Number Up: Golden point and what happens “after” Vegas?

What happens “after” Vegas?
The challenge of returning from Las Vegas without losing momentum has been handled with varying degrees of success by the eight sides who made the venture prior to 2026.

The Panthers last year set down an early marker with a tremendous victory over the Sharks, before returning to Australia and losing their next five games.

They would sit at the bottom of the ladder halfway through the season before recovering and charging all the way to a preliminary final.

The Warriors did the opposite. After a sobering loss to the Canberra Raiders, they would return home and win eight of their next nine to be one of the early season pace setters.

The Sharks and Raiders, the two winners from last year's Vegas venture both went 50/50 over their next six weeks.

Ultimately, all four of those sides would play finals, and all four looked a contender at one point or another.

In 2024, the Roosters would launch a top four campaign with a win over reigning grand finalist Brisbane. However, they would drop four of their first six games upon return to Australia before picking up the momentum again.

Their opponents would win four of the next six before falling away.

Manly would lose six of their first ten games upon return to Australia, whilst their opponents from Vegas, the Rabbitohs, would dive bomb down the table with eight losses in nine weeks.

The Knights, Cowboys, Bulldogs and Dragons will be a fascinating watch with all sides at different stages in their journey. Will they be impacted? Time, and the scoreboard, will tell.

Proving the point
Sunday's golden point epic in Las Vegas was contested by two sides who have faired very differently when games have gone to sudden death…and that pattern continued with the Bulldogs inflicting more heartbreak on a Dragons team that lost three matches by a solitary point last season.

Since 2003, 176 NRL matches have been decided in golden point, with the Bulldogs the most successful and the Dragons the equal least successful over that time.

Canterbury have gone to golden point 17 times since 2003 and have been beaten in just three of those matches.

13 wins and a draw have given them a nearly 80% success rate.

The Dragons have gone to golden point 21 times, for six wins, 14 losses and a draw. They lost their first five golden point matches and were the last team to register their first victory in that fashion. They have also lost five of their last six, with just one successful golden point venture this century.

Only the Wests Tigers, also with six wins from 21 golden point finishes have a record that matches the Dragons.

The Panthers with 28 golden point finishes have the most on record across the 23 seasons. They have won exactly half of those.

The Cowboys and Raiders (both 27) and the Warriors (26) are the next most prolific golden point sides.

Eight teams hold a 50% or better record.

Bulldogs 79.54%
Broncos 65%
Storm 61.9%
Raiders 57.4%
Roosters 57.1%
Panthers 57.1% (4 draws)
Cowboys 55.6%
Sea Eagles 52.5 %
Rabbitohs 50%

One of the quirky stats out of this is from the Knights, who hold an overall poor record in golden point with four wins, four draws and 12 losses from 20 games.

However they are unbeaten in four clashes with Manly that have gone to golden point. Three wins and one draw v the Sea Eagles, and one win, three draws and 12 defeats against everyone else.

Of the 176 golden point finishes, 19 have resulted in draws at the end of extra time, and 35 have been won with a try.