently, 11 losses is the limit, and Dragons’ head coach Shane Flanagan was shown the door after their Round 7 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Dragons remain the only team in the NRL to not chalk up their first victory.

Interim Dragons coach Dean Young has done some shifting with the starting 13 as well, pushing Kyle Flanagan to the bench, giving Kade Reed his NRL debut. They will be hoping for the same sort of fortune the Sea Eagles had when they sacked their head coach (the Sea Eagles have won three in a row coming into this round).

The Melbourne Storm may be giving the Dragons a run for their money at the moment, as they have lost their last five games in a row. The last time this happened was in 2012, and they are sitting in 15th spot on the ladder.

They are up against the Rabbitohs in Round 8, which they may welcome with open arms. The Rabbitohs are 0-20 against the Storm when playing at AAMI Park, and in the 43 games played between these two clubs, the Storm hold a 36-7 record. Those are some damning stats if you ask me!