Rugby League | News | Aussie Punter

After yet another action-packed, drama-filled season, the NRL's big day for 2011 has finally arrived, with second-place regular-season finishers Manly taking on surprise packets New Zealand (sixth) in front of a sell-out crowd - as well as a massive tv audience - as the two sides do battle for premiership glory at Sydney's ANZ Stadium late on Sunday afternoon. The Sea Eagles will be seeking their second NRL title in three years, after smashing then premiers Melbourne 40-0 to win the 2008 crown,...

Melbourne will be seeking to reach their fourth grand final in five years, when they take on suprise packets New Zealand in front of what will be a packed house at AAMI Park on Saturday night in the second preliminary final. After finishing the regular season as Minor Premiers, the Storm are now just one two wins away from completing their mission of redemption, following the fallout from the 2010 salary cap scandal, which saw the club stripped of two NRL titles and three minor premierships. Their...

Manly will be looking to reach their third grand final in five years when they take on the Darren lockyer-less Broncos at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night, in the first of the NRL's two sudden-death preliminary finals. It will be the third time the two sides have met this season, with honours currently even at one win apiece - most recently an 18-10 Brisbane victory at Suncorp Stadium just three weeks ago in Round 26. The Sea Eagles have won five of the last seven head-to-head encounters,...

Tensions will be riding high at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, when the Broncos - led by club legend and captain Darren Lockyer - host defending premiers St George Illawarra in the second sudden-death elimination final. The retiring Lockyer will grace his beloved home turf for the final time ever and his team mates will be desperate to ensure his glittering career doesn't end in tears of disappointment. Following their 42-10 thumping over New Zealand in week one of the finals last Saturday...

The first elimination final for season 2011 sees two sides with contrasting form from week one of the finals meet in a sudden-death match-up, when Wests host New Zealand at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night. The respective performances of these two sides last weekend suggests that this clash is somewhat of a mismatch, but the highly-fancied Tigers will still have their work cut out for them to progress to the competition's penultimate weekend. Fourth place finishers Wests set a new club...

Melbourne's campaign for redemption following last year's much-publicised salary cap scandal moves up a gear on Sunday afternoon, when the 2011 NRL Minor Premiers host eighth placed Newcastle at AAMI Park, in what is the first finals appearance in two years for both teams. Up until a fortnight ago the Storm had won an ominous 12 consecutive matches, but have since suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in over 12 months. Firstly, they were downed 18-4 in a spiteful away clash with rivals...

North Queensland will be out to keep their 2011 NRL campaign alive, when they travel south to take on Second placed Manly at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday night, in what is a sudden-death encounter for the visitors. The Cowboys finished the year in seventh spot on the ladder, after losing four of their final five regular-season games - including last weekend's 18-6 away loss to New Zealand, in which victory would have ensured a fifth-place finish. In a boost to North Queensland's chances,...

Brisbane will play host to the Warriors for the second time in six weeks, when the two teams meet in their week one finals match-up at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night. The Round 22 encounter certainly had a semi-final feel about it, with the home side securing a 21-20 win thanks to a Peter Wallace field goal at the death, in what was a tense and high-quality 80 minutes of rugby league. Both sides will be even more desperate this time around, with the winner assured of a home elimination final...

The 2011 NRL Finals Series gets underway on Friday night, with the red-hot Wests Tigers taking on defending premiers St George Illawarra in front of what is sure to be a big crowd at ANZ Stadium. The battle of fourth verses fifth on the NRL ladder will be the fourth time that the competition's two joint-venture outfits have clashed in less than 12 months, with the Tigers nail-biting 16-14 win in Round 22 the most recent. Prior to that match, the Dragons had won fourth straight head-to-head encounters...

The Newcastle Knights claimed the final top-eight spot for the 2011 NRL Finals Series with a convincing 40-24 victory over fellow playoff hopefuls South Sydney on Friday night at Ausgrid Stadium, to book a sudden-death date with Minor Premiers Melbourne on Sunday and put an end the Rabbitohs season in the process. New South Wales Origin winger Akuila Uate bagged a four-try haul for the home side to take his season tally to 19, as the Knights snapped a three-match losing streak to reach the finals...