The 2026 NRL season is set to kick-off on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, with 16 teams out to chase the Brisbane Broncos in the new campaign.
Every club will see key reasons why they can and can't perform in 2026, and Zero Tackle have pulled the key one on each side of the coin.
Canterbury Bulldogs
Why they can: Keeping faith in the ongoing plan
Since Phil Gould took over in the front office, the Bulldogs have made key signings to get them in the direction they want to be in.
They identified a weakness in their roster and acted on it, signing Leo Thompson as their enforcer up front. When he returns from injury, we will see the Dogs at their best.
The Bulldogs have leaders across the park, which will go a long way in their quest for a title. Players such as Stephen Crichton, Matt Burton, Sitili Tupouniua and Viliame Kikau all have experience in big games which is priceless when it comes to winning in September.
Why they can't: Playmaking problems
Lachlan Galvin in the chief playmaking role doesn't have the big-game experience to navigate his side around the park and outplay the sides with more experienced halves.
All the past premiership-winning sides in the last ten years have two halves who are very experienced, especially the halfbacks.
The good thing for Dogs fans is the more experience Galvin gets in September footy, the greater player he will become in the long term, and although it may not be their year this year, he will be growing each season.
Objective: To say in one article what everyone else says, and to say what everyone else does _not_ say.
Who said that ? Was it Nietzsche ?
Well, whoever it was, he’d be proud to have written this one, Scott.