Extended Bench - NRL

Jimmy Maloney joins news.com.au’s Extended Bench to look back on the 2026 NRL Grand Final, with the Roosters crowned premiers. We discuss the Newcastle Knights’ brave effort and whether their future looks bright, farewell Mark Nawaqanitawase and Daly Cherry-Evans, and take a quick look ahead to 2027.

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Dual premiership winner James Maloney joins a pumped-up Ben Talintyre and Adrian D’Agostino on news.com.au’s Extended Bench to discuss the Newcastle Knights’ incredible run to the Grand Final and the controversy surrounding Phoenix Crossland’s tackle on Nathan Cleary, before previewing their huge clash with the Sydney Roosters.

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News.com.au’s Extended Bench returns as James Maloney and the boys get stuck into all the fallout from the NRL finals, including the controversial calls and disappointing performances from the Warriors and Sharks. They also preview the two big preliminary finals clashes ahead and look at what next season might hold for the Sharks and Warriors.

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Two time NRL premiership winner James Maloney joins news.com.au's Extended Bench to look back at Week 1 of the NRL finals, discuss the Warriors shock loss to the Dolphins, question if the salary cap is being policed fairly and preview the second week of the finals.

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Extended Bench returns with NRL great Jimmy Maloney joining the news.com.au Sports Desk to discuss the finals week ahead for the NRL competition. Are Penrith & the Wahs good things? Is there any hope for the Sharks or Knights? And what does Jimmy think about the NRL wildcard concept?

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Jimmy Maloney joins news.com.au’s Extended Bench once again to discuss the hot topics in the NRL world. We kick off talking about the hopes of the top eight side now the finals ladder is all but locked in, and ask if there are any other hopes other than The Warriors & Penrith. We then start out look back on those sides that have fallen by the wayside and what needs to change for the bottom four teams to improve next year.

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In light of recent sporting scandals NRL great James Maloney shares his thoughts on the issues with sporting culture & perception in society, how clubs can manage and improve on "culture", pays tribute to Adam Reynolds after the news of he had played his final game & looks at the trial of the new rules around the kick off in rugby league.

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We kick off talking about how post games used to look in Jimmy’s NRL era, before looking at the controversial bunker calls of the weekend. We then look at the Sydney Roosters hot form, what DCE has bought to their line up and whether or not they can win the comp, before discussing the chances of the Newcastle Knights & South Sydney Rabbitohs.

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We dive deep into the latest NRL headlines, starting with a look at the "farce" surrounding the PNG expansion and why the rumours might not tell the whole story. Plus, Jimmy Maloney shares his unfiltered take on player safety, calling for the introduction of concussion waivers to give players more agency over their careers.

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News.com.au's Extended Bench featuring James Maloney returns to unpack the appointment of the new NSW coach, the NRL issue driving Jimmy mad, the dramatic drop-off in six-agains, the Coach of the Year race, and why he's still firmly on the Warriors bandwagon.

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News.com.au's Extended Bench returns with a look at the shambles that is the Wests Tigers club & the drama between Benji Marshall & Adam Doueihi, what next for the club & is the relationship tenable?

We then have a look at the weekend's footy and what it means for the chances of those left in the finals race, including Newcastle's disastrous injury toll and the scrappy effort of the Penrith Panthers.

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Jimmy Maloney return to the Extended Bench to chat all things NRL, as this week we look at the rumours around Nathan Cleary heading to the Warriors, as well as Joey Manu heading to the PNG Chiefs in season 2028. We also get stuck in the issues the NRL’s newest franchise faces in it’s first year and ask if the extra pay is really worth it. After that we take a look at the dumpster fire that is the Wests Tigers season & cast an eye over the appointment of Dean Young as full time coach of the Dragons.

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NRL great James Maloney joins the Extended Bench to discuss the fall out around the Jarome Luai saga, what the future might hold for Nathan Cleary & the realities professional footballers face in a sporting business. He also talks about his decision to hang up the boots and the great coaches that shaped his career.

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A very happy James Maloney joins the Extended Bench to discuss all the fall out of State of Origin 3, NSW’s dominance in the decider and what the victory meant for Laurie Daley’s side. We then discuss Nathan Cleary’s legacy & if he is destined for Immortal status, as well as look at the best performances from both states during the Origin series.

After that we get stuck into a match by match preview of Round 19 as the NRL season begins it’s road to the finals.

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Jimmy Maloney & news.com.au's Extended Bench return to looks at the big State of Origin news from the week, including Brian To'o's axing and replacement, the return of Bradman Best to the State of Origin set up and the growing pressure on the NSW attack. We also touch on the best and worst of the NRL games from Round 17 and pay tribute to the epic career of Jason Taumololo.

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Daggy, Benny & NRL great James Maloney return with news.com.au’s Extended Bench, ripping into some of the pressing stories of the Rugby League world. We kick off discussing the potential 20th NRL Franchise and why a Christchurch-based setup makes sense for the game’s future in New Zealand. We then look back to last week’s State of Origin Game Two, discuss what went wrong for the NSW Blues and where they can right the ship, and Jimmy names a shock successor should Laurie Daley move on from the role in 2027.

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NRL legend James Maloney joins the Extended Bench to discuss the NRL news of the week. We get stuck into the rumours around Laurie Daley's uninspiring coaching methods & the differences between the State of Origin coaches, as well as preview Game Two from the MCG. We then get into some of the questions fans have asked of Jimmy, including what he'd change about the current product & just who is the most underrated player in the game?

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news.com.au’s Extended Bench returns as NRL great James Maloney joins the boys to discuss the Rugby League news of the week. We look at what is happening with the Canterbury Bulldogs attack, cast an eye over all the State of Origin chances for Game 2 and discuss what is happening with the Brisbane Broncos’ lack of application. With the news that Shark Park may be on its last legs, Jimmy also reflects on his favourite memories of suburban football grounds.

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NRL legend James Maloney joins the Bench to take a look at the fallout from State of Origin Game 1, what did we think of the controversy around Kayln Ponga’s high shot and send off, how did the NSW halves actually stack up and what changes are on the cards for game two. We than look at the game of the year between the Panthers and the Warriors and ask if the Warrior Nation are the best fans in the game. After that we run through the rest of the ladder at the halfway mark of the season proper and sum up every side’s chances of heading towards finals footy.

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The Extended Bench returns to get stuck into all things State of Origin selection, with NRL great James Maloney joining the news.com.au sports desk to discuss who he would pick in his New South Wales side. Yeo v Murray, who plays fullback and who fills the vacant wing spot? We then discuss who should play halfback for the Queensland Maroons and what sort of half is required to fill Tom Dearden's shoes.

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