This Sunday, Newcastle Knights Tyson Frizell will set a new premiership record for most games taken to play in an NRL Grand Final.   The former Kangaroos and Blues forward, who turns 35 next week, will play his 306th first-grade game when he lines up against the Roosters in his first premiership decider.   Frizell began his career at Cronulla in 2011 and joined St George Illawarra in 2013 for an eight-season stay that garnered just three finals games. Linking with the Knights in 2021, the ironman had not previously been past week two of the playoffs until this year.   We take a look at the long-serving stars Frizell overtakes on the list…and…

A wild NRL finals series has left us with a 2026 Grand Final few could have predicted – even a few weeks ago – with underachieving heavyweights Sydney Roosters taking on one of the great fairytale teams of all time, Newcastle Knights.   For the first time since 2005, both teams with the week off lost on preliminary final weekend.   The upshot is Sydney Roosters became only the fifth qualifying final loser to make the grand final since this NRL finals format was adopted in 2012, while Newcastle Knights are just the third team from outside the top four to reach a decider…

Newcastle duo Jacob Saifiti and Phoenix Crossland will join the long, tortured list of players to miss a grand final through suspension.   But spare a thought also for those who have missed their chance in the grand final spotlight through an untimely injury, or after being squeezed out of the line-up after occupying a place for most of the season.   Knights prop Trey Mooney was rubbed out with injury prior to the finals after playing 22 games, while versatile teammate Fletcher Hunt’s only chance on grand final day will come through as in-game injury despite scoring 13 tries in 18 games…

Edwards versus Ponga, Gagai grappling with McLean, To’o up against Marzhew, Walker matching wits with Katoa, Tedesco opposite Tabuai-Fidow, Toia locking horns with Farnworth – this weekend’s NRL preliminary finals are stacked with blockbuster one-on-one match-ups.   Some of rugby league’s great individual rivalries and feuds have transferred spectacularly to the playoffs arena, while the finals cauldron has often elevated previously low-key competition between two players.   Here’s some of the most memorable finals battles of the past 50 years between stars opposite one another on the team sheet.   Ray Price v Rod Reddy   Former Wallaby Price switched codes in 1976 and scored a try in Parramatta’s 31-6 finals rout of St George, lining up against the aggressive Reddy.   The pair were opposing…