What a thrilling final round of the 2026 NRL season we witnessed as several teams played their last game like they really should have been in the finals. The Panthers were crowned minor premiers with a crushing victory over the Tigers, while the Dragons farewelled a raft of players with a thrilling win against the Eels.
Here's whose stocks are up and down in our final review for the year.
Our footy experts cast their eye over the week's action to find out whose stocks are up -- whether it's a coaching masterstroke or a player having a blinder -- and whose are down.
Brisbane Broncos
Stocks up: At least they gave Payne Haas the send-off he deserved. In his final game for Brisbane, Haas scored, ran hard all night and somehow still produced 40 tackles despite spending 10 minutes in the bin. Ben Hunt then took over after halftime, while Josiah Karapani was outstanding on the edge with two tries and a stack of tackle breaks. For a team that has endured a disastrous title defence, finishing with a 34-20 win and sending Haas out smiling was about as good as they could have hoped for.
Stocks down: It doesn't erase the bigger picture. Brisbane still finished 14th after an eight-game losing streak wrecked their season, so this was more farewell than revival.
-- Isaac Issa
Canberra Raiders
Srocks up: Josh Papali'i got a try in his last game, Coby Black looked pretty sharp and the Raiders, who haven't been able to defend really at all this year, finally worked out that the best cure for that is to just get into shootouts. A real last day of school vibe to this game, but Canberra were having a great time out there. Black, meanwhile, broke the point-scoring record for an NRL debutant, the halfback finishing with 26 points and a memorable try-assist for Ethan Strange.
Stocks down: Where was this earlier in the year? Who knows. Maybe it was being free of the shackles of expectation that allowed them to play like this, but given the form of a couple of the other finals teams heading into next week, it might have been nice to see Canberra sneak in instead. Alas, Mad Monday awaits.
-- Matt Bungard
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Stocks up: Lachlan Galvin was one of the few bright spots in a pretty flat finish to the year. He backed himself with the ball, scored twice and looked much more dangerous when he played direct, while Stephen Crichton's cut-out pass for Enari Tuala was another glimpse of what this attack can look like when it clicks.
Stocks down: The second half was brutal. Canterbury went into the break at 10-all, then conceded four tries in 11 minutes as Ben Hunt completely took control of the game. Poor errors, a lack of patience and some really soft defensive moments summed up a season Cameron Ciraldo described afterwards as shattering. A 34-20 loss at home was an ugly way to close out a year that promised a lot more.
-- Isaac Issa
Cronulla Sutherland Sharks
Stocks up: There was plenty to like about the fight in this one, especially given Cronulla had rested Nicho Hynes, Blayke Brailey and several other regulars ahead of the finals. They were somehow reduced to 11 men early, fell 12-0 behind, then responded with three tries in 10 minutes to lead at halftime. Riley Jones scoring on debut, and Riley Pollard setting up Sione Katoa were nice signs from some of the younger faces.
Stocks down: They still should have closed it out. Cronulla led 20-18 late and had done the hard part, only to concede one of the tries of the season literally on the buzzer. The early discipline was also messy, with two sin bins and Addin Fonua-Blake later put on report. Going into an elimination final, Craig Fitzgibbon will love the resilience. but not the chaos.
-- Isaac Issa
Dolphins
Stocks up: Once they snapped out of their early lethargy, the Dolphins were at their unstoppable best. Their backs are incredibly sharp, with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow leading the way with two tries and centres Herbie Farnworth and Jack Bostock causing plenty of problems out wide. They will go into their first finals series on a winning run and ready to cause plenty of headaches, starting with the Wahs in Auckland.
Stocks down: Yet another game where the Dolphins were stuck in the gates early while the opposition streaked away. It's all good and well to enjoy the "comeback kings" moniker, but it's very tough to beat the top teams in finals after giving away early leads. They will have to tighten up their defence as they head into the club's first ever finals series.
-- Darren Arthur
Gold Coast Titans
Stocks up: The Titans got off to a flyer, leading the napping Dolphins 14-0 after 25 minutes. When they scored their third try in the 70th minute, they were still in with a shot at an upset. The whole team would be best served during the offseason training for a full 80-minute effort.
Stocks down: Another frustrating performance from the Titans. Throughout the year they have looked capable of beating most opponents, but switch off a crucial times. If they could keep their errors, including missed tackles, to a minimum for the entirety of the game, they could be pushing for a spot in the finals.
-- Darren Arthur
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Stocks up: The Sea Eagles looked to go out with a bang and ran the Warriors into the ground with some slick backline movement. Reuben Garrick and Lehi Hopoate both grabbed doubles and Tom Trbojevic looked a threat every time he carried the ball. It was the kind of football that turned their season around following the arrival of coach Kieran Foran.
Stocks down: They took a six-point lead with 14 minutes remaining and really should have closed it out from there. Their defence was suspect throughout the game and could not hold out the Warriors, in what was an otherwise pleasing end to their rocky season.
-- Darren Arthur
Melbourne Storm
Stocks up: That finish was pure Melbourne. With the game nearly gone, they kept the ball alive through a ridiculous sequence of offloads before Harry Grant's flick sent Trent Loiero over after the siren for a 24-20 win. It was the sort of play that says plenty about the instinct and belief still running through this team, and back-to-back wins is a nice way to finish a frustrating regular season.
Stocks down: Jahrome Hughes leaving with a hamstring injury is the obvious cloud, and the Storm were far too sloppy for long stretches after racing to a 12-0 lead against 11 men. Their season may be over, but losing control of a game like that will still annoy Craig Bellamy.
-- Isaac Issa
Newcastle Knights
BYE
New Zealand Warriors
Stocks up: The game plan for the Warriors was to win this one by as big a margin as possible to beat the Panthers to the minor premiership. After a patchy start they slipped into gear with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad grabbing a double to take them to a 24-12 lead. In the end they were lucky to escape with the two competition points, but the one point improvement in their differential wasn't near enough to put any pressure on the Panthers.
Stocks down: Just when they looked like putting their foot down to build a healthy win, their defence from long-range became very sloppy, allowing the Sea Eagles to storm back into the game. Not only did they throw away any chance of winning the minor premiership, they have shown the other finalists a weakness they will look to exploit.
-- Darren Arthur
North Queensland Cowboys
Stocks up: Jason Taumalolo was excellent, leading from the front once again and getting his first try in four years. If North Queensland are going to do anything in this finals series, it's going to be off the back of their old warhorse (and Scott Drinkwater).
Stocks down: In a game that meant nothing, and the only goal was to get through 80 minutes without injuries and suspensions, it took Reuben Cotter a few seconds to get himself suspended. He plays the game with his heart on his sleeve every week and that can be a good thing, but this was an insane thing to do given the stakes on Saturday night (very, very low.) Now, the Cowboys don't have one of their senior players for an elimination final.
-- Matt Bungard
Parramatta Eels
Stocks up: Parramatta's late-season resurgence was still visible here. Jordan Samrani scored twice, Mitchell Moses kept them in control for patches and they built enough pressure to lead 22-16 midway through the second half. Given they had beaten the Tigers, Cowboys and Sharks across the previous five rounds, there has clearly been something more promising to take into 2027.
Stocks down: They absolutely butchered the finish. Three straight errors opened the door for Muhleisen's equaliser, Moses missed the chance to put them back ahead with a field goal, and then Sloan landed the two-pointer that ended their season. After being in front and seemingly in control, losing 24-22 is the kind of result that'll sting all summer.
-- Isaac Issa
Penrith Panthers
Stocks up: A very solid tune up game before the finals - I was shocked to see Isaah Yeo among the substitutes when team lists came out on Tuesday, but he got through almost an hour. Mitch Kenny is back and looks great, and shock horror the Panthers are the fittest of any finals team at the start of September once again.
Stocks down: Tom Jenkins missed out winning the Ken Irvine Medal outright, but his double in this game gave him a share of the prize along with Alex Johnston. I'm sure he'll be happy anyway.
-- Matt Bungard
St George Illawarra Dragons
Stocks up: If there was ever a way to finish a miserable season with a smile, this was it. The Dragons kept coming from behind, Blake Lawrie scored in his final game for the club, Connor Muhleisen levelled things late, then Tyrell Sloan casually nailed a 40-metre two-point field goal to win it 24-22. Even Lawrie's one-on-one strip straight after returning from the sin bin felt like part of the theatre. For a side that finished last, this was at least a reminder there's still some spirit there heading into a major 2027 rebuild.
Stocks down: The wider season obviously remains the issue. One dramatic win doesn't change a 17th-place finish, and even here they were forced to chase the game for long periods and needed a miracle kick to get home.
-- Isaac Issa
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Stocks up: I've said everything I can say about the Jai Arrow situation here - which was the highlight of the evening by a mile. The game was always going to be secondary, especially with the team the Roosters put on the park, but Souths still had to go out there and win a football game to lock up a home final. Now if only someone could kick goals.
Stocks down: Leaking 20 points against a team resting most of their starters isn't good regardless of when those points are scored, but they once again allowed a team to go back-to-back in the middle third of the game when things looked very cruisy. There wasn't even the excuse of Cam Murray and Brandon Smith being off the field like most weeks, they had their first choice middle on the park and still let the Chooks go right through them to cut the lead to 10. If they give the Knights a sniff like that next week, it could be so much worse.
-- Matt Bungard
Sydney Roosters
Stocks up: All things considered, that went as well as it could have. The young fellas dug deep, Rex Bassingthwaite scored a double and despite conceding 50 they still had to do a lot of defending and turned Souths away multiple times. Toby Rodwell kicked an amazing 40/20 in what was a mixed night, but the motley crew they put on the field for this one should be very proud of themselves.
Stocks down: Despite resting plenty of guys, Spencer Leniu is someone who played in this game and will play in the finals for them. To give a penalty away with the ball in possession in such selfish fashion was ridiculous, especially when you consider that they'd just been awarded a six again of their own.
-- Matt Bungard
Wests Tigers
Stocks Up: It's over, Tigers fans -- you don't have to do this anymore. See you at the Leichhardt farewell concert in a couple of weeks. At least Solomone Saukuru has looked pretty good down the stretch but what a grim season, especially when you consider how good they looked in April.
Stocks down: I would normally comfort my Tigers-supporting friends by pointing out that at least their women's team is going great, and will play finals this year. The latter part of that is still true, but a 58-0 loss in the penultimate round of the season is not what you want.
-- Matt Bungard
