Rugby League World Cup preview — Kiwis' pack, Kangaroos halves, the pay gap and what November 1 really means
The season's done and the World Cup is days away, and it still feels strange.
Chris and Blake ask who they actually want to win, why the Kiwis' pack scares them, and whether Mitch Moses is the right seven for a Kangaroos team that can't out-muscle New Zealand.
Then the money: why most World Cup players earn $850 a game, and why November 1 matters to the NRL's top 10 per cent. Blake explains how deals really get started.
6 Oct 2026
NRL Grand Final review: Roosters 19–18 Knights, Ponga, Tedesco and the Super League final
NRL Grand Final review: the Roosters beat the Knights 19–18, and Footy IQ breaks down what actually happened.
Chris Danks and Blake Austin look at how the Knights hung on for dear life with less than half the ball, how Kalyn Ponga delivered a near 80-minute performance, and how the Knights' first try came out of a flat line from Fletcher Sharpe. Blake explains why a front-foot attack that looks risky isn't, and what clubs can really do about it in 2027. Plus: Trent Robinson's call on Spencer Leniu, the Clive Churchill Medal for James Tedesco, the debate over six-again versus the penalty, and the pre-game entertainment. Then the Super League Grand Final: Wakefield Trinity beat Warrington, a former Warrington player's view, and what a Wakefield versus Roosters World Club Challenge could look like. Footy IQ is tactical NRL analysis: systems, decision-making and trends, not noise.
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28 Sept 2026
The Knights Beat 13 Men. Now They Have to Survive the Roosters
NRL Grand Final preview and prelim finals review. Footy IQ breaks down how the Newcastle Knights beat Penrith with 12 men for 44 minutes, and what they'll need to survive the Sydney Roosters' pack on Sunday night.
Chris Danks and Blake Austin unpack why Penrith couldn't break a 12-man line: Dylan Edwards' decisions, Cogger and Cole's ball share, and Blaize Talagi's night against Bradman Best. Then the Knights' long-range attack, with tries averaging 57.3 metres out (h/t Rugby League Eye Test). Plus the Crossland send-off and Blake's case that the NRL can't send-off its way out of the hip-drop problem.
On the Roosters: Sam Walker's return, Robert Toia, Naufahu Whyte, Lindsay Collins, and Mark Nawaqanitawase's intercepts. In the GF preview, can the Knights hold up for the first 20, target Daly Cherry-Evans with lead-and-sweep shifts, and will Kalyn Ponga finally have his 20 minutes?
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