The final day of the NRL and NRLW seasons features grand finals on Sunday, October 4th at Sydney's Stadium Australia. The men’s NRL grand final sees the Sydney Roosters, who finished fourth and reached this stage via victories over Cronulla and the Dolphins, face off against seventh-placed Newcastle Knights, who triumphed over Souths, Warriors, and Penrith despite being down to twelve players in large parts of their semi-final. The women’s NRLW grand final will be contested between Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos, a rematch of last year's title bout. The matches will air exclusively on Channel 9 with varying start times across different Australian states due to daylight saving changes.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
It is clear from the articles provided that the NRLW (National Rugby League Women's) grand final took place on October 4, with the Sydney Roosters defeating the Brisbane Broncos by a score of 30-6. The match was notable for several reasons:
- Vindication and Redemption: The Roosters won in a dominant fashion after losing to the Broncos in last year's grand final. Their victory equaled the record margin set in the NRLW’s previous season, which raises concerns about competitive balance.
- Talent Distribution Concerns: Critics are questioning whether the league's talent is too concentrated within a few teams, such as the Roosters and Broncos, suggesting that other teams might struggle to compete with these powerhouses.
- Career Finale for Ali Brigginshaw: The match marked the end of an illustrious career for Brisbane Broncos captain Ali Brigginshaw, who has been instrumental in raising the profile of women's rugby league. Despite her legendary status and experience, the Broncos struggled against a superior Roosters team that displayed outstanding performance across multiple aspects of the game.
- Roosters’ Perfect Season: The Sydney Roosters not only avenged their loss from last year but also completed an unbeaten season with this victory, showcasing their dominance throughout the competition.
- Potential for a Standalone Grand Final Event: With growing popularity and increasing viewership, there is discussion about whether it would be feasible to hold NRLW’s grand final as a standalone event without being part of the men's NRL grand final day in the future.
- Statistical Dominance: The Broncos struggled significantly with their completion rate and were overwhelmed by Roosters’ offensive prowess, leading to an early loss that was decided even before halftime.
### Key Statistics from the Grand Final:
- Completion Rate: Brisbane completed just 60% of sets compared to Sydney's much higher percentage.
- Try Scoring: The Roosters scored six straight tries during a period where Broncos did not complete any sets at all, indicating an early and insurmountable gap in quality between the teams.
### Conclusion
The NRLW grand final was a decisive victory for the Roosters that also marked a bittersweet end to Brigginshaw's career. The lopsided nature of the match has sparked discussions about competitive balance within the league, while also highlighting the ongoing growth and importance of women’s rugby league in Australia.
Written for “NRL and NRLW Grand Finals” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.
The grand finals for the men and women will be held today.
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finals → hold → men
In the women's decider, the Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos face off in a rematch of last year's grand final.
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Roosters → face → final
In the men's grand final, the Sydney Roosters are facing the Newcastle Knights.
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Roosters → face → Knights
Here's everything you need to know about NRL and NRLW grand finals day.
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you → need → day
The NRL and NRLW grand finals will be held on Sunday, October 4, the first day of daylight saving time in many states and territories across the country.
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finals → hold → country
Here is when each grand final begins in each state and territory.
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begins → begin → state
NRL grand final
- 7:30pm AEDT: NSW, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania
- 7pm ACDT: South Australia
- 6:30pm: Queensland
- 6pm: Northern Territory
- 4:30pm: Western Australia
NRLW grand final
- 4pm AEDT: NSW, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania
- 3:30pm ACDT: South Australia
- 3pm: Queensland
- 2:30pm: Northern Territory
- 1pm: Western Australia
How can you watch and listen to the grand final?
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you → watch → final
The game will be on Channel 9 and 9Now, but be aware that it will not be shown on Kayo or Fox Sports.
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it → show → Kayo
Where are the NRL and NRLW grand finals being played?
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finals → play → ?
The NRL and NRLW grand finals are being played at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
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finals → play → Sydney
Stadium Australia has hosted every NRL grand final since 1999, with the exception of the 2021 decider which was played at Brisbane's Lang Park during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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which → host → pandemic
Since the NRLW's inception in 2018, all grand finals have been played at Stadium Australia, again with 2021 being the exception.
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2021 → play → Australia
That decider was played at Dolphin Stadium in Redcliffe.
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decider → play → Redcliffe
Who is playing in the NRL grand final?
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Who → play → final
The Sydney Roosters face the Newcastle Knights for the NRL premiership.
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Roosters → face → premiership
The Roosters finished the season fourth on the ladder, and lost their opening match of the finals before victories over Cronulla and the Dolphins.
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Roosters → finish → Cronulla
The Newcastle Knights finished seventh on the ladder.
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Knights → finish → ladder
After defeating Souths in the first week of the finals, the Knights went to Auckland and defeated the Warriors, then beat Penrith while being down to 12 players for all of the second half.
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Knights → defeat → half
| 17. Spencer Leniu | Interchange | 18. Fletcher Hunt |
| 18. Hugo Savala | Interchange | 19. Thomas Cant |
| 19. Cody Ramsey | Interchange | 20. Kyle McCarthy |
| 20. Benaiah Ioelu | Reserves | 21. Diesel Hagan |
| 21. Tommy Talau | Reserves | 22. Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana |
| 22. Egan Butcher | Reserves |
Who is playing in the NRLW grand final?
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Who → play → final
The Sydney Roosters are undefeated in 2026, winning all 11 matches in the home-and-away season, then defeating the Canberra Raiders in last week's preliminary final.
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Roosters → win → final
It mirrors Sydney's fantastic NRLW season in 2025, where they were undefeated until losing in last year's decider to the Brisbane Broncos.
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they → mirror → Broncos
The Broncos finished third on the table, with a record of 8–3 in the home-and-away season.
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Broncos → finish → season
The Broncos suffered a three-game losing run in the middle of the season, but have won their past five matches, including last weekend's preliminary final against the Gold Coast Titans.
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Broncos → suffer → Titans
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What pre-match entertainment is taking place at the NRL grand final?
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entertainment → take → final
After talks between the NRL and Australian artist Tones And I, the grand final appeared set to take place without any pre-match entertainment.
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final → appear → entertainment
Shark will be joined by members from Newcastle favourites and Better hit-makers The Screaming Jets, electronic duo Peking Duk, plus rock groups Grinspoon, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.
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Shark → join → favourites
Shark previously performed at the 2020 NRL grand final, and is set to perform a series of cover songs, including the Gerry and the Pacemakers' song and Liverpool FC anthem You'll Never Walk Alone.
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You → perform → song
Each musician's appearance fee is reportedly being donated to motor neurone disease causes.
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fee → donate → causes
The Aporia
