Queensland coach Billy Slater has given his thoughts on the dramatic comeback trend being seen in the NRL this season.
Last Wednesday night in Perth, his Maroons side survived an almighty second-half scare from Laurie Daley’s NSW Blues, clinging on win Game II of the Origin series, 26-24, after leading 26-6 at half time.
Yet, as heart-stopping as it was, Slater admits it’s been far from an isolated instance in 2025, with big margins being regularly chased down, and often overhauled.
“It’s a real trend in the game, isn’t it?” the Queensland coach observed earlier today on The Billy Slater Podcast.
MORE: Biggest NRL comeback: Largest come-from-behind margins in modern Australian rugby league history
“You’re never safe in the game at the moment,” Slater said.
Just yesterday, the Brisbane Broncos were staring down the barrel of a disastrous home loss against Cronulla, before turning around a 22-6 deficit in the 31st minute to beat the Sharks, 34-28.
Round 10 saw the table-topping Bulldogs surge to a stunning win described as one of the ‘greatest comebacks’ in NRL history—erasing a 20-0 half time scoreline to defeat the Raiders 32-20 before a stunned crowd of nearly 24,000 in the nation’s capital.
In Round 8, Canberra themselves were trailing the Dolphins by 18 points at half time, 10–28, before powering home with five straight tries to win 40–28, on the back of 30 unanswered points.
“Whenever you’re out to a lead, the opposition just seems to come back,” Slater commented on his podcast, before suggesting the key to keeping leads is limiting opposition opportunities.
“I think you can hold leads, but it’s up to your own game (to do it),” he said.
Slater then used the example of Queensland’s performance last Wednesday night in Perth.
“In the second half (of Origin Game II) we put a whole heap of pressure on ourselves, by turning the ball over and giving the opposition chances in our own half,” he said.
“Giving the ball over in good field position, if you give a side like NSW that many opportunities, they’re going to come up with points occasionally.”
Biggest successful NRL comebacks in 2025
| Winner | Score | Opponent | Defecit | Round |
| Bulldogs | 32-20 | Raiders | 20 points (0-20) | 10 |
| Raiders | 40-28 | Dolphins | 18 points (10-28) | 8 |
| Knights | 26-22 | Sea Eagles | 16 points (0-16) | 12 |
| Broncos | 34-28 | Sharks | 16 points (6-22) | 16 |