More effective than an interim coach, copping a spray from Craig Bellamy for the good of the team, in training for the next mascot race, admitting his favourite part of the week is getting pain killing injection for an old injury, and eyeing off who he can throw under the bus to save his job, it’s time for some Rugby League tips and opinion from The Gurgler’s NRL Donkey. The NRL Donkey provides his NRL Donkey’s 2026 NRL Round 7 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 2026 NRL Round 7 Weekly Opinion
In my weekly opinion article I usually have lots to say. Most of the time it is to very few people and usually with very little relevance to rugby league. And often it contain grudges and beefs against people and things who probably don’t deserve it. Except for Buzz Rothfield, he does. Always.
But as much as things annoy me with rugby league, and most probably shouldn’t, the most recent one is the NRL’s disruptor rule. And it’s annoyed me to the point of being exasperated and having nothing to say.
Rugby league do seem intent on making their game as confusing as possible, which shouldn’t surprise as they have been fluttering their eyelashes at NFL for years.
Or maybe the high kick and chase contest resembles AFL too much, and we all know how the boss of NRL aka Man of Feathers has a sizeable bee in his bonnet about AFL.
At least the AFL still have a daytime Grand Final. Move the NRL Grand Final back to a daytime Man Of and I might start respecting you more.
Imagine the NRL Grand Final back on a Sunday afternoon. Getting the BBQ ready and following the State Championship. Eating lunch and having the socially accepted early beers watching the NRLW Grand Final. Being well-oiled enough but not too tipsy to forget who’s playing in the Grand Final. This year it will be Penrith and someone else.
Not Melbourne as they have conceded 50 points.
Definitely not Parramatta as they have conceded 50 points twice. Somehow once to the Gold Coast, who have scored 50 or more points just twice in 22 and a bit seasons.
Gold Coast are out too, they’ve conceded 50, and at least did themselves a favour by ruining their season in Round 1.
Not the Dolphins either, as they have conceded 50 points, don’t play Ray Stone nearly enough and refuse to play Trai Fuller, which annoys me as a one-eyed Dolphins fan and a neutral. At least Fuller is smart enough not to move the Dragons mid-season as was being reported. Better to stay on the bench and have the fans wondering what if, than go to the Dragons, be blamed for their sh!t, because it won’t and never will be Kyle Flanagan’s fault. Not Flanno snr, as long as Fox League have a say, which they do. But that is another team that can’t make the new daytime Grand Final. Not because of any stat other than they are last and winless and even a 50% win rate by the end of the season will now require a W12 L6 run until the end of the season.
More clubs will be added to the list of teams that can’t win the title over the next few rounds. Which does remind us, we did this bit before the season which is mildly related – Why Your Team Can’t Win the 2026 NRL Title.
Shameless plug aside, we’ll probably find that all other 16 NRL teams other than Penrith won’t be able to win the Premiership, and Penrith can’t really play themselves. Although it would probably be high quality.
But the NRL just can’t help themselves. What about their sin bin crackdown during their biggest weekend of Magic Round.
Or appointing Ashley Klein to any game, let alone most of the big ones for the past decade.
None of it makes sense this week, nor does this column always or ever make sense. So time to get on with the NRL Round 7 Expert tips.
READ MORE: NRL DONKEY’S 2026 NRL SEASON PREVIEW
READ MORE: PROPER NRL ROUND 7 TIPS
READ MORE: NRL ROUND 7 BEST BETS
READ MORE: GURGLER’S NRL TEAM OF THE WEEK & PLAYER STATS
READ MORE: ONE MINUTE MATCH REPORTS FOR ALL ROUND 6 GAMES
The NRL Donkey’s 2026 NRL Round 7 Expert Tips & Match Analysis
GAME BY GAME
THURSDAY 8PM – NORTH QUEENSLAND v MANLY
The two clubs with the game’s most sackable coaches earlier in the season meet in great form, one club having catapulted and the other club holding on. Interesting to see how this experiment goes by the end of the season.
Cowboys by 8
FRIDAY 6PM – CANBERRA v MELBOURNE
Some people say that Craig Bellamy giving players a personal spray isn’t good for rugby league or the players, and I disagree. The cross to the Melbourne coaches box on the TV coverage after an error or mindless penalty, let alone a mindless penalty on the fifth tackle is one of the best things in modern rugby league. It’s a hard one to pick with form v historic stats. Melbourne are in terrible form, but Canberra are terrible at home to Melbourne. Since they’re both terrible, how about the funniest result.
Canberra by 2
FRIDAY 8PM – DOLPHINS v PENRITH @ Darwin
As if it wasn’t hard enough to play a Penrith side that looked unbeatable, now they have to play a Penrith side that is beatable, but probably really angry after losing to the Bulldogs last weekend. The Dolphins defence was better last weekend with the bye than the previous week’s ordinary effort v Manly, so will need a big upgrade on that. Or maybe the Dolphins prefer to play in Darwin.
PENRITH by 16
SATURDAY 3PM – WAHS v GOLD COAST
Not surprising that the Titans season has been like a roller coaster given all the theme parks. And much like the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, which used to be on the Gold Coast, and not sure if it still is, folks may not believe that the Titans have a really good record v Warriors, and recently in New Zealand. Or like most Gold Coast sporting endeavours, no one really cares.
Gold Coast by 2
SATURDAY 5:30PM – SOUTH SYDNEY v ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA @ Accord Stadium
Souths will probably take great pride in providing the final nail in the Flanagan coaching coffin. Fox League commentators will wear the black arm bands on Sunday for their chosen one. Cooper Cronk will bore us to death about the texture of the fabric.
Souths by 30
SATURDAY 7:30PM – WESTS TIGERS v BRISBANE @ Campbelltown
This is a form v stats special. Broncos have the upper hand with so many stats v Tigers, but the Tigers are currently second on the ladder, and equal first depending on your preference. And the Broncos so many injuries they are down to their fifth choice hooker. That’s the on-field position not anything post match related.
Broncos by 2
SUNDAY 2PM – ROOSTERS v NEWCASTLE
The who cares fixture of the week.
Roosters by 22
SUNDAY 4PM – PARRAMATTA v BULLDOGS
The Sunday 4pm all-Sydney Rabs special. Parramatta have a lot of injuries and Bulldogs a lot of Gus. Both are negatives, but one affects the on field game more than the other.
Bulldogs by 12
READ MORE: THE GURGLER’S FULL NRL 2026 GEAR
We’ve been working hard for you to bring you the 2026 NRL Season Previews from every angle and angel possible. But never Jo Angel.
NRL DONKEY’S 2026 SEASON PREVIEW
BOLD NRL 2026 SEASON PREDICTIONS
CAPTAIN HINDSIGHT’S SENSIBLE NRL 2026 SEASON PREDICTIONS
WHY YOUR TEAM CAN’T WIN THE 2026 NRL PREMIERSHIP
NRL 2026 RATINGS PREDICTIONS
2026 NRL JERSEY RATINGS WITH AI GREK NORMAN
2026 NRL DRAW ANALYSIS
2026 NRL DRAW ANALYSIS – TEAM BY TEAM
THE A TO Z OF THE 2025 NRL SEASON
