Seventeen clubs have become eight, and that number will be reduced to six following Week 1 of the NRL Finals Series!
In what shapes as the most open race to the Premiership in recent memory, we are set for a truly memorable month of action, contested by the world’s best in Rugby League.
Can the Panthers make it three Premierships in a row? Will the Broncos return to the pinnacle for the first time since 2006? Can the Knights complete an incredible fairytale?
The countdown to those questions being answered continues this weekend!
A bit of déjà vu when the Broncos and Storm do battle in Brisbane on Friday night!
It has been nearly 14 years since the Broncos beat the Storm at Suncorp Stadium, and that record was extended last week when they suffered yet another defeat to Bellamy’s Boys.
Granted, they were understrength, but so too were the Storm.
Some of the battle produced by these two clubs, particularly in the mid-to-late noughties have been amongst the best rugby league we’ve ever witnessed and with so much on the line this week, I’m expecting something similar.
I don’t have nearly as much between these two clubs as the bookies do, particularly after last week, and I think the value therefore lies with backing the Storm to cover the line as outsiders.
Minor Premiers and reigning champions, the Penrith Panthers kick off another finals campaign against the New Zealand Warriors at home on Saturday afternoon.
Boy, they are a bloody good footy side.
I personally wondered if the Panthers would drop off a little this year, without the like of Koroisau and Kikau, but they have been just as good in 2023, if not a little better.
Against a desperate Cowboys’ side last week, the Panthers were absolutely clinical, and they take huge confidence and momentum into this clash.
How about the Warriors, though? I expected some improvement, but certainly not the amount that saw them finish the regular season in the Top 4.
Andrew Webster has completely revitalised the club and I think that this is the best team that they have ever fielded – even better than the Grand Final teams of 2002 and 2011.
I think that the Panthers do win this, but Webster has key insight into the Penrith team and system, and I think the Warriors subsequently make a game of it.
Betting suggests the standout contest of the week will come up between the Sharks and the Roosters on Saturday night, and they really do look to be the two most well-matched opponents in Week 1 of the Finals.
The Sharks have been rather inconsistent since the Origin break, but they have silenced some of their ‘They Can’t Beat A Top 8 Side’ critics, to a certain degree.
Their return to form through the last few months was halted by the red-hot Knights two weeks ago, but a comfortable win over the fellow finals-bound Raiders last week is sure to have reinstated a bit of confidence.
The Roosters looked to be down and out, but to their credit, their recent run of form has been outstanding.
They are undefeated since Round 22, that game being an away trip to Brisbane, and they handled old rivals South Sydney in reasonably convincing display last week.
The Roosters actually opened slight outsiders in betting ahead of this clash, but they’ve already been back into favouritism, and I think they’ll sneak home as well.
On power rankings, the Knights are a genuine Top 3 side currently, and they have won nine games in a row to make it to this point.
They are playing with an all-new shape and confidence, with their biggest stars well and truly stepping up to the plate.
That, in turn, has given a real boost to the young talent engaged in the Hunter, and they really do look to be a forced to be reckoned with deep into September.
The Raiders have held firm in the Top 8 since Magic Round, but they were ultimately lucky to survive the cut this last week and it’s tough to imagine their season extending beyond Week 1 of the Finals.
That is echoed in their $101 quote in Premiership betting (available at publish).
This looks to be the most open and shut game this week, in my opinion.
Same Game Multi selections:
- Knights 13+
- Dominic Young Anytime Try
- Greg Marzhew Anytime Try