The Sharks have come from behind to swamp Canberra and earn a home elimination final in week 1 of the 2023 playoffs, clinching the final available berth in the top eight in the last match of the regular season.
Cronulla will take on the Roosters at Shark Park on Saturday with Craig Fitzgibbon set to face off with his long-term mentor Trent Robinson in a winner-takes-all elimination NRL final.
Newcastle will host the other sudden-death stoush on Sunday against the Raiders, who finished eighth after the Roosters skipped ahead of them with their Friday night win over South Sydney.
Penrith and Brisbane are in the box seat heading into the NRL finals with the premiers and Broncos scoring home-ground advantage for their qualifying finals with a chance to advance directly to week 3 on the line.
The Panthers will take on the Warriors at BlueBet Stadium on Saturday after wrapping up the minor premiership at the same venue with their big win over the Cowboys in Round 27.
The Warriors rested several players and dropped to fourth with a loss to the Dolphins in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon.
Brisbane will meet Melbourne for the second week in a row at Suncorp Stadium but both teams will field vastly different line-ups on Friday night in the playoff opener after resting several stars in the Storm’s victory last Thursday night.
Kevin Walters will seek revenge against Craig Bellamy and Melbourne on Friday after the Storm prevented the Broncos claiming the minor premiership.
The winner of those two matches will advances directly to the preliminary finals while the losers go into sudden-death footy.
In the bottom half of the top eight, Newcastle notched their ninth straight victory and sealed fifth spot on the ladder by beating St George Illawarra at Kogarah on Saturday night.
Souths missed the finals for the first time since 2017 after leading the comp at Round 11 while ninth-placed North Queensland dropped to 11th after their disappointing trip to Penrith with the Eels jumping them into 10th with the bye in the final round.
Penrith celebrate after winning the minor premiership. (Photo by Izhar Khan/Getty Images)
Week 1 finals draw
Qualifying final 1: (1) Penrith vs (4) Warriors at BlueBet Stadium – 4pm on Saturday, September 9
Qualifying final 2: (2) Brisbane vs (3) Storm at Suncorp Stadium – 7.50pm on Friday, September 8
Elimination final 1: (5) Newcastle vs (8) Canberra at McDonald Jones Stadium – 4.05pm on Sunday, September 10
Elimination final 2: (6) Cronulla vs (7) Roosters at PointsBet Stadium – 7.50pm on Saturday, September 9
The loser from the Broncos-Storm game will host a week 2 clash with the winner of the Sharks vs Roosters clash while the Panthers-Warriors loser will be at home in the second round against whoever wins Sunday’s stoush in Newcastle.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
From the statement you’ve just given. You obviously have not driven around much in western Sydney. Not west, south west , north west. Which isn’t a surprise.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
So the sunken costs in Homebush over the past 25 years are just written off? Homebush may be a disaster but that doesn’t mean that it can be walked away from whilst the same clowns pour money into a practically adjacent competitor. Compound that bad decision with the ridiculous rationale for levelling the SFS to rebuild a venue with zero additional benefits.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Excellent. No excuses in that.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
I cited a specific example. You may have been commenting in good faith, just like those who wrote the article, but it doesn't change the fact that there had been at least one other sell-out.
Rellum
Roar Guru
That hard road is why I think young teams find it so hard to go to another gear in the finals the first time. Teams just don't win GF's in their first finals effort. Broncs have some Origin players so that gives me hope. Injuries next year may end our window unless we find a young half
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
I do know this Rellum. Make the top 4 and it's never a year early. Getting to he top 4 is a hard road. Next year who knows . Walsh does an ACL. Pat or Hess go down. Your form evaporates. Finish 5th and you don't even have a show. Win on Friday and you are live chance . Do the free world a big favour and beat those execrable , supercilious purple illiwhackers.
mushi
Roar Guru
So you think the priority of facilities should kick off with a stadium? All for better facilities to help with growth but Parramatta already has the population and better organic and created infra to service a stadium. Whilst penrith might be growing it’s too far from much of the existing population to make sense for an early choice of stadiums. It’s main issues are also the local council has ignored advice at every turn, giving a large project sounds like a great way to minimise that impact. If a multi use destination stadium is important a growth area should leave a site that can be redeveloped.
mushi
Roar Guru
Not really homebush is a dead site with no real local commerce or population. There’s congestion issues and public transport issues. Parramatta has a mini cbd going on.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Penrith Forecast - Saturday - Temp 4-21 Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming east to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
mushi
Roar Guru
Yeah but if You're O'Brien winning a finals game gives you probably 2-3 losses more leeway if things go wrong next year.
ellvin
Roar Rookie
Hard to believe at the start of the season that at least 1 of the 4 Preliminary Finals teams would be either Warriors, Knights or Raiders, but that is guaranteed now
mushi
Roar Guru
Wow so your version of having fun is this. It was all a ruse to hammer Tony Top bloke you are. Notice you’re forthcoming about the career
Tony Dargon
Roar Guru
So no career then. I thought as much.
Tony Dargon
Roar Guru
You have a career? We'd love to hear about it. :laughing:
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
I wonder if a team has ever "rested" a player in week 1 of the Finals? If i am Newcastle and Ponga is anything less than 100% fit, i am resting him, at home, against the Raiders. If you can't win in that situation, you are not going to beat Brisbane or Melbourne of whoever the following week.
Tony Dargon
Roar Guru
Are you okay?
RedcliffeFan
Roar Rookie
OK.
mushi
Roar Guru
Well that's an unequivocal no...
Tony Dargon
Roar Guru
Careful. He/she gets upset if you "like" someone else's comment
Tony Dargon
Roar Guru
:laughing: