New NRL halves combos under the microscope for 2026 season: Confirmed and possible pairings
A host of NRL teams are set to run out with a new halves combination in 2026, but perhaps no one has bigger boots to fill than Jamal Fogarty. We dissect the possible new pairings for Round 1.
Jamal Fogarty is ready to make the Manly No.7 jumper his own but there was a big admission the former Canberra playmaker wanted to make at his official unveiling as a Sea Eagle on Wednesday.
Fogarty, who takes over at halfback from Manly champion and former skipper Daly Cherry-Evans, was quick to point out that things will be different when he teams up with Luke Brooks in one of the many new look halves combinations in the NRL in 2026.
“I’m not as talented as Daly,” Fogarty said.
“He’s probably the greatest half to play for the club and put that jersey on. That’s something I’ve got to respect and acknowledge.
“I’m going to be Jamal. I’m not going to try and be him. And I’ve always, no matter where I’ve been, thought I’m going to be myself.”
The 31-year-old Fogarty has swapped fog and plummeting temperatures in the nation’s capital for afternoon strolls on the beach with his family and acai bowls, a lifestyle change that’s so far paying off for player and club.
“When my wife and the kids are happy, I’m going to be happy and hopefully the club gets a good version of that,” he said.
“It’s a little bit different. Even the football side of things, the names, the structures all obviously something got to get used to.”
After news broke of Cherry-Evans leaving Manly after 15 years, the arduous task of replacing the veteran got underway before the club landed Fogarty on a three-year deal.
So determined with his new mission is Fogarty that he arrived a week early to pre-season training in a bid to get to know younger players, staff and the magnitude of the task ahead.
One of the first relationships to establish is with Brooks.
But before they build that connection on the field, Fogarty revealed they’ve first found similarities off the field to bring them closer.
“You’ve got to have a good relationship off the field as well obviously. He’s got a couple of little ones and I got kids in as well so hopefully we can strike up a nice partnership there,” Fogarty said.
“He’s a wonderful player and there’s parts of his game that I really like … his running game’s exceptional and he’s got a nice left-foot kick.”
FRESH COMBO AT MANLY
The Fogarty and Brooks combination isn’t the only fresh pairing to hit the NRL by Round 1 with more than half of the clubs set to possibly introduce new combinations at five-eighth and halfback.
Fogarty’s own game is simple: controlled, calculated and measured, with a tone of flair when the occasion calls for it.
But as far as whether a new half-back’s style fits in with existing team structure, Fogarty concedes he and the club will have to meet in the middle.
“It’s got to be both ways to be fair. I’ve got to adjust my playing style to the team … and then obviously I’ve got to still be able to be myself. to feel confident to play my style,” he said.
“(Fogarty’s style) it’s probably bit more upbeat, structured stuff. If we can do that as a team, if we can play pretty fast and structured, then that’s going to hopefully allow opportunities for the guys that like that free style of play.
“Then I’ve also got to be able to be a bit more risky and try that free flowing footy as well. “So that’s something I’ve spoken to with our coaches and it’s just a matter of getting reps in.”
SEA EAGLES’ YOUNG GUNS
Amid juggling all that, Fogarty’s also made time for the clubs young halves in waiting Joey Walsh and Onitoni Large, who he’s been highly impressed by.
“They’re only 19 and 20, so I take big pride in trying to educate them and try to give them as much information as they want or as less as they want.
“But also just showing them that no matter how talented you are, you’ve got to have a very good work ethic. You can’t roll in today, train well, think it’s just going to happen tomorrow. You’ve got to be able to back it up for back to back days, back to back weeks, and obviously the season’s so long.”
NEW HALVES SET FOR 2026
Dragons: 7 Daniel Atkinson / 6 Kyle Flanagan
If anyone should be happy about Daniel Atkinson’s arrival, it’s Kyle Flanagan. The intense scrutiny on Flanagan in 2025 can be put to bed very early next season thanks to the former Shark.
While he did his best, Flanagan struggled to be the key operator for the Dragons. His intent to not put a foot wrong had the opposite effect and he was able to conjure up very little for the side, with his try assists of 10 on Code Sports Stats among the fewest of starting halfbacks.
After two years learning his trade behind Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes, Atkinson will be just the halves partner needed to relieve Flanagan of the burdens of leading the Red V.
The lead-by-example type player does everything at 110 per cent. With a fierce kick chase, Atkinson is a keen runner of the ball and a courageous defender with enough NRL experience to have no hesitation in placing his players around the field.
Roosters: 7 Sam Walker / 6 Daly Cherry-Evans
Whether Cherry-Evans has the six or seven on his back isn’t the concern, but rather whether two halfbacks can play in the same starting line-up.
The are plenty of similarities between Sam Walker and Cherry-Evans, with both having the ability to manage the tempo of the game with their boots.
But there also enough differences to make them a potent combination with Cherry-Evans a great organiser and Walker the off-the-cuff magic man.
Cherry-Evans was the fourth ranked halfback in the NRL this year for average kick metres per game (412m) according to Code Sports Stats, while Walker’s close range threat with the boot inside the opposition 20 could make them a potentially lethal combination.
Knights: 7 Dylan Brown / 6 Fletcher Sharpe
For all the question marks throughout the year, Dylan Brown proved in the Pacific Championships that on top of his strong running game honed at Parramatta, he does boast the ability to take charge of a side.
Fletcher Sharpe was a shining light in an otherwise grim looking Knights attack, whose prowess taking on the line will be lost in another role. If new coach Justin Holbrook takes anything from watching Newcastle’s season back, it will be the necessity to give Sharpe the freedom to spark some much-needed razzle dazzle into the side.
Eels: 7 Mitchell Moses / 6 Jonah Pezet
The Eels are always a better side with Mitchell Moses, but he can’t do it alone.
Although only there for only one season before he joins Brisbane, Jonah Pezet’s resume from Melbourne is impressive enough to imagine he will unlock an even better version of Moses, which is scary to think is possible.
The Storm won six of seven games when Pezet played, with a handful of try assists and two 40/20s, including a crucial one while behind in a finals against the Bulldogs in September.
The youngster will have no issue holding his own while alongside one of the game’s greats.
POSSIBLE PAIRINGS
Titans: 7 Lachlan Ilias / 6 Jayden Campbell
The Titans almost have too many halves options to know what to do with, but it’s a headache coach Hannay would prefer to have than not.
Fresh from signing a new deal, Jayden Campbell won’t be going anywhere from the starting side, boasting the most line breaks (11) and tackle busts (90) on Code Sports Stats of any half in 2025.
His free style of play, more akin to a five-eighth, will complement the more traditional role Ilias could play at halfback, but that leaves AJ Brimson out of the side.
It’s more than likely Ilias’s redemption starts from the bench before any drastic changes are made.
Rabbitohs: 7 Cody Walker / 6 Latrell Mitchell
Wayne Benett’s conundrum begins with the fact he can no longer deny Jye Gray the starting fullback spot.
Where that leaves Mitchell is the next dilemma. A push to halves means a switch for the ageing Cody Walker to halfback, but structured play isn’t necessarily his strong suit.
Where South Sydney had their best success in 2025 was with Jamie Humphreys. The side won four of their five opening games of the season before injury hit. The No.7 shirt will be Humphreys first in 2026.
For Mitchell, a move back to where it all began in the centres at the Roosters where he won two premierships looks increasingly the most likely option.
Raiders: 7 Ethan Sanders / Coby Black / 6 Ethan Strange
The battle for who will partner Ethan Strange in the Canberra halves is a fresh one with recent news of highly touted Coby Black joining the Raiders a year earlier than expected.
Whispers of coach Ricky Stuart having doubts over Ethan Sanders as his starting halfback could throw a spanner in the works for the young playmaker but he’s still being tipped to get first crack at the No.7 jersey.
Sanders’ familiarity with the Canberra side having joined from Parramatta this year, and being two years older than 19-year-old Black, will likely spell the difference, leaving the former Bronco waiting on the wings just a little while longer.
Dolphins: 7 Isaiya Katoa / 6 Brad Schneider
The Dolphins seem content with the chemistry between Isaiya Katoa and five-eighth Kodi Nikorima, but Brad Schneider’s arrival at Redcliffe from Penrith may possibly challenge that.
The 24-year-old Schneider is seven years younger than Nikorima while both boast similar profiles of aggressive running and the ability to put players through holes close to the line.
For now, there’s no reason to change things up unless an injury or form come into play but Schneider is certainly capable of giving coach Kristian Woolf something to think about.
Originally published as New NRL halves combos under the microscope for 2026 season: Confirmed and possible pairings
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