The numbers that matter
The big winners of Round 5
Wingers win games, defences win Premierships.
One bookmaker is offering as little as 3.50 for the Penrith Panthers to be undefeated after Round 12 following their five consecutive wins to open 2026.
Already with a massive points differential of +150 to their name and four of the competition's top-30 try scorers (led by Tom Jenkins with 12), the Panthers have thrashed three of the other four teams to start 2026 with single digit odds to win the Premiership (Brisbane $5.50 26-0, Sydney $7.00 40-4, Melbourne $7.50 50-10).
Whilst the likes of Jenkins soak up the plaudits and the attention, those scorelines confirm that their defence has been the bedrock of their success so far, missing an average of less than 29 missed tackles per game (the second-best behind Wests Tigers).
The challenge will be to keep the momentum going through the upcoming Origin period, but that is something that the experienced Ivan Cleary has managed with aplomb in seasons gone by, with Penrith often one of the best midyear signs even when they have half their squad cleaned out by Origin duty.
The big losers of Round 5
Parramatta Eels came into Round 1 with an aura of confidence rarely seen this decade after a Pre-Season Challenge title and a squad boosted by some impressive signings such as Jack de Belin and Jonah Pezet.
Pezet was one of three additions to the competition's longest injury list at the weekend when he picked up a hamstring injury and luckless key starter Bailey Simonsson saw his 2026 season ended by a gruesome midair tackle from Wests Tigers' Luke Laulilii on Easter Monday.
The Eels were handed a brutal reality check in the opening week by Melbourne Storm, who have not gone on to be world beaters by any means since, and their golden point loss to Wests Tigers on Monday confirmed their status as the league's worst defence so far, with a hefty average of 34 points conceded per game.
Their trio of injuries and the questionable conduct of captain Mitch Moses all added to the misery of their unexpectedly poor star to the season, with the injury to impressive debutant Te Hurinui Twidle especially painful as he contributed two of their four tries.
Trouble is a-brewing if they can't put on a big display against the 1-4 Titans this weekend.
Who scored braces this round?
The weekend belonged to Warriors back Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who dazzled with the fourth hat-trick of his NRL career in their loss away to Cronulla.
Outside of that, there were also doubles for Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Lehi Hopoate, Latrell Mitchell, Tom Jenkins, Jaxon Purdue, Apa Twidle, Jojo Fifita, Will Kennedy, Greg Marzhew and Dominic Young.
The naughty boys
Here are the weekend sanctions with everyone except Adam Pompey accepting their sanctions. Pompey will attempt to have his Grade 2 charge downgraded to Grade 1.
Adam Pompey (Warriors) - Grade 2 Dangerous Contact - 1 match or 2 matches
Luke Laulilii (Wests Tigers) - Grade 2 Dangerous Contact - 1 match
David Fale (Dragons) - Grade 2 Dangerous Contact - 1 match
Trent Loiero (Storm) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $3000 fine
Apisai Koroisau (Wests Tigers) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $3000 fine
Tyson Frizell (Newcastle) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1800
Heilum Luki (Cowboys) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1800
Hame Sele (Dragons) - Grade 1 Crusher Tackle - $1500
Greg Marzhew (Knights) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000
Kaeo Weekes (Raiders) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000
Hudson Young (Raiders) - Grade 1 Contrary Conduct - $1000
AJ Brimson (Titans) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000
Sean O'Sullivan (Bulldogs) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000
Connelly Lemuelu (Dolphins) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000
Sean Russell (Eels) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $750
Try of the Week
Next weekend's fixtures
