Officials get it wrong, Tigers going nowhere and ‘Fozball’ debate: 20 thoughts from NRL Round 20

20 rounds of the 2026 NRL competition are now behind us and there is still everything to play for.

The Warriors put pressure on the Panthers at the top, while the battles for finals spots elsewhere are red hot.

The Dolphins bounced back from a historic loss last week, the Roosters and Sharks pushed their Top Four hopes and the Dogs kept their faint hopes alive.

Round 20 produced the usual split of positives and negatives. We'll try and get the negatives out of the way early.

1. NRL referees, touch judges and Bunker officials are the biggest stars in our game right now. We had a weekend of superb rugby league yet, as usual, all we are talking about is the long list of officiating howlers. Every single week!

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2. There were a mountain of shockers this weekend but the one that stands out most for me is the Rueben Garrick "onside" "try" call despite clear evidence to suggest he was off-side. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui said it best when he questioned the consistency, given that Max Plath's Origin try was ruled out despite being almost identical.

3. Just quietly, this "no evidence to overturn" nonsense is the biggest cop out in professional sports. The Bunker cost $3.2 million to set up and costs between two and three million dollars a season to run. There are high definition cameras everywhere and super slow motion replays. Make a decision!

4. One last gripe then we'll move on ... The hip drop lottery is in full fly. On Sunday we saw two identical hip drops (one in the Titans and Sea Eagles game, one in the NRLW Parra vs Titans game). One player went to the Sin Bin, correctly, while one play did not. No wonder fans get annoyed.

5. Just a quick note to fans benefiting from refereeing howlers, stop playing victim. Stop trying to defend the indefensible. Enjoy the ride, because I guarantee it'll turn eventually. It always does.

6. The Wests Tigers are going absolutely nowhere. Yet another wasted season. Next year looks like more of the same as the only change coming is Jarome Luai leaving for Jake Averillo. Averillo is a star centre, playing five-eighth. If anything, they'll go backward.

7. If the Wests Tigers are playing for Benji Marshall, they mustn't like him very much. This is obviously a tongue in cheek comment but is it becoming very clear is that Benji was thrown into an un-winnable position. That is very much, not tongue in cheek.

8. Elsewhere, the Gold Coast Titans very much seem to be on the right track. They're still a win short of their 2025 campaign however they now have Oliver Pascoe unearthed as their long-term number nine and Zane Harrison providing excitement in the number seven. Last year they had neither of these. The spine is now locked in for many years. Great signs.

9. I will discuss this is long form over the next few days but "Fozball" seems to have been worked out. That said, Kieran Foran's spark saved Manly's season and provided six weeks of hope they would never have otherwise enjoyed. More on this later.

10. Maybe I'm looking through rose coloured glasses but both Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall somehow look much quicker since the bye. They are also playing in much more defined roles now that Frédéric Michalak has arrived. It's amazing what a fresh set of eyes, and ideas, can do for a team.

11. Speaking of Braydon Trindall, check out the read on the below play. As soon as ball is played, despite being at market, he covers exactly where the kick lands. Will Kennedy slips over and Ronaldo Mulitalo is too far away to get involved. If Trindall holds his spot on the left, the Knights win that game.

Play of the night ... watch Trindall! pic.twitter.com/vqWmnP9dEK

— Sutho (Sharks) Dan (@SuthoDan2) July 17, 2026

12. Tiana Penitani Gray is on her way to becoming an elite NRL personality. Her comments re commentary on the NRLW was spot on. Fans and commentators should very much praise the good but should also call out the bad. There were much more to the comments but she cut through the nonsense with pure common sense. Refreshing to see.

13. The North Queensland Cowboys seemed to rush into re-signing Todd Payten a few months back. They were playing well at the time but had a horror 2025. This rush seemed to eventuate despite no obvious interest from elsewhere. They've slipped right back into normal ways and look devoid of ideas again. Not sure re-signing him was the right idea.

14. What does Todd Payten have against Jake Clifford? He carried the Cowboys during Tom Dearden's injury yet was dropped first chance. Meanwhile Jaxon Purdue, who lit the competition up at centre early in the season, has been completely blunted in the halves.

15. What got into Alex Twal on Saturday night? I've never seen him react like that before. Not only did he throw a strike to be Sin Binned but when he ran back on, he ran out of the line to put another hit on and caused a late stink. Nicest guy in rugby league. Must have been something that set him off.

16. Joseph Manu would be a monster get for PNG. If he does sign though, it really puts Perth back in the spotlight. For PNG to sign so many big name players, so quickly, while Perth have struggled to land a big fish ... not a great look. Those tax free dollars are a bigger draw than I thought.

17. Latua Fainu being given a Grade 3 charge for a legs tackle gone wrong seems like massive overkill. 95 times out of 100 that very tackle ends up being very different than the spectacular, almost flip that eventuated. If anything he just got run over the top of. Looked way worse than it was.

18. If I'm the Broncos there's no way I'm rushing to re-sign Michael Maguire. Yes, he delivered a premiership literally last year but we've seen, twice, the years that follow titles at other clubs. Just wait and see for a little bit.

19. The Bulldogs are in a spot where they have to play both Stephen Crichton and Matt Burton in the centres. Lachlan Galvin has always been a natural number six while Sean O'Sullivan is the perfect seven to manage the game. Crichton has been great at six over the past few weeks but the Dogs have finally found the formula.

20. Jamayne Isaako may be the best finisher we've ever seen. The absolute ease in which he scores near impossible tries should be studied. What a huge pick up for the Storm next year.