And then there were four. With the exit of the reigning premiers, the Sydney Roosters, and early-season favourites, the Parramatta Eels, two Preliminary Finals will determine which teams meet in next week’s NRL Grand Final.
Tonight from the special time of 7.00pm AEDT on Nine from the officially sold-out Suncorp Stadium, in the first prelim, the Canberra Raiders face the Melbourne Storm, who are on an incredible 19-game winning streak in Queensland. But bolstering Canberra’s resolve is the fact that they have defeated Melbourne in three of their last four encounters, making this one a thriller in front of the biggest crowd in Australian sport since the COVID era began.
It will be a brutal clash of inspirational forwards as Raiders enforcer Josh Papalii butts heads with Jesse Bromwich, and all eyes are on Melbourne leader Cameron Smith as questions about his playing future continue to mount.
Saturday sees a rugby league triple-header, with two NRLW clashes to start the day. First up, it’s Warriors versus Dragons, both sides fighting for their first victory of the season. Following this, two undefeated women’s teams go to war, the Roosters and Broncos.
On Saturday night, in the second Preliminary Final, the Penrith Panthers put their 127-day undefeated streak on the line against the team that has more momentum than anyone: South Sydney. The Rabbitohs, the dark horse of the finals, will enjoy the home ground advantage at ANZ Stadium, where they have enjoyed a favourable record against the Panthers in recent years.
Nathan Cleary has been unstoppable for the Panthers all season alongside his in-sync halves partner Jerome Luai. They will need to withstand an almighty onslaught from the Rabbitohs, whose rival halves pairing of Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker are in superlative touch.
NRL FINALS – WEEK THREE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 – PRELIMINARY FINAL #1
STORM v RAIDERS, LIVE from Suncorp Stadium
Followed by NRL FINALS POST-MATCH SHOW
Host and commentators: Erin Molan, Paul Vautin, Peter Sterling, Ruan Sims, Johnathan Thurston, Wally Lewis, Brad Fittler, Darren Lockyer, Peter Psaltis.
Sydney 7.00pm LIVE on Nine
Brisbane 6.30pm LIVE on Nine
Melbourne 7.00pm LIVE on Nine
Adelaide 6:30pm LIVE on 9Gem
Perth 4.00pm LIVE on 9Gem
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 – PRELIMINARY FINAL #2
PANTHERS v RABBITOHS, LIVE from ANZ Stadium
Host and commentators: James Bracey, Ray Warren, Phil Gould, Andrew Johns, Allana Ferguson, Paul Gallen, Brad Fittler, Danika Mason.
Sydney 7.00pm LIVE on Nine
Brisbane 6.30pm LIVE on Nine
Melbourne 7.00pm LIVE on 9Gem
Adelaide 6.30pm LIVE on 9Gem
Perth 4.00pm LIVE on 9Gem
NRLW – ROUND THREE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16 – DRAGONS v WARRIORS, LIVE from ANZ Stadium
Host and commentators: Ruan Sims, Allana Ferguson, Mat Thompson.
Sydney 12.30pm LIVE on Nine
Brisbane 11.30am LIVE on Nine
Melbourne 12.30pm LIVE on 9Gem
Adelaide 12.00pm LIVE on 9Gem
Perth 9.30am LIVE on 9Gem
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 – ROOSTERS v BRONCOS, LIVE from ANZ Stadium
Host and commentators: Ruan Sims, Allana Ferguson, Mat Thompson.
Sydney 4.00pm LIVE on Nine
Brisbane 3.30pm LIVE on Nine
Melbourne 4.00pm LIVE on 9Gem
Adelaide 3.30pm LIVE on 9Gem
Perth 1.00pm LIVE on 9Gem
SPORTS SUNDAY – Sunday at 12.00pm AEDT, on Nine. This week: Host James Bracey is joined by Sydney Morning Herald columnist Peter FitzSimons, netball great Cath Cox, and former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor. Special guests include Parramatta Eels great Peter Sterling, Hawthorn AFL champion Shane Crawford and former Australian netball captain Liz Ellis.
PODCAST – SIX TACKLES WITH GUS
James Bracey discusses the biggest issues of the week with rugby league legend and expert commentator Phil Gould on Six Tackles with Gus.
This week:
- The narrow margin between premiership success or season failure.
- The unpredictability of Wayne Bennett in State of Origin.
- The return of Boyd Cordner, debut of Luke Keary and impact of Clint Gutherson for NSW.
Six Tackles with Gus – Podcast Available NOW on Spotify, Apple and Omny
Live streaming for Nine’s NRL programming available on 9Now
