Angrier than a room full of Fox League writers, more of an obstruction than an NRL trainer, ducking for cover like a Melbourne Storm Assistant Coach, and wondering what he’s done wrong not to be a current NRL mascot, it’s time for the weekly Rugby League rant of The Gurgler’s NRL Donkey, who provides his NRL Donkey’s 2025 NRL Round 26 Expert Tips as well as offers an alternative, slightly unhinged view full of sass of the world of rugby league and beyond for another week.
The NRL Donkey’s 2025 NRL Round 26 Weekly Rant
Apparently Round 25 of the NRL was Country Week. Pardon me for caring, but coming from a farm I care a lot about the country, and from watching the NRL over the weekend I saw bugger all Country anything.
To take from their website, “During Round 25 of the Telstra Premiership and Round 8 of the Telstra Women’s Premiership (August 21–24), players from all NRL and NRLW clubs will wear the socks of junior teams across select games and training sessions in a tribute to the local clubs and communities that shaped them, with the hope of inspiring more youngsters to pick up a football.”
First of all, wearing socks is pretty pissweak, let alone “select games” let alone that “select games” being as close to f—-all as they could get.
The Dragons at least had maroon socks for the old Country origin colours. That’s a start, but still pretty pissweak. But at least a Sydney club was trying. At least the Dolphins did some kind of Country tribute by extending their drought in an awful performance. And the Broncos away jerseys looks like an 1980’s special for Dad going off to a regional golf course for a boys weekend. So the final count for 2025 NRL Round 25 Country Week effort was one team wearing a pair of socks. So “Select Games” means “we selected one games with at least half the team of the game involved.”
If you had every player wearing the junior socks of their country clubs, or a tribute jersey, and a whip cracking demonstration pre-game, or some sheep sheering, or a five minute lecture of the importance of the country rugby league on communities or even some Border Collies giving it plenty for the crowd by rounding up sheep. Take that final one to the next level and throw out a Country Week challenge that pitch invaders will be chased and rounded up by on-site Border Collies. And if caught, your $5000 fine will be donated to farmer’s causes.
Or better still, play more than one bloody game in the country. How’s that for an idea NRL HQ jerks.
The reward for that lucky local town of Mudgee was one of the greatest ever NRL Golden Point finishes. Maybe it was the NRL karma gods shining down on the one effort to make Country Round, country.
All eight games should have been played in the country. And if they weren’t because the final weeks of the season are too important to be played at a small country ground, how about you play a few rounds during the Origin period when the NRL gives up on rugby league anyway. Over two to three rounds you could make all the teams play one game at a country venue. All the teams. Yes. Including you Broncos.
Of course the Queensland Cup do it best, they get Country and State of Origin, unlike the NRL.
The 2025 edition saw games played at Augathella, Charters Towers, Emerald, Gayndah, Yarrabah, Moranbah and Goondiwindi. If you haven’t heard of any of those places, then good, that’s what Country Week is all about. And teams get there early and involve themselves in communities.
OK sure, critics will say that’s fine for Queensland Cup because the size of the towns is ten times larger than a regular crowd at a Queensland Cup, which is unfair but probably true, but if the NRL truly cares about the Country, and they should, because a massive chunk of players come from outside Sydney and SEQ, then they should give back properly, every year.
Not just one game and one pair of socks. It really is as pathetic a token effort I’ve seen in sport. Like punishing drug cheats in tennis that are number one in the world, proposing to host the Olympics at a venue that would have been a bigger embarrassment than most of the politicians in Queensland, the NRL defending poor refereeing decisions, most pre-game musical acts before State of Origin, Channel Seven pretending to care about rugby league, Channel Ten, expanding the A League, the A League, FIFA pretending that a World Cup being given to Saudi Arabia is for the good of the game, and most of Lance Stroll’s F1 career.
Talking of stink, here are this week’s expert tips, and I use the term expert loosely as they were quite average last weekend.
The NRL Donkey’s 2025 NRL Round 26 Expert Tips
THU – BULLDOGS v PANTHERS (Olympic Stadium)
Panthers fans will be hoping they don’t lose in golden point again. Bulldogs fans will be hoping they get that far. Most neutrals will not be sure who they want to lose as long as they hurt each other. Meanwhile, it will and won’t be Lachlan Galvin’s fault.
Panthers by 8
FRI – WARRIORS v PARRAMATTA
A real banana skin this one. Fourth vs fourth last. Their ordinary for and against could come back and bite them, so better keep winning. Rugby League needs top four Warriors.
Warriors by 4
FRI – MELBOURNE v ROOSTERS
Roosters can’t beat Melbourne or Penrith usually, so let’s hope that continues.
Melbourne by 16
SAT – CANBERRA v WESTS TIGERS
Wests Tigers were getting dangerously close to in-form and 9th so they rectified that against the Cowboys. Surely they won’t stop the Raiders celebrations this weekend.
Canberra by 10
SAT – ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA v MANLY (Kogarah)
At least people can stop pretending to like DCE this week. Or that the Dragons are relevant.
Dragons by 2
SAT – NORTH QUEENSLAND v BRISBANE
You wonder if the Cowboys were up for spoiling their fellow Queensland rivals top four hope, and then realise they have now played well two weeks in a row, so that’s a hard no.
Brisbane by 12
SUN – CRONULLA v NEWCASTLE
The who cares game of the week.
Cronulla by 17
SUN – DOLPHINS v GOLD COAST (Suncorp Stadium)
Not that they deserve it, but results mean the Dolphins are still in the hunt for finals. If only they were playing a side that’s last and who just sacked their coach, and are a bit of a rabble, and who they have a great record against. Well, this could be embarrassing if they lose then.
Dolphins by 40
Read More:
AI GREG NORMAN’S NRL ROUND 25 REVIEW
NRL 2025 NRL Season Stats
