Category: NRL

• Semi-final: Raiders 12-32 Sharks

• Win sets up showdown with the Storm in Melbourne

Nicho Hynes spent the week pondering why Cronulla are not given more respect, then helped the Sharks take their biggest step to earn it in the Craig Fitzgibbon era. For the first time since their finest hour – the 2016 premiership season – the Sharks won consecutive finals games by ending the NRL season of Canberra, the minor premiers, with a stunning 32-12 victory on Saturday.

Cronulla had won one of their past nine finals matches before this year and were assumed once again to be making up the numbers as they finished fifth. The bookmakers had them the seventhout of eight to win the premiership before the finals began, despite a good run of form heading into the business end.

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• Brisbane defeat Canberra 29-28 to secure home preliminary

• Reece Walsh goes from sin bin to leading unlikely comeback

Brisbane are within one win of the NRL grand final, after Ben Hunt slotted a 93rd-minute field goal to kick the Broncos to an epic 29-28 qualifying final victory over Canberra.

On a day of utter madness at GIO Stadium, Reece Walsh was sin-binned for a head-butt before engineering one of the most unlikely finals comebacks in memory.

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• Cronulla hold off Sydney for 20-10 elimination final victory

• Penrith defeat NZ Warriors 24-8 to set up semi-final with Bulldogs

Cronulla have proven they are no finals pushovers, ending the Sydney Roosters’ season with a classic 20-10 win in their sudden-death clash at Shark Park.

Often derided for their poor finals record, Cronulla overcome an early deficit and then hung on late to claim victory in a Saturday night bellringer.

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• Melbourne Storm 26-18 Canterbury Bulldogs

• Visitors hampered by early loss of Stephen Crichton

Melbourne have earned a week off after locking down a preliminary final with a 26-18 victory over a gallant Canterbury, who played much of the match without injured skipper Stephen Crichton.

The top-four teams opened the NRL finals series at AAMI Park on Friday night, with the home side edging the Bulldogs, who were hunting their first play-off victory in 10 years.

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The Welshman was a brilliant, original coach who had to fight against a culture that was prejudiced against him

By No Helmets Required

Hull FC began one of the greatest seasons in their history 70 years ago this week. Roy Francis guided them to their first title in 20 years with a desperately tight 10-9 win over Halifax at Maine Road. Not only was Francis an outstanding coach but he was black and this was the 1950s. In his majestic new book Rugby’s Forgotten Black Leader, Tony Collins calls Francis “quite probably the only black person to be a leader of white people in any walk of life in Britain”. He really was extraordinary.

No one had written in great depth about Francis and then two books came along almost at once. Peter Lush’s Ahead of his Time focuses on his tremendous playing and coaching career, whereas Collins widens the lens to take in Francis’s remarkable life.

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• South Sydney star issued with summons by Queensland Police

• 29-year-old hooker set to appear in court on 18 September

NRL star Brandon Smith has been charged with drug supply and using inside knowledge for betting.

The South Sydney hooker was questioned by police when he arrived in Queensland ahead of their 10 August clash with Gold Coast, but released without charge.

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• Queensland claim series win with near-flawless display in Sydney

• Tom Dearden wins Wally Lewis medal for two-try performance

Now it’s Billy Slater’s turn in front of the mic.

It’s going to take our best that’s for sure. I think both teams have been working towards a better performance, so I’m expecting something pretty special from the opposition and hopefully we can deliver as well.

It’s a courageous and brave effort isn’t it? And we all admire him for that. It goes to show you how much this footy team, this state means to him, and this game means to him. So I know his dad would be pretty proud of him.

I think our preparation has been first class. I can’t fault it. Boys are pretty dialled in. Obviously they know what’s at stake tonight and I reckon we’ll give our best performance of the three game series.

The plan with Payne [Haas] was always to get ready for tonight, rather than getting ready for a training session on a on a Monday or a Tuesday. So look, he’s ready to go. And Brian [To’o] probably surprised us with what he did on the on the Monday night. So no no concerns at all.

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• Munster given time to grieve with his family after death of his father

• But he still plans to lead Maroons in Origin III to honour his dad

The death of Cameron Munster’s father Steven has come as devastating news just days out from the State of Origin series decider.

The Queensland captain, in a brave decision to honour his dad, plans to still lead the Maroons on Wednesday night after taking time away to grieve with his family.

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• Veteran prop comes out of Maroons retirement for Game 3

• Blues camp back Brian To’o to recover from injury to play in Sydney

Canberra veteran Josh Papalii has been ushered out of State of Origin retirement to give Queensland’s forward pack fire and brimstone in this year’s decider, while NSW coach Laurie Daley has named an unchanged 17.

Papalii called time on his Origin career ahead of the 2023 series but will be named at starting prop when Billy Slater unveils his 17 for Origin III on Monday. The 33-year-old prop has been instrumental in the first-placed Raiders’ charge up the ladder this year and will add extra vigour to Queensland’s pack come 9 July in Sydney.

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• Queensland survive late fightback to level series

• Munster leads Maroons to glory in first match as captain

The first time the teams played at Optus Stadium the Blues won 38-6 in 2019. The last time, the Blues won 44-12 to level the 2022 series. Home from home.

What does Cameron Munster make of captaining Queensland? “It’s everything. As a kid you always wanted to play for Queensland and I never thought I’d have the opportunity to captain this beautiful team and this beautiful state. So to be able to do that tonight, I’m very proud. I can’t wait to lead them out.” Beautiful.

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• Wests Tigers five-eighth to rekindle partnership with Nathan Cleary

• Moses sent for scans after injuring calf in training session

Jarome Luai will replace Mitch Moses as NSW’s five-eighth for the second State of Origin match after a calf strain dashed Moses’s hopes of playing. Moses pulled up sore while running the ball during a training session at NSW’s Blue Mountains camp on Thursday, injuring the same calf that troubled him earlier this year.

The Blues have sent Moses for scans on the injury that delivers a blow to their hopes of sealing a series victory by winning Origin II in Perth on Wednesday.

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• Queensland captain expected to make way for Tom Dearden

• Beau Fermor also dropped with Kurt Capewell to step in

Queensland’s Daly Cherry-Evans has become the first State of Origin captain dropped mid-series this century, as one of several huge Billy Slater selection calls. Slater will name a 20-man squad for Origin II on Monday morning, but Tom Dearden is expected to replace Cherry-Evans in the No 7 jersey in Perth next Wednesday.

Beau Fermor is the other player dropped after the Maroons’ series-opening 18-6 loss at Suncorp Stadium, with Kurt Capewell set to replace him. Kurt Mann is then expected to take Dearden’s spot on the Maroons’ bench, after acting as 18th man in game one.

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• Former Origin coach beats Sam Burgess and Brad Arthur to role

• Kangaroos coach steps down from national team job

The Perth Bears hope the presence of Mal Meninga will give the NRL’s 18th team immediate cut-through in an AFL-dominated city after unveiling the Immortal as the head coach of the start-up franchise.

At a press conference in Sydney on Friday, Meninga was locked in as the Bears’ inaugural coach on a three-year deal. It is his first foray into club coaching in more than 25 years.

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• Zac Lomax at the double as NSW take 1-0 series lead

• Maroons face uphill battle with series moving away from Queensland

Even so, it wouldn’t be Origin without some chicanery.

As Jack Snape reports, Origin has changed, but its modernisation is helping rugby league reach new heights.

State of Origin has changed in recent years as rugby league leans even further into sports science and professional preparation, and away from on-field violence and alcohol-fuelled bonding sessions…But last year’s series continued to draw millions on television. The three matches were all in the top five largest-drawing sport broadcasts of 2024, and the final match had the highest audience of the three. Indeed, the code appears in a healthy state as it prepares to go to market for a new broadcast deal beginning in 2028. Average audiences for Nine’s NRL games this year are up more than 5%.

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