The 2016 NRL finals series enters sudden death this weekend, with the North Queensland Cowboys, Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders and Penrith Panthers all fighting to keep their premiership hopes alive in the semi-finals.
The first semi-final will see a rematch of last year’s grand final between the Cowboys and Broncos, and will mark just another chapter in the rivalry of the two leading Queensland clubs which in recent years has become compulsory viewing.
The past three matches between the two clubs have been decided by one point so again don’t be surprised if the match once again goes down to the wire.
The other semi-final will see the Raiders face off with one of the in-form teams of the competition, the Panthers, who have won their last six matches in succession to become a dark horse for this year’s premiership.
Here are the two semi-final matches previewed in full detail:
Cowboys [4] vs Broncos [5]
Friday, September 16
7:55pm
1300SMILES Stadium
Last meeting in a final: Cowboys 17-16 at ANZ Stadium, Grand Final, 2015.
This season: Broncos 21-20 at Suncorp Stadium, Round 4; Cowboys 19-18 at 1300SMILES Stadium, round 11.
The next chapter in the epic and compulsive rivalry between the North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos will be played out when the two clubs face off in a sudden-death semi-final in Townsville on Friday night.
No rugby league fan will ever forget last year’s epic Grand Final, in which the Cowboys snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when Kyle Feldt scored the match-levelling try right on the full-time siren.
After Johnathan Thurston missed the conversion from the sideline, he would step up and become the hero for his beloved club, slotting the premiership-winning field goal after Ben Hunt had knocked on from the kick-off.
It will forever go down as one of the greatest moments in NRL history.
The two matches between the Queensland rivals also did not disappoint, with Anthony Milford slotting the match winning field goal in golden point in round four in Brisbane and the Cowboys winning 19-18 in Townsville seen rounds later.
The northerners are bidding to become the first team since the Broncos in 1992-3 to successfully defend the premiership in a unified competition but their title defence hit a hurdle when it lost to the Melbourne Storm in the first qualifying final.
Now they face the Broncos, who have won their last six matches in succession, the latest of which was a rather controversial 44-28 win over the Gold Coast Titans in their elimination final at Suncorp Stadium.
Captain Corey Parker’s dream to leave the game with a premiership still remains alive but despite the Broncos’ impressive recent form, will start outsiders against the Cowboys in front of what is expected to be another sell-out crowd in Townsville.
A loss for the Broncos would mean Parker ends his career in the same way past club legends such as Gorden Tallis and Petero Civoniceva had theirs ended – with a loss to the Cowboys in Townsville, in 2004 and 2012 respectively.
History is also against Wayne Bennett’s men, who have four of their five finals meetings against the Cowboys, including that aforementioned pair of matches, the 2004 semi-final in Townsville and of course last year’s decider.
So, what will the latest installment of the Queensland derby throw up?
For the winner: A preliminary final date with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in Sydney.
For the loser: Season over.
Prediction: Cowboys by 10 points.
Raiders [2] vs Panthers [6]
Saturday, September 17
7:45pm
GIO Stadium
Last meeting in a final: Raiders 24-22 at Pepper Stadium, third qualifying final, 2010.
This season: Raiders 30-22 at GIO Stadium, Round 1; Panthers 19-10 at Carrington Park, Bathurst, Round 9.
Having achieved their best regular season result since 1995 by finishing second on the ladder, a straight-sets exit from the finals would be a shattering end to the Canberra Raiders’ 2016 season.
Ricky Stuart’s men entered September with the second-longest winning streak of the season (only the Cronulla Sharks won more matches in succession, with 15), but were stopped in their tracks by the Sharks in their first final last Saturday night.
Not even the exoneration of Jack Wighton by the tribunal for a shoulder charge in Round 26 could inspire the Raiders, who lost the match after Elliot Whitehead gave away a silly penalty in the last five minutes of the match.
Making their loss to the Sharks even more disappointing was that they were missing their captain Paul Gallen to injury while their vice-captain Wade Graham was concussed within the first ten minutes of the match.
That leaves them at risk of having their premiership hopes, at their highest since 1994, at risk of being ended by the Penrith Panthers who by contrast are coming off an impressive 28-12 win over the Bulldogs in their elimination final.
The Panthers’ return to the finals this season, after missing out last year following a raft of injuries, vindicated Phil Gould’s decision to replace Ivan Cleary with former Broncos coach Anthony Griffin at the end of last season.
Captain Matt Moylan has led from the front and he, along with Nathan Cleary, Bryce Cartwright and Trent Merrin, among others, are seen as their best hopes of landing the club its first premiership since 2003.
Like the first semi-final between the Cowboys and Broncos, the two matches between the Raiders and Panthers were split this year, with the Raiders winning at home 30-22 in round one before the Panthers took out a one-point verdict in Bathurst eight rounds later.
The two clubs also engaged in back-to-back grand finals in 1990 and 1991, with the Raiders winning in the former year and the Panthers in the latter year.
Ricky Stuart’s men will start favourites this Saturday night to progress to their first preliminary final, where minor premiers the Storm will await in Melbourne, since the 1997 Super League season.
However, the Panthers will be keen to continue their strong form as they look to become the first team since the Bulldogs in 1995 to win the premiership from outside the top four.
In fact, no team has won four consecutive finals to win a premiership since the Wests Tigers in 2005 and that is the task facing both the Panthers and Broncos if they are to break premiership droughts of 13 and 10 years respectively.
For the winner: A preliminary final date with the Storm in Melbourne.
For the loser: Season over.
Prediction: Raiders by 18 points.
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