August 25, 2026

NRL Predictions for Round 26

Team Ratings for Round 26

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Warriors 11.59 -1.18 12.80
Panthers 9.81 8.77 1.00
Sharks 7.99 7.25 0.70
Roosters 7.79 9.50 -1.70
Dolphins 5.67 1.85 3.80
Bulldogs 0.93 2.13 -1.20
Storm 0.55 6.96 -6.40
Sea Eagles -0.33 0.21 -0.50
Rabbitohs -0.42 -5.05 4.60
Raiders -0.96 1.62 -2.60
Knights -1.23 -14.06 12.80
Cowboys -3.01 -2.69 -0.30
Eels -5.43 -0.37 -5.10
Broncos -5.62 7.06 -12.70
Titans -6.55 -8.02 1.50
Dragons -9.79 -6.72 -3.10
Wests Tigers -10.99 -7.26 -3.70

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 188 matches played, 122 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 64.9%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Storm vs. Panthers Aug 20 14 – 22 -4.50 TRUE
2 Raiders vs. Broncos Aug 21 30 – 34 10.80 FALSE
3 Dolphins vs. Eels Aug 21 34 – 16 14.30 TRUE
4 Knights vs. Sea Eagles Aug 22 24 – 44 6.70 FALSE
5 Rabbitohs vs. Warriors Aug 22 26 – 45 -6.10 TRUE
6 Dragons vs. Bulldogs Aug 22 14 – 44 -7.60 TRUE
7 Titans vs. Sharks Aug 23 22 – 30 -11.30 TRUE
8 Roosters vs. Wests Tigers Aug 23 24 – 25 26.40 FALSE

 

Predictions for Round 26

Here are the predictions for Round 26. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Broncos vs. Storm Aug 27 Storm -2.20
2 Sea Eagles vs. Dragons Aug 28 Sea Eagles 13.50
3 Panthers vs. Bulldogs Aug 28 Panthers 8.90
4 Titans vs. Rabbitohs Aug 29 Rabbitohs -2.10
5 Roosters vs. Dolphins Aug 29 Roosters 6.10
6 Cowboys vs. Wests Tigers Aug 29 Cowboys 12.00
7 Warriors vs. Knights Aug 30 Warriors 16.80
8 Eels vs. Sharks Aug 30 Sharks -9.40

 

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David Scott obtained a BA and PhD from the Australian National University and then commenced his university teaching career at La Trobe University in 1972. He has taught at La Trobe University, the University of Sheffield, Bond University and Colorado State University, joining the University of Auckland, based at Tamaki Campus, in mid-1995. He has been Head of Department at La Trobe University, Acting Dean and Associate Dean (Academic) at Bond University, and Associate Director of the Centre for Quality Management and Data Analysis at Bond University with responsibility for Short Courses. He was Head of the Department of Statistics in 2000, and is a past President of the New Zealand Statistical Assocation. See all posts by David Scott »

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