NRL Late Mail Round 26: Haas & Hynes firming, Plath in doubt

It&#8217;s grand final week for the head-to-head enthusiasts among us, or those out of the overall chase who have turned their attention to any leagues they&#8217;re still alive in. Regardless of whether you have trades or not, I hope the late mail falls in your favour and best of luck for the big dance.&nbsp;



And for everyone still in the hunt for overall glory, I hope I gain some ground on you in the final fortnight.



The Turnstiles are sitting decently at 1,636 overall and are also in the Playbook Contributor League GF, so I might have some decisions to make as the round progresses.&nbsp;



All the&nbsp;updates across the round will come via&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/scplaybook1">@scplaybook1</a>&nbsp;on X/Twitter and Instagram, as well as myself&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AStilesAuthor">@AStilesAuthor</a>&nbsp;(X/Twitter only).



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COWBOYS



Kulikefu Finefeuiaki&nbsp;has been ruled out with a hand injury, with&nbsp;Jaxon Purdue&nbsp;replacing him on the interchange.&nbsp;



Not expecting any other changes an hour out.



24 hour cuts: Finefeuiaki, Townsend, Burns



STORM



Given the squad named on TLT, I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s any luxury for late changes. 



Should be&nbsp;1-17.



24 hour cuts: King, Loiero, Meaney



BULLDOGS



Josh Curran&nbsp;has again been named, albeit on the bench, after missing last week with a shoulder injury. 



I assume he&#8217;ll need to tick the boxes before being cleared and there remains a chance he&#8217;ll be given another week of rest with the Bulldogs well on track for finals.



SEA EAGLES&nbsp;



Not expecting any changes for Manly at this stage, should be&nbsp;1-17.



PANTHERS



There&#8217;s been some speculation that&nbsp;Dylan Edwards&nbsp;hasn&#8217;t looked quite right since his return and that&nbsp;Daine Laurie&nbsp;is a chance to replace him at fullback to give him a week of rest. 



However, Laurie was ruled out at the 24 mark which all but confirms Edwards will run out against South Sydney.



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RABBITOHS



Cameron Murray&nbsp;had an unsuccessful outing at the judiciary and will therefore be ruled out for the rest of the season.&nbsp;



Keaon Koloamatangi&nbsp;could shift back to lock after his stint there earlier in the season, or&nbsp;Siliva Havili&nbsp;could do a job as well if they want to keep KK on the edge.&nbsp;



Cody Walker&nbsp;should also be fine to return from his concussion.&nbsp;



EELS



No changes expected here, should be&nbsp;1-17.&nbsp;



DRAGONS



The prop swap was again in full force so I&#8217;ll expect similar this week involving&nbsp;Blake Lawrie&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jack De Belin.&nbsp;



Mosese Suli&nbsp;has resurfaced on the extended bench and could replace a&nbsp;Feagai&nbsp;brother at centre on game day.&nbsp;



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DOLPHINS



Tevita Pangai Jr&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jeremy Marshall-King&nbsp;are both named on the extended bench and could be late inclusions and prop/bench and hooker respectively should they tick the boxes with their respective injuries.&nbsp;



Max Plath&nbsp;is in doubt regardless of JMK&#8217;s potential return with a calf complaint.&nbsp;



BRONCOS



Payne Haas&nbsp;trained with the main squad this week and if firming as a late inclusion at prop, with&nbsp;Xavier Willison&nbsp;presumably dropping back to the bench.&nbsp;



SHARKS



Nicho Hynes&nbsp;watch is in full effect with the halfback named on the extended bench. 



Unfortunately, Saturday night is a long wait for anyone wanting to take a major swing for the fences in a grand final or overall push.



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WARRIORS



Back to their ways with forward pack shuffles last week, the a swap that&#8217;s always on the cards.&nbsp;



They&#8217;ve also named an interesting backline, but I&#8217;ll expect they run out as named for now.



KNIGHTS



Bradman Best&nbsp;should be fine to return from his hamstring injury, meaning&nbsp;1-17&nbsp;is likely at this stage for the Knights.



TITANS



No changes expected at this stage, should be either&nbsp;1-17or minor forward pack shuffles at most.&nbsp;



ROOSTERS



Connor Watson&nbsp;should be fine to return this week, with owners hoping he is a late swap into the starting side.&nbsp;



Brandon Smith&nbsp;should also return from a minor calf complaint.



RAIDERS



No changes expected at this stage, although Ricky dusted off the old hooker swap last week and&nbsp;Josh Papali&#8217;i&nbsp;is always a chance to be benched an hour out.

NRL Late Mail Round 26: Haas & Hynes firming, Plath in doubt

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