NRL 2026, Injuries, suspension, return dates, casualty ward and key information for the 2026 NRL Telstra Premiership season

NRL Casualty Ward: Piakura to miss WCC; Surgery for Marshall-King

Author: NRL.com
Timestamp: Tue 20 Jan 2026, 05:26 PM

Premiership-winning Bronco Brendan Piakura has undergone surgery to repair a meniscus tear sustained during pre-season training.

The Cook Islands representative is expected to be sidelined for approximately eight weeks, ruling him out of the World Club Challenge against Hull KR and the opening two rounds of the Telstra Premiership.

Meanwhile, Kiwis hooker Jeremy Marshall-King has been ruled out of the opening rounds of the NRL season for the Dolphins after injuring his knee in an accident at home.

Marshall-King suffered a meniscus injury in his right knee and has undergone surgery after slipping over at his house.

With a three-to-four-month time frame on his recovery, Marshall-King will miss the start to the NRL season in March. He has also been ruled out of selection for the Maori All Stars in the annual clash at Hamilton on February 15.

“The surgery was successful so Jeremy will now begin his rehabilitation,” said Dolphins’ Head of Performance Jeremy Hickmans.

“The timeline will be dependent on how that rehabilitation progresses, and he is certainly going to miss some games at the start of the season.

“But if all goes well he will be a chance to return somewhere around our first bye in round six.”

The Dolphins do have some cover at the position, with Max Plath, Kurt Donoghoe and youngster John Fineanganofo all able to play at dummy half.

Also at the Dolphins, captain Tom Gilbert (shoulder) is back doing full contact at pre-season training while props Daniel Saifiti (shoulder) and Tom Flegler (shoulder) are also pushing hard towards a Round 1 comeback.

"I'm really excited to be back here and looking forward to the future," Gilbert said on Thursday.

"Through all that devastation and being upset I have come out the other side and feel really good about it.

"I will play in the first trial [on February 7] and I'm all good to go."

Prop Francis Molo is expected to be fit for Round 1 after fracturing his eye socket in his final Pac Champs game for Samoa.

Outside back Jack Bostock could return to the field as early as Round 8 as he takes the next step in his recovery from a serious knee injury.

The 22-year-old injured his ACL, MCL and meniscus in Round 16 and underwent surgery to repair the damage.

Bostock is eyeing a return in late April or early May if the rehab process remains on track.

In a massive boost for the Knights, captain Kalyn Ponga is on track to take the field in the historic Round 1 game against the Cowboys.

Ponga was restricted to just 13 games in 2025 after suffering a Lisfranc injury playing against the Raiders in Round 17.

"I've still got eight weeks until Vegas and every day I will do my best to tick every box and try to tick a few more. I'm very comfortable with where I'm at," Ponga said on Wednesday.

"I'm very confident of taking the field in Vegas. I'm doing everything I can to get it right.

"I'm definitely happy I'm out of the moon boot. I was doing a lot of upper body weights and upper body conditioning [with the boot on] but I'm running now and trying to get as fit as I can.

"The way the rehab is coming along I am definitely hopeful of playing in a trial game [before Vegas]."

The Cowboys are set to be without forwards Jeremiah Nanai and Griffin Neame for their clash with the Knights in Vegas as they recover from surgery.

Nanai injured his shoulder playing for Samoa against Tonga XIII at Suncorp Stadium and scans revealed the 22-year-old would need a shoulder reconstruction.

Coach Todd Payten said in late December that Nanai was set to miss the first 4-6 weeks of the new season.

Neame picked up his injury in August and underwent a shoulder reconstruction later that month. He endured a setback early in his recovery when he suffered an infection but is now an outside chance for Round 1.

To view the complete NRL Casualty Ward, please visit the hub page.