Magic round is in the book, and the Origin teams are out. The Knights continue to surge, the Sea Eagles keep breaking new ground whilst the Tigers and Bulldog stocks plummet.
Origin by the numbers
Despite what happened 12 months ago, it is clear that the winner of Game 1 is in a supremely strong position historically.
The team that has won the opening game of the origin series has gone on to win 26 times in the past 35 years.
The all-important neutral fixture this years comes up at the MCG in Melbourne where Queensland generally have strong support.
Despite this, the record in Victoria is very even.
At the MCG it is 3-3, and overall NSW lead 5-4 in Victoria with a couple of wins at the Docklands.
No team has swept a series 3-0 since Queensland achieved in 2010. NSW last won 3-0 back in 2000.
Sharks yo-yo rolls on
The Sharks thumping of the Bulldogs continued their trend this season where every single match has been decided by a double-digit margin. Going back to last year it is actually only one of their last 16 matches that has been decided by less than ten points, which was the Preliminary Final defeat to Melbourne last year.
Their battling opponents the Bulldogs have slumped to five losses in a row and have conceded 180 points in that time. This is their worst defensive record since Rounds 15-19 of 2021.
Tigers alarming slide
The Wests Tigers were the 2nd best defensive team in the competition across the first 8 rounds.
In the last three weeks that has all changed. In that time they've given up 142 points, the worst record in that period.
They've also been the three highest scores they've conceded since Round 10 of last year.
The “Foz Effect”
Prior to the Seibold decision, the Sea Eagles had conceded 20 or more points in ten consecutive matches.
Since Keiran Foran took the role, Manly have produced seven consecutive matches where they've conceded less than 20. This is their best defensive record since 2008, a year in which they would win the premiership.
One of their major stumbling blocks will be the only team to defeat them in the past seven weeks.
Penrith have just gone 10-1 for the third time since 2021. It is also their equal best ever start to a season. How did they lose to the Bulldogs?
Unrecognisable Knights
The Knights improvement in 2026 has been substantial.
They have produced the greatest increase in scoring across all sides in the competition, operating with twice as much effect when they attack as they did in 2025.
In 2025 -the averaged 14.03 points per game
In 2026 -They are averaging 28.3 points per game.
Last season they produced 338 points across the entire season. This year they sit at 312 in 11 games. If they put up 26 in their next match, they will have matched last season's total in exactly half the time.
