The numbers that matter
The big winners of Round 27
Penrith Panthers are $200,000 richer after running over the top of a horrible Wests Tigers and reclaiming top place back from the New Zealand Warriors, who lost the minor Premiership to points difference.
With a top-two place already in concrete, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary had an opportunity to rest his starting 13, as he has often chosen to do in recent years with the Panthers usually in such dominant positions prior to the final round.
The team were going into their eighth consecutive match, having had their final bye of the year in Round 20, and Cleary could have been forgiven for putting out his reserve graders to get the job done here.
But Cleary opted not only for momentum but to give his 2026 squad a taste of success.
A full-strength side, stacked with the returns of Mitch Kenny and Isaah Yeo, won themselves yet another minor Premiership - their fourth in seven years - and they converted the previous two into grand final wins.
Momentum is on their side heading into a clash with a Roosters team that is mostly on a 15-day break after Trent Robinson opted for workload management - then again, his side had nothing to gain nor lose.
The big losers of Round 27
The classic '50 point curse' has already put the Dolphins, Roosters and Cowboys' Premiership hopes to bed - if you're fun enough to play along with the idea that it actually exists.
A more serious look at end of season form would suggest Cronulla Sharks are in a spot of bother after they squandered the double chance with four losses from their last five matches.
They let the Melbourne Storm control the second half on home soil last weekend, and having finished out the season with a run of five straight games against teams to miss the finals, they've come out almost completely empty handed.
Their last three games as favourites ended in defeat, and now they've been controversially stripped of the right to host a home final against North Queensland at Shark Park.
The silver lining: Braydon Trindall looks set to be reunited with Nicho Hynes in the halves for the Cowboys' final after missing three weeks with injury, and they were by far the hottest halves combination in the competition during a July that saw the team rack up 162 points in four consecutive wins.
Those two are going to have to rediscover their best very quickly, because if Penrith are going to show us in September just how important momentum is ahead of finals, the Sharks could too - to their detriment.
Team of the Week
As always, the points quoted in our Team of the Week come from the official NRL.com fantasy game.
Player of the Week
Who scored a brace this week?
For the first time since 2013, the Ken Irvine Medal will be shared.
Alex Johnston and Thomas Jenkins both scored 30 meat pies (tries) throughout the year - a feat previously achieved only by Dave Brown (38 in 1935), Ray Preston (34 in 1954) and Johnston himself (30 in 2021 and 2022).
Lachlan Galvin, Josiah Karapani, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Jayden Campbell all scored two each in the Thursday and Friday matches.
Campbell Graham and Rex Bassingthwaite recorded two each in Jai Arrow's 100th appearance, shortly before Taine Tuaupiki's hat-trick in the Warriors' win over Manly, where Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Reuben Garrick and Levi Hopoate also got doubles.
Xavier Savage's second career hat-trick was the highlight of the Raiders' win over North Queensland, where halfback Coby Black also scored two on first grade debut.
On Sunday, Jordan Samrani recorded his second career double in Parra's narrow loss to the Dragons, before Casey McLean (three) and Jenkins (two) ended the round with their rout of Wests.
Try of the Week
The naughty boys
The biggest story to come out of the weekend is that North Queensland's Reuben Cotter is off to the judiciary on Tuesday night in a bid to clear himself for next weekend's final against Cronulla.
Cotter rejected a one-match guilty plea and will be out for two if the verdict on his high hit on Raiders veteran Josh Papalii is upheld.
Potential suspensions:
Blake Lawrie (Dragons) - Grade 2 Shoulder Charge - 2 or 3 matches (no plea submitted)
Michael Gabrael (Sharks) - Grade 3 Careless High Tackle - 2 matches (guilty plea)
Reuben Cotter (Cowboys) - Grade 2 Careless High Tackle - challenging
Fines:
Josh King (Storm) - Grade 1 Crusher Tackle - $3000 fine
Moeaki Fotuaika (Titans) Grade 1 Contrary Conduct 3rd & subsequent offence - $3000 fine
Jack Williams (Eels) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1800 or $2500 fine
Addin Fonua-Blake (Sharks) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact 2nd offence - $1800 fine
Kyle Flanagan (Dragons) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Isaiah Papali'i (Panthers) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Tyrell Sloan (Dragons) - Grade 1 Contrary Conduct - $1000 or $1500 fine
Ronaldo Mulitalo (Sharks) - Grade 1 Contrary Conduct - $1000 fine
Noah Martin (Raiders) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 fine
Ben Trbojevic (Sea Eagles) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 fine
Matty Nicholson (Raiders) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 fine
Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins) Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $750 fine
Tommy Talau (Roosters) Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $750 fine
Next weekend's fixtures
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
