Fairytale or silvertail finish? This is a grand final for the ages

After an unpredictable season, the stage is now set for a David versus Goliath battle as the Sydney Roosters and the Newcastle Knights prepare to face off in this Sunday's NRL grand final. Will it be a fairytale finish for the Knights who collected the wooden spoon last season or will Sydney’s silv…

NRL grand-final entertainment falls through, plus finals blockbusters

The NRL grand final will be held without a headline pre-game entertainment act after negotiations with Australian artist Tones and I collapsed. The NRL has said it will donate $1 million to junior rugby league in lieu of a payment to a big-time star. With Kylie Minogue set to headline the AFL grand…

The extraordinary season of Justin Holbrook and the Newcastle Knights

One of the big discussion points this week has been Nathan Cleary’s foot. The Penrith superstar suffered a “stress-related bone issue”, according to the club, and his fate for the finals is still very much up in the air. Another player whose future is uncertain, but for an entirely different reason…

Warriors v Dolphins, restart rules, and ‘free’ Spencer Leniu

NRL finals are finally here and the pick of the round for our pundits is the New Zealand Warriors v Dolphins game. Both teams are electric to watch, and while the Dolphins might be the better team on paper, rugby league reporter Christian Nicolussi says the team suffers from a slow start to their …

Inside the Jarome Luai PNG circus

This week, most of the NRL chat has been about Jarome Luai. The morning after the West Tigers lost to the North Queensland Cowboys, Luai was on a plane to PNG. The Tigers' marquee player met with the PNG prime minister, and opened a golf tournament, before he visited a Pepsi factory, a brand of wh…

Adam Reynolds’ retirement saga, and the controversial kick-off rule

Broncos teammates and rival players have criticised coach Michael Maguire’s decision to deny Adam Reynolds a Suncorp Stadium farewell. Reynolds has been battling a calf-injury, but completed a vital training session on Monday. The decision to deny Reynolds a final appearance has not gone down well …

Three-horse race as teams jostle for top eight

As the NRL competition edges closer to the finals, the race to the top of the pack intensifies. The Panthers are slight premiership favourites as the Roosters and Warriors start to mount their finals campaigns. But it's the race to the bottom of the eight that is still in contention, and with only…

Panthers under pressure as finals race heats up

After being touted as the only real premiership contender, the Penrith Panthers are now under pressure as captain Isaah Yeo starts rehabilitation in a bid to return for the finals. Yeo suffered a pectoral injury in their loss to the Warriors last weekend. So are the Panthers still favourites to wi…

NSW crown a new King and who can topple Penriths reign

After much speculation, Matt King has been officially unveiled as Laurie Daley’s successor as NSW Blues coach for the next two series, with an option to activate a third if successful. So what does this mean for super-coach Ivan Cleary, who has signalled his intent to coach at a representative lev…

Inside the Adam Doueihi saga and who makes up the top eight

For the past week, the Wests Tigers have dominated NRL news because halfback Adam Doueihi stood himself down from playing last weekend after being told he would be picked as lock forward. Now, following days of speculation and accusations of unprofessionalism and preferential treatment at the club,…