Following 27 rounds of action and three weeks of Finals, we are down to two teams.
The Sydney Roosters and the Newcastle Knights have outlasted 15 other side and will battle it out for the NRL Premiership this weekend.
There may have only been two NRL games over the past weekend but to say they produced plenty of talking points is a massive understatement.
The biggest moment of the season will be discussed in great detail below, while we will also look at some potential player movements, a coach looking to extend his contract and other rugby league action.
Below are 20 thoughts from NRL Finals, week three:
1. The undoubted, biggest talking point of the season comes down to one question; was that a send off? The facts are it was the first ever send off in the NRL due to a hip drop tackle. The NRL community is split, pretty closely down the middle, but the general feeling is it was only a send off due to it being Nathan Cleary being injured. That is the sentiment.
2. To be honest though, I believe you have to take injury into account when you decide these outcomes. We always take it into account when it comes to head high tackles. Force and injury always comes into it. Why shouldn't it with hip drops? Before anyone mentions players simulating to draw send offs, it's pretty difficult to simulate a broken leg.
3. Just a moment for those suggesting this was the first injury cause by a hip drop tackle. Mitch Kenny missed months of footy, J'maine Hopgood's ACL was torn and his season ended, Noah Martin had both his ankles broken. This is a tackle that needs to removed from our game right away. This injury was gruesome and was always just a matter of time.
4. The smartest play of the year also came on Sunday when Sandon Smith chose to tap and go. For the record, you cannot take a "quick" tap following foul play, but Smith waited for the referee to mark the spot and call play on. The Panthers were absolutely at fault as they simply weren't watching. A momentary lapse combined by a moment of brilliance ultimately decided the game. Brilliant.
5. Speaking of Sandon Smith, last off-season the Roosters decided that they needed Dally Cherry-Evans to win a Grand Final whilst allowing Sandon Smith to move on. Who was right? Well, luckily we have a straight shootout this Sunday evening to find out. How perfect!
6. This Sunday evening will produce a historic Grand Final, no matter which side lifts the trophy. Either the painfully unfunny "50 point stat" will end, once and for all, or a team from outside the Top Four will win the title for the first time in the NRL era. For those who don't know, and I am envious of you, no team that has conceded 50 points in the NRL era has ever won the premiership.
7. Fresh off ruining a big final as referee, Ashley Klein was allowed to ruin an even bigger game via the Bunker this weekend. How does the NRL expect us to take this code seriously when it "demotes" an official by not, actually, demoting an official? Klein cannot be allowed anywhere near the Grand Final, through fault only of his own doing. That may sound harsh but this is a multi, multi million-dollar game.
8. Bulldogs five-eighth turn centre Matt Burton has opted to join the list of players to test the market on November first. I have no doubt there will be a market but it will be nowhere near the market of three years ago. I don't know what his best position is, but I'm leaning toward centre. He certainly won't attract the million dollars plus he once would have commanded in his sleep. Be interesting to see as I believe Perth will overpay massively.
9. Talks are that the Parramatta Eels are looking to re-sign coach Jason Ryles. I honestly don't understand why. The Eels have achieved very little under his leadership and I cannot see a world in which he is currently in demand from other teams. I get it, stability and all that, but there is absolutely no rush to extend his deal right now.
10. I'm happy to state that nobody cares about the pre-game entertainment at the NRL Grand Final. It's just an excuse to argue and rush to say "never heard of him/her/them" in the comments. That said, it's an absolute embarrassment not to have something before the game on Sunday night. How have they not locked in Shannon Noll or a tribute set to Angry Anderson? So easy.
11. Phil Gould spent his night on Sunday night calling out anyone who questioned the club's decision to appoint Adam O'Brien as the attacking coach. This despite the fact that the Knights went from last, under O'Brien, to a Grand Final under a competent coach. This despite the fact the Bulldogs fell to 12th this year on the back of a horror show attacking season. Why can those in rugby league not just say "yeah, didn't work out like we'd hoped"?
12. Remember when everyone called the Sharks and Rabbitohs "chokers" for losing two Preliminary Finals in a row? I understand it's different with the Panthers winning four Premierships in a row prior, but fact remains, Penrith lost back to back Prelims despite leading both games. Penrith fans didn't like that statement on Sunday night but facts are facts.
13. I said prior to the Finals starting that I was worried about Penrith due to them not having a preferred halves pairing. Nathan Cleary, for mine, is the best player in the competition, so I'm not suggesting anyone can replace him. That said, Penrith didn't have a second choice half let alone a back up should Cleary not be available. Let's be real here, Cleary shouldn't have played this past Sunday due to an existing injury as is.
14. The above said, anyone thinking this could be the end of the Panthers, I have some bad news. They won both the NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg Grand Finals, with ease, this past Saturday. They walked the Newtown Jets and Bulldogs in their respective Grand Finals. There's legit six players out of the NSW Cup team that would walk into First Grade teams across the comp. That Flegg team is at another level still.
15. Mark Nawaqanitawase is already playing Rugby Union given his several metre forward, lineout style play on Friday night. There needs to be a serious discussion about the roles of touch judges given he was seven metres out of position and missed the most blatant forward pass of all time. A brilliant try if you ignore the fact he almost threw it into the grand stand it was so forward.
16. What went wrong for Dolphins? It felt as though a lack of experience cost them huge on Friday night. Young Isaiya Katoa was overawed, Herbie Farnworth had the worst game of his season and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow turned in a shocker. They can be very proud of their incredible season and those Finals will prove beneficial long-term.
17. If anyone is actually able to obtain tickets, there's a very real chance there's a 70/30 split toward the Knights on Sunday evening. The re-sellers market is crazy right now but most of the demand seems to be coming from Newcastle fans. The Roosters can hope their supporters already have tickets or it'll be a monster away game.
18. The Interstate Cup game on Sunday afternoon between the Panthers and Dolphins is almost like an extra NRL game, such is the quality on show. If you have the time, make sure to check it out. That Penrith NSW Cup side would give plenty a serious run in the NRL. Redcliffe's reserves are star studded. Strangely I can't wait for this one.
19. All season long, Roosters and Broncos players ran campaigns to convince us that the NRLW wasn't a two team competition. Funnily enough, the totally not two team competition sees those very two sides playing off for the competition win this Sunday. A rematch of last year's Grand Final, yay. Roosters and Broncos fans will try and convince you it's good for the competition but the fact the NSW Cup Grand Final's crowd dwarfed the NRLW Prelim on Saturday night says it all.
20. Speaking of the NSW Cup Grand Final, Newtown were beaten by possibly the best NSW Cup side we've seen in the Panthers. This after having to win nine straight games to make the final day of the season. This despite the fact multiple Jets players literally hobbled into the Decider. The ridiculous overreaction by those tuning in for one game and deciding they can comment on an entire season, was pathetic. I genuinely had people messaging me worried about the Sharks depth. If they are struggling, making a Grand Final, I'd hate to support the other teams who didn't make the game.
