Just one week to go in July as we near the end of Jai July, and it’s great to see the Bow and Arrow celebrations are flying all across Australia, even in NAB Auskick at the MCG:

Now, on to Round 21, as it appears the Perth Bears’ recruitment drive is going so poorly that Mal Meninga will have to play for them next year:

– The clash of the Westies as Parramatta host Penrith on Thursday night, as the Riff are having a few major wobbles in June and July as they’ve lost 3 out of their last 4 after fumbling against the Broncos, and a potential milestone out of this game is that Brian To’o needs to score 1 try to become the fourth Penrith player with 100 First Grade tries, after Rhys Wesser (113), Ryan Girdler (101) and ole Brandy himself Greg Alexander on an even 100.

– The Newcastle Knights play the Sydney Roosters in the 6pm Friday night game in the Hunter, a night that will no doubt feature a tribute to the late Knights half Scott Dureau (The 199th First Grade rep for the Knights), who passed away aged 39 (11 days short of his 40th birthday) last week after first having a tumour removed from behind his eye in 2013 and living with cancer for the next 13 years, and I felt we should share some of Scott’s playing highlights with the Knights, namely his 90 metre intercept try against the Auckland Lions in the 2007 NSW Cup:

And his greatest NRL highlight was his game-winning field goal in Golden Point against eventual premiers Manly in Round 2 of 2008… it was only his 3rd game as well!

And it doesn’t also acknowledge his performances with Catalan Dragons in 2011 and 2012, where none other than Trent Robinson was the coach, in which he made the Super League Dream Team and won the Albert Goldthorpe Medal in 2012.

Always brutally sad to see former players die so young, and it’s a reminder of why organisations like Beanies for Brain Cancer (and the Beanies for Brain Cancer Round) and the former Men of League, which is now Family of League, are so important.

– Souths play the Melbourne Storm on a Friday night at the Olympic Stadium, and there is some history on the line for Souths because after they scored that long-awaited win in Melbourne on ANZAC Day, it would be the first time that Souths have defeated the Storm in consecutive games… it’s only been what, 28 years?

– The Raiders have the Wests Tigers, and the Raiders are gathering momentum for a Week 1 finals exit, which could be a bit harder without Hudson Young for the remainder of 2026 due to a torn Achilles, while the Tigers are now just praying for the finish line as once again, everything turns to shit and the world around them collapses… actually, having just touched on Scott Dureau’s passing just before, I’d say the Raiders will also be hosting a tribute for another great character of ACT rugby league in Steve Keir, who passed away after his own fight with cancer aged 62 last Sunday, having had stints with the Raiders (Player #44) in the dark ages of 1983 and 1984, winning the 1986 Reserve Grade premiership with Eastern Suburbs, and being a part of the Gungahlin Bulls in the ACT for some 36 years.

– The Bulldogs and the Warriors play at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday night, the Warriors not playing their best against the Dragons last week but holding on to win, and the Bulldogs pitching a shutout in a somewhat violent game against Wests Tigers, and after last weekend Bulldog Jaeman Salmon, the one-time weak gutted dog according to Ricky Stuart, got slapped in the face by Alex Twal which got Twal sent to the bin, with Tigers players claiming Salmon had been sledging them during the game, and since then Salmon made a reply that got a major story in the Sydney Morning Herald, in which there was a misread quote:

“I don’t think I’m known for being a niggler or a grub,” Salmon told this masthead.

“If anyone ever mentions my name, ‘grub’ or ‘niggler’ never gets associated with it. All of a sudden, I’m a grub and niggler after this one altercation. I compete – I’m a competitor.”

Very important that he got that L in there.

– The traditional Queensland Derby features on Saturday night as the Cowboys host the Broncos in Townsville, the Cowboys getting brought undone by the Dolphins’ attack, which actually showed up after the almighty drubbing the week before, and for the first time in several months the Broncos go into a game as winners the previous week, and the troops keep coming back as Billy Walters returns after his ACL tear saw him miss the 2025 premiership, and the Broncos have a pretty decent record against the Cowboys of late, having won 6 out of the last 7 and the last 3 in Townsville, in yet another clash for the Carl Webb Medal.

– The second clash of the lightweights in 2026 as St George-Illawarra get to host the Gold Coast Titans at Kogarah, mere days after the Dragons completed their rather short search for their next head coach and decided to let Dean Young keep the job, as Clint Gutherson lines up for his 250th NRL game in a contest that will just about decide the fate of the wooden spoon, as the Dragons sit 3 wins behind the Titans with 7 games remaining.. the old Red V won their last wooden spoon in 1938, and the Illawarra Steelers won the last of their 3 spoons in 1989, with the former Steelers winning as many games as this current Dragons team… 2.

– And the final game is the latest Battle of the Beaches as Manly hosts Cronulla at Brookvale, and it looks like the Sea Eagles are going to get stuck on 999 wins for a few more weeks as Tom Trbojevic brought up his 9th hamstring injury in 8 seasons (Including one earlier in the year against the Cowboys that put him out for 2 months) against the Titans, forcing Lehi Hopoate into the No.1, while the Sharks are just motoring along after another win to maintain their Top 4 spot, and barring a horror run with injuries they’ll start a betting favourite in all of their remaining games in 2026…

Also an interesting stat related to that hunt for the 1,000th win – Manly have also won 499 games at Brookvale, which is the most games won by any club at any ground in the history of First Grade rugby league…. I’m led to believe the next best, appropriately for Sunday, is Cronulla who have 385 wins at Shark Park since 1967, and in 3rd is North Sydney who won 373 games at North Sydney Oval.

And now, the Round 21 tips:

Round 20 score = 6/8

Round 20 progress score = 95/148 (64.18%)

Now for this week’s tribute, Dale Shearer turns 61 on Saturday, so here’s his superb try saving tackle from Game II in 1993, after Paul McGregor put Rowdy in a 1 on 2 with Andrew Ettinghausen on his inside to score just about unmarked and seal the series, only for Rowdy to turn on a 5-cent piece use his very underrated leg speed to mow down ET and save the try… ultimately though, New South Wales won the game and sealed the series.

“Shearer was all over Lamb”

“Well, where else do you expect him to be?”