The qualifying finals will be followed by elimination games in this year’s NRL finals season. Picture: NRL
THE 2024 NRL season enters finals mode this weekend with games scheduled from Melbourne to Townsville.
The NRL confirmed week one of the finals schedule with Penrith kicking off the finals with a home game against the Roosters on Friday (5.50pm EST).
The next day, minor premiers Melbourne will host the Sharks from 4.05pm at AAMI Park.
In the first of the elimination finals, the Cowboys meet the Knights in Townsville from 7.50pm on Saturday. On Sunday, in the second of the eliminations, the Bulldogs take on the Sea Eagles at Accor Stadium from 4.05pm (EST).
In a media statement, NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo says the finish to the 2024 regular season has been exceptional.
“After 27 rounds the final position in the top eight came down to the very last match,” he says.
“In 2024 we have seen spectacular football, the most tries since 1998, 10 Golden Point games and almost a third of the matches decided by six points or less.”
Mr Abdo describes the 2024 season as “record-breaking” with more than 133 million viewers and more than 3.8 million fans attending matches.
“We have some great match-ups in the finals series week one; in this premiership, any team can win on the day.”
THE KID LAROI
The NRL also announced that Grammy-nominated singer The Kid LAROI will headline the 2024 NRL and NRLW grand final entertainment program.
“He is one of the biggest music stars on the planet and he has rugby league in his DNA having grown up in South Sydney and followed his beloved Rabbitohs from a very young age,” Mr Abdo says
From his home in Los Angeles, The Kid LAROI said that returning home to perform live together will be a career highlight.
“As a young kid growing up in Sydney, I would drive past Rabbitohs training at Redfern Oval dreaming of playing rugby league,” he says.
“Now I’m going to have this pinch myself moment of playing my music in front of a roaring crowd of rugby league fans on grand final day.
“It really doesn’t get much better than that.”
