Rugby league has broken me, a refereeing crisis and Dragons get it wrong again: 20 thoughts from NRL Round 6

This past weekend may have been the most frustrating round of rugby league I've ever endured.

I apologise in advance but the tone today is going to be overwhelmingly negative.

Do not get me wrong, I love rugby league. I plan my weekends around it. That said, the current product is just not good.

Let's get right into it. I promise to be more positive next week.

Here are 20 thoughts from an incredibly difficult Round 6.

1. Rugby league is difficult to watch in 2026. It is seriously at the point where I cringe just waiting to hear the six-again bell. You can no longer celebrate scoring tries until two minutes after the ball has been put down and the "try confirmed" graphic flashes up. I know ratings are great but I don't care, the product right now is not good.

2. There was one good game this past week. The Bulldogs shock win was fun but the game was terrible. One good game, one decent game and a series of blow outs. The one good game was decided by the bunker. That Gehamat Shibasaki "disruptor" was embarrassing. No one in the world, outside of one person, thought that was anything even close to a penalty. Games are being decided on the whim, and mood of an official sitting in a room, hundreds (in this case a thousand) kilometres away. Pass!

3. For the record, I though the Shibasaki decision was the worst I'd ever seen. I stand by that. Less than 24 hours later there was a worse decision made as Robert Toai's finger tip brushed the forearm of Sam Stonestreet, evidently causing him to drop a chest mark. The worst thing I ever did was praise Adam Gee as a decision maker. That was gross!

4. How's about the NRL wheeling out Graham Annesley to throw the referees under the bus? The NRL introduced a series of laughable rules, ordered a crack down on enforcement and now that reaction has been negative, have come out and said "oh not like that!". I don't blame the referees for getting it wrong. They don't even know the rules they're supposed to enforce. They change every eight seconds anyway!

5. So after spending all off-season shouting from roof tops that only genuine contests were accepted, the bat back is now absolutely fine? Dead set, where are the hidden cameras? We're being Punk'd. That's a reference most younger readers won't get, but this entire season feels like a stitch up on fans. For the record, you should absolutely be able to jump up and knock the ball back. The pre-season rubbish was just that ... rubbish!

6. There is a genuine and very real refereeing crisis. The current crop have no feel for the game. Anyone asking for NSW Cup referees to stand up, don't. At Henson Park, the most obvious of knock ons (seriously, this has to be seen to be believed) was ruled a try by the touchie standing three metres away. The referee wanted to rule a knock on and even gestured, only to trust the word of his touch judge. On replay, he shouldn't have. There are five of these clangers every weekend.

7. Unlike when Manly players said they were still playing for then coach Anthony Seilbold, I actually believe Dragons players when they say it with Shane Flanagan. They know half of them wouldn't get a gig under any other coach. Things are so bad at the Red V now that Trai Fuller decided to continue playing QLD Cup than take up a role as their fullback. The Dragons offering a short-term deal and being embarrassed shows what rabble they currently are.

8. How's Damien Cook and Clint Gutherson holding an "honesty session" with the players last week? Unless it was held in front of a mirror, it wasn't honest. Gutherson and Cook, both on big money, have endured horror starts to the season and should have been the first players to put their hand up in the session.

9. If Matt Ballin hasn't officially accepted the Manly coaching job, and word is it's not far off, then the Dragons should put an offer to him, today! The Flanagan era has been an unmitigated disaster and needs to end.

10. Shane Flanagan, for his part, needs new advisors. They were 0-5 heading into last week and his decision to double down on son Kyle Flanagan's talents at halfback provided terrible optics. The fact he hasn't yet moved to Kade Reed, who was again brilliant in NSW Cup this past weekend, just proves Flanagan no longer has it. Flanagan Senior's statement that Kyle is still the best halfback in his squad was equal parts ill-timed and incorrect. Give Reed a go or stand down. This coming from a Sharks fan.

11. The Dragons week got worse upon hearing Jaydn Su'A was exiting the club to join the Eels. I actually don't hate this from a Dragons perspective. They need to refresh and Su'A, as good as he is, will be 29 before the season starts next year. As for the Eels, they add another aging forward to a long list of them. Jason Ryles is lucky that the Dragons are so bad as that is the only reason he isn't under far more pressure.

12. The Sharks need to sign Scott Drinkwater for 2027. When Nicho Hynes isn't firing, there is zero creativity in that side. Drinkwater is a try assist machine. Don't come at me with that "defensive" fullback nonsense. If your fullback is making 20 tackles, you're not in games to begin with. The Sharks need his attack in their ranks. Their best recruitment tool right now is "we are not the Dragons".

13. Jaxon Purdue's re-signing is massive. That may be an understatement. He will surely move to fullback next year with Drinkwater evidently on the way out. He could be the fastest player in the competition right now and absolutely burned noted speedsters for laughs in Brisbane. He has Origin football aplenty in his future.

14. This past Thursday night may have been Lachlan Galvin's best game in his entire career. There were better highlights during his time at the Tigers but the way he set his team up to beat the red-hot Panthers was a thing of beauty. His combination with Jacob Preston is one to watch!

15. People overreacting to the Panthers loss. No team is ever going to go through a season undefeated. They were caught out by a desperate Bulldogs team. That said, Blaize Talagi now has a massive target on his chest after being battered for 80 minutes by Galvin and Preston.

16. I have absolutely no issues, at all, with Ivan Cleary's "gesture" to fans. They were giving him a serve and he has a laugh with them. Banter is good. Anyone who has an issue is watching the wrong game.

17. The timeline came together this past week to express disappointment after hearing that "Try July" won't appear moving forward. For those who missed it, Sportsbet sponsored the popular month-long celebration and donated money to charity. New Government regulations, combined withe fact many clubs now have different waging sponsors, means it will no longer sponsor. Can't blame them. The NRL owe us after the opening six weeks and should sponsor it outright.

18. The Roosters moving on Connor Watson seems strange on the surface. I suppose Watson has fallen foul of the "Jack of all trades, master of none" expression. He can do so much so well, yet I couldn't tell you his best position. I expect there will be plenty in talks with the Origin utility.

19. How good are the Wests Tigers? I mentioned after their opener that they looked built for the new, faster game. They could be the biggest benefactors of the faster game. They're young, they're fast and they are very entertaining to watch right now.

20. On the other end of the equation, the Storm look like a shell of their former selves. I'm never willing to write Craig Bellamy and his men off but they look old and they look slow. We'll re-visit this in a month or two but right now they are so far off the pace, literally!