Only four teams are left remaining in the premiership race, with an ancient and a modern rivalry to highlight this weekend’s preliminary final matches.
The premiers of the past two seasons, the Melbourne Storm and Cronulla Sharks, will meet in one preliminary final, while the Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs, who have both been in the competition for over 100 years each, face off in the other.
It will be up to the Sharks to ensure that the grand final is an all-Sydney affair, with the premiership trophy having left the borders of New South Wales twice in the past three years.
Here is your full preview to the two preliminary finals.
Storm vs Sharks
Friday, September 21
7:40pm
AAMI Park
This season: Sharks won 14-4 at Southern Cross Group Stadium in Round 4; Sharks won 17-14 at AAMI Park in Round 22.
Last meeting in a final: Sharks won 14-12 at ANZ Stadium, 2016 grand final.
NRLW: Broncos vs Warriors, 5:15pm.
Earlier this century we were treated to a fierce and genuine rivalry between the Melbourne Storm and Manly Sea Eagles.
While that rivalry continued this year, another team in recent years has emerged as the Storm’s fiercest rivals, and it’s another team that’s based out of the beaches.
Only two years ago, the Sharks won their first NRL premiership by defeating the Storm in the grand final, with Paul Gallen earning some revenge against his Storm counterpart Cameron Smith, who led Queensland to another series win against Gallen’s NSW earlier that year.
The Storm hit back by winning last year’s title, though they didn’t have to face the Sharks in the decider, after they were eliminated on the first hurdle by the North Queensland Cowboys.
Since then, Cronulla have won three out of the last four against the Storm, including both times this year.
In the first match, in Round 4, Smith was sin-binned for the first time in his career on what turned out to be a not-so-Good Friday for the reigning premiers.
Cameron Smith (AAP Image/Craig Golding)
The return match saw the Sharks take out a 17-14 victory at AAMI Park, where they will return this Friday night.
This will be the final time club stalwart Billy Slater plays in front of his home crowd, the 35-year-old having announced that he will retire at the end of the season.
While it would be fitting if the club can send him out with another premiership win, the Sharks will be out to spoil the party, though they may be without captain Paul Gallen, who suffered a shoulder injury in the side’s 21-20 win over the Panthers last Friday night.
They are already without their other co-captain, Wade Graham, who suffered a serious knee injury in the 21-12 loss to the Roosters in the qualifying final.
Their win over the Panthers, which came despite a tryless second half, was their first win in a finals match since the 2016 decider.
Melbourne, meantime, enjoyed the week off after coming from behind to beat South Sydney 29-28 in their qualifying final, with the magic boot of Cameron Munster proving to be the difference as they kept their unbeaten record against the Bunnies at home intact.
Beforehand, Melbourne will get its first taste of the NRL Women’s Premiership, with the Brisbane Broncos and New Zealand Warriors to face off.
While the Broncos are certain to be represented in the decider, a win for the Warriors will almost certainly get them there too, though they would then have to pray that the Dragons don’t beat the Roosters by a huge margin on Saturday night.
Melbourne are bidding to enter a team as early as 2020, so local fans will be keen to check out the best of what the women have to offer for themselves first before, hopefully, seeing their own team run around in the not-too-distant future.
For the winner: a berth in next week’s grand final.
For the loser: season over.
Prediction: Storm by two points.
Roosters vs Rabbitohs
Saturday, September 22
7:40pm
Allianz Stadium
This season: Rabbitohs won 24-16 at Allianz Stadium in Round 6; Roosters won 18-14 at ANZ Stadium in Round 22.
Last meeting in a final: Rabbitohs won 32-22 at ANZ Stadium, second preliminary final, 2014.
NRLW: Roosters vs Dragons, 5:10pm.
Isn’t it fitting that two of rugby league’s greatest rivals get to see off Allianz Stadium with a bang?
The clash between the Roosters and Rabbitohs will be the final sporting event to be played at the Sydney Football Stadium before it is demolished and rebuilt in time for a 2021 opening.
A sell-out crowd is expected to see the two historic rivals face off in the preliminary final for the second time in five years, after the Rabbitohs won by 32-22 on their way to ending a 43-year premiership drought in 2014.
The Bunnies will be full of confidence after edging out the Dragons by 13-12 in a classic semi-final, in which Adam Reynolds scored all 13 of their points, including becoming the first player since Jason Taylor in 1997 to kick three field goals in a finals match and the first since Billy Smith in 1971 to do so in a winning cause.
Captain Greg Inglis will be available after he took the early guilty plea to a crusher tackle last week, and they’ll face a Chooks side slightly weakened by the suspension-enforced absences of Latrell Mitchell and Dylan Napa.
Latrell Mitchell (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
Meantime, Trent Robinson’s side enjoyed the week off, having defeated the Sharks 21-12 in their qualifying final at Allianz Stadium the week before.
Despite the absences of Mitchell and Napa, the Roosters should start favourites to progress to their first grand final since 2013.
The two matches between the sides were split this season, with the Rabbitohs claiming a 26-14 win at Allianz Stadium in Round 6 and the Chooks returning serve with an 18-14 win at ANZ Stadium in Round 22.
In the women’s match, the Roosters and Dragons will play off for either a date with the Broncos in next week’s grand final or to avoid the wooden spoon (if the Warriors win).
The Chooks will be desperate to notch up their first win, after going down to the Warriors and Broncos in their first two matches, while the Dragons will be full of confidence after upsetting the Warriors 22-10 to win their first match in the league, with birthday girl Jessica Sergis among their best players.
For the winner: Bragging rights in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and a berth in next week’s grand final.
For the loser: season over.
Prediction: Roosters by six points.
Major Bumsore
Guest
Melbourne to run out comfortably in the second half and the Roosters to just edge out the Wabbits.
steveng
Roar Rookie
I agree that the Storm and Roosters are in the box seat, they have had nearly 2 weeks off and that surley must put both of them in good nick for these games. The Bunnies haven't been very inspiring and/or playing their top notch footy. I'm not too concerned by how the Bunnies have played, we have the players to beat the Roosters and this game will be totally different to any this season. Tedesco , Tupou and Ferguson are the key to the Roosters relentless offence, then you have Cronk with his kicking game to these players and Keary and that's the key to the Roosters offence, if the Bunnies can contain these players, they will win, if they don't the game will be over and they will have no chance. It will be a very close one and the Bunnies will win by 1 or 2 points. Btw, this S. Burgess thing is disgraceful and its not helping the Bunnies, this is typical of what happens in the media and their sensationalism(s) of these type of stories, why wasn't this exposed in April when this happened? Its typical that its being done now when the NRL finals are on, to get full exposure to be more striking. This won't deter the Bunnies and/or Sammy. Go the Bunnies!!!
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I don't want any of them to win but that's a bit unlikely
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
Storm will have too much firepower for the Sharks who only know how to play ugly, unattractive football. The Roosters will also beat the Rabbitohs and Storm will go back to back
Peter Piper
Guest
I find your comment very insulting. You go watch collingwood if you want, I certainly won't and as for no one wanting to see Melbourne win, remember they have the 3rd highest membership base in the comp which sounds like more supporters than can be bothered to turn out for a finals match in its so called heartland.
Albo
Roar Rookie
I am really expecting two great matches this weekend. I had written off the Storm a few weeks back expecting them to go down to the Bunnies in week one of the finals. They got through, got a week off and got their full team back on deck, and are now up against an injured Sharks team that were lucky to hold out an ordinary Panthers last week. So the Storm must be virtual specials in my book to go through to another Grand Final . In the other preliminary final, the Roosters have had the week off but are without Mitchell, up against a Souths team that were flat against the Dragons last week with only some smart play from Murray & Reynolds getting them home in the end. But I am expecting a much better Souths performance this week with their forwards lifting the level of power and dominating the Chooks. For me it looks like a Storm v Souths Grand Final brewing.
Shane
Guest
Peter Piper......put the flute down mate, ur starting to sound as brainwashed as the rats im told u led out of the city once.....no one wants Melbourne to win, and no one cares when they do. Go cheer on Eddie Maguire's Collingwood. Souths to collect premiership number 22 in two Sundays time
Greg
Guest
Actually it's quite the opposite - the 4 teams left have all won a premiership in the last 5 years.
Peter Piper
Guest
"It’s unfortunate that three teams will fade away in years to come" I assume you talking about the Roosters, Cronulla and the Bunnies there Forty.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
We're lacking the possible fairy tale in recent Grand finals of a possible first title or an unexpected surge like the Cows did last year. It's unfortunate that three teams will fade away in years to come now matter how well they do this week or next or how unlucky they were because it's all about the winner and nothing else much counts. I gave Latrell Mitchell a big wrap for his role in SOO and I believe if he didn't play we don't win. He scores tries that aren't on and in close games that's the difference between winning and losing. The Roosters still have a stellar lineup but their attack and threat out wide is dramatically altered.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Remember Peter, We have to let the Sharks win in order to send Luke Lewis out a GF winner. We don't need any of that silly last minute Slater / Smith / Munster heroics spoiling the party. Luke is one of the games true gents, and a stalwart for NSW and the Sharks / Panthers. He no longer has the looks he once had, unlike your Billy, so deserves a bit of a break. He is destined to lift the Provan Shield for his third time and go out a winner. We certainly don't want to see Melbourne go back to back, it would spoil the whole "nobody has gone back to back in a unified comp" narrative. Go Luke and Up the Sharks.
Peter Piper
Guest
Now remember you Sharkies, we have to let the Storm win in order to send Billy out a GF winner. We don't want any of that heroic stuff spoiling a true great's last dance. Billy has been probably the best Fullback the wold has ever seen. He came back from the dead after that shoulder injury and he had to put up with all that salary cap nonsense so he deserves to go out with one last memory of this great game. He is destined to lift that Provan Shield on that winners rostrum one last time. We also want to see the storm go back to back so don't forget sharkies no silly try stuff like we let you get away with last time. Go Billy, Go Storm