Ahead of Round 24 kicking off with a match between the Sea Eagles and Panthers, news broke that the stand-off between the NRL and RLPA was almost over.
The two warring factions have a deal in-principle for a new collective bargaining agreement which will finally allow the game to move on after being deadlocked for close to two years.
With the media boycott binned and any other future protests called off, the tape came off the NRL jerseys and everything returned to normal as Penrith beat Manly to end their opponents hopes of playing finals.
Parramatta took a major hit in their bid to play finals footy, while the red-hot Broncos continued their march towards a title tilt in the coming weeks.
South Sydney got back on track with a win over the Dragons in Cairns to kick off proceedings on Saturday. The Warriors then cemented their spot in the top four with a gritty win over the Tigers, while the Dolphins slipped to defeat against the Roosters which left Wayne Bennett hot under the collar.
On Sunday, Melbourne demolished the Raiders to grab a place inside the top four before the Knights took care of business against the Bulldogs.
MORE: NRL live ladder - Keep up to date with all the latest movements throughout Round 24
The Sporting News has all the live updates, highlights, analysis and talking points from Round 24 below.
Knights rip Bulldogs apart in Newcastle
The Newcastle Knights have maintained their impressive form, dismantling the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and extending their win streak to six games.
The home side entered the sheds up 30-0 at half-time, with Tyson Gamble scoring an unlikely double.
It took a while for things to get going in the second half, but the Knights eventually added more points, with Leo Thompson bagging his first-ever NRL try.
Reed Mahoney scored the Bulldogs' only points of the game, with his side going down 42-6.
It wasn't quite the 66-0 shellacking they copped earlier this season in the reverse fixture, but another heavy loss regardless.
- Joshua Mayne
Harry Grant and co run riot as Storm spine tear Raiders apart
Craig Bellamy pulled a shock before kickoff in the Melbourne and Canberra clash with Harry Grant moved back to the bench as they attempted to manage his workload.
During the opening stages it looked like the correct decision as the Raiders started with plenty of intensity as they chased a sixth straight win in Melbourne against the Storm.
However, as soon as Grant was introduced into the action after 20 minutes, the game turned as the home side began to pick the Raiders' brittle defence apart to eventually claim a 48-2 win.
The Storm spine produced a commanding display with Grant, Nick Meaney, Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes combining for a bucket load of points against a shellshocked Canberra outfit.
Meaney 🤝 Grant#NRLStormRaiders pic.twitter.com/SZP0RKvESG
— NRL (@NRL) August 13, 2023
Meaney claimed a 16-point haul as well as two try assists, Munster grabbed a four-pointer and Hughes returned from injury to grab two try assists, while Grant finished with a try and an assist.
The performances of their key position players sending out an ominous warning to their rivals as Melbourne climbed into the top four and look to be hitting form at precisely the right moment as we head into finals.
-Mark Molyneux
Wayne Bennett complains about officiating after Dolphins loss to the Roosters
Wayne Bennett has complained about inconsistency in the officiating after the Dolphins' 30-14 loss to the Roosters.
Ray Stone was sent to the sin bin for a high shot, which Bennett was left frustrated by after seeing Billy Smith avoid copping the same treatment when he was only put on report for an elbow on Kodi Nikorima.
"The decision we got on the sin bin, it was as much to do with the result as anything else," the coach said.
"There’s no doubt he got hit in the head, not denying that for a moment. He got put on report and that was fair enough.
"This is a rarity. A Dolphin in the bin."
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 12, 2023
Ray Stone gets sent to the sin bin for high contact.
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"But we had Kodi Nikorima, who got hit in the head with an elbow and that was just put on report and a penalty.
"The tackle Ray was in he got hit below, he was coming in to tackle and he just dropped his height.
"That’s one of those things that happens in the game and you put it on report and go from there… but I think it was way over the top."
Stone's hit on Drew Hutchison proved a pivotal moment with the Roosters gaining ascendancy in the match following the decision.
The Dolphins forward has since been issued with a Grade 1 High Tackle charge, which will result in a $3,000 fine if he takes the early guilty plea while Smith has escaped a charge altogether.
-Mark Molyneux
Mitchell Moses injury compounds horror Parramatta Eels loss
Parramatta's finals hopes faded further away on Friday night, with their horror 54-10 loss to Brisbane all-but assuring they will finish outside the top-eight in 2023.
And to make matters worse, star halfback Mitchell Moses didn't feature in the second-half after suffering a suspected facial fracture, likely ending his campaign in the blue and gold.
“He’ll need X-rays to make sure, but I’m pretty sure he’s got a fractured eye socket or cheekbone," head coach Brad Arthur said in the post-game media conference.
"I think it was the third or fourth minute of the game where it happened, so he was extremely tough to play on until half-time. We had to make the decision that he didn’t go back out in the second-half, he wanted to go back on."
In front of close to 30,000 fans at The Gabba, the red-hot Broncos continued their march towards the finals as the Eels' shaky defence conceded 13 linebreaks and took a huge hit in the points-differential department.
- Liam O'Loughlin (@ljoloughlin)
Kevin Walters praises son Billy amid career-best form
For all the superstars in the Brisbane lineup right now, Billy Walters has become one of the unsung heroes each week and his performance against the Eels was further proof of his improvement.
Walters finished with two tries and 19 tackles without a miss against last year's grand finalists, with his work in tandem with bench hooker Tyson Smoothy paying off for the in-form side.
The 29-year-old has made the transition from a back-up playmaker or utility to full-time starting hooker this season, playing his role for the Broncos in their push towards a premiership.
Speaking to the media after Round 24, head coach and father Kevin Walters praised the efforts from the No.9 over the past month.
“I think he’s improved from when he arrived at the club," Walters said.
"This year was his first year pre-season in the nine and he’s just gotten better every week.
"We’re very fortunate, we’ve got great depth in there with Tyson [Smoothy] as well and Cory Paix can’t even get a jersey at the moment… we’re pretty well blessed in that position.
"Billy is doing a really good job for us and getting better every week and I think his defence has gone up a notch or two as well.
"There’s lots of guys to pass the ball to, which takes the attention off him a little bit, which then he can take that advantage which I feel the last four or five weeks he’s been really good at."
- Liam O'Loughlin (@ljoloughlin)
Adam Reynolds nails 1000th career goal in Broncos victory
Broncos captain Adam Reynolds join an elite club of two on Friday night, becoming just the second player in NRL history to record 1000 career goals.
The 33-year-old pulled the strings in Brisbane's 54-10 victory over Parramatta, notching eight conversions and one penalty goal, as well as scoring a four-pointer of his own at The Gabba.
Reynolds sits behind only Cameron Smith in all-time goals in the top grade, with the Storm legend nailing 1295 two-pointers throughout his illustrious career.
Elsewhere for the high-flying Broncos, Deine Mariner and Billy Walters scored doubles and star fullback Reece Walsh produced five linebreak assists, two linebreaks and one try in yet another eye-catching performance.
- Liam O'Loughlin (@ljoloughlin)
Wade Graham caps off emotional week with dominant win
It's been a whirlwind week for Cronulla captain Wade Graham, who announced his retirement on Tuesday and celebrated his 250th game in the black, white and blue with a comprehensive victory on Friday night.
The veteran back-rower announced he would hang up the boots at the end of 2023 but proved he isn't done just yet against the Titans, winding back the clock and crossing for a crucial try.
Speaking to the media post-game, Graham admitted that it had been an emotional ride but knows his decision was the right one.
“I feel grateful for how the last two weeks have gone," he said.
"The dinner and having everyone there – the whole squad, ex-teammates, ex-opponents, ex-coaches – I knew it was the perfect opportunity for me and I’m just grateful I got the opportunity to do it the way it worked out.
"And because of the way it was done earlier in the week, it sort of allowed the team to process it, come back in after a day off and train and prepare for this week to play.
"Ultimately, the result was the most important thing for us because of the ladder. There’s lots of celebrations and lots of emotions, but ultimately the two competition points each week is what makes me happy."
- Liam O'Loughlin (@ljoloughlin)
Sharks turnaround continues as back-five dominate Titans
Cronulla's timely turnaround in form continued on Friday evening, with the side earning a second-straight victory with a 36-6 triumph over the Titans.
After a shock win over South Sydney, the side continued their run into the finals with a dominant display in front of their home fans and it was their powerful outside backs who proved to be a major difference.
While it was hard to single out individuals, the back-five from the Sharks combined for over 800 run metres, with Ronaldo Mulitalo crossing for a double in his return from injury and Siosifa Talakai laying on two assists.
The left-side attack from Cronulla also pulled their weight and then some, with centre Jesse Ramien finishing with a game-high 205 run metres and a try, while winger Sione Katoa broke 13 tackles.
Wade Graham also wound back the clock with an impressive performance just days after announcing his NRL retirement, while cult hero Toby Rudolf got himself off the nudie run with his first try of 2023.
Tensions threatened to boil over late in the second-half with Erin Clark sin-binned for striking Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes, allowing the hosts to ease their way to a well-earned two points.
- Liam O'Loughlin (@ljoloughlin)
Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and David Fifita sign long-term deals
Gold Coast may have fallen short in their Round 24 clash with Cronulla on Friday night - but the club received a major boost with star forwards Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and David Fifita both extending their contracts.
The 23-year-old duo will both remain at the Titans long-term, with the skipper Fa'asuamaleaui re-signing a mammoth $12 million deal across the next decade and Fifita re-committing until the end of 2026.
“These are two great young men, talented footballers and important players for us as we work towards our goal of bringing premierships to the Coast," Titans CEO Steve Mitchell said.
“Both Tino and David have already made an impact in their time here and as a club, we’re excited to see what they can achieve in our jersey over the coming years."
The captain told Fox League post-game that despite the loss, he believes the long-term future is bright at the club.
“I’m very happy that I’ve settled all that... I was hoping to get that all done before this game and we did," he said.
"It’s very disappointing that loss tonight, but we’ve still got a couple more games that we’ve got to show some pride in the club and show our fans that we really care about this club and we love this club.
"I know we’ve got a good group that can definitely change into a winning side. I’m confident that we’re gonna do that… I can definitely see the future of us winning and working hard and giving back to our community."
- Liam O'Loughlin (@ljoloughlin)
Reuben Garrick's bizarre kick comes back to haunt Sea Eagles
When Josh Schuster latched onto an intercept and ventured down field in the opening exchanges of Thursday night's contest, little did anyone know that his wasteful kick on the first tackle wouldn't be the most bizarre moment of the game.
Instead, that was reserved for Reuben Garrick with the Manly fullback opting to boot the ball long after initially fielding a Nathan Cleary kick.
The move took everyone by surprise as Dylan Edwards motored back to collect the ball almost with a wry smirk painted across his face.
A kicking duel leads to another Penrith try!
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 10, 2023
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The Sea Eagles put in a half-hearted chase and moments later, Edwards had scooped up the ball and made it to halfway before he passed to Crichton, who in turn dished it off to Sunia Turuva.
The Panthers winger carved through a broken line and touched down under the posts to complete a remarkable turn of events as Penrith edged into a lead which they wouldn't relinquish.
It was a tough moment for Garrick who was otherwise largely excellent, but it was a mistake which proved costly as Manly were unable to recover with their finals hopes left in tatters.
"We handed them a couple, but we had to go down swinging," Anthony Seibold said post-match.
"There were two dubious calls for two of their tries but like I said, we were going for broke there with the intercept and the return serve kick.
"It was a plan. We couldn't just come here and try and arm wrestle them... we practiced it at training, but a few guys just missed their job there defensively.
"But I'm proud of the guys and the reality now is we've got to win three of our last three and hope a result or two goes our way."
- Mark Molyneux
NRL Round 24 results
| Date | Match | Time (AEST) | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurs. 10th August | Manly Sea Eagles 12 def. by Penrith Panthers 24 | 7.50pm | 4 Pines Park |
| Fri. 11th August | Cronulla Sharks 36 def. Gold Coast Titans 6 | 6pm | PointsBet Stadium |
| Fri. 11th August | Brisbane Broncos 54 def. Parramatta Eels 10 | 8pm | The Gabba |
| Sat. 12th August | South Sydney Rabbitohs 26 def. St George Illawarra Dragons 14 | 3pm | Barlow Park |
| Sat. 12th August | Wests Tigers 22 def. by New Zealand Warriors 30 | 5.30pm | FMG Stadium Waikato |
| Sat. 12th August | Sydney Roosters 30 def. Dolphins14 | 7.35pm | Allianz Stadium |
| Sun. 13th August | Melbourne Storm vs. Canberra Raiders | 2pm | AAMI Park |
| Sun. 13th August | Newcastle Knights vs. Canterbury Bulldogs | 4.05pm | McDonald Jones Stadium |
