‘Godsend’ or major risk? Round of sidelined stars might not matter
Phil Gould believes there is “risk” involved with resting players in the final round of the season, while Brad Fittler believes it will be a “godsend” for the Roosters.
Speaking on Nine’s Freddy and The Eighth this week, the former Roosters skipper had no problem with the club resting nine players and believes it would hold them in good stead heading into September, especially without Sam Walker.
Sam Walker is sidelined with an ankle injury. Getty Images
“Not at all - what they are relying on is their big-game experience,” Fittler said.
“They’ve lost their last two games, but they’re saying ‘you know what, let’s get healthy’. Being healthy is better than one game against South Sydney, which is gonna be a grind and a tough game.
“I think what Robbo [Trent Robinson] has done is the right thing, he’s thinking about winning a comp. To get a week off at this time of the year, especially considering where the Roosters are at, is a godsend for them.”
Gould sees things a little bit differently and believes top-four teams resting their star players in the final round of the regular season can be fraught with danger.
“Resting players in the last round has never been a good formula,” he said on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles With Gus.
“If you finish in the top-four and rest players in the final round, the risk is if you win week one of the finals, you then get another fortnight off and you go into a preliminary final having one game in a month and that’s really hard to manage.
“A week off at this time of year is great, but if you get two of them back-to-back like that, that can be hard to manage and you can be left a little bit rusty.”
Rabbitohs star Cody Walker also warned his rivals – not that he would care what the Roosters do with their premiership plans – telling The Sydney Morning Herald that he “felt a lot worse” after an unplanned week off due to suspension.
Canberra rested most of their team in the final round of 2025 after securing the minor premiership, only to go out in straight-sets in the finals.
As debate around resting players and whether it’s the right option continues, with the way the finals picture is shaping up, how much will it really matter?
Going into round 27, the top-eight is already locked away, with a few potential changes inside of it depending on results this weekend.
In fact, the only positions that are likely to alter are the top-two, with the Warriors and Panthers locked in a tight battle for the NRL minor premiership.
As it stands, the Warriors are ahead of Penrith on points differential by a single point after last weekend’s high-scoring win over Newcastle.
This week, the high-flying Wahs will host the Sea Eagles, while the second-placed Panthers will host the Wests Tigers, with the coveted JJ Giltinan Shield still very much in the balance, even if both teams record victories.
It’s been a year to remember for the Warriors. Getty Images
Andrew Webster and Ivan Cleary have both named strong outfits – the Warriors will sit out hooker Wayde Egan and back-rower Kurt Capewell, while the Panthers haven’t rested any of their big guns at this stage and have co-captain Isaah Yeo on the extended bench as he recovers from a pectoral injury.
Penrith’s hopes of the minor premiership, and what coach Cleary does with his final team, could hinge on the Warriors vs Manly result on Saturday.
If the first-placed Warriors can record a convincing win and put a decent buffer in terms of points differential, Penrith may decide to rest some players if Cleary thinks chasing down the deficit would be too big an ask on Sunday afternoon.
If it’s a close game between the Warriors and Sea Eagles – or if Manly manage to pull off an upset – the Panthers will likely trot out as many of their high-profile players as possible and zero in on beating the Tigers.
Aside from those top-two spots and the race for the minor premiership, the rest of the finals picture is looking almost crystal clear now.
Trent Robinson has rested more than half his Roosters team for their final-round grudge match against South Sydney, essentially conceding that his side will finish in fourth spot on the ladder and remain behind the Dolphins.
With the Tricolours set to run out with a bunch of rookies, it would take a minor miracle for the Rabbitohs to lose Friday night’s weakened blockbuster.
Trent Robinson. Getty Images
Souths could jump into fifth spot on the ladder, but would need to overturn a 70-point for-and-against swing to surpass the Sharks.
While that seems an outside chance, Cronulla have put Nicho Hynes and Blayke Brailey on ice against the Storm and are outsiders with the bookies to win that game as a consequence. They could potentially slide down the ladder if they suffer a defeat and Souths produce a big win. Either way, both the Bunnies and Sharks will be playing a home elimination final.
Behind them are the Knights, who have the bye this weekend and a guaranteed two points, but are all-but locked into seventh spot on the ladder and would require Souths to suffer a catastrophic loss to jump into sixth.
North Queensland remain in eighth spot going into their clash with the Raiders, but would need to win by more than 100 points to jump Newcastle.
Regardless of the result this weekend, it means the Cowboys are going to have to travel interstate for an elimination final and are either going to face Cronulla – potentially at Shark Park – or the Rabbitohs at another Sydney ground.
It’s shaping up to be an enticing final round, but there is certainly less to play for than what we’ve seen in previous NRL seasons.
NRL ladder and potential week 1 finals matches
1. Warriors (40 points, +309) - Best finish: 1st | Worst finish: 2nd
2. Panthers (40 points, +308) - Best finish: 1st | Worst finish: 2nd
3. Dolphins (38 points, +152) - Best finish: 3rd | Worst finish: 4th
4. Roosters (38 points, +148) - Best finish: 3rd | Worst finish: 4th
5. Sharks (34 points, +153) - Best finish: 5th | Worst finish: 6th
6. Rabbitohs (32 points, +83) - Best finish: 5th | Worst finish: 7th
7. Knights (32 points, +42) - Best finish: 6th | Worst finish: 7th
8. Cowboys (32 points, -64) - Best finish: 8th | Worst finish: 8th
Likely first week of finals
Qualifying final: Penrith Panthers (1st) vs Sydney Roosters (4th)
Qualifying final: New Zealand Warriors (2nd) vs Dolphins (3rd)
Elimination final: Cronulla Sharks (5th) vs North Queensland Cowboys (8th)
Elimination final: South Sydney Rabbitohs (6th) vs Newcastle Knights (7th)
