Statistics have revealed the 2026 edition of Magic Round was the most one-sided in the history of the NRL's showpiece event.
Almost 150,000 fans attended Suncorp Stadium for the weekend's eight NRL games, but North Queensland's 18-12 upset defeat of the Sydney Roosters was the only game with a margin smaller than 22 points.
The average margin of 22.5 points per game exceeded that of all six previous Magic Rounds, pipping even the 2021 edition (20.75) that came in a season derided for blowout scorelines.
That 2021 edition at least had one game decided by two points; the 2026 Magic Round was only the second in history that did not have a single game decided by less than a converted try.
No team that trailed at halftime at this year's Magic Round went on to win and only one game was tied at the break.
The average halftime margin of 14 was larger than the average margin for full games at the last three Magic Rounds.
"There were quite a few blowouts over the weekend," said Penrith coach Ivan Cleary.
"Maybe that's distraction. I don't know, Magic Round, there's a bunch of stuff going on and there's plenty of things different to what each team would probably normally do.
"You turn up to the hotel and there's like three or four other teams, people around ...That could be part of it."
The average scoreline for games this season is 18.3 points, with the increasing pace of the NRL wearing the brunt for the number of blowouts.
Magic Round had the second-largest margin of any weekend this season, behind only round eight (23.5).
Penrith's 28-6 defeat of the Dragons only blew out in the final 15 minutes with late tries to Brian To'o and Luke Garner.
Coach Cleary thought slower ruck speed may have helped keep the game close.
"I feel like our game tonight, the rucks were pretty slow so that's one of the reasons it was tight," he said.
"It also hammered down rain pretty hard during the first half."
Magic Round will remain a fixture of the NRL's calendar until at least 2032, with the league on Friday unveiling a new deal to keep the event at Suncorp Stadium until then.
