COACH’S CORNER: Two tactical evolutions to look out for in 2026

One of the most common phrases we hear in many sports is that “defence wins championships”.

Try telling that to 2026 premiers the Brisbane Broncos, who, going into the finals, were averaging far too many points conceded, according to many who talk and write about the game, yours truly included.

The boys from Red Hill have developed a brand of football that could aptly be described as ‘whatever you score, we'll score more'.

As soon as Pat Carrigan, Payne Haas and the Broncos big boppers get them near the halfway line, watch out! The ball will get some air as halves Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam look to unleash Reece Walsh, Kotoni Staggs and the other wide men, who collectively have no shortage of pace and guile.

With this blueprint being successful in reaching two of the last three grand finals, and winning the most recent one, it is easy to imagine coaches and commentators in the NRL waxing lyrical about us being in the ‘era of flowing football' in 2026 and onwards.

This is also thanks to the NRL's insistence (and pride) in rucks being lightning quick and the six-again rule taking their hold on the sport, not to mention the shot clocks and the attrition created from only eight interchanges being allowed.

Listen to Lee speak about this on The Loose Carry Podcast's Coach's Corner segment.

The field is more open, defences are tiring quicker, and attackers' instincts are coming to the fore a lot more.

Striking the right balance between attack and defence proves to be one of the key questions the NRL powerbrokers need to get right each year, with entertainment and TV and streaming eyeballs being high on their agenda. Many young fans love attacking football and tries!

Yet the rusted on fans, many players, officials and coaches, also recall the back and forth we've had over the years when it comes to getting this balance right, and it seems the advantage is back with the attacker at the minute.

That's why we had some high scorelines last year and had some blowout scores. That's why we are getting ever closer to having the first ever Premier who concedes over 50 points in a game sometime during the year.

That's also why the NRL administration has been keen to push through the kick-off changes, to arrest the overwhelming momentum shift in favour of the ball carrier that it looks like we have at present.

Yet to have such a simple, reactional look at this and changing rules could be folly. Coaches and players need to adapt!

Without doubt, the most successful side of the decade so far has been Penrith Panthers, who have been one of the more attritional teams in the competition. They have been patient and brilliant at ‘getting in the grind' and staying in it. They have also backed it up with some serious defensive steel, and a disciplined approach on the whole that reduces the penalty count against them.

Also, anyone who plays or watches Touch Footy will know that the play the ball (the dump) in that game is rapid. Quality exponents of this sport often espouse the need for the dummy-half to ‘scoot' by simply picking the ball up after it has been dumped and running straight at the defence, to get them on the back foot and to open up the field for a more expansive approach at the end of the field that is furthest away from your own tryline.

Back to the NRL, and not all teams have the attacking riches at their disposal that the Brisbane Broncos do. Their coach Madge Maguire has unlocked and improved the attacking prowess of his troops, ensuring they go one step further than they did in the 2023 Grand Final, and several steps further than 2024.

Remember how they didn't get it right in '24. And the recent World Club Challenge loss in the UK to English Premiers Hull Kingston Rovers was a perfect example of the risk associated with having an all-out attacking mindset.

Rusty and lacking cohesion at the start, the Broncos made error after error, allowing their hosts to have more attempts at scoring, in areas where it's far easier to do so. Not only that, Hull KR made no mistakes at all in that period.

By the time Brisbane had woken up, they had a 24-point deficit to overcome and ran out of time in its pursuit.

It's so obvious to see that, if Brisbane would have reduced some of those errors, they would have the world title in their trophy cabinet by now. Instead, it's in Hull.

So, when it comes to domestic matters, for many teams that don't have the attacking riches of the Premiers, the choice of playing an expansive brand of football like they do, could be more of a risk. So, more patience, completion and attrition could well be a reality that many teams arrive at, particularly early in the season when combinations are still developing.

Therefore, the first tactical swing I am predicting is that some teams will ‘reign it in' a lot more, looking to create momentum with more direct carries, and, at the end of their set and after the kick, forcing opponents to travel 100 or 90 metres to travel in order to score. If the penny doesn't drop in 2026, it will eventually!

The other tactical evolution that I predict will emerge was also on show for some parts of the World Club Challenge, when the Broncos didn't have the ball.

In defence, Michael Maguires' team appeared to focus more on the quality of their tackle; an emphasis on the hit, rather than going in just to ‘catch' an attacker in order to control the ruck.

It's something I noticed one or two teams try in 2025. The emphasis from referees on clearing the ruck quickly means that defenders are given even less latitude to hold defenders down on the floor to prevent a quick play the ball.

This has been an issue for as long as many of us can remember, hence we have had an explosion of ‘catching and wrestling' techniques, that have led to new words and phrases in the rugby league vernacular, such as the Grapple, Chicken Wing and Hip-Drop tackles.

With the referee's whistle at the ready and the match review committee ready with their judgement on the WWE style antics in the play the ball, coaches are starting to realise that ‘hitting' the oncoming runner with the top of the shoulder, on the ball or just under it, in order to halt attacking momentum and win the contact, buys more time off the referee and gives a lot more advantage to a defender.

Rugby league is back, folks! Enjoy it