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
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| 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| AAMI Park | Allianz Stadium | |
| Capacity: 30,050 | Capacity: 45,500 | |
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| Brisbane | Sydney | |
| Suncorp Stadium | ANZ Stadium | |
| Capacity: 52,500 | Capacity: 83,500 | |
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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 and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 Sep, Sydney Football Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Sydney | 21 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 12 | 14 Sep, Sydney Football Stadium | ||||||||||||||||
| Cronulla-Sutherland | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 Sep, Stadium Australia | Penrith | 20 | 22 Sep, Sydney Football Stadium | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Penrith | 27 | Sydney | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| 8 |  New Zealand | 12 | South Sydney | 4 | 30 Sep, Stadium Australia | ||||||||||||||
| Sydney | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 Sep, Lang Park | 21 Sep, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | Melbourne | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Brisbane | 18 | Melbourne | 22 | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | St George Illawarra | 48 | 15 Sep, Stadium Australia | Cronulla-Sutherland | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| South Sydney | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 Sep, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 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 |
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| 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 |
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1st elimination final
Saturday, 8 September 5:30pm |
| Penrith Panthers | 27 – 12 | New Zealand Warriors |
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| 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 |
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2nd qualifying final
Saturday, 8 September 7:40pm |
| Sydney Roosters | 21 – 12 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
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| 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 |
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2nd elimination final
Sunday, 9 September 4:00pm |
| Brisbane Broncos | 18 – 48 | St George Illawarra Dragons |
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| 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 |
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Semi-finals
1st semi final
Friday, 14 September 7:40pm |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 21 – 20 | Penrith Panthers |
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| 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 |
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2nd semi final
Saturday, 15 September 7:40pm |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 13 – 12 | St George Illawarra Dragons |
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| 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 |
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Preliminary finals
1st preliminary final
Friday, 21 September 7:40pm |
| Melbourne Storm | 22 – 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
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| 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 |
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2nd preliminary final
Saturday, 22 September 7:40pm |
| Sydney Roosters | 12 – 4 | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
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| 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 |
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Grand final
Sunday, 30 September 7:20pm (AEST) |
| Sydney Roosters | 21 – 6 | Melbourne Storm |
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| 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 |
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