The numbers that matter
The big winners of Round 1
New Zealand produced a statement win on home soil against the rusty new combination of Daly Cherry-Evans and Sam Walker as they burst through the Roosters' defensive line twice before half-time.
They forced 12 first-half errors out of the Roosters in the first half and kept them to just eight completed sets, whilst completing at 81% themselves.
With only four penalties conceded and eight errors made, New Zealand rarely let their high-profile opponents into the contest.
Their attack was anchored by what was arguably a club-best match from Tanah Boyd, the understudy of the injured Luke Metcalf, giving promising short-term signs about their point scoring capabilities.
The real test will come in Round 2 - not just because the Raiders won eight of their last ten games outside of Canberra including a 16-10 triumph in Auckland - but the Warriors have only three times in their history opened a new campaign with two wins (2018, 2009, 2007). If they want 2026 to be different to all of the rest, that'll be a great place to start.
The big losers of Round 1
Brisbane Broncos, and Reece Walsh in particular after he had another stinker. Few if any players can climb the heights that Walsh can when he's at his best - as we saw during the last finals series and the Ashes tour of England - but he is capable of turning in the odd atrocious performance now and again.
Between his intercept pass to Tom Jenkins in the 75th minute and the spilled catch that prompted Penrith's first try of the 26-0 drubbing, Walsh had an error-filled 80 minutes that personified the horror performance of the reigning premiers.
Brisbane became the second defending premiers in three years to be held scoreless in Round 1 - not long after the Panthers suffered the same fate at the hands of the Storm in 2024 - and the star fullback certainly doesn't deserve all of the blame.
The Broncos registered a terrible set completion rate of just 61% whilst amassing 30 missed tackles and 18 errors - more errors than any other team in Round 1 including Vegas.
They went on a 1-6 stretch through April and May last year, including a 24-point defeat to the Panthers, so head coach Maguire should and will know there's nothing to panic about as yet.
What the head coaches said
Wayne Bennett (South Sydney): "No I don't (hope fans run onto the field to celebrate Alex Johnston's try scoring record). Nope. It's not our game. So don't you start writing it! I don't accept that it would probably happen. I don't see why it should happen. I have no comprehension of why it should happen. It's respect to the game. We play for 80 minutes, you stay off the field, regardless. After the game, no problems."
Kristian Woolf (Dolphins): "I didn't think we gave ourselves a real chance in the first half. We were a bit ill-disciplined and got basic things wrong that we just can't get wrong. They competed harder than us, particularly around kicks in the first half. What I'm proud of is the way we came out with a different energy in the second half and fought back pretty hard. There are a lot of little parts in that game that I thought we did really well, but when you're making that many errors, we're just not giving ourselves a chance."
Josh Hannay (Gold Coast Titans): "I'm not discouraged at all by one performance. Tonight was not going to define us as a club, win or lose. I'm disappointed for the players and the club because there's been a lot of hopes built up over the last four months, but one game is not going to diminish that. I know this playing group is capable of being better, but there is going to be pain for us this year."
Click here to read comments from all head coaches who spoke at the weekend.
Try of the Week
Next week's fixtures
The Bulldogs will get a second consecutive week off following their Vegas trip.
