He knows when they've been sleeping, he knows when they're awake. He knows if they've been bad or good, lets just hope they've been good for goodness sake.
Every NRL team has sent Santa a letter asking for something special this Christmas. What will be waiting under the tree for each of the 17 teams and how will it help them navigate the 2026 season? We take a look at this year's NRL Christmas wish list.
Brisbane Broncos
The Broncos have put in a simple request to Santa Claus this year, please make R360 disappear. With rumours still circulating that superstar Broncos prop Payne Haas will be grabbing himself a big pile of middle eastern cash to join the breakaway rugby competition, the Brisbane club is concerned that their hopes of turning the 2025 title into a dynasty might be short-lived. Players lured by R360 may well return to rugby league with their tails between their legs if the competition falls over, but that could be too late to prevent a momentum crushing moment for the Broncos.
Canberra Raiders
Ricky Stuart led his beloved Raiders all the way to the minor premiership last season before tumbling out of the finals in straight sets. The Raiders have allowed Jamal Fogerty to leave for the Sea Eagles, so they'll be asking Santa for a smooth transition to their new halves combination, most likely the two Ethans; Sanders and Strange. Sanders will be charged with leading the team around the park, while facilitating the brilliant attack of five-eighth Strange. Speaking of Strange, the Raiders will no doubt also be asking Santa to keep the star playmaker free from injury and illness next season.
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Phil Gould has written a long letter to Santa in the hope of achieving a premiership drought breaking 2026 season. He has specifically requested some clarity around the halves situation at the club. Do the Bulldogs throw youngster Mitchell Woods into the hot seat, or do they persist with the Lachlan Galvin and Matt Burton halves combination. Burton played some of his best football last season in the No. 6, but could easily be as good in the centres. Is Woods ready for the rigours of first grade? Should the club use veteran recruit Sean O'Sullivan as a stop-gap solution? What is the answer wise Ol' Saint Nick?
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
The Sharks will be asking Santa for another chance, another crack, another shot at premiership glory. Three grand final appearances in their entire history for one title in 2016 is becoming a bit of thorn in the club's side. Despite making the finals regularly in recent years, they just can't seem to take the extra steps needed to appear in the big dance. If Santa could just give them a little extra push come the finals, it would be very much appreciated across The Shire.
Dolphins
The Dolphins have managed to add a few bits and pieces to strengthen their lineup for the 2026 season. All they want from Santa is an injury-free year, full of performances that both entertain, bring victories, and ultimately lead to a chance to show their wares in the finals. They play some of the most exciting football in the NRL and with Isaiya Katoa improving every year at halfback, they really should crack the Top 8 this year, with a little bit of help from Santa.
Gold Coast Titans
A new coach, a new beginning! Santa has delivered early for the Titans, but they will be reminding the man in the red suit that they have been in this position plenty of times before without reward. Their letter to Santa will be a request that Josh Hannay is finally the one, the coach who can bring together their talented roster and make a solid charge at the finals. If nothing positive happens in the next two years, they'll be back to asking for a new coach and a new direction.
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
The Sea Eagles have a long list of requests for Santa, starting with a promising start to life after Daly Cherry-Evans and going right through to an injury-free year for Tom Trbojevic. Unfortunately, Santa seems to have little control over what happens to poor Tom's body as he throws himself into the forwards like a gnarled-up old prop in a finely tuned, if brittle, athlete's body. With DCE off to the Roosters, this will be Anthony Seibold's big chance to prove that he really is a first grade coach, capable of re-building Manly into a rugby league force.
Melbourne Storm
Agonisingly close to claiming another premiership, the Storm will be asking Santa to make the departure of star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen as painless as possible. Set to help them in that regard is livewire youngster Sua Fa'alogo, who should grab the No.1 jersey with both hands and go tearing off downfield. They might as well throw in a request for coach Craig Bellamy to keep on turning up for work year after year, as his positive influence on this club is in no way diminishing.
Newcastle Knights
A new coach, a new beginning! Santa has delivered early for the Knights. Sound familiar? The Knights are in a similar position to the Titans, only they have one extra massive positive heading their way in Dylan Brown. Brown had an ordinary 2025 season at the Eels, after announcing early that he was heading to Newcastle, but his form for New Zealand in the Pacific Championships was simply brilliant. The Knights will be asking Santa for a New Zealand Brown, rather than a Parramatta Brown.
North Queensland Cowboys
The Cowboys have lost Reece Robson to the Roosters, but have replaced him with Reed Mahoney from the Bulldogs. They will be sending a letter to Santa asking for Mahoney to leave all his ugly discipline issues behind. At his very best he will provide the Cowboys with some extra spark around the ruck. Behind a better performing forward pack and in combination with the dynamic halves pairing of Tom Dearden and Jake Clifford, Mahoney could have the Cowboys on their way to a Top 8 finish.
Parramatta Eels
The Eels will be writing to Santa asking him for a Christmas miracle out of one-year signing Jonah Pezet. Pezet joins the club from the Storm and steps straight into the boots vacated by Dylan Brown, but he has already signed a deal to join the Broncos from 2027. This is a new experiment in testing the professionalism of players. His teammates will have to forget that he is leaving them and do their very best to win the premiership before he goes. A full season out of Mitchell Moses and they might just have a chance.
Penrith Panthers
The Panthers can stop asking Santa for their premiership run to continue for another year, as the Broncos ended that last season. Their letter to Santa will simply ask for the continued development of young stars Blaize Talagi, Casey McLean and Izack Tago. These three have stepped into some enormous vacancies left by the likes of Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton, Taylan May and Sunia Turuva. If they continue to improve on last year, the Panthers will once again be a premiership force to be reckoned with.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The Bunnies will send a letter to the North Pole asking for the return of Wayne Bennett's mojo. The super coach has had a lean trot in recent years, missing the finals twice with the Dolphins before leading to the Rabbitohs to a disastrous 14th-place finish in 2025. The Rabbitohs welcome forward enforcer David Fifita from the Titans, but Bennett will still need some of Santa's magic to turn the historic club around.
St George Illawarra Dragons
The Dragons have cut loose a raft of players and still manage to face the 2026 season fielding a mix of aging former stars and players who might never be that good. The Big Red V will draft a sneaky little 40-page letter to Santa, with all the things they need to turn their fortunes around. At the top of that list will be a transition plan for how to make this struggling club an attractive destination for the massive influx of talent they need.
Sydney Roosters
The Chooks will be asking Santa to give Daly Cherry-Evans the ability to do an excellent Cooper Cronk impression, in leading the club to back-to-back premierships. Many people are questioning the wisdom of signing DCE in the twilight of his career, but there were also similar doubts over Cronk. Both halfbacks were premiership winning, representative stars who possess a mountain of experience. Cronk proved to be the winning addition to a strong line-up, the Roosters will be asking Santa for a repeat.
New Zealand Warriors
The Warriors were having one of their best seasons in memory, knocking over all comers and sitting up near the top of the ladder and then Luke Metcalf's knee collapsed and along with it their premiership hopes. They will of course be asking that Metcalf returns from his ACL with all the spark and elusiveness that marked the beginning of his 2025 season. Halfback Metcalf is crucial to the Warriors hopes, at least until Jet Cleary is old enough to play first grade.
Wests Tigers
Benji Marshall's Tigers enjoyed a better season in 2025, avoiding the spoon for the first time in years. They have written their letter to Santa asking for an old favourite, consistency. At their best they were a match for any side last year, but week-to-week they struggled to produce at that level. With the Lachlan Galvin drama well behind them, Latu Fainu and Jarome Luai will need to combine in the halves to help the Tigers take the next step towards a long overdue place in the Top 8.