The numbers that matter
The big winners of Round 16
New Zealand Warriors and the city of Christchurch share the gong this week after a memorable NRL debut at Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch, which made an enormous case to be the home venue of the NRL's 20th side as more than 25,000 spectators watched the Warriors rack up four second-half tries to run over the top of the Cowboys.
Their best ever start to a season has been carried through the middle part of 2026 and the Panthers' field goal defeat at the weekend means New Zealand are now two wins off the summit instead of three, and there were some encouraging signs in the way that their forward pack managed to contain the Cowboys after Jackson Ford had left the field with what could be a serious pectoral injury.
Barnett carried the workload with 23 runs despite backing up from Wednesday's Origin, where Ford could have been a smokey to play in Game 3 were he fit.
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad played on the wing for the first time in nine years and was scintillating, adding to their enormous outside centre and wing depth that will be further boosted next year when Will Warbrick joins them on a three-year deal to be closer to his family and his community.
25,000 Christchurch spectators created what Barnett described as an "unreal atmosphere" on a night that should, objectively speaking, put them ahead of western Brisbane for what will inevitably be the NRL's 20th team.
The big losers of Round 16
Canberra Raiders had not scored a single first half point in two games prior to their trip down to Melbourne and they quickly put that behind them by flying out of the blocks with the first three tries of the Sunday afternoon game against the Storm, a start that neither head coach saw coming.
Their 16-0 lead was an incredible step forward for a team that was averaging just 18.5 points per game heading into the round - or so it seemed.
The injection of Storm hooker Harry Grant into the game off the bench immediately turned the game around as the Storm scored off their first set with Grant on the pitch and they never looked back.
Jahrome Hughes' kicking game was spot on as he continued to attack one of the Raiders' weaknesses - that being their defensive aerial capabilities on the edge - and it was a strategy that Ricky Stuart surely saw coming yet was unable to manage. An abnormally high missed tackle count of 44 - most of them coming in the first half - and a lazy effort in chasing kicks and stopping the Storm forwards from gaining impactful metres added to the woes.
On paper, this Canberra side should not be fighting off the likes of St George Illawarra for the spoon. Jamal Fogarty's defection to Manly was expected to hurt them more than anything in 2026, but Ethan Sanders is growing into that role. The problems lay elsewhere, and the fact that Stuart candidly admitted he "doesn't know" if he'll able to fix them this year should be ringing alarm bells in the capital.
Who scored a brace this week?
The versatile Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad lit up One New Zealand Stadium with the Warriors' first four tries of their win over North Queensland and was the leading try scorer of the weekend. Will Warbrick, who himself scored four against the Cowboys earlier in the season was stunning in the air against Canberra (Warriors) to take his season tally to 14, which has him equal fourth for the Ken Irvine Medal.
There were also doubles for Fletcher Sharpe (Knights), Sione Fainu (Tigers), Lehi Hopoate (Sea Eagles), Braidon Burns (Cowboys) and Mark Nawaqanitawase (Roosters).
Team of the Week
Try of the Week
The naughty boys
No players have received a suspension this week. It's a big relief to Jason Taumalolo who was at risk of having game number 300 delayed after being sent to the sin bin for a hit on Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
High-range fines:
Greg Marzhew - High tackle - $1800 or $2500 fine
Low-range fines:
Sam Verrills - High tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Erin Clark - Dangerous contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Morgan Smithies - Dangerous contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Jason Taumalolo - Dangerous throw - $750 or $1000 fine
Next weekend's fixtures
