There have been jubilant scenes within the nation’s capital because the Raiders received the NRL minor premiership for the primary time since 1990 after defeating Wests Tigers 24-10.
A sold-out GIO Stadium gallery have been readily available to rejoice with Ricky Stuart and his squad, who’ve defied many pre-season predictions they might end close to or on the very backside of the ladder in 2025.
They may host both Brisbane, Cronulla or New Zealand in two weeks’ time in a 1 v 4 conflict that would arrange a house preliminary closing and a return to Accor Stadium on grand closing day for the primary time in six years because the Raiders hunt an elusive premiership.
Brisbane have improved their possibilities of sneaking into the highest 4 after an unconvincing 38-30 victory over the Cowboys in Townsville.
The Broncos will seemingly have to beat Melbourne within the closing spherical to seal the double likelihood within the playoffs until the Sharks and Warriors each stumble of their remaining fixtures.
Manly’s finals hopes are nonetheless alive, simply, after Anthony Seibold’s aspect blew away the Dragons 40-24 at Jubilee Stadium.
The Sea Eagles should depend on different outcomes and safe an enormous victory over the Warriors subsequent week to be any likelihood of sneaking into eighth place.
1. Ricky’s Raiders defy critics to seal minor premiership
Earlier than a ball had been kicked within the 2025 NRL season, some pundits predicted the Canberra Raiders would end all-time low.
Dally M coach of the year-elect Ricky Stuart has taken nice pleasure in making quite a lot of commentators look foolish all season and on Saturday afternoon defeated Wests Tigers within the nationwide capital to seal simply their second-ever minor premiership and the primary in 35 years.
“Folks, I don’t assume, perceive how good a soccer membership it’s,” he mentioned after lifting the J.J. Giltinan Protect post-match.
“It’s been a season the place they’ve been so constant all yr, and getting a group up each week, having that particular person up each week, is a superb accolade and praise to these boys.
“It’s an enormous job, it’s an extended season and so they’ve completed an exquisite job in mentally simply having that edge every week.”
The 24-10 win at a sold-out GIO Stadium confirms the order of the highest three, barring an implausible turnaround in for and in opposition to, with Melbourne to complete second, incomes the fitting to host a closing in week one and Canterbury sealing the double likelihood within the finals within the third yr of coach Cameron Ciraldo’s revitalisation at Belmore.
Canberra had their noses in entrance at half-time however the Tigers have been good worth in opposition to the ladder-leaders, giving the Storm followers watching at house some hope of staying within the race for first after their stunning second-half collapse in opposition to the Roosters on Friday night time in Craig Bellamy’s 600th recreation as a head coach.
However the Raiders shut out the Tigers within the second half to seal an inconceivable minor premiership and the $200,000 reward.
2. Broncos increase top-four hopes with derby triumph
Brisbane will go into the ultimate spherical within the driver’s seat to complete fourth and acquire the double likelihood within the playoffs after beating North Queensland at QCB Stadium in Saturday’s closing recreation. Relying on different outcomes, the Broncos will more than likely have to beat Melbourne in Spherical 27 to lock in a top-four end.
Brisbane led by 4 at half-time after a wild opening 40 minutes, with North Queensland hanging in regardless of Braidon Burns’ early sin-binning for harmful contact on Broncos star Reece Walsh.
The Cowboys hit the lead quickly after half-time however lapses in focus and porous defending once more value Todd Payten’s aspect as their season led to defeat.
Ending fourth would arrange a tantalising 1 v 4 conflict with Canberra at GIO Stadium however Brisbane might want to defend a lot, a lot better if they’re to move south and upset the minor premiers to earn a house preliminary closing.
3. Sea Eagles topple Dragons to maintain finals hopes alive
After a disappointing season that may seemingly finish with out a finals look, the Sea Eagles gave their followers on the Northern Seashores one thing to cheer with an enormous win over the Dragons. Manly got here out of the blocks rapidly with three tries within the opening 20 minutes, Tolutau Koula showcasing his blistering pace with an thrilling solo attempt.
An unlikely sequence of occasions would wish to transpire for Manly to sneak into eighth place however their finals hopes are alive for now with one spherical remaining within the common season.
“To attain 40 factors after scoring 58 final week is admittedly pleasing,” Anthony Seibold mentioned.
“We have been type of troubled a little bit bit within the second half after we went right down to 12 and so they scored two tries and obtained again within the recreation.
“However I’m actually pleased with the boys that they have been capable of flip that round.”
After their fifteenth lack of the season, Shane Flanagan’s Dragons aspect may end as little as fifteenth as one other marketing campaign slips away with out a playoffs look. St George Illawarra have misplaced extra shut video games than some other aspect and weren’t usually blown away this season however the conspicuous absence of a top-quality half in the end sunk their finals hopes.
Shane Flanagan leaving promising playmaker Jonah Glover and former first-grader Lachlan Ilias in NSW Cup whereas his son Kyle and Lyhkan King-Togia struggled within the NRL was an terrible look and the top coach will likely be hoping the arrival of Daniel Atkinson correlates with a big stand up the ladder.
4. Hope in Tigertown as Benji’s rebuild kicks into gear
Something higher than a Seventeenth-placed end in 2025 would have been an enchancment for Benji Marshall’s males.
In all probability, the Tigers will keep in eleventh after beating Gold Coast subsequent weekend, vindicating the religion in a membership legend whose teaching credentials have been, at instances pretty, much-maligned because the botched handover of the highest job from Tim Sheens to Marshall.
‘Hope’ is a phrase softly spoken on the hill at Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Stadium however there are real causes for optimism on the three way partnership with Jarome Luai displaying higher indicators in current weeks, the emergence of the supremely gifted Fainu brothers, Marshall bettering as a coach and the togetherness proven because the departure of potential future celebrity Lachlan Galvin.
Luai is overpaid as the sport’s highest incomes secondary playmaker but when he can get near his Penrith type, in addition to the emergence of some extra greenshoots at Harmony, a top-eight problem in 2026 must be the expectation for these plucky Tigers.
5. Cowboys dangle with title hopefuls however disappointing season ends in defeat
Saturday’s loss to Brisbane was a microcosm of the Cowboys’ season: durations of scintillating assault, offset by lapses in focus and reserve grade defending.
Todd Payten has survived within the prime job at QCB Stadium however it could simply be a keep of execution till the findings of the Cowboys’ post-season evaluate.
For a aspect boasting a number of State of Origin gamers, North Queensland have been out of the finals hunt for weeks and it’s onerous to grade the 2025 season as something however an enormous failure. Even the efforts of star playmaker Tom Dearden weren’t sufficient to get his aspect wherever close to the playoffs.
If Payten continues to be within the function come Spherical 1, he’ll want a reasonably encouraging begin to the brand new season to maintain the noise over his future hushed. There’s loads of high quality inside that roster and one other meek bottom-nine end would absolutely be unacceptable for the board.
The Kick: Too little, too late for Manly as Seibold hangs on
After months and months of hypothesis, Adam O’Brien and Des Hasler have been the primary two coaches to lose their jobs in 2025 this week to little shock across the competitors. Anthony Seibold’s outcomes haven’t been egregious sufficient to lose his job however this season has been a regression from their week two exit in 2024 by the hands of a rampant Roosters aspect nonetheless boasting Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Joey Manu and Luke Keary.
The Daly Cherry-Evans saga has not helped and accidents have been an enormous issue, significantly of their decimated pack, however most golf equipment in and across the prime eight have missed star gamers at varied levels of the season.
Saturday’s victory over the Dragons will hold their slight finals hopes alive for one more week however until Wayne Bennett brings in some black magic through the week, the Dolphins lose each of their remaining video games, and the Sea Eagles beat New Zealand by 50 or 60, Manly’s season will finish in a bottom-nine end.
Studies of a rift between the previous Broncos mentor and senior squad members might or might not be correct, however along with his questionable dealing with of Tom Trbojevic, pace courting opinions with particular person gamers and weird existentialism in press conferences, there are appreciable doubts over his potential to show across the ship in 2026.
Manly CEO Tony Mestrov is an enormous supporter of Seibold however a shaky begin to subsequent season could have the Sea Eagles coach beneath a ton of strain.
with AAP
