2025 NRL Grand Final: Difference between revisions

NRL Grand Final

The 2025 NRL Grand Final will be the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2025 National Rugby League season in Australia. It will be contested between the Melbourne Storm and the Brisbane Broncos on 5 October at Accor Stadium in Sydney.^[1]

The match will be preceded by the 2025 NRL State Championship and the NRL Women’s Premiership grand final. The match will be broadcast live throughout Australia by the Nine Network. Pre-match entertainment will be performed by American rapper Teddy Swims.^[2]

Background

The 2025 NRL season is the 118th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 28th season run by the National Rugby League. The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, followed by a finals series contested by the top eight teams on the competition ladder.

The Melbourne Storm finished second on the 2025 ladder with a 17–7 win-loss record. They first hosted the third-placed Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at a qualifying final at AAMI Park, winning 26–18 to earn a week-off from the finals. The Storm then hosted and defeated the fifth-placed Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in a preliminary final, also at AAMI Park, to advance to a consecutive grand final.

The Brisbane Broncos entered the 2025 season having failed to reach finals the previous year, finishing 12th in 2024. Brisbane finished fourth on the 2025 ladder with a 15–9 record. The Broncos first visited the Canberra Raiders, who were the minor premiers, at GIO Stadium for their qualifying final. The Broncos overcame a 28–12 deficit during the second half to tie the score at 28 points each, courtesy of an 80th minute penalty goal. With the score still tied after ten allocated minutes of extra time was exhausted, Ben Hunt kicked a golden point field goal on the 93rd minute to defeat the Raiders 28–29 and earn a week-off in the finals. The Broncos then hosted the Penrith Panthers, the defending premiers, at Suncorp Stadium in the preliminary final. Trailing 0–14 at half time, the Broncos again came from behind to defeat the Panthers 16–14 to qualify for the grand final. The win was significant by which it ended Penrith’s run of five consecutive grand final appearances, their 14 finals game winning streak, and also effectively ending their record four-year premiership streak.

Brisbane and Melbourne finished as runners-up respectively in the 2023 and 2024 premiership deciders, with both sides going down to the Penrith Panthers. The Storm are aiming for their 5th premiership,^[a] having previously won in 2020. The Broncos are aiming for their 7th premiership (inclusive of their 1997 Super League win), having previously won in 2006, also against Melbourne in which Brisbane won 15–8. This will be the second meeting between the two clubs in a grand final.

Pre-match

Broadcasting

The match will broadcast live on the Nine Network in Australia and 9Now and on Sky Sport in New Zealand. Radio broadcasters will include ABC, Triple M, 2GB, 4BC and NRL Nation.^[3]

Officiating

Following their work in the preliminary finals, Grant Atkins was appointed as the referee for the Grand Final. It will be Atkins first NRL Grand Final as referee after he was the video referee for the 2022 and 2024 matches. Ashley Klein was appointed as the video referee in the NRL Bunker, beating out Chris Butler. Chris Sutton and David Munro were appointed as the touch judges.^[4][5][6]

Match summary

Post-match

Opening matches

Two opening matches will be played on the ground prior to the grand final: the NRL State Championship and NRL Women’s Grand Final.^[7] Both matches will be broadcast live throughout Australia by the Nine Network.

NRL State Championship

NRL Women’s Premiership Grand Final

Notes

References