Super Saturday: Broncos v Warriors; Eels, Raiders spring upsets

9 min:The Wahs have struck first with a deft Wayde Egan dummy half pass creating space for secondrower Jacob Laban to score. Metcalf missed the conversion. Warriors 4 Broncos 0

7 min: Reece Walsh has fumbled a Luke Metcalf bomb near the Broncos line.

4min: The Broncos have started well but their kicking game has left a bit to be desired in the early exchanges.

1min: After an uplifting Welcome to Country that had the capacity Suncorp Stadium crowd on their feet and clapping, we are underway with Luke Metcalf kicking off for the Warriors to Broncos back Grant Anderson.

Late Mail

Broncos: The premiers continue to take a cautious approach to skipper Adam Reynolds' return from concussion so young gun Thomas Duffy hangs on to the No.7 jersey in an unchanged starting side. Prop Aublix Tawha has been named on the bench for his first NRL appearance since suffering a syndesmosis injury in Round 17. The Broncos’ seven-game losing streak at Suncorp Stadium is the worst in their history. Gehamat Shibasaki has been added to the six-man bench on Friday in jersey No.20. 

Warriors: No late changes for the Warriors. Te Maire Martin played nine games in a row at halfback between Round 12 and 22 but a hamstring injury opened the door for Luke Metcalf and the Dragons-bound playmaker burst through it last week. On the back of a standout role against the Panthers, Metcalf starts in the No.7 this week in an unchanged 13. Demitric Vaimauga returns on the bench after two games out with a rib injury. Adam Pompey has been added to the bench in No.20.

Numbers Game

• The Broncos have lost 11 of their last 12 games.
• The Warriors have won three of their last four games against the Broncos.
• Broncos centre Deine Mariner has scored four tries in two games against the Warriors.
• Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has scored nine tries in his last six games against the Broncos.
• The Broncos’ seven-game losing streak at Suncorp Stadium is the worst in their history.

 

Eels v Cowboys at CommBank Stadium

Life of Brian: The Eels had plenty of heroes but winger Brian Kelly was immense with 17 runs for 240 metres to go with 10 tackle breaks. Fellow outside backs Will Penisini (155 run metres) and Josh Addo-Carr (150 run metres) also shone.

Full-time: The Eels have stunned the eighth-placed Cowboys with a 32-30 triumph that keeps the finals hopes of the Bulldogs, Sea Eagles, Storm and Raiders alive.

80 min: Braidon Burns puts the ball down 10m out from his own line and the Cowboys are done. 

78 min: Scott Drinkwater lines up a two-point field goal but Tallyn Da Silva gets off the line quickly and charges him down.

74 min: Mitch Moses runs the ball on the last and is ankle tapped by Heilum Luki and loses the ball. A knock-on is ruled but the Eels challenge and claim Moses was caught high by Tom Chester after he had lost the ball. Eels penalty. Moses lands the goal. Eels 32-30

74 min: A wicked high ball from Jake Clifford is allowed to bounce by Brian Kelly but the Eels come up with possession.

69 min: Mitch Moses kicks for Brian Kelly but Murray Taulagi makes the catch and is dragged down illegally by Kelly. Cowboys penalty.

67 min: Ronald Volkman puts in a kick on the last tackle and Braidon Burns tidies up.

63 min: Mitch Moses' bomb comes down 20m out and lands in the arms of Junior Paulo who launches a 25m pass across the field to Sean Russell who offloads to Jordan Samrani for a try. The pass from Paulo was absolutely freakish! Moses converts from touch. 30-30

61 min: Apa Twidle leaves the field for a HIA.

58 min: A freakish try from the Cowboys as Jaxon Purdue grubbers to the right edge where Murray Taulagi gathers and gets the ball back to Purdue who sends it to John Bateman who kicks cross field for Braidon Burns to take the catch and get an outrageous offload around the corner for Tom Chester to score. The touchline conversion from Scott Drinkwater is good and he has five from five. Cowboys 30-24

55 min: A clean line break from Mitch Moses who picks up Apa Twidle and the fullback is dragged down 10m out. Tallyn Da Silva skips out of dummy half and loses the ball as he reaches for the line. Reuben Cotter never got himself onside and came in to prevent Da Silva from scoring. The bunker rules Da Silva would have scored if not for Cotter's involvement. PENALTY TRY. Moses converts from in front. 24-24

52 min: Skipper Reuben Cotter takes a short pass from Reed Mahoney and powers over from close range to put his team in front. Scott Drinkwater converts. Cowboys 24-18

51 min: The kick-off from Apa Twidle goes out on the full and the Cowboys have a penalty on halfway.

49 min: Another big moment for Jaxon Purdue as he leaves Teancum Brown and Apa Twidle in his wake with electric footwork and the Cowboys are back in business. 18-18

47 min: Josh Addo-Carr burns Braidon Burns on the outside and tries to grubber back on the inside but the ball goes nowhere and he fumbles it as he tries to clean it up.

44 min: Ronald Volkman comes up with a perfectly weighted kick for Josh Addo-Carr to chase through and score in the left-hand corner. Mitch Moses misses again with the conversion. Eels 18-12

43 min: A sloppy start to the second half as Jake Clifford tries to drop John Bateman underneath him but the ball is spilled.

Moses the man: Parra's skipper was in everything in the opening 40 with a try assist, three tackle breaks, 56 run metres and 204 kick metres.

Half-time: The Eels have taken the game right up to the Cowboys and we've got a great contest on our hands. Both sides completed high and there's very little between them as the Cowboys chase a win to solidify eighth spot.

38 min: Apa Twidle stands his ground under a high ball and is clipped by Jake Clifford who led the chase. Clifford is penalised for high contact.

35 min: Mitch Moses launches a wicked spiral which the Cowboys allow to bounce. The ball comes down to Brian Kelly who unloads for Will Penisini to set sail for the corner. Zac Laybutt gets back in cover and saves the day as Penisini's leg touches the sideline.

30 min: The Cowboys go the width of the field from left to right and Jaxon Purdue delivers a 20-metre rocket pass over the top for Braidon Burns to score. Scott Drinkwater converts. Eels 14-12

29 min: Coen Hess gets over the line but is denied by Harrrison Edwards and Apa Twidle who get under the ball and deny the put-down.

28 min: The Eels turn the ball over while in possession when Tallyn Da Silva is penalised for being in front of the play and becoming involved.

26 min: A poor end to the Cowboys set as Jaxon Purdue finds himself in traffic and can't get a kick away. The Eels come out of their own end.

22 min: Jack Williams is grassed 20m out from the Cowboys line and comes up with a lightning quick play-the-ball for Tallyn Da Siva to scoop the ball up and get through some flimsy defence to score in the corner. Mitch Moses again misses the conversion. Eels 14-6

21 min: A high shot by Heilum Luki on Luca Moretti brings a penalty and then a sin bin as the Cowboys find themselves a man down. 

19 min: Mitch Moses kicks across to the left edge where Jordan Samrani makes it a contest and the ball comes down to Ronald Volkman who dummies his way past Braidon Burns to score. Moses fails to convert. Eels 10-6

18 min: Josh Addo-Carr is manhandled by four Cowboys defenders and loses the ball when he hits the ground. The Eels lodge a captain's challenge and come up trumps with the bunker ruling a strip by Tom Chester.

14 min: The Eels hit back when Mitch Moses kicks cross field, Brian Kelly catches the ball on the full and grubbers ahead for Apa Twidle to follow through and score his third career try in just his second game. Moses converts. 6-6

13 min: On the back of points the Cowboys fail to get their kick when Scott Drinkwater makes a simple error at first receiver.

11 min: Scott Drinkwater comes down just short and Reed Mahoney rushes into dummy half and burrows over for the game's opening try. Back after two games out with concussion, Mahoney makes the perfect start. Drinkwater converts. Cowboys 6-0

10 min: Saxon Pryke takes the ball to the line and slips an offload for Luca Moretti which is called forward.

8 min: Mitch Moses tries to sneak down a short side and Jason Taumalolo comes up with one of the tackles of the year to stop him in his tracks.

5 min: A third penalty against the Cowboys, this time against Tom Chester for a tackle off the ball, has the Eels in good field position again.

3 min: The Eels come up empty after all the early pressure when Mitch Moses throws a low pass to Will Penisini and the ball is turned over.

1 min: A stunning start for the Eels as Brian Kelly makes a clean line break straight from the kick-off.

Late Mail

Eels: One game-day swap, with Harrison Edwards coming onto the interchange bench in place of Kelma Tuilagi. Lock Jack de Belin came out of the side on Friday and is replaced at lock by Saxon Pryke. After averaging 151 run metres and busting 53 tackles across his 13 matches in 2026, fullback Isaiah Iongi's season is over after he injured his syndesmosis and his medial ligament against Souths. Rising star Apa Twidle comes in for his second game of the season after debuting back in Round 5 against Wests Tigers. Tallyn Da Silva has been named to start at hooker with Ryley Price dropping out.

Cowboys: The return of combative hooker Reed Mahoney after a two-week concussion lay-off sees Soni Luke revert to the bench in the only change to the starting side that downed the Titans. "I'm looking forward to having the 1-2 punch of Reed and Soni back," coach Todd Payten said. "Reed was filthy his missed last week." Back-rower Heilum Luki has proved an ironman in 2026, playing every minute of every game for the Cowboys. No changes in Friday's 24-hour update with Kaiden Lahrs remaining in the squad as the reserve.

 

Sharks v Raiders at Ocean Protect Stadium

Press conferences

Full-time: The Raiders hold on to upset the Sharks at home, securing a 24-20 win. The Sharks had their chances - but the early loss of Braydon Trindall was telling, with Nicho Hynes having to shoulder double the attacking load. The result has ladder implications, with the Dolphins now in fourth, with the Sharks dropping to fifth. 

76th min: A captain's challenge from the Canberra Raiders is unsuccessful, giving the Sharks a set start 10 metres out from their try line as they attempt to get the result to keep them in the top four. 

73rd min: A Sharks attempt to level the scores goes up as a 'no-try' to the Bunker, despite a massive effort from Ronaldo Mulitalo - with the referee wanting to check for an obstruction and if he got it down short. The Bunker said it was inconclusive, so the on-field ruling stands - but it did look very close with the crowd cheering the initial replays. Score remains 24-20 to the Raiders. 

57th min: A decision to go for a try instead of a penalty goal in front by the Raiders is rewarded, with captain Joseph Tapine proving his strength in pushing his way through five defenders to get his arm free and score under the posts. Sanders slots another from in front and Canberra are back ahead 24-20. 

50th min: A mix-up at the back for the Raiders, with Jed Stuart throwing a pass infield after fielding a kick, but it's at the head of Kaeo Weekes who had to reach up and loses the ball - so a chasing Will Kennedy is there to pick it up and run in to score. Hynes converts and it's 20-18 to the Sharks now. 

Half-time: The Raiders go into the sheds with a slim 18-14 lead after a seesawing first half. Both sides have also had their injury woes to deal with in the game, with Braydon Trindall (shoulder) for the Sharks and Morgan Smithies (HIA) for the Raiders out for the match. 

40th min: A crazy way to end the half, with the ball going through every pair of hands and back again of the Sharks - but the Raiders were just able to keep up with the hot-potato football and deny Cronulla a try, with Sanders able to whack the ball dead. Raiders lead 18-14.

36th min: An almost instant hit-back from the Sharks and this time the try stands with Teig Wilton splitting some Raiders defence to score after getting a Blayke Brailey pass at the line. A good run from  and break Mawene Hiroti helps set up the play in the lead up. Hynes converts and the scores narrow to 18-14 to the Raiders. 

33rd min: Instead, it's the Raiders who go further in front, with Jed Stuart holding his position on the sideline and able to latch on to an impressive pass from the inside out from Ethan Strange. Sanders is able to slot it from the sideline and it's 18-8 to the visitors. 

30th min: The Sharks thought they were back in front with KL Iro, returning from injury, putting the ball down on the right corner - but unfortunately for Sharks fans, his foot was dragged over the line before he was able to ground the ball. Raiders maintain their 12-8 lead.

Injury alert - Raiders forward Morgan Smithies has failed his HIA.

16th min: Raiders are in for back-to-back tries, with Owen Pattie forcing his way over the line, despite the attention three Sharks defenders. The referee wasn't sure of the grounding and sends it up as a no-try, but the Bunker could see no wrong from the Canberra rake and the try is awarded. Sanders slots his second conversion and the Raiders are now in front 12-8. 

12th min: Raiders hit back against the run of play, with Xavier Savage streaking down the right-hand side of the field after taking a cut-out pass from Kaeo Weekes. He improves the position and allows Ethan Sanders an easy kick from in front. Sharks lead 8-6. 

Injury update - That try has come at a cost with Brayden Trindall coming straight off the field with a reported shoulder injury, landing awkwardly when getting the ball down. 

6th  min: More points to the Sharks with the first try of the game to Brayden Trindall chasing through on his own kick into the in goal. Hynes converts and it's 8-0. 

4th min: Some easy early points for the Sharks with Nicho Hynes slotting a penalty goal. The Raiders were pinged for an escort, with players forming 'a wall' to impede the Cronulla kick-chase. Sharks lead 2-0.

Kick off: The Sharks kick off and the Raider bring the ball back for the first play of the game.

Match preview

Late Mail

Sharks: No game day changes after Braden Uele and Sam Stonestreet were retained in the 19-man squad on Friday with Michael Gabrael omitted. Addin Fonua-Blake's one-game ban for a careless high tackle brings Oregon Kaufusi into the starting side. Centre KL Iro is back from concussion to fill the hole left by Jesse Ramien (pectoral). The Sharks have won five of their past six games against the Raiders.

Raiders: The Raiders are 1-19 with no late changes. With the finals all but gone, Simi Sasagi will be rested ahead of end-of-season shoulder surgery. Savelio Tamale earns a recall in the centres after four games in NSW Cup. With Corey Horsburgh left out, Ata Mariota moves to prop and Englishman Matty Nicholson joins the starting side in the back row for his third game of 2026. 

Numbers Game

• The Sharks have won five of their past six games against the Raiders.
• The Raiders have not won at Ocean Protect Stadium since 2019.
• The Sharks have won seven from eight at Ocean Protect Stadium this season.
• Raiders winger Jed Stuart has scored four tries in his last four games.
• Sharks winger Sione Katoa has scored six tries in his last six games.