Blog with Hoops below from 1.30pm.
The finals arrive a week early in the last round of the regular season with an old fashioned five-game shootout to decide who plays who in week one of September.
How good. The NRL powerbrokers can only dream about this kind of script.
First up at the pointy end of the ladder it’s the minor premiership and top four showdown when the Brisbane Broncos host the Melbourne Storm on Thursday night.
To say these two clubs don’t like one another is an understatement.
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Manly fly high over battered Bulldogs | 01:33
Throw in the fact the Storm have won the last 14 encounters in a row dating back to Round 17 in 2016 and it’s game on.
Or what about how the last time the Broncos beat Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium was all the way back in 2009. Yep, Brisbane have lost their last 12 games straight at Suncorp against the Storm.
Reece Walsh up against Cameron Munster. Payne Haas opposite Nelson Asofa-Solomona. The Broncos playing a flamboyant style of football built around speed which is simply brilliant to watch.
This game sells itself. If the Broncos win they host the Storm again in week one of the finals. Ding, ding, ding.
Next up the oldest rivalry in the game reignites when South Sydney host the Sydney Roosters at Accor Stadium.
If Souths win, they’re in the finals. Lose and it could be all over.
For the Roosters they can keep their faint finals hopes flickering by upsetting the 1908 foundation rival club they love to hate.
Throw in ‘Sin Bin Sunday’ from week one of September last year and this game is guaranteed to deliver a fireworks narrative.
Back-to-back premiers Penrith then host the Cowboys in another showdown with top eight ramifications.
If the Cowboys win and South Sydney lose then North Queensland can book themselves a spot in the finals.
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Penrith are guaranteed to finish second irrespective but if Brisbane lose then they could secure the minor premiership with a win.
How good.
The Dragons hosting the Knights is also critical because it can dictate whether Newcastle finish fifth or sixth.
The Knights are guaranteed a home semi-final anyway after going on a late season eight-game winning streak but will have to beat St George Illawarra without Kalyn Ponga.
Finally it will come down to the last game of the regular season when the Sharks host the Canberra Raiders at Shark Park.
The Raiders need to win to guarantee a spot in the top eight and a home semi-final.
But if they lose and the Cowboys upset the Panthers then it could be an earlier than anticipated Mad Monday for the Green Machine.
It all sets up an absolutely cracking 96 hours of football from Thursday night through to Sunday afternoon.
How good’s rugby league.
What were your likes or dislikes from an action packed Round 26?
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