Welcome to The Furnace!
In this weekly preview, foxsports.com.au dissects every game by looking at each team’s burning question.
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Read on for The Furnace for Round 14!
THURSDAY JUNE 5
Newcastle Knights vs Manly Sea Eagles at McDonald Jones Stadium, 7:50pm
Knights’ burning question:Can the Knights settle on a spine to save their season?
The Knights’ season is in free-fall and they are just one loss off the bottom of the ladder after their 20-6 defeat to the Dragons last week.
The decision to rest Kalyn Ponga, even allowing for the fact he was facing three games in eight days was a curious one given the state of their season.
The fact Jackson Hastings has been named 18th man and could come into the team shows how desperate Adam O’Brien is, given it appeared his cards were marked.
The simple fact is, the Knights halfback options have not provided enough in attack this season and Hastings needs to be given a chance to spark them in that department or they could be looking at the wooden spoon.
Ikin warns Madge to “clean house” | 02:47
Sea Eagles’ burning question: Can DCE inspire some consistency in bid for Maroons jersey?
Manly have been hot and cold all season and desperately need to find some consistency if they want to have a serious shot at the premiership in 2025.
Their form has mirrored their captain Daly Cherry-Evans, who finds himself fighting for his Origin career against the Knights in Round 14.
Cherry-Evans was impressive with three try assists against the Broncos last start, but if he can’t back it up with a strong display against the Knights, his Origin career could be over and Manly’s finals hopes will take a massive hit.
Cooper Cronk believes Queensland coach Billy Slater should sit down with Cherry-Evans to gauge his desire and belief that he is the man to lead the Maroons into a must win game in Perth.
“If I am Billy Slater I am having a face-to-face coffee with Daly Cherry-Evans and I’m asking him how do you feel about game two?” Cronk said on Matty and Cronk.
“What does this mean to you? Can you deliver for your state? If I’m Billy and I walk away going, he is my captain and halfback, I’m picking him.
“If I feel like, he is probably not there and hesitant, just a gut feel, I would probably go with Tom Dearden.
“But there is only one person that makes this decision and that’s Billy and I would be backing him to hang up the Queensland jersey in front of Daly one more time and saying, have you got it? And I think the answer is yes.”
However, Matty Johns believes Cherry-Evans needs to let his footy do the talking as he did against the Broncos.
“I don’t think Billy had to ask the question because I think the response from Daly against the Broncos the other night said it all,” Johns said.
“He was great that night.”
The Knights are ripe for the picking, but are a better team at home and will be desperate as they fight to keep their season alive, so Manly can’t afford to be complacent.
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Meninga to Bears ‘not a done deal’ | 01:52
FRIDAY JUNE 6
Melbourne Storm vs North Queensland Cowboys at AAMI Park, 6:00pm
Storm burning question:Can their returning Origin stars help them find consistency?
The Storm have some big inclusions in Harry Grant and Xavier Coates this week and they need to back up their 28-16 win over the Titans.
Melbourne have struggled for consistency all season, despite being premiership favourites and they will need to put some back-to-back wins together soon.
Craig Bellamy knows that winning habits in the finals are formed during the regular season and he will want his side to value their week to week performances much more.
Grant is coming off a rare off night in Origin and will be up for a big game, but the Cowboys have been in solid form and will be up for the challenge, so it is a good test for the Storm to see where they are at.
Cowboys’ burning question: Can Todd Payten’s unchanged side claim a big scalp?
Todd Payten has stuck with he same side that got the job done against the Tigers, despite nearly blowing a huge lead.
The new halves pairing of Tom Dearden at halfback and Jaxson Purdue at five-eighth showed some real promise and Payten has put his faith in them for the long haul saying, they are the future of the club.
But if the Cowboys want to make a challenge for a first premiership since 2015, they need to show they can beat the top four teams in the competition.
There is no harder challenge than beating Melbourne in Melbourne and a win could kickstart their inconsistent season to date.
Bellamy signs extension with Storm | 07:49
Dolphins vs St George Illawarra Dragons at Suncorp Stadium, 8:00pm
Dolphins’ burning question:Can the returning Origin star Hammer kickstart their finals push?
The Dolphins welcome back Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow forcing a backline reshuffle, as they look to push into the top eight.
Kristian Woolf’s side sit one win outside the top eight in 10th, but their strong points differential could see them leapfrog other teams if some results go their way in Round 14.
However, first task is to beat the eighth placed Dragons, who have been in solid form of late and will be up for the challenge after beating the Broncos at the same venue.
The Dolphins need to get their defence in order because with Tabuai-Fidow and Isaiya Katoa, they have the attacking players to get the job done against the Dragons in a crucial clash.
Dragons’ burning question: Can the Dragons weather their forward crisis as Su’A joins wounded?
The Dragons have had a horror run with injuries in the forwards this season with Maroons hopeful Jaydn Su’A the latest to be struck down.
Su’A has been in red hot form for the Dragons, who have been one of the surprise packets of the NRL to sit in eighth place at the halfway mark of the season.
Luciano Leilua comes into the starting pack and Raymond Faitala-Mariner joins the bench in a big game for the returning veteran, who has fallen out of favour in 2025.
Young gun Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga scored his first NRL try last week and his development is being fast-tracked in light of the Dragons’ forwards crisis, but he has shown his enormous potential so far and will only get better with more experience.
Emotional Tapine opens up on his dad | 01:53
SATURDAY JUNE 7
Cronulla Sharks vs New Zealand Warriors at Sharks Stadium, 5:30pm
Sharks’ burning question:Can the Sharks bounce back from their horror loss to undermanned Roosters as stars return?
The Sharks looked like title contenders after beating the Storm, but came crashing back to earth with a loss to a Roosters side missing five Origin players.
Craig Fitzgibbon would have been burning at an opportunity missed against his old team, especially since they were at almost full strength.
The Sharks welcome back Sione Katoa and Teig Wilton this week as they get a huge test of where they are at against a top four team in the Warriors.
The battle between Nicho Hynes and former Sharks half Luke Metcalf could be a huge factor in deciding the game and Cronulla need a big outing from their halfback.
Warriors’ burning question: Can the Warriors fill the huge void left by Mitch Barnett’s season ending injury?
The Warriors were well on track for a maiden premiership, but the loss of their skipper Mitch Barnett to a season-ending injury has thrown a massive spanner in the works.
Barnett has been the heart and soul of the Warriors’ pack the last couple of seasons, particularly since the retirement of Tohu Harris.
Jackson Ford has been given the huge shoes to fill in the front row and James Fisher-Harris will have to step up in Barnett’s absence.
Young guns Leka Halasima and Jacob Laban recently signed extensions and their development will be fast-tracked with Barnett missing from the forward rotation, as the Warriors look to win heading into a big clash with the Panthers after the bye.
‘Thought maybe i’m not wanted’ | 05:03
Brisbane Broncos vs Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium, 7:35pm
Broncos’ burning question:Can the Broncos snap out of their horror form slump?
The Broncos are in the midst of a terrible form slump that has seen them win just one of their last seven, to slip from the top four to outside the top eight.
Their last start 34-6 thrashing by Manly has seen Michael Maguire reshuffle his pack and return Patrick Carrigan to his No.13 role, while Reece Walsh returns from injury against the Titans.
However, Johns warned the Broncos need to focus on their defence rather than their attack, if they want to get their season back on track and save it from imploding.
“I’m confused because I saw them down at Manly on Friday and they were chipper and up and about and I certainly didn’t expect what happened the following night,” Johns said on Matty and Cronk.
“I will state the obvious. Where they are at the moment I think a lot of it is attitude.
“Often we look at teams who are struggling in terms of with the ball, but if I was Madge this week I would be pulling the senior players in and saying, how do we win 1-0.
“How about we do less with the football and just get into the grind and major on kick chase and make your tackles.
“When you go into a game there is two schools of thought. You can go in and try to win the game 50-0 and blow them apart or you can say, we are going to dig in and win 1-0.
“I can guarantee you the attitude to win 1-0, you will score more points than trying to score 50.”
Cooper Cronk agreed the Broncos have the roster and players to turn their season around, but they need to start with their defence.
“We have seen the best of the Broncos and we have seen the worst and they are not that bad, with the talent they have got, they can’t be where they are at the moment,” Cronk said.
“I think what they are trying to do is try and bring in all their weapons and have this great play that blows teams out of the water and they are just trying to work for that every time.
“But if they get their mindset right defensively, if they focus on all those little things in a game of football and have that mindset, they will win games of football.
“But at the moment it feels like, you get me to there and I am going to set up this big play and we will score in the corner.
“Since 1908 if you double down on your defence it will help your attack, but if you are attack minded, it doesn’t help your defence at all.”
If the Broncos can get themselves back into form against the last placed Titans, you can write off their premiership hopes altogether.
Titans’ burning question: Can the Titans settle on a spine to get them off the bottom of the ladder?
The Titans find themselves in last place with Des Hasler fighting an uphill battle to keep his job after a horror season to date.
The biggest problem for the Titans has been their revolving door of spine players due to injury and form.
Injuries to Keano Kini and now Jaylan de Groot has seen Jayden Campbell shift to fullback with Tom Weaver the new halfback this week.
Veteran Kieran Foran is finally back at his preferred five-eighth position putting an end to the ridiculous dummyhalf experiment, that saw him injured early in the season.
The Titans won’t get a better chance to beat big brother the Broncos, who have lost six of their last seven, but a loss to Brisbane could be fatal for their season and their coach’s future.
Is re-signing Reynolds the right move? | 04:16
SUNDAY JUNE 8
Canberra Raiders vs South Sydney Rabbitohs at GIO Stadium, 2:00pm
Raiders’ burning question:Can the Raiders keep winning without Fogarty in Papali’i’s milestone match?
For the second week in a row Jamal Fogarty will be out for the Raiders, but Ethan Sanders showed he is the future with a solid display in the 26-24 win over the Roosters.
However, the Rabbitohs are nearly back to full strength and welcome back Jack Wighton, who will be up for a big game against his old club.
But the Raiders have plenty to play for with Josh Papali’i set to break the all time club record for game’s played and Ricky Stuart will want his side to win it for Big Papa.
The Raiders have the bye next up followed by a clashes with the Tigers, Knights and Dragons, so if they can beat Souths, they could find themselves leading the competition by the end of the month.
Rabbitohs’ burning question: Can the returning big guns inspire Souths to claim a top four scalp?
The Rabbitohs have been brave under Wayne Bennett in his return to the club after dealing with a horror run of injuries.
However, Souths haven’t beaten one of the top four teams this season, including the Warriors in their last start 30-36 defeat.
However, the big guns are back on deck against the Raiders, with Cody Walker returning at five-eighth and Jack Wighton at centre in one of the best looking teams on paper Souths have fielded all year.
However, they come up against a red hot Raiders side on their own turf, who have only lost three games all season.
With Latrell Mitchell at the back finding form and Keaon Koloamatangi pushing for an Origin recall up front, Souths have the weapons to cause an upset that could be the turning point in their season.
However, if they get touched up by Canberra, they could struggle to make the top eight this year, let alone do anything if they get there.
Souths’ have built their season under a next man up mentality, with players stepping up in the injury absence of a plethora of stars each week.
Johns revealed a story about star halfback Jamie Humphreys in the pre-season that sums up the toughness Bennett has instilled back in the side.
“I interviewed Jamie Humphreys about six weeks ago and I asked him about going to Souths,” Johns said.
“It was a very similar situation to Lachlan Galvin and I said, what was it like walking into that training session for the first time?
“You’ve got Wayne Bennett, Cody Walker, Latrell Mitchell, Jack Wighton, all these big figures and he said, I was terrified.
“I said the first training session the important thing is first impressions are so important.
“Jamie went in and they said, we are going to do a 1.5km time trial and he had a strained Achilles tendon.
“He said, I felt like I was going to tear it, but he said, I had no choice. He said, I ran it well and afterwards I could barely walk.
“Wayne walked up to him and gave him a pat on the back and said, well done now go get that thing right.”
After the Raiders, the Rabbitohs face the Bulldogs and the Storm meaning they have played all four top four teams in a row, which is a stretch that could define their finals hopes.
Wests Tigers vs Penrith Panthers at CommBank Stadium, 4:05pm
Tigers’ burning question:Can the Panthers contingent get one over their old club?
The Tigers have put the Lachlan Galvin saga in the rear vision mirror, but they need to show they can win without him, after their first up 32-28 loss to the Cowboys.
This week former Panthers stars Jarome Luai, Sunia Turuva and Api Koroisau come up against their old team in a mouth-watering clash.
The Tigers are in 13th place and need to win to keep in touch with the top eight, while the Panthers are in 14th and need to keep winning to keep their finals hopes alive.
Luai has been battling illness this week, but you get the feeling he wouldn’t miss a clash with former halves partner Cleary if he had one leg and this could be the match of the round.
Panthers’ burning question: Can the Panthers find some consistency as they face their old teammates?
The Panthers are in 14th place after their 18-10 win over the Eels, but given they are three points outside the eight with a negative points differential, they need to keep winning.
Nathan Cleary has started to find some strong form and his combination with Blaize Talagi is slowly blossoming ahead of a clash with his old running mate Luai.
Cleary and Luai will be desperate for bragging rights after playing the majority of their careers for club and state side-by-side.
The Panthers have two byes sandwiched by clashes with top four sides the Warriors and Bulldogs coming up, so they desperately need a victory over the Tigers to keep their title defence alive.
Broncos stars deny they’ve ‘given up’ | 02:04
MONDAY JUNE 9
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels at Accor Stadium, 4:00pm
Bulldogs’ burning question:How will Lachlan Galvin fit into top of the table Bulldogs side?
It is the question on everyone’s lips, how will Lachlan Galvin fit into the best team in the competition this season and will his arrival hurt or hinder their push for a drought-breaking title.
There is no doubt Galvin is a special talent aad at 19, he will be a great signing for the club in years to come.
But more immediately, Cameron Ciraldo needs to integrate him into a team that many argue were title favourites, before he arrived, and keep everybody happy.
Cronk believes Galvin’s first obstacle to prove his worth to his new teammates is getting his attitude right and learning the Bulldogs way.
“My advice to him would have started before he got to the gate, if training started at six I would have told him to get there at five and if training finished at six I would have said, leave at seven,” Cronk said.
“And I would have told him to get Terry Lamb’s number and sit down and have a coffee with him and ask him what it means to be a Bulldog.
“I don’t know Galvin and there is so much noise around it, but the club has a history and a DNA and if there is one thing that he needs to do, it is to understand what the Bulldogs are.
“He can bring his talent too, but if he doesn’t understand what has gone before him and what is expected of him in a Bulldogs jersey, that is one thing that I would advise him.
“The other thing too is he needs to almost park his chair at the cafe and build relationships with the players. Don’t just go out there and start chipping and chasing at training.
“Stephen Crichton, Connor Tracey, Viliame Kikau, just have a coffee with the players because the kid can play. No one is denying that.
“But he needs to build relationships because if he just comes in there expecting to run the show and put up chip and chases because I have seen the way he plays, he doesn’t think about the game and its context.
“He just thinks about the then and the now and if he comes up with a couple of plays early that is not the team first thing, that’s questionable.”
Scoring a TRY in every Rugby League Game | 02:48
Johns believes Galvin is already a similar player to the Bulldogs’ great playmakers of the past, so he has a headstart.
“Whenever I think of a Bulldogs player, he has got a lot of those attributes,” Johns said.
“To encapsulate a Bulldogs player and a Bulldogs playmaker is that number one, he is tough. Number two, a player who is more likely and comfortable to play a short ball or play through the line than around a defence.
“When I think about great playmakers for the Bulldogs, that’s the player I see.”
However, Johns would use Galvin off the bench for the first few weeks to make him earn his stripes.
“I would ease him in off the bench,” Johns said.
“It would not surprise me if Bailey Hayward plays No.9 this week and they brought him on in a No.14 type role.”
Cronk warned Galvin can make a fist of the No.7 jersey for the Bulldogs in the future, but unless he earns it, he won’t get the respect of his new teammates.
“There is something there that Lachlan Galvin needs to earn,” Cronk said.
“He is going to be a long-term player in our game and will probably play at the Bulldogs for a long time.
“If he has got the work ethic he could probably play No.7 at some stage in his career.
“But there is something in me that says, he needs to earn it, not just arrive at the front door and say, that’s mine because I am here to collect it.
“In terms of playing reserve grade, if he baulks at that, that’s a red flag. If he says, give it to me, I will do it, I would say, you are going to be a part of this club for a long time.
“It is almost like what can I do for the team, not what can the team do for me?”
Eels’ burning question: Can the Eels cause the upset of the season against their arch rivals?
The Eels have been getting better every week since Mitchell Moses returned to lead the side’s attack, but they will rue their 18-10 loss to the Panthers as one that got away.
This week they face arch rivals the Bulldogs in a mouth-watering King’s Birthday clash, despite both sides being at opposite ends of the ladder.
Jason Ryles’ side has shown massive improvements from earlier in the season, particularly in defence, but beating the competition heavyweights will be a big ask.
However, given the occasion and the opposition as well as the distraction of Galvin, the Eels are a chance of pulling off an almighty upset.
Bye: Sydney Roosters
