Fullback: Scott Drinkwater (NQ Cowboys)
One of the major questions regarding North Queensland heading into 2026 was how long Todd Payten would keep his job for.
With six rounds left, the Cowboys are in the top eight and Payten has been re-signed until the end of 2028.
Scott Drinkwater has been a big part of the Cowboys’ resurgence: he has played all 19 games, scoring 54 points (nine tries, eight goals, two field goals).
One of the highlights was against Manly in Round 19. He helped the Cowboys come back from 18-10 down and kicked the match-winning Golden Point field goal.
This is Drinkwater’s farewell tour, as after eight years at the Cowboys, he heads to St George Illawarra. While the Cowboys are unlikely to be a genuine premiership contender, “Drinky” can still leave fans with some nice memories.
Wing: Daniel Tupou (Sydney Roosters)
It was a milestone month for Tupou, playing his 300th game in Round 19 against Parramatta and scoring a hat-trick. He scored his second and third tries in six minutes as the Roosters put the foot down.
He’s now just eight games behind Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (310) as the most-capped player in Sydney Roosters history, though an anterior shoulder dislocation recently sustained against Newcastle means he may not return until the finals.
While Tupou isn’t contracted beyond 2026, surely Easts won’t hesitate in re-signing him - if he chooses to keep playing - so he can pass JWH in early 2027?
Centre: Simi Sasagi (Canberra Raiders)
While Canberra suffered some key injuries this season, Simi was arguably the most important. The Raiders cult figure went down against Penrith in Round 10, and Canberra fell into a hole without him, winning one from five to fall to second-last. Simi returned in the “Spoon Bowl” against St George Illawarra and the Raiders haven’t lost since, scoring 154 points since he returned.
Sasagi is so adored in Canberra that Raiders fans came up with the “Oh, Simi Sasagi” chant (to the tune of White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”), singing it as he came off the ground with 10 minutes left in the 56-10 win over the Wests Tigers. The chant has spread to Raiders podcasts, social media, and merchandise.
While Sasagi’s versatility is an asset (he can play second row if needed), centre seems to be his most dangerous position, partnering with the revitalised Matthew Timoko.
Centre: Paul Alamoti (Penrith Panthers)
Players like Paul Alamoti (53 games since 2024) keep the Penrith machine running when their stars are unavailable. In his last three games, Paul Alamoti has a total of 440 running metres as Penrith have stayed in first place.
He filled in for Nathan Cleary as goalkicker when he was unavailable due to Origin or was rested, kicking nine goals from nine attempts against the Gold Coast and Souths combined.
Alamoti has played 18 games this season, switching between wing and centre, and played 80 minutes in all but one of them. And Panthers fans will fondly remember his try in the 2024 Grand Final, which gave Penrith a match-winning 14-6 lead.
He’s a big reason why the Penrith juggernaut keeps rolling even when they lose key players.
Wing: Thomas Jenkins (Penrith Panthers)
With 26 tries in 18 games, Tom Jenkins is the favourite to win the 2026 Ken Irvine Medal.
‘Milky’ loves scoring in bunches, with a double hat-trick (four tries), a hat-trick, and nine doubles. He scored a minimum of two tries a game in the first seven rounds as Penrith dominated the start of the season, rectifying their uncharacteristically slow start to 2025.
With six regular season games left, Jenkins needs 13 tries to beat Dave Brown’s record (38 tries) for Eastern Suburbs in 1935. Can he do it?
Five-eighth: Braydon Trindall (Cronulla Sharks)
Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes have been the nucleus of Cronulla’s drive into the top four. While the Sharks have been criticised for failing to compete when it matters (despite making two consecutive preliminary finals), the 66-0 win over the Dolphins was Cronulla at their best, scoring 11 tries, with three try assists each to Trindall and Hynes.
Trindall’s class was demonstrated by three almost identical try assists to Ronaldo Mulitalo (against the Dolphins, Newcastle, and Manly), throwing a “Sydney Harbour Bridge” pass for Mulitalo to score on the left wing each time.
It’s no surprise that Trindall tops the season’s try assists (26). That could be a dangerous September combination as the Sharks look to make their first Grand Final in a decade.
Halfback: Nicho Hynes (Cronulla Sharks)
Along with Lachlan Galvin, Nicho Hynes is a target for criticism and is usually the scapegoat when Cronulla loses. Whether it’s deserved all the time is another matter.
But Hynes momentarily silenced his critics with a record-breaking game against the Dolphins.
Hynes’ 30 points (two tries and 11 goals) was the most for Cronulla in a premiership match, beating his previous record of 22 points. Steve Rogers scored 33 points against Central Queensland in the 1977 Amco Cup (three three-point tries and 12 goals).
Brett Kimmorley was calling the game for SEN as Hynes passed his record (28 points against Newcastle in 2002), which was a nice touch.
Hynes (172 points) is the second-highest points-scorer this season as he and Trindall drives Cronulla to a likely top-four finish.
An honourable mention goes to Canberra’s Ethan Sanders: he’s looking comfortable in his first full season as the Raiders’ halfback. His partnership with Ethan Strange has flourished since Strange moved to the left side, while Sanders’ improved last tackle kicking game, and increasingly reliable goalkicking (65 goals), potentially justifies the decision to let Jamal Fogarty go.
At this rate, Sanders could be a contender for Dally M Rookie of the Year.
Prop: Keaon Koloamatangi (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Once again, Koloamatangi made the Team of the Month as Souths defied key injuries to stay in top four contention.
He played 80 minutes in three of the four games in July, making 107 tackles and running for 548 metres.
He pulled off a crucial ankle tap in Souths’ 28-26 win over Melbourne. With the Rabbitohs ahead 18-16 with 20 minutes left, Trent Toelau broke from his attacking 40 and looked like scoring, but Koloamatangi ankle tapped him 10 metres out and Melbourne couldn’t score off the final play.
Hooker: Owen Pattie (Canberra Raiders)
Starting the season in NSW Cup, Pattie has forced his way back into first grade and has earnt the starting hooker role (though he missed the Round 19 game against the Wests Tigers with a suspension).
With all the Adam Doueihi dramas showing how some players react to playing out of position, full credit goes to Pattie for how he’s approached this season. He’s been rewarded for his patience and good attitude, as he’s been a key part of Canberra’s four-game winning run to stay in finals contention. His 40/20 kicking continues to be dangerous, kicking two in the Raiders’ 40-16 win over Canterbury Bankstown.
And his minutes are increasing, with 61 each against the Bulldogs and Rabbitohs. Pattie’s resurgence has even forced Jayden Brailey to NSW Cup, with Daine Laurie a better option off the interchange bench.
Prop: Toby Couchman (St George Illawarra Dragons)
While the Dragons are almost certain to collect the wooden spoon (their first as a joint venture), the Couchman brothers have been outstanding.
Toby gets the nod over Ryan, but not by much.
Toby has played 17 games for the Dragons (719 tackles at 96% efficiency), while Ryan has played 14 games (610 tackles at 95% efficiency). They combined for 103 tackles (Toby 56 and Ryan 47) against the Warriors and 112 against the Titans (Ryan 57, Toby 55).
Second-rower Hamish Stewart also made 47 tackles against the Warriors and 43 against the Titans (a season total of 781 tackles at 95% efficiency from 18 games).
Koloamatangi’s arrival in 2027 – as the senior player in the Dragons’ impressive forward pack – should accelerate Toby, Ryan, and Hamish’s development.
Second row: Haumole Olakau'atu (Manly Sea Eagles)
Arguably one of the best second rowers in the NRL, Olakau'atu continues to be one of Manly’s greatest assets.
While Manly lost all four games in July, Olakau'atu made a total of 83 tackles and ran for 486 metres. His tries against North Queensland and the Gold Coast were from textbook runs on the right edge.
Olakau'atu was entitled to feel hard done by during Origin, only playing 67 minutes in the opening game. His omission from Melbourne and Brisbane was one of the more puzzling decisions by Laurie Daley.
Can Olakau'atu drive Manly to the finals or has the ‘Fozball’ glow finally faded?
Second row: Jacob Preston (Canterbury Bulldogs)
Preston’s return has sparked Canterbury’s revival this month.
The Bulldogs have won two out of three since he returned in Round 19, with Preston renewing his dangerous edge partnership with Lachlan Galvin. Four of his five tries this season were from Preston linking with Galvin on the edge, mostly on the right side.
While they had a heavy loss to Canberra in Round 19 (with Preston playing 60 minutes off the bench), they’ve since had convincing wins over the Wests Tigers and the Warriors, with Preston back playing 80 in the starting side.
Lock: Isaah Yeo (Penrith Panthers)
While NSW are traditionally the Origin favourites (with Queensland thriving on the underdog status), Isaah Yeo captained one of the most unfancied NSW Origin sides in years to a series victory in 2026.
Most of the criticism was trained on Laurie Daley’s selections, especially his handling of Haumole Olakau'atu, Brian To’o, Mitchell Moses, and Ethan Strange (to name a few selection questions). By contrast, Queensland looked stable and Billy Slater seemed to have the Maroons humming towards another series win.
After the big loss in Melbourne, Yeo said NSW were confident of winning the series in Brisbane, “Yeah, certainly…that’s the opportunity infront of us now….50,000 there rocking, and that’s what makes teams that can go up there and win special.”
Yeo lived up to those words, playing 67 minutes in the Brisbane decider, with 117 running metres and 38 tackles (only behind Liam Martin’s 40).
After a Round 19 bye, Yeo made 220 metres and 85 tackles combined against Brisbane and Parramatta.
With Origin over, can Yeo lead Penrith to their fifth premiership - in six grand finals - since their run began in 2020?
Andrew Pelechaty is a freelance rugby league writer and has written for various rugby league websites since 2004. He has been the Web Content Editor at Rugby League Zone since 2017 and began producing NRL content for Flashscore in 2025. You can read all of his content here and contact him on LinkedIn.
