The red-hot Roosters will be desperate to book their spot in a third-straight grand final with a victory over the Raiders on Saturday night.

Bradman Best is set to test his value on the open market, but a new factor that could decide where his NRL future lies has been revealed — his brother.

The Panthers are reportedly closing in on a huge dual boost with co-captains Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary expected to remain with the club.

What would a spot in next week’s decider mean for the city of Newcastle? Well, Knights premiership winner Matty Johns has a pretty good idea.

After every grand final, Scott Sorensen sent the same person the same text message.

The Newcastle Knights have been the emotional heartbeat of the Hunter region since they entered the competition in 1988 and the footy side sets the weekly tone for the area– above and below ground.

Thirteen years since their last NRL preliminary final, the Newcastle Knights are on a quest to do the unthinkable — go from wooden spoon to premiers in a single season. Writing in 1987, their inaugural coach spelt out the player who would get them there. 

Roosters coach Trent Robinson has credited the character of Spencer Leniu and his classy response after the prop didn’t see the field during the preliminary final win over the Dolphins.

A disappointed Kristian Woolf has conceded the Sydney Roosters “deserved the win” after the Dolphins dream of reaching a maiden grand final ended in a heartbreaking preliminary final loss.

The powerhouse winger produced another passage of absolute magic to set up a vital try in the second half as the Sydney Roosters booked a spot in next Sunday’s grand final courtesy of a 36-20 win over the Dolphins. Christian Nicolussi