2024 NRL: Round 26 Recap and Key Stats

Check out what happened in round 26 of the National Rugby League competition.

Final Scores

COWBOYS 38 d STORM 30
SEA EAGLES 34 d BULLDOGS 22
PANTHERS 34 d RABBITOHS 12
EELS 44 d DRAGONS 40
DOLPHINS 40 d BRONCOS 6
WARRIORS 30 d SHARKS 28
KNIGHTS 36 d TITANS 14
RAIDERS 14 d ROOSTERS 12

Current Ladder

Melbourne Storm (Position: 1) 42 pts (205), Penrith Panthers (Position: 2) 38 pts (180), Sydney Roosters (Position: 3) 36 pts (267), Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (Position: 4) 36 pts (202), Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (Position: 5) 34 pts (134), North Queensland Cowboys (Position: 6) 34 pts (51), Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (Position: 7) 33 pts (133), Dolphins (Position: 8) 28 pts (7), Newcastle Knights (Position: 9) 28 pts (-48), St George-Illawarra Dragons (Position: 10) 28 pts (-124), Canberra Raiders (Position: 11) 28 pts (-129), Brisbane Broncos (Position: 12) 26 pts (-32), New Zealand Warriors (Position: 13) 23 pts (-62), Gold Coast Titans (Position: 14) 22 pts (-162), South Sydney Rabbitohs (Position: 15) 20 pts (-180), Parramatta Eels (Position: 16) 18 pts (-189), Wests Tigers (Position: 17) 18 pts (-253).

Review

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Melbourne are still top of the ladder at the end of round 26, with Penrith, the Sydney Roosters, and Cronulla-Sutherland making up the top four.

After securing the minor premiership in round 25, the Storm rested 11 players for their clash against North Queensland at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. While the Storm copped criticism from certain section of the rugby league media, it didn’t matter. There was 11 tries all up in an entertaining clash, with Jeremiah Nanai’s try in the 68th minute finally sealing it for the Cowboys. Valentine Holmes (a try and seven goals) and Tyran Wishart (two tries and five goals) both scored 18 points. Kyle Feldt scored a double in his final regular season home game.

Penrith solidified their top four spot with a win over South Sydney at BlueBet Stadium. Facing three losses in a row (after losing to Melbourne and Canberra), the Panthers made sure to put this game away early – leading 18-0 after 25 minutes. Sunia Turuva scored a double for Penrith while Tyrone Munro scored a double for Souths.

Canberra pulled off another gritty win, defeating the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Newcastle’s win against the Gold Coast means they’re unlikely to play finals, even if they beat St George Illawarra next weekend. With Canberra leading 14-8 in the final minute (tries to Elliott Whitehead, Simi Sasagi, and Xavier Savage), Luke Keary kicked to Daniel Tupou’s wing on the last tackle. While Tupou scored in the corner (his second try), Keary missed the sideline conversion. Both teams overcame plenty of adversity: the Raiders lost Jamal Fogarty in the lead up and then lost Jordan Rapana with a fractured eye socket after 11 minutes (which most likely ends Rapana’s time in Canberra after signing with Hull FC for 2025). Then captain Elliott Whitehead was sin binned twice: once for a suspected hip drop, the other for foul play after trying to kick the ball from Angus Crichton’s hands. The Roosters lost Sam Walker, Brandon Smith, and Victor Radley to injury, which could have negative implications for their premiership hopes.

The NZ Warriors pulled off an incredible comeback win over Cronulla-Sutherland at PointsBet Stadium. In his final NRL game, it was fitting that Shaun Johnson threw the final cut-off pass – for Dallin Watene-Zelezniak’s third try – to win the game with 30 seconds left. The Sharks led 22-4 at half-time before DWZ’s hat-trick kick-started the Warriors’ comeback. Samuel Stonestreet scored a double for Cronulla.

Manly sealed a finals spot after beating Canterbury-Bankstown at Accor Stadium. Around 35,000 turned up to Homebush – despite the early Friday evening timeslot – indicating how important this game was. Lehi Hopoate scored a double as Manly pushed their 18-12 lead to 34-12 after 51 minutes, while Reuben Garrick scored 14 points (a try and five goals). Reed Mahoney scored a double for Canterbury. Manly’s win was soured by injuries to Jason Saab and Tom Trbojevic, which could impact their finals hopes.

The Dolphins won their first “Battle of Brisbane”, belting the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium infront of over 50,000 fans. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Jake Averillo, and Herbie Farnworth scored doubles, while Jamayne Isaako scored 16 points (a try and six goals). The win puts The Dolphins back in the eight, while Brisbane’s finals hopes are all but gone.

Parramatta beat St George Illawarra in one of the most bizarre game of the season at CommBank Stadium, with 84 points and 16 tries in total. Maika Sivo and Mathew Feagai both scored hat-tricks, with doubles to Clinton Gutherson and Tyrell Sloan. Zac Lomax scored 16 points (a try and six goals). Parramatta seemed to have the game secured, leading 44-12 with 10 minutes left: but the Dragons scored 28 straight points to nearly pull off a miracle comeback. The Eels will now face the Wests Tigers in a “Spoon Bowl” next Friday night.

Newcastle are within sight of the finals after a big win over the Titans at McDonald Jones Stadium. Fletcher Sharpe scored a hat-trick and Kalyn Ponga scored 16 points (two tries and four goals) as Newcastle set up a blockbuster final round clash against The Dolphins next Sunday afternoon (the final game of the regular season). The Dolphins and Newcastle are both on 28 points, with the winner to finish eighth. Jojo Fifita scored a double for the Titans

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Players Making Their NRL Debut

Ativalu Lisati (Storm) vs Cowboys, 29/8/24 (23 years, 6 months, 29 days)
Keagan Russell-Smith (Storm) vs Cowboys, 29/8/24 (21 years, 1 month, 21 days)
Tristan Powell (Storm) vs Cowboys, 29/8/24 (23 years, 6 months, 20 days)
Jaylan De Groot (Titans) vs Knights, 1/9/24

Key Stats

• North Queensland Cowboys have won their last three matches against the Melbourne Storm, all at QLD Country Bank Stadium.
• Kyle Feldt for the first time in his NRL career has crossed for 20 tries in a season (previous best was 19 in 2020).
• Lazarus Vaalepu scored his debut NRL try in his debut game playing for Melbourne Storm against North Queensland Cowboys.
• Ativalu Lisati scored his debut NRL try in his debut game playing for Melbourne Storm against North Queensland Cowboys.
• Tyran Wishart’s 18 points was his highest individual points scored in a game (previous best 16 for the Storm vs Tigers, 6/7/2024)
• St George-Illawarra Dragons 40 points scored0 in losing to the Parramatta Eels is the highest score recorded by a losing side in NRL history.
• Maika Sivo scored his 100th NRL career try playing for the Parramatta Eels against St George-Illawarra Dragons.
• Connor Muhleisen scored his debut NRL try playing for St George-Illawarra Dragons against Parramatta Eels.
• Mathew Feagai scored his debut NRL hat-trick playing for St George-Illawarra Dragons against Parramatta Eels.
• Dolphins recorded their first victory over the Brisbane Broncos, recording their second highest victory in the club’s history (34 points – current record 38 point win vs Dragons, 17/3/24).
• Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scored his 50th NRL career try playing for the Dolphins against the Brisbane Broncos.
• Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scored his 100th NRL career try playing for the New Zealand Warriors against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
• Jaylan De Groot scored his debut NRL try in his debut game playing for Gold Coast Titans against Newcastle Knights.

Upcoming Milestones

• 500 NRL points: Corey Oates (484 career points), Jamal Fogarty (462).
• 1000 NRL points: Zac Lomax (823), Alex Johnston (780), Nick Meaney (778).
• 50 NRL tries: David Fifita (49 career tries), Marcelo Montoya (49), Zac Lomax (49), Luke Keary (48), Kurt Mann (47).
• 100 NRL tries: Clint Gutherson (98), Cody Walker (98).
• 150 NRL tries: Kyle Feldt (148), Josh Addo-Carr (140), James Tedesco (133).
• 200 NRL tries: Alex Johnston (195).