The numbers that matter
The big winners of Round 24
Newcastle Knights needed to make the most of a reasonably soft three-game period to ensure a Round 26 trip to New Zealand would not determine their place in the finals and they have done just that, piling on 96 points in three games against likely non-finalists to give themselves a six-point buffer to ninth-place Canterbury.
Their Round 27 bye means they are now mathematically guaranteed to finish inside the top-eight, though their points differential of +76 means they face a difficult task to catch up to Cronulla (+165) and/or the Dolphins (+120) to finish ahead of them on a tiebreak.
Still, it is the next step in a stunning turnaround from a wooden spoon-winning side that at times couldn't score a try to save their lives last year, being outscored by a whopping 300 points across the 2025 season as part of their 18 losses.
When Titans pair Beau Fermor and Jayden Campbell dotted down just minutes apart before the break, it looked as though they would again fall into the trap of relinquishing a firs half lead, as they have done against Cronulla, Sydney (twice), Melbourne and the Warriors this year.
With the game poised delicately at 20-14, they took control of proceedings with a trio of tries inside a 15-minute period.
The potential of fourth place remaining within reach gives head coach Justin Holbrook a bit of an interesting headache in terms of whether he rests anyone from the gruelling trip to Auckland before their bye - but the result of next weekend's game against out-of-form Manly should paint a much clearer picture.
The big losers of Round 24
Canterbury Bulldogs came into a home game with South Sydney as 4.5 point favourites and the opportunity to level themselves up on 28 points with both the Bunnies and North Queensland Cowboys, over whom they have a superior points differential that could be crucial in three weeks' time.
The problem is that North Queensland have got a bye and a pair of home games against non-finalists (Wests Tigers and Canberra Raiders) on their run home, meaning the Bulldogs may have to beat Penrith Panthers in Round 26 to make up the difference.
On the basis of how ineffectively they used the ball against the Rabbitohs, things going their way looks unlikely.
Despite dominating the opening 15 minutes, the Bulldogs were down 10-0 inside half an hour, eventually recording a set completion rate of only 77% and making just one line break throughout the entire match.
When Bailey Hayward knocked on the kick-off that began the second half and Tallis Duncan scored from the turnover, the Dogs were at the point of no return.
Read more from Flashscore contributor Matt Attard about the Bulldogs' offensive struggles.
Who scored a brace this week?
The Newcastle backs and halves ran rampant in their 36-26 win over the Titans with Dane Gagai, Greg Marzhew and Fletcher Sharpe all recording doubles.
Gold Coast's Beau Fermor hit back with two of his own in that match as one of six players to score doubles this weekend that also included Daly Cherry-Evans, Tallyn Da Silva and Wests Tigers debutant Solomone Saukuru.
Team of the Week
An unlikely source for the Round 24 player of the week - Canberra Raiders captain Joey Tapine recorded his best fantasy score of 2026
Try of the Week
The naughty boys
Potential suspensions:
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (Warriors) - Dangerous contact - 2 matches or 3 matches
Victor Radley (Roosters) - Careless high tackle - $3000 fine or 2 matches
Heilum Luki (Cowboys) - Careless high tackle - $3000 fine or 2 matches
Fines:
Moeaki Fotuaika - Careless high tackle - $1800 or $2500 fine
Chris Randall - Careless high tackle - $1800 or $2500 fine
Freddy Lussick (Panthers) - Dangerous contact - $1800 or $2500 fine
Simione Laiafi (Sea Eagles) - Careless high tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Tony Sukkar (Tigers) - Careless high tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Connelly Lemuelu (Dolphins) - Dangerous contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Tanner Stowers-Smith (Warriors) - Careless high tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Jacob Laban (Warriors) - Dangerous contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Next weekend's fixtures
The Roosters and Panthers will be looking to keep the pressure on one another next weekend with what should be some soft kills against already condemned opponents.
The Saturday afternoon games in Newcaste and Sydney (Rabbitohs v Warriors) shapre up to be the most decisive of the round when it comes to top-four and top-eight permutations.
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
