Across:
8 Sweet-talk (CAJOLE) half of (half of) those playing parts (half of 'CAst' = CA-) – Juliet (-J-) and Romeo – ultimately ('romeO' ultimately = -O-) on short (g) stage ('leg' without 'g' = -LE) (CAJOLE)
9 Club (GANG-) rugby player (-LION) (GANGLION) – a bundle of nerves (GANGLION),
10 Volume (BOOK) of a fair amount of (half) those in 7 down (half of ‘cookBOOK’ = BOOK),
11 Local fights (scraps = SCRAP-S) over 10 across (‘book’ = -BOOK-) (SCRAPBOOKS) and albums (SCRAPBOOKS),
12 Grow fond of (WARM TO) short (p) thermal jumper (warm top), for instance (‘warm top’ without ‘p’ = WARM TO),
14 Mess-up or (mess up or) problem (= anagram indicator) (mess up or = SUPREMOS) for those in overall charge (SUPREMOS),
15 Goes over (= reverse indicator) ship’s record (log = GOL-) to study (-DEN) the crew’s (crews = HANDS-) link to fish (-HAKE) (GOLDEN HANDSHAKE) – the type produced by Midas as a payoff? (GOLDEN HANDSHAKE),
18 Adapt (= anagram indicator) a duet (a duet = AT-UDE) about songbird (-TIT-) (ATTITUDE) with thoughtful feeling (ATTITUDE),
20 Sharp rebuke (EARFUL) from peer (earl = EAR-L) over clip of (n) entertainment (fun) (‘fun’ without ‘n’ = -FU-) (EARFUL),
22 University (University of Limerick = -UL-) boss (-HEAD-) stands behind (= position indicator) Liberal (-L-) in row (bed = B-ED) (BULLHEADED) and stubbornly won’t be deterred from his opinion (BULLHEADED),
24 Huge (VAST) gas stove goes out (‘gas stove’ ‘goes’ out/without ‘goes’ = astv = VAST),
25 Judge (ASSESSOR) from Rosses (Rosses = -SESSOR) Point (South = -S-) area (A-) going all the way back (= reverse all indicator) (ASSESSOR),
26 Stimulate (UPLIFT) with page (-P-) from short (e) biography (life) (‘LIFe’ without ‘e’ = -LIF-) in Utah (UT = U-T) (UPLIFT).
Down:
1 Knocked back (= reverse indicator) sample of Burkina Faso masala (sample of 'burkina fASO MASala' = asomas = SAMOSA) for sale in Indian food market (SAMOSA),
2 Forge (COOK) half of those in 7 down (half of ‘COOKbook’ = COOK),
3 Old newts (old newts) all over the place (= anagram indicator) (old newts = LETS DOWN) in deserts? (LETS DOWN),
4 Part of the seaweed (AGAR) served up (= reversal indicator) in sample? Never again! (in sample ‘neveR AGAin’ = raga = AGAR),
5 Don’t hesitate to buy into (SNAP UP) what Venus flytrap will do for you (SNAP UP),
6 Singer in the choir (ALTO-) is backing (= reverse indicator), for example (e.g. = -GE-), tenor (-T-) and that woman (-HER) (ALTOGETHER) in Toto (in toto = ALTOGETHER),
7 Doctor (COOK-) and guide (-BOOK) (COOKBOOK), of course, employed by one who wants to dish it out (COOKBOOK),
13 Deride film (deride film) produced (= anagram indicator) (deride film = MIDFIELDER) by player in The Centre (MIDFIELDER),
14 Drum dropped from under arms (‘drum’ dropped from ‘under arms’ = nears = SNARE) – the type played by a percussionist (SNARE drum),
16 Tirade (OUTBURST) upsets (= reverse indicator) Polish (rub = -BUR-) consumed by free (= anagram indicator) stout (stout = OUT-ST) (OUTBURST),
17 Most of (n) the glee (fun) (‘fun’ without ‘n’ = -FU-) in chopping up (= anagram indicator) ladder (ladder = DREAD-L) (DREADFUL) is not pleasant (DREADFUL),
19 Organisation (UN-) sounds like (= homophone indicator) it’s on drugs (‘Es’ = ‘ease’ = -EASE) (UNEASE) – it’s a cause for anxiety (UNEASE),
21 Exposed (UNSAFE) in a foreign (‘a’ foreign/French = UN-) stable (-SAFE) (UNSAFE),
23 Banks’ day in court (banks ‘DAy in couRT’= DART) in Rush (DART),
24 New (= anagram indicator) love (love = VOLE) of Mouse’s relative (VOLE).