After 27 rounds of NRL competition, we are down to eight sides. That's right, it's finals time!!!
With the final make up of the finals very much in the balance up until the very last game of the season, we were blessed in 2023 by some magnificent rugby league.
The Penrith Panthers continued to build their dynasty with another minor premiership after the Brisbane Broncos let their opportunity slip.
Meanwhile the Cronulla Sharks locked in a home final while the Sydney Roosters wrapped up an unlikely finals spot at the expense of bitter rivals the South Sydney Rabbitohs
Below are 20 thoughts from a super newsworthy Round 27 of NRL action:
1. If you were to ask me who were 2023s biggest disappointments, I can narrow it down to a field of one. South Sydney. At one point they were leading the competition and flying toward a top four finish. They then bottomed out and lost a home final to an under-manned Roosters side to miss finals altogether. Grim!
2. It's finally time to admit that the Bunnies made a huge error in letting Adam Reynolds go. Their former skipper is leading the Broncos into a qualifying final while Souths are very likely going to look to Jack Wighton to play in the halves next year. They took a punt, and it has not worked out.
3. I'm not sure if I've stated this here before, if so I'm doubling down: The Raiders are the most undeserving finals team in recent memory. 13 wins this season, none of which were dominant, and a negative 137 points differential makes for horror reading.
4. Shane Flanagan has one of the NRL's most difficult tasks ahead of him - rebuilding the Dragons. Right now the Red V have about five or six players who deserve a first grade contract.
5. Those who know me know I won't cry too many tears for the Tigers. That said, surely it is time for the NRL to step in and put pressure on the Tigers decision makers. How anyone can sit, after overseeing the horror-show that has been their past eight years, and maintain they're the person(s) for the job is beyond comprehension. If Justin Pascoe and Lee Hagipantelis have any love or respect for the Tigers, they'll step down and move as far away from the club as possible.
6. To anyone questioning why Kasey Badger and Belinda Sharpe were "only" given Round 27 games and games that didn't effect finals positions ... they were blooded in the NRL in the exact same way all rookie referees are. Stop looking for issues that aren't there.
7. I was shocked at how small the crowd was on Friday night. The game's marquee fixture - Rabbits vs Roosters, with a literal finals spot on the line. I predicted 60,000 and was 24,000 off. I can't explain it but perhaps the rivalry isn't what it once was?
8. Four teams played in the 2022 preliminary finals (obviously). Only one of those sides made the finals in 2023. That team were back to back minor premiers, Penrith. It just goes to show how difficult it is to maintain that level in the modern day.
9. 10 of the top 15 try assist contributors in 2023 were halves. 11 if you count Kodi Nikorima who played multiple positions. Three of the other four were fullbacks in Drinkwater, Walsh and Ponga. The other? Siosifa Talakai. I just thought that was a neat tidbit.
10. Sebastian Kris is set for a long, long stint on the sidelines following one of the worst tackles I've ever seen. That tackle on Katoa was way worse than the one that saw Nathan Cleary suspended for five games last season. Yes there was no malice but it's only pure luck that stood between us and discussing a tragedy here today.
11. Question for the readers. How do you feel about players handing others tries? On Friday night Manly handed Jake Trbojevic a try on a milestone occasion and also a debut try to Gordon Chan Kum Tong. Personally I love it. The Tigers defenders gave up on both plays so why shouldn't Manly totally embarrass them?
12. The minor premiership obviously doesn't mean anything to Brisbane. They named a QLD Cup side and surrendered the shield as a result. Penrith named a near full strength team and their fans celebrated the win in a big way. As they should! The minor premiership absolutely should mean something.
13. I am fully aware that injury limited Viliame Kikau's season to just nine games but I can't imagine the Bulldogs will be happy on return on investment. In his nine games he averaged just 82 running metres, made one line break and scored one try. Let's hope he's fully fit and firing next season.
14. We've seen some magical tries this season but none were better than Dom Young's first. Or his second.
15. I don't buy into the "you need to lose a game before finals" nonsense. The Knights are heading in on the back of nine straight wins. They'll wipe Canberra and be on ten soon enough. Whether it was their 10th or second straight win means absolutely nothing come game time. Colour me shocked, it's good to be in good form come finals time.
16. You notice that it's very rare that the well performing sides have players complain about training? Must be a coincidence.
17. The NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg competitions both operate on a top five Finals system. If we were ever going to press for something similar in the top grade, 2023 is the perfect reason why. There are five teams in contention, then the rest.
18. Manly have reportedly listed five players as available, should they receive an offer for next season. For the good of the club, I'm totally ok with this. However it will be interesting to see how they respond should a player come and request a similar release. Watch this space.
19. A message to anyone complaining re where finals are being played this weekend. If your team wanted to have a say where their final was hosted, they should finish in those spots. Simple as that.
20. We're all still waiting for Russel Crowe to tweet (or X) the score of Friday night's game.