Roosters meet fairytale Knights in NRL Grand Final
The Sydney Roosters will meet the Newcastle Knights in the NRL Grand Final at Accor Stadium in Sydney on Sunday, 4 October.
Kick-off is set for 7.30pm Sydney time. It is Australia's rugby league showpiece, the equivalent of a Super Bowl or a Premiership final, with 13 players a side and no rucks or lineouts. The title is decided in one game. NRL
The Roosters booked their place first. They beat the Dolphins 36-20 in their preliminary final — effectively a semi-final — in front of a sold-out crowd of 52,286 at Lang Park in Brisbane. They flew out of the blocks and led 16-0 inside 27 minutes, then held firm to close it out. ABC
Newcastle's route was wilder. They beat the Penrith Panthers in the other preliminary final after playing more than half the match with 12 men and coming from behind to win. That result ended Penrith's bid for a fifth premiership in six years and sent the Knights through to their first decider in 25 years, since Andrew Johns led them to the title. The Guardian
The ladder — league's word for the table — makes Newcastle the outsiders. They finished sixth this season after finishing last in 2025. No team in the NRL era has won the Grand Final from outside the top four. The Knights joined the competition in 1988 and have built this run around a mix of star power and locals.
Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown are the headline names, the playmakers who shape almost every attack. Bradman Best, Fletcher Sharpe and Phoenix Crossland all came through the club's own junior pathways in the Hunter region. Crossland, though, is expected to miss the final after pleading guilty at the judiciary, which will force a late reshuffle at hooker, the busy middle role that touches the ball more than any other. ABC
The Roosters lean on halfback Sam Walker to steer them round the field. The final will also be a farewell for veteran Daly Cherry-Evans, who brings down the curtain on a long career on the biggest night of all.
History favours Sydney. The NRL Match Centre lists the head-to-head at 37 wins for the Roosters and 14 for the Knights. NRL
Grand Final Week is already under way. Fans from both clubs marched over the Sydney Harbour Bridge to open the celebrations, with further events planned in Sydney's city centre on Thursday 1 October and Friday 2 October. The week covers both the men's NRL decider and the women's NRLW Grand Final. NRL
What makes this stand out is the contrast. The Roosters arrive fast and polished. The Knights arrive battered, loud and believing. One side is chasing another title. The other is chasing the end of a 25-year wait.
