The business end of the NRL season is here with the finals taking centre stage.
After several classic contests, Melbourne and Brisbane were the only two clubs left standing as they faced off in the grand final.
The Sporting News provides all the latest info of the 2025 NRL finals series.
MORE: How did the NRL finals pan out last season?
NRL Finals layout: How does the finals format work?
The current NRL finals system has been in place since first being introduced in 2012 as a replacement for the McIntyre system.
After 27 rounds are completed in the regular season, just eight teams are left and qualify for the finals, which takes place over one month.
The top four teams on the ladder earn the right for multiple shots at making it through to the grand final, while the bottom four teams within the eight face sudden death matches each and every week.
The minor premiers host the fourth-placed side in the first qualifying final, before 2nd and 3rd square off in the other qualifying final.
The winners of each of these fixtures earn the week off and advance straight through to preliminary finals on home soil, while the losers are forced to go the long way around via the semi finals.
Meanwhile, during the rest of the first week of finals, the fifth-placed club will have a home ground advantage during their clash with the 8th-placed team in the first of two elimination finals.
The 6th and 7th-placed sides will square off in the other sudden death match for the chance to advance through to the semis.
The two teams that lost their respective elimination finals are done for the year, while the two winners live to fight another day as they then venture to face the beaten clubs from the qualifying finals.
In the semi finals, four teams lock horns with the losers of each match being eliminated and the winners progressing through to the prelims to join the winners of the qualifing finals from week one.
The victors in each preliminary final then advance through to the decider where they have a shot at being crowned the premiers.
How many games are there in the NRL Finals?
The NRL season reaches its climax across a month-long elimination tournament that comprises nine games in total.
There are two qualifying finals, two elimination finals, two semi-finals, two preliminary finals and a grand final.
NRL Finals schedule 2025
Finals week one
| Qualifying Final 1: (1st) Canberra Raiders 28 def. by Brisbane Broncos 29 (4th) |
| Elimination Final 1: (5th) Cronulla Sharks 20 def. Sydney Roosters 10 (8th) |
| Elimination Final 2: (6th) New Zealand Warriors 8 def. by Penrith Panthers 24 (7th) |
| Qualifying Final 2: (2nd) Melbourne Storm 26 def. Canterbury Bulldogs 18 (3rd) |
Semi Finals
| Semi Final 1: Canberra Raiders 12 def. by Cronulla Sharks 32 |
| Semi Final 2: Canterbury Bulldogs 26 def. by Penrith Panthers 46 |
Preliminary Finals
| Preliminary Final 1: Melbourne Storm 22 def. Cronulla Sharks 14 |
| Preliminary Final 2: Brisbane Broncos 16 def. Penrith Panthers 14 |
Grand Final
| Melbourne Storm 22 def. by Brisbane Broncos 26 |