THE NRL’s regular season has ended with the tightly contested finals seeding locked in following a weekend of crucial round 27 match-ups.
Heading into the final round there were so many questions left unanswered.
Who was going to secure the remaining finals spots in the bottleneck of fifth to tenth place?
Whilst the Knights were relatively secure in fifth place with 33 points, Cronulla (sixth) and Raiders (seventh) entered the round with 32 points each, while the Rabbitohs (eighth), Cowboys (ninth) and Roosters (tenth) all sat with 30 points each.
Another burning question: Who would win the minor premiership and how does the top four finish?
Broncos coach Kevin Walters, Storm coach Craig Bellamy and Warriors coach Andrew Webster all opted to rest their players with their top-four spots locked up.
But Panthers coach Ivan Cleary decided to play his full-strength side to challenge Brisbane for the minor premiership.
And all has been answered!
The Panthers secured the JJ Giltinan Shield for the minor premiership following their 44-12 win over the Cowboys and the log jam between fifth and tenth has been decided.
Here are the 2023 NRL finals’ week-one match-ups:
Game 1: Brisbane Broncos (2nd) vs Melbourne Storm (3rd), Friday night at Suncorp Stadium:
Both sides will meet just one week after facing off at Suncorp Stadium where the rested Storm were too good for the baby Broncos 32-22 in a match-up that showcased both clubs’ young up-coming talent.
Sitting two points clear of the Penrith Panthers at the start of the weekend, winning the Shield wasn’t worth the risk as Walters opted to rest his star players with a home semi-final secured.
Melbourne found themselves in a similar situation, having already locked in a top four spot and risking player health was not an option.
But they were able to use the match as an opportunity to get some valuable miles into the legs of Ryan Papenhuyzen, who was playing his second NRL match of the season after shattering his knee-cap last year.
The Storm have been the Broncos’ bogey team for over a decade with the weekend’s result being Brisbane’s 14th straight loss to the Victorian club.
But the Storm are yet to face a full-strength Broncos, who will look to bring back players including their rested captain Adam Reynolds, Patrick Carrigan, Payne Haas, Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam, Selwyn Cobbo, Herbie Farnworth, Kotoni Staggs and Kurt Capewell.
Meanwhile, the Storm will look to bring back star players Cameron Munster, Harry Grant, Jahrome Hughes, Xavier Coates, Nick Meaney, Christian Welch and Nelson Asofa Solomona.
This match-up will be a game of the week contender and expect the Broncos to be aided by 52,000 screaming fans in a packed Suncorp Stadium.
Game 2: Penrith Panthers (1st) vs New Zealand Warriors (4th), Saturday afternoon at BlueBet Stadium:
There has been no better feel-good story in the NRL this season than the New Zealand Warriors.
After finishing second last in 2022 and after consecutive years of being away from their families due to the team’s relocation as part of the NRL’s COVID protocols, who would have predicted the Warriors finishing in the top four?
Andrew Webster has done a superb job with this squad in his maiden year as a head coach and is a shoo-in for coach of the year honours.
Meanwhile his halfback Shaun Johnson has shocked all the pundits this year and is a serious contender for the Dally M medal.
Let’s not forget the role assistant coach Richard Agar played in this side’s success one of three English assistant coaches to propel their sides to finals football, with Brian McDermott (Knights) and Lee Briers (Broncos) playing crucial roles at their respective clubs.
But the boys from across the Tasman have landed a tough assignment this weekend, facing off against the reigning champions, which is no easy feat for any club as Penrith look to threepeat.
But the defending champions are starting to feel the effects of being at the top for consecutive years.
Fans are anxiously waiting on the news surrounding the severity of Penrith stand-off Jahrome Luai’s shoulder dislocation in round 26.
He was rested in their round 27 clash against the Cowboys and if he doesn’t return to Ivan Cleary’s side in the coming weeks, Nathan Cleary will need to steer this side to glory with back-up Jack Cogger by his side.
Until round 20, Penrith were by far the team to beat, but some subpar performances and closer than expected results has seen some doubt creep into the pundits’ minds.
Their dominant win over the Cowboys on Saturday should restore the confidence of their fans.
The game is slated for a Saturday afternoon kick-off so fans can look forward to a fast track and some entertaining football.
Game 3: Cronulla Sharks (6th) vs Sydney Roosters (7th), Saturday night at PointsBet Stadium:
The Sydney Roosters finals fate came down to last Friday’s final match-up against arch-rivals the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
The Bunnies were in turmoil towards the end of the season over a divide between Jason Demetriou, his assistant coaches and the players.
It ultimately saw club legend Sam Burgess walk out the door early and certainly impacted the team’s performances on the field after losing their final two match-ups.
The Roosters capitalised over the weekend with a convincing 26-12 defeat to leapfrog the Rabbitohs into the post-season.
On paper, this Trent Robinson side has the cattle to compete but they need to continue to string together some consistent performances after finishing the season with four straight wins.
If they can manage to overcome the Sharks this weekend, the Roosters could be a dark horse in the finals race.
On the other side of the park, the Sharks seem to have found their mojo after an untimely form slump forced Craig Fitzgibbon to go back to the drawing board.
The former Roosters legend was forced to wield his axe following some inexplicable losses, including a 54-10 defeat at the hands of the Storm towards the back end of the season.
Fitzgibbon dropped senior players Matt Moylan and Wade Graham and brought Brayden Trindall into the halves and Connor Tracey into fullback – which some could argue saved the Sharks’ season.
Wade Graham has fought his way back into the side and fixed a crucial defensive weakness on the Sharks’ left edge and Nicho Hynes has found his confidence following a turbulent State of Origin period.
The Sharks will be looking to do better this post season, after being eliminated in straight sets last year.
Game 4: Newcastle Knights (5th) vs Canberra Raiders (8th), Sunday afternoon at McDonald Jones Stadium:
The second biggest surprise of 2023 was the dramatic turn-around of the Newcastle Knights’ season, which saw the boys from the Hunter Valley win nine in a row to finish fifth on the ladder.
Just eight weeks ago Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien was all but sacked following a disappointing first half of the season.
But his side continued to believe in his system and after a failed experiment of playing Kalyn Ponga in the halves, O’Brien finally decided to move his marquee man back to fullback – and it was a masterstroke.
Ponga has been instrumental in his side’s revival and their attack is firing like a well-oiled machine, which could see them make a deep run this post-season.
The Newcastle fan base have been rewarded for their loyalty as they continue to sell out their home games following their late return to form.
Expect a packed stadium this weekend with a great atmosphere.
Ricky Stuart’s Raiders will have a tough assignment travelling to Newcastle, especially following two heartbreaking losses to the Broncos and the Sharks over the past fortnight.
The Raiders finished the season with 13 wins and eleven losses and ruffled some feathers during the season.
Ricky’s teams always have a knack for mixing it with the best but dropping games to underperforming sides.
They’ve beaten the Broncos, Sharks and Roosters this season, but dropped games to the likes of the Sea Eagles, Dolphins and Cowboys.
Ricky’s men will be looking to win this game through the middle and disrupt Newcastle’s attacking flare by pressuring their spine with quick line-speed in defence.
Expect the two Englishmen Dom Young (Knights) and Elliot Whitehead (Raiders) to play crucial roles in their side’s performance this weekend.
JAKE KEARNAN is an Australian journalist who presents the weekly League Express Podcast alongside League Express editor MARTYN SADLER, which goes online on Wednesday mornings.
