Round 27 Preview — 2026 NRL SeasonNRL Analytics

Titans v Dolphins

SavvyPlays · Friday 04 September 2026 · Cbus Super Stadium · 6:00pm AEST

Visual Comparison

01Key Metrics Side-by-Side

Motivation is the finals-race tier each side enters the round on; Wins to Finals is how many of their remaining games they need to reach the top eight ("-" already there, "x" out of reach).

Headline averages from every completed match this season (Titans n=23, Dolphins n=23). Bars diverge from centre — longer bar wins on the metric (green where lower is the goal, like points conceded or penalties).

Titans
Metric
Dolphins
PLAYING FOR PRIDE
Motivation
LOCKED IN
x
Wins to Finals
-
19.9
Points For / G
27.7
27.8
Points Against / G
21.1
1,557m
Run Metres / G
1,667m
3.5
Tries / G
4.8
75.2%
Completion %
76.6%
3.8
Penalties Conceded / G
4.9
3.9
Six Agains / G
4.2

Team Records

02Season Records & Scoring

Titans
Metric
Dolphins
6-17-0#16
Season Record
#316-7-0
3-8-0 (H)Home games
Home / Away Record
Away games8-3-0 (A)
16.8Home · #16
Avg Points For (Home / Away)
Away · #726.7
29.8Home · #16
Avg Points Against (Home / Away)
Away · #115.6

Against the Spread

03ATS Performance (W-L-P | % = Cover Rate)

Titans
Metric
Dolphins
13-10-0 (56%)
2026 Season — All
14-9-0 (61%)
4-7-0 (36%)
2026 Season — Home (H) / Away (A)
8-3-0 (73%)
9-3-0 (75%)
2026 Season — Away (H) / Home (A)
6-6-0 (50%)
L1
Current Streak
W3
23-24-0 (49%)
2025-26 — All
26-21-0 (55%)
10-13-0 (43%)
2025-26 — Home (H) / Away (A)
12-11-0 (52%)
13-11-0 (54%)
2025-26 — Away (H) / Home (A)
14-10-0 (58%)

Streak format: W3 = three covers in a row, L2 = two ATS losses. Within each block Home + Away equals All.

Over / Under

04O/U Performance (O-U-P | % = Over Rate)

Titans
Metric
Dolphins
9-14-0 (39%)
2026 Season — All
9-14-0 (39%)
3-8-0 (27%)
2026 Season — Home (H) / Away (A)
2-9-0 (18%)
6-6-0 (50%)
2026 Season — Away (H) / Home (A)
7-5-0 (58%)
O3
Current Streak
U3
21-26-0 (45%)
2025-26 — All
23-24-0 (49%)
7-16-0 (30%)
2025-26 — Home (H) / Away (A)
8-15-0 (35%)
14-10-0 (58%)
2025-26 — Away (H) / Home (A)
15-9-0 (62%)

Within each block Home + Away equals All.

Halves Breakdown

05How Each Team Builds the Game

1H = first half, 2H = second half. 1H/2H averages across the full 2026 season. "1H win → match win" is how often leading at half-time converts into the win.

Titans
Metric
Dolphins
7.1
1H Avg For
10.7
12.6
1H Avg Against
12.0
-5.4
1H Net
-1.3
33%
1H Win → Match Win
88%
11.9
2H Avg For
18.9
12.9
2H Avg Against
8.3
-1.0
2H Net
+10.6

Player Contribution Scores

06Spine vs Spine, Forwards vs Forwards, Backs vs Backs

PCS (Player Contribution Score) is a correlation-informed rating built from play-by-play stats — run metres, line breaks, tackle breaks, missed tackles and so on. Each stat is weighted by how strongly it correlates with winning margin across 1,000+ matches. Aggregated to position group over a 15-game rolling window.

Why position groups matter: the spine (FB, halves, hooker) controls structure, the forwards set the ruck and tempo, the backs finish chances. A team can be middling overall but elite at one group — and that often shows up as a directional edge in the result.

Titans
Metric
Dolphins
140.7#12 Δ +5.4
Squad PCS
#1 Δ -5.3197.3
40.9#11 Δ +1.8
Spine PCS
#8 Δ -0.845.0
35.2#12 Δ +2.5
Forwards PCS
#14 Δ -1.629.5
56.8#11 Δ +1.3
Backs PCS
#1 Δ -2.998.9

Sub shows current league rank. Δ = change vs last round (noisy week-to-week — treat the rank as the headline).

First Scoring Play

07Who Strikes First

Strictly the very first scoring play of each match — try, penalty goal, or (rarely) field goal. Teams that open the scoring tend to lead at half-time about 65% of the time and win about 60% — so the opening play matters. Penalty-goal openings are shown as raw counts because most games never open with a PG; the position-group breakdown only fires when the first play was a try.

Titans
Metric
Dolphins
3/23 (13%)
Scored first try — All games
5/23 (22%)
1/11 (9%)
Scored first try — Home / Away
3/11 (27%)
19/23 (83%)
Conceded first try — All games
15/23 (65%)
10/11 (91%)
Conceded first try — Home / Away
6/11 (55%)
1 (H:0 A:1)
Scored first via penalty goal
2 (H:0 A:2)
0 (H:0 A:0)
Conceded first via penalty goal
1 (H:1 A:0)
1 (H:1 A:0)
First try scored by Spine (All games)
2 (H:1 A:1)
2 (H:0 A:2)
First try scored by Forwards (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try scored by Backs (All games)
3 (H:1 A:2)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try scored by Interchange (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)
3 (H:2 A:1)
First try conceded to Spine (All games)
6 (H:6 A:0)
4 (H:3 A:1)
First try conceded to Forwards (All games)
4 (H:2 A:2)
11 (H:4 A:7)
First try conceded to Backs (All games)
5 (H:1 A:4)
1 (H:1 A:0)
First try conceded to Interchange (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)

Position groups: Spine = FB/halves/hooker. Forwards = prop/lock/second row. Backs = centre/wing. Interchange = bench.

Current Streaks

08Active Streaks

Titans
Metric
Dolphins
L5
Win / Loss — 2026
W6
L1
ATS — 2026
W3
O3
Over / Under — 2026
U3
L1
1st Half — 2026
W6
W1
2nd Half — 2026
W7
L4
Win / Loss — Home / Away
W3
L1
ATS — Home / Away
W2
O2
Over / Under — Home / Away
U4

Includes previous season(s) where applicable. D = Draw, P = Push (ATS/O/U).

Consistency / Disruption

09Volatility & Squad Health

Consistency Index (CI) measures how predictable a team's results are. It's built from the standard deviation of their margin and their points-conceded across the season. Higher CI = tighter range of results, more dependable.

Disruption Score (DS) measures how far the named squad is from each team's best 17 — weighted by position importance (a halfback out hurts more than a bench prop) and by how fresh the absence is. Higher DS = more disrupted, less the side coaches game-plan around.

Titans
Metric
Dolphins
0.559
Overall CI
0.482
0.598
Defensive CI
0.503
17.5
Margin SD
22.7
3.3
Disruption
2.6
87%
Best-17 %
94%
2
New Outs This Round
1

CI (Consistency Index) measures result predictability from 0 to 1 — higher = more consistent. Defensive CI isolates defensive performance. Margin SD measures the spread of winning/losing margins — lower = more predictable outcomes. Teams with high CI and low Margin SD are the safest to tip; teams with low CI and high Margin SD are volatile and produce the most upsets.

Named Squads

10Titans — 87% Best 17 (DS 3.3) — Squad avg ±/G: -6.7

#PlayerPositionGP±/G
1Keano KiniFullback22-8.2
2Siale FaeamaniWing8-5.8
3Jaylan De GrootCentre5-5.6
4AJ BrimsonCentre20-7.5
5Phillip SamiWing22-7.9
6Jayden CampbellFive-Eighth20-6.5
7Lachlan IliasHalfback11-8.9
8Moeaki FotuaikaProp22-8.1
9Luke SommertonHooker3-6.7
10Tino Fa'asuamaleauiProp19-7.5
11Kurtis MorrinSecond Row20-1.1
12Beau FermorSecond Row21-7.6
13Chris RandallLock19-5.1
14Klese HaasInterchange21-2.8
15Cooper BaiInterchange21-3.9
16Bodhi SharpleyInterchange
17Sam VerrillsInterchange12-5.8

±/G (Plus/Minus per Game) measures each player's average impact on the scoreboard while on the field — the team's scoring margin during their minutes, divided by games played. Positive values indicate the team scores more than it concedes with that player on; negative values indicate the opposite. Best 17% reflects how many of the team's optimal starting lineup are named for this match. GP = games played in 2026. Out: Max Feagai (new this round), Jojo Fifita (new this round). Long-term (1): Jaimin Jolliffe (23wk) — excluded from the Best 17% denominator, carried at reduced weight in DS. Players listed as out are ordered by Disruption Score (DS) — a measure of how difficult each absence is to replace based on positional importance and individual performance.

Named Squads

11Dolphins — 94% Best 17 (DS 2.6) — Squad avg ±/G: +5.9

#PlayerPositionGP±/G
1Hamiso Tabuai-FidowFullback17+8.6
2Jamayne IsaakoWing22+6.1
3Jack BostockCentre11+17.5
4Herbie FarnworthCentre21+6.0
5Tevita NaufahuWing6-1.2
6Kodi NikorimaFive-Eighth18+4.9
7Isaiya KatoaHalfback17+8.9
8Thomas FleglerProp17-5.3
9Jeremy Marshall-KingHooker14+9.4
10Tom GilbertProp21+4.0
11Max PlathSecond Row17+11.2
12Kulikefu FinefeuiakiSecond Row21+4.8
13Morgan KnowlesLock21+1.6
14Kurt DonoghoeInterchange14+7.4
15Ray StoneInterchange17+10.1
16Francis MoloInterchange18-4.0
17Felise KaufusiInterchange18+2.8

±/G (Plus/Minus per Game) measures each player's average impact on the scoreboard while on the field — the team's scoring margin during their minutes, divided by games played. Positive values indicate the team scores more than it concedes with that player on; negative values indicate the opposite. Best 17% reflects how many of the team's optimal starting lineup are named for this match. GP = games played in 2026. Out: Selwyn Cobbo (new this round). Long-term (1): Daniel Saifiti (23wk) — excluded from the Best 17% denominator, carried at reduced weight in DS. Players listed as out are ordered by Disruption Score (DS) — a measure of how difficult each absence is to replace based on positional importance and individual performance.

Titans — Recent Form

12Titans — Last 5 Games

RoundOpponentH/AScoreResMarginLineATSTotalO/U
2026 R26RabbitohsH22-42L-20+11.5L55.5O
2026 R25SharksH22-30L-8+8.5W50.5O
2026 R24KnightsA26-36L-10+12.5W50.5O
2026 R23CowboysH8-30L-22+4.5L48.5U
2026 R22WarriorsH6-42L-36+4.5L48.5U

Dolphins — Recent Form

13Dolphins — Last 5 Games

RoundOpponentH/AScoreResMarginLineATSTotalO/U
2026 R26RoostersA26-12W+14+5.5W49.5U
2026 R25EelsH34-16W+18-15.0W51.5U
2026 R24Sea EaglesA22-0W+22-11.5W51.5U
2026 R23BroncosH40-32W+8-9.5L48.5O
2026 R22DragonsA28-22W+6-15.5L50.5U

Titans — Try Scoring

14Titans — Try Scorers (2026)

PlayerPosT1stLast1st 20m2nd 20m3rd 20m4th 20mH / A
P.SamiWing15124369 / 6
J.CampbellFive-Eighth1013420 / 10
J.FifitaCentre81113136 / 2
A.HauInterchange71112134 / 3
K.MorrinSecond Row7103312 / 5
O.PascoeHooker5121204 / 1
S.FaeamaniWing510221 / 4
A.BrimsonCentre5112023 / 2
B.FermorSecond Row401211 / 3
K.KiniFullback3200030 / 3

Dolphins — Try Scoring

15Dolphins — Try Scorers (2026)

PlayerPosT1stLast1st 20m2nd 20m3rd 20m4th 20mH / A
J.IsaakoWing2131116312 / 9
S.CobboWing173336358 / 9
H.FarnworthCentre12235228 / 4
H.Tabuai-FidowFullback111212357 / 4
J.AverilloInterchange6120133 / 3
C.LemueluSecond Row6202224 / 2
J.BostockCentre500143 / 2
K.NikorimaFive-Eighth4101122 / 2
M.PlathSecond Row402112 / 2
K.FinefeuiakiSecond Row3101113 / 0

SavvyPlays Tips — Strong

16The Call

Dolphins by 20
Strong · PLAYING FOR PRIDE v LOCKED IN
Win
Dolphins -12.5
predicted Titans margin -20 vs line +12.5
ATS
Under 56.5
projected 45.4 · edge -11.1
Over / Under
Dolphins Backs
HIGH · 2.50/g
Anytime Edge
RankGroupScore /GOpp Concede /GCombined
Attacking Titans (vs Dolphins defence)
1Backs1.571.831.70 HIGH
2Spine0.830.870.85 MODERATE
3Forwards0.650.740.70 MODERATE
4Interchange0.480.300.39 LOW
Attacking Dolphins (vs Titans defence)
1Backs2.392.612.50 HIGH
2Spine0.961.221.09 MODERATE
3Forwards0.740.910.83 MODERATE
4Interchange0.700.300.50 LOW

Anytime Try Scoring — Matchup Likelihood: each side's position groups ranked by how often they score against how often this opponent concedes.

Dolphins Backs are the standout anytime bet — the top combined matchup score in this game at 2.50/game (Dolphins backs score 2.39/game; Titans concede to the backs at 2.61/game).

Dolphins locked for finals but still chasing top-2 seeding. Their 100% record at Cbus and 4-game H2H dominance make this the second-most predictable game of the round.

Before you bet

ATS tip is based on SavvyPlays' predicted margin compared against the line at the time of publication. Lines move — always verify the current spread with your bookmaker before placing.

Data & Methodology

Team records sourced from official NRL data. Play-by-play timeline data drives the halves analytics. PCS is a correlation-informed player rating aggregated to position groups (Spine, Forwards, Backs) over a 15-game rolling window. Best-17% reflects the proportion of each team's optimal lineup named for this round. CI/DS combines result-volatility and squad-disruption signals. Closing-line market data via The Odds API.

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