2018 NRL Finals Series

2018 NRL Finals Series
Duration	7 Sep – 30 Sep 2018
Teams	8
Premiers	Sydney Roosters (14th title)
Minor premiers	Sydney Roosters (20th title)
Matches played	9
Points scored	332
Highest attendance	82,688 (Sydney vs Melbourne Grand Final)
Lowest attendance	17,168 (Penrith vs New Zealand Elimination Final)
Average attendance	36,382
Attendance	327,446
Broadcast partners	Nine Network Fox League
Top points scorer(s)	Adam Reynolds (25)
Top try-scorer(s)	Tariq Sims (3)

The 2018 NRL finals series determines the winner of the 2018 National Rugby League season. The series ran over four weekends in September 2018, culminating with the 2018 NRL Grand Final at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on 30 September 2018.

The top eight teams from the 2018 NRL Season qualified for the finals series. NRL finals series have been played under the current format since 2012. The qualifying teams are Melbourne, Sydney, South Sydney, Cronulla-Sutherland, Penrith, Brisbane, St George Illawarra and New Zealand.

Qualification[]

2018 NRL season v t
Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Sydney Roosters	24	16	0	8	1	542	361	+181	34
2	Melbourne Storm	24	16	0	8	1	536	363	+173	34
3	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	16	0	8	1	582	437	+145	34
4	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24	16	0	8	1	519	423	+96	34
5	Penrith Panthers	24	15	0	9	1	517	461	+56	32
6	Brisbane Broncos	24	15	0	9	1	556	500	+56	32
7	St. George Illawarra Dragons	24	15	0	9	1	519	472	+47	32
8	New Zealand Warriors	24	15	0	9	1	472	447	+25	32
9	Wests Tigers	24	12	0	12	1	377	460	−83	26
10	Canberra Raiders	24	10	0	14	1	563	540	+23	22
11	Newcastle Knights	24	9	0	15	1	414	607	−193	20
12	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	24	8	0	16	1	428	474	−46	18
13	North Queensland Cowboys	24	8	0	16	1	449	521	−72	18
14	Gold Coast Titans	24	8	0	16	1	472	582	−110	18
15	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	24	7	0	17	1	500	622	−122	16
16	Parramatta Eels	24	6	0	18	1	374	550	−176	14

Melbourne qualified for their 8th straight finals series. Sydney qualified for their 2nd straight final series. South Sydney qualified for their first finals series since 2015. Cronulla-Sutherland qualified for their 4th straight finals series. Penrith qualified for their 3rd straight finals series. Brisbane qualified for their 5th straight finals series. St George Illawarra qualified for their first finals series since 2015. New Zealand qualified for their first finals series since 2011.

Venues[]

The matches of the 2018 NRL finals series were contested at four venues in three different states around the country.

Melbourne's AAMI Park hosted 2 matches, Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium hosted one match and Sydney hosted the remaining 6 matches, which were played at Allianz Stadium and ANZ Stadium.

Melbourne	Sydney (two venues) Brisbane Melbourne	Sydney
AAMI Park		Allianz Stadium
Capacity: 30,050		Capacity: 45,500
Brisbane		Sydney
Suncorp Stadium		ANZ Stadium
Capacity: 52,500		Capacity: 83,500

Finals structure[]

The system used for the 2018 NRL finals series was a final eight system. The top four teams in the eight received a "double chance" when they played in week-one qualifying finals, such that if a top-four team lost in the first week it still remained in the finals, playing a semi-final the next week against the winner of an elimination final. The bottom four of the eight played knock-out games – only the winners survived and moved on to the next week. Home-state advantage went to the team with the higher ladder position in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week.

In the second week, the winners of the qualifying finals received a bye to the third week. The losers of the qualifying final played the elimination finals winners in a semi-final. In the third week, the winners of the semi-finals from week two played the winners of the qualifying finals in the first week. The winners of those matches moved on to the grand final at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.

	Qualifying / Elimination finals					Semi-finals						Preliminary finals				Grand final
		QF1: 8 Sep, Allianz Stadium
	1	Sydney	21
	4	Cronulla-Sutherland	12			SF1: 14 Sep, Allianz Stadium
						Cronulla-Sutherland	21
		EF1: 8 Sep, ANZ Stadium				Penrith	20					PF1: 22 Sep, Allianz Stadium
	5	Penrith	27									Sydney	12
	8	New Zealand	12									South Sydney	4			GF: 30 Sep, ANZ Stadium
																Sydney	21
		EF2: 9 Sep, Suncorp Stadium										PF2: 21 Sep, AAMI Park				Melbourne	6
	6	Brisbane	18									Melbourne	22
	7	St George Illawarra	48			SF2: 15 Sep, ANZ Stadium						Cronulla-Sutherland	6
						South Sydney	13
		QF2: 7 Sep, AAMI Park				St George Illawarra	12
	2	Melbourne	29
	3	South Sydney	28

Qualifying & elimination finals[]

1st qualifying final[]

Friday, 7 September 7:40pm

Melbourne Storm	29 – 28	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Tries: Suliasi Vunivalu (32', 40') 2 Cheyse Blair (66', 75') 2 Curtis Scott (23') 1 Goals: Cameron Smith 4/6 (24', 40', 46' pen, 76') Field Goals: Cameron Munster (77') 1	1st: 16 – 12 2nd: 13 – 16	Tries: 2 (37', 56') Greg Inglis 1 (9') Dane Gagai 1 (62') Robert Jennings 1 (71') Cameron Murray Goals: 4/6 Adam Reynolds (13' pen, 27' pen, 57', 73') 0/1 Dane Gagai Sin Bin: (45') George Burgess

AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 17,306 Referee: Ashley Klein, Adam Gee Player of the Match: Brodie Croft

1st elimination final[]

Saturday, 8 September 5:30pm

Penrith Panthers	27 – 12	New Zealand Warriors
Tries: Tyrone Peachey (21', 29') 2 James Maloney (24') 1 Christian Crichton (51') 1 Goals: Nathan Cleary 5/6 (4' pen, 21', 26', 52', 68' pen) Field Goals: James Maloney (60') 1	1st: 18 – 12 2nd: 9 – 0	Tries: 1 (9') Issac Luke 1 (14') David Fusitu'a Goals: 2/2 Shaun Johnson (10', 16')

ANZ Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 17,168 Referee: Matt Cecchin, Henry Perenara Player of the Match: Nathan Cleary

2nd qualifying final[]

Saturday, 8 September 7:40pm

Sydney Roosters	21 – 12	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Tries: Cooper Cronk (13') 1 Joseph Manu (39') 1 Latrell Mitchell (52') 1 Daniel Tupou (57') 1 Goals: Latrell Mitchell 2/5 (14', 77' pen) Field Goals: Cooper Cronk (73') 1	1st: 10 – 6 2nd: 11 – 6	Tries: 1 (6') Sosaia Feki 1 (45') Edrick Lee Goals: 2/3 Valentine Holmes (24' pen, 46')

Allianz Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 24,588 Referee: Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins Player of the Match: James Tedesco

2nd elimination final[]

Sunday, 9 September 4:00pm

Brisbane Broncos	18 – 48	St George Illawarra Dragons
Tries: David Fifita (17') 1 Darius Boyd (53') 1 Kodi Nikorima (56') 1 Goals: Jamayne Isaako 3/5 (10' pen, 16' pen, 19')	1st: 10 – 28 2nd: 8 – 20	Tries: 3 (20', 33', 37') Tariq Sims 1 (28') Leeson Ah Mau 1 (50') Tim Lafai 1 (69') Luciano Leilua 1 (80') Matthew Dufty Goals: 7/7 Gareth Widdop (5' pen, 22', 29', 35', 39', 40' pen, 51') 3/3 Zac Lomax (71', 75' pen, 80') Sin Bin: (79') Nene Macdonald

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 47,296 Referee: Grant Atkins, Chris Sutton Player of the Match: Tariq Sims

Semi-finals[]

1st semi final[]

Friday, 14 September 7:40pm

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	21 – 20	Penrith Panthers
Tries: Chad Townsend (5') 1 Valentine Holmes (15') 1 Luke Lewis (31') 1 Goals: Valentine Holmes 4/5 (7', 12' pen, 16', 59' pen) Field Goals: Chad Townsend (75') 1	1st: 18 – 2 2nd: 3 – 18	Tries: 1 (49') Nathan Cleary 1 (66') Isaah Yeo 1 (68') Waqa Blake Goals: 4/4 Nathan Cleary (40' pen, 50', 67', 70')

Allianz Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 19,211 Referee: Ashley Klein, Adam Gee Player of the Match: Matt Moylan

2nd semi final[]

Saturday, 15 September 7:40pm

South Sydney Rabbitohs	13 – 12	St George Illawarra Dragons
Tries: Adam Reynolds (56') 1 Goals: Adam Reynolds 3/3 (10' pen, 58', 60' pen) Field Goals: Adam Reynolds (70', 78', 80') 3	1st: 2 – 8 2nd: 11 – 4	Tries: 1 (36') Ben Hunt Goals: 4/4 Zac Lomax (23' pen, 38', 54' pen, 76' pen)

ANZ Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 48,188 Referee: Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins Player of the Match: Adam Reynolds

Preliminary finals[]

1st preliminary final[]

Friday, 21 September 7:40pm

Melbourne Storm	22 – 6	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Tries: Billy Slater (29', 40') 2 Brodie Croft (20') 1 Goals: Cameron Smith 5/5 (5' pen, 22', 31', 40', 65' pen)	1st: 20 – 0 2nd: 2 – 6	Tries: 1 (69') Luke Lewis Goals: 1/1 Valentine Holmes (70')

AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 26,621 Referee: Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins Player of the Match: Billy Slater

2nd preliminary final[]

Saturday, 22 September 7:40pm

Sydney Roosters	12 – 4	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Tries: Daniel Tupou (17') 1 Blake Ferguson (50') 1 Paul Momirovski (71') 1 Goals: Sio Siua Taukeiaho 0/2 Blake Ferguson 0/2	1st: 4 – 4 2nd: 8 – 0	Goals: 2/3 Adam Reynolds (14' pen, 26' pen)

Allianz Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 44,380 Referee: Ashley Klein, Adam Gee Player of the Match: Joseph Manu

Grand final[]

Sunday, 30 September 7:20pm (AEST)

Sydney Roosters	21 – 6	Melbourne Storm
Tries: Daniel Tupou (8') 1 Latrell Mitchell (15') 1 Joseph Manu (37') 1 Goals: Latrell Mitchell 4/6 (4' pen, 16', 31' pen, 79' pen) Field Goals: Luke Keary (69') 1	1st: 18 – 0 2nd: 3 – 6	Tries: 1 (63') Josh Addo-Carr Goals: 1/1 Cameron Smith (64') Sin Bin: (30', 78') Cameron Munster

ANZ Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 82,688 Referee: Gerard Sutton, Ashley Klein Clive Churchill Medal: Luke Keary

References[]

External links[]